BAGHDAD RUSSELL
Tea Party echo chamber: Russell Pearce reminds me of Saddam Hussein's information director, Baghdad Bob. [The recalled state Senate president's] completely delusional about the desperate situation unfolding around him ("Burnin' Britches," Stephen Lemons, March 29).
[Pearce] still believes that his recall was the work of leftists, labor unions, and MoveOn.org. He refuses to accept the reality that Republicans and Mormons abandoned him in droves when presented with a moderate option.
Given the 12-point margin that Jerry Lewis won by, Pearce could not have won a majority of either demographic. Add in that Pearce no longer has the bully pulpit or fundraising advantage of the Senate presidency — and more importantly that his dirty campaign tactics have been exposed for all to see ("Cortes-gate Unravels," October 13) — and Pearce faces an almost impossible task [in his quest to land a state Senate seat in another district].
Russell, do yourself and Arizona a favor, and take a step outside your Tea Party echo chamber. You're not well liked in Mesa or Arizona.
Chad Snow, Peoria
Russell's a "Nazi sympathizer": I saw New Times editor Rick Barrs' quote in the Phoenix Business Journal that a proposed "buy-cott" of New Times — [called for] by Russell Pearce and his love interest, Sean McCaffrey [of the two-man group Ban Amnesty Now] — was "like getting boycotted by the Ku Klux Klan or the American Nazi Party."
This is particularly true, since Pearce is a known Nazi sympathizer ("When Valley Neo-Nazi J.T. Ready Converted to Mormonism, Guess Which Prominent Politico Ordained Him an Elder," December 16, 2010) who's been photographed hugging Adolf Hitler-loving J.T. Ready ("Russell Pearce's Willie Horton: White Supremacist J.T. Ready," September 27, 2007).
Oh, the "buy-cott's" because New Times insists on telling the truth about Russ — he hates the truth worse than he hates minorities.
Zack Davis, Phoenix
Pearce's a neo-Nazi denier: I know there's only so much [space] in which to document Russell Pearce's lies, but what about his multiple denials of [being pals with] J.T. Ready?
Adrian Cruz, Phoenix
Republican's "ashamed" of Russ: I am a Republican, and I am ashamed that Russell Pearce and [Pinal County Sheriff] Paul Babeu are in my party (see "Babeu Revealed" on our website for all our Babeu coverage).
They both need to be thrown out, as both are habitual liars! Ronald Reagan is turning in his grave!
David Thompson, Phoenix
Pearce's an inveterate liar: "But lie? I have never done that," [Lemons quotes Pearce as saying in "Burnin' Britches"].That's pretty funny coming from Pearce, considering he lies every time he opens his mouth.
Jim Cozzolino, Peoria
He's delusional to think he can rise again: How big are [Russell Pearce's] hands, and how many straws can they grasp?
Marcos Martinez, Avondale
Pearce's a one-of-a kind "cracker": Russell Pearce is one of a kind: He was the only state Senate president in U.S. history to be recalled by voters from his own district.
That — considering his Mesa Senate district was as right-wing as it gets — truly is stunning! Thanks to Stephen Lemons, who hounded him out of office, this cracker is toast.
John Arthur, Phoenix