Florida Republican state representative resigns

[Secret Squirrel]

Florida Republican state representative resigns in wake of racial phone message scandal


State Rep. Ralph Arza resigned Wednesday from the Legislature, bowing to pressure to quit after leaving messages filled with obscenities and a racial slur on a colleague's voice mail.

The Hialeah Republican had been under pressure from his own Republican colleagues in the state legislature. Gov. Jeb Bush has also said he should quit after the messages left on Rep. Gus Barreiro's voice mail became public.

Arza has admitted leaving the message on the voice mail of fellow Republican Rep. Gus Barreiro last month but said he was drunk and felt "deeply ashamed."

Barreiro had earlier filed a complaint alleging that Arza used a racial epithet when referring to Miami-Dade County school superintendent Rudy Crew, who is black, an allegation Arza denies. Arza used the same epithet in his phone message to Barreiro. Both Arza and Barreiro are Cuban-American.

In a letter Monday to The Miami Herald, which first reported the call, Arza called his actions "a terrible mistake."

"I make no excuse for that. I used offensive language. I am deeply ashamed of what I did," he wrote.

link (http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/01/america/NA_GEN_US_Lawmaker_Racist_Remark.php)

[Jobu]

See how easy it is to apologize and do the right thing when admit you're an idiot?

John Kerry can learn from this guy.

[Hiroshima]

Not just Senator Kerry, but a whole host of politicians...

[Secret Squirrel]

See how easy it is to apologize and do the right thing when admit you're an idiot?

So why did it take so long Mr. B.S? Or were they waiting to be charged?

Arza resigns; he and cousin to be charged


State Rep. Ralph Arza, under fire for expletive-laced phone calls to a Miami Beach lawmaker, resigned his office this morning on the steps of Hialeah City Hall and said he would not seek reelection on Tuesday. The resignation came as prosecutors planned to file criminal charges of witness interference against Arza.

Surrounded by family and friends, Arza asked for forgiveness, saying he hoped his replacement in the state House would focus on education and saying he was resigning because he didn't want to be 'a distraction for what will be the House of Representatives' next two years.''

''This has been a very difficult time for all of us,'' Arza said, referring to his family. ``I wish it could be a better ending.''

The Republican Party of Florida will choose Arza's stand-in in Tuesday's election.

Arza resigned shortly after he was expected to visit the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office to offer his resignation. Word had leaked out that prosecutors were expected to charge the Hialeah Republican and his first cousin today with felony counts of tampering with and retaliating against a witness for those phone calls to state Rep. Gus Barreiro. Both are third-degree felonies, punishable by a maximum five-year prison term.

Arza had also been scheduled to speak in Tallahassee at noon to the House Select Committee to Investigate the Conduct of Representative Ralph Arza.

The committee was established after Barreiro gave police five recordings of messages left by Arza and his cousin, Paulino Barbon Jr., two weekends ago in which Arza called him a ''bitch'' and used a racial slur. Barreiro had just filed a House rules complaint against Arza, alleging the Hialeah-area lawmaker had twice used racial slurs to describe Miami-Dade's black schools chief, Rudy Crew.

Shortly after Arza left a second message, Barbon allegedly called and was far more explicit, saying, among other things, that they would ``crack your head open.''

During his resignation speech, Arza continued to blast those who consider him prejudiced. ''It hurts me someone would call me a racist,'' he said.

Despite his resignation, charges from the state attorney are still expected.

Had he not left office, Arza would likely have been expelled from the Florida House by a two-thirds vote when it convenes in its first post-election session on Nov. 21, when Arza's friend, Marco Rubio, is to be installed as Florida's first Cuban-American House speaker. Rubio, Gov. Jeb Bush, House Speaker Allan Bense and numerous other fellow Republicans had asked him to resign.

In his resignation address, Arza called for an education official to replace him in the House, giving a tacit nod to his friend, Miami-Dade School Board Member Frank Bolaños, who ran a vicious but failed campaign to unseat Miami Sen. Alex Villalobos this year. Villalobos said Bolaños is unacceptable.

''Anybody that Arza insists on would be a bad choice. The way to make things right is to not have his guy there. That's his guy. Whoever his guy is is the wrong pick, just look at the track record,'' Villalobos said.

Arza, who managed the campaign against Villalobos, did not address the criminal investigation this morning and refused to take questions.

He was greeted outside Hialeah City Hall by a small crowd of supporters, including one man holding a sign that said, in Spanish, ``Arza, don't resign.''

He also brought with him to the news conference more than a dozen friends and family members and was careful to point out to the press a black man, Tim Harris, who Arza said played football for him when he was a high school coach.

''Sadly, we've seen that I did something that obviously I'd like to erase,'' Arza said. ``I am removing my name from the election and resigning.''

link (http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/nation/15901865.htm)

[Jobu]

However long it took, he ended up doing the right thing after admitting that he said something stupid. That's what everybody is asking of Kerry as well.

[2Sheds_Jackson]

So if I have this right, one Cuban-American Republican called another Cuban-American Republican and dropped the N bomb, because the latter had earlier used the same N bomb on a black guy who's on the school board. Makes perfect sense. Hialeah- rough neighborhood. I suppose we should be glad they didn't all just stab each other.

[Secret Squirrel]

However long it took, he ended up doing the right thing after admitting that he said something stupid.

You mean he waited until after he knew he was going to be charged and kicked out anyway? I guess he should have used some other slang like George Allen if he wants to get his little racist jabs in.

[Hiroshima]

So if I have this right, one Cuban-American Republican called another Cuban-American Republican and dropped the N bomb, because the latter had earlier used the same N bomb on a black guy who's on the school board. Makes perfect sense. Hialeah- rough neighborhood. I suppose we should be glad they didn't all just stab each other.

Roger that!

[WARPIG]

You mean he waited until after he knew he was going to be charged and kicked out anyway? I guess he should have used some other slang like George Allen if he wants to get his little racist jabs in.
Biased much? This fool is an (R) so he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt like Kerry eh?

Politicians don't just give up their positions when they make stupid mistakes. He f'ed up.. got caught and ended up accepting the foul. My bad is a friggin long sight better than "it was a botched joke" or "I was molested as child." It's political season and politicians are whipping out the dirt they have been saving all this time.

[California Joe]

This guy should have just said "so what, you wanna piece of me?" and then threatened to kick the other guys ass. I'd vote for that.

[WARPIG]

This guy should have just said "so what, you wanna piece of me?" and then threatened to kick the other guys ass. I'd vote for that.


Dude, that would rock.. I bet Jesse Ventura and the Governator would would work that hook pretty well.

[Hollis]

You bet, What Cali Joe Said, I can respect that, instead of whimpering half ass attempt at spin control.

[California Joe]

We're suppose to believe that because he said he was sorry that he still doesn't want to crack the other dudes head open? I think it's hilarious that he kept calling him a bitch....It's like an episode of the Sopranos for chrissakes.

[Secret Squirrel]

Biased much? This fool is an (R) so he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt like Kerry eh?

Benefit of the doubt for what? The 5 messages both he and his partner in crime left? Admitting to leaving the messages? Trying to fight it for a few weeks to see if it would blow over? The fact that he resigned the very day criminal charges were being filed? What exactly should I be giving him the benefit of the doubt for?

[WARPIG]

Benefit of the doubt for what? The 5 messages both he and his partner in crime left? Admitting to leaving the messages? Trying to fight it for a few weeks to see if it would blow over? The fact that he resigned the very day criminal charges were being filed? What exactly should I be giving him the benefit of the doubt for?

For being a politician. But, since you didn't quote that part.. I assume you dismissed it as it didn't support your position.

[California Joe]

I think it'd be refreshing if everyone actually said what's on their minds.

[Secret Squirrel]

For being a politician. But, since you didn't quote that part.. I assume you dismissed it as it didn't support your position.

I dismissed it because it didnt make any sense, which was par for the post anyway....which would be why I asked what I asked.

[WARPIG]

I dismissed it because it didnt make any sense, which was par for the post anyway....which would be why I asked what I asked.

Ah.. my poor language skills are due to my lack of education or intelligence. I sure hope I don't get stuck in Iraq.

Let me try again. If every politician just up and quit when they say something stupid.. who would be left? This guy stepped on his **** and hoped it would blow over. Another recently said some rather unflattering things about the men and women in uniform, but is trying to downplay and spin the stupid remark. Another politician sent some rather inappopriate email to a young page. That little tidbit didn't make it to the press until recently. Political season.. dirt gets dug up and used when it is most tactically useful. The man sat on the issue to see if it would kill his career. It did. He quit.

Every politician is under a microscope. But, biased democrats like yourself take opportunity to point out the Republicans that make the same stupid mistakes as the Democrats. Don't worry, I know a few members that are equally quick to do the same to the Democrats.

Hope that clears it up.

[Secret Squirrel]

Ah.. my poor language skills are due to my lack of education or intelligence. I sure hope I don't get stuck in Iraq.

Let me try again. If every politician just up and quit when they say something stupid.. who would be left? This guy stepped on his **** and hoped it would blow over. Another recently said some rather unflattering things about the men and women in uniform, but is trying to downplay and spin the stupid remark. Another politician sent some rather inappopriate email to a young page. That little tidbit didn't make it to the press until recently. Political season.. dirt gets dug up and used when it is most tactically useful. The man sat on the issue to see if it would kill his career. It did. He quit.

Every politician is under a microscope. But, biased democrats like yourself take opportunity to point out the Republicans that make the same stupid mistakes as the Democrats. Don't worry, I know a few members that are equally quick to do the same to the Democrats.

Hope that clears it up.

Yep, clears it up nicely. And out of the three people you mentioned, only one is charged with two felonies with a possible max. sentence of 10 years in prison. So you want me to give him the benefit of the doubt because it's an election cycle and he's a republican? No thanks. He admitted he left the messages. And now it's up to the courts to decide whether he's innocent or guilty regarding the felonies.

[WARPIG]

Yep, clears it up nicely. And out of the three people you mentioned, only one is charged with two felonies with a possible max. sentence of 10 years in prison. So you want me to give him the benefit of the doubt because it's an election cycle and he's a republican? No thanks. He admitted he left the messages. And now it's up to the courts to decide whether he's innocent or guilty regarding the felonies.
Considering where he is from... yes. ;)

[Secret Squirrel]

Considering where he is from... yes. ;)

You mean Cuba? Or Florida?:D

[WARPIG]

Hialeah. I don't think you can hold public office unless you have some street cred.

[Secret Squirrel]

Hialeah. I don't think you can hold public office unless you have some street cred.

So I should give him the benefit of the doubt because he's from Hialeah? Just so we're clear on the story; Arza learned that Barreiro had filed a compliant against him because Arza allegedly used a racial epithet to refer to Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Rudy Crew, who is black. Arza found out that Barreiro had made the compliant and left some phone messages for Barreiro (using the same epithet that he was accused of using to refer to Rudy Crew). A total of 5 threatening calls were left, and recorded so they're on record and the police have them. Arza admitted that it was his voice on the tape and that he left the messages. And now Arza is charged with two felonies; retaliating against and tampering with a witness for allegedly trying to thwart the investigation of the complaint (because of the messages that both he and his cousin left that he has already admitted to leaving). Also, one of his cousins has been charged with the same thing for helping him. And I should give him the benefit of the doubt because he's a Cuban-American from a predomintely spanish area?

[WARPIG]

So I should give him the benefit of the doubt because he's from Hialeah? Just so we're clear on the story; Arza learned that Barreiro had filed a compliant against him because Arza allegedly used a racial epithet to refer to Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Rudy Crew, who is black. Arza found out that Barreiro had made the compliant and left some phone messages for Barreiro (using the same epithet that he was accused of using to refer to Rudy Crew). A total of 5 threatening calls were left, and recorded so they're on record and the police have them. Arza admitted that it was his voice on the tape and that he left the messages. And now Arza is charged with two felonies; retaliating against and tampering with a witness for allegedly trying to thwart the investigation of the complaint (because of the messages that both he and his cousin left that he has already admitted to leaving). Also, one of his cousins has been charged with the same thing for helping him. And I should give him the benefit of the doubt because he's a Cuban-American from a predomintely spanish area?


Obsess much?


I have to say.. I was commenting on the initial media blurb and the stupid remarks in this post. Yes, generalizing on the vague media hype.. sue me. So, you knew all the minute little details of this guys episode and just now post them? Bull****. You didn't like being labeled biased and dug all that **** up.

I mean my point was, republican ****s up.. Secret Squirral jumps all over his ass. Kerry ****s through his teeth.. and there is no outrage. Biased. Just like the rest of us brother. You can say it. Just think of this as a loony liberal outreach program. I'm your intervention counselor. Group hug? :D

[Secret Squirrel]

Obsess much?


I have to say.. I was commenting on the initial media blurb and the stupid remarks in this post. Yes, generalizing on the vague media hype.. sue me. So, you knew all the minute little details of this guys episode and just now post them? Bull****. You didn't like being labeled biased and dug all that **** up.

Everyone is biased. Objectivity exists only in a dictionary. And it doesnt bother me if someone calls me biased because I already know it. And I already knew the story, I just typed it out in clear detail now just incase some posters did know. All the details are in the stories I posted on the first page.


I mean my point was, republican ****s up.. Secret Squirral jumps all over his ass. Kerry ****s through his teeth.. and there is no outrage. Biased. Just like the rest of us brother. You can say it. Just think of this as a loony liberal outreach program. I'm your intervention counselor. Group hug? :D

Kerry never makes a speech without attempting to attack Bush. It's his thing, its what he does. It'd be nice if he stopped or made some new arguments, but it's like an addiction for him. If he never said what he said then people would be bitching about Kerry attacking Bush over Iraq again. However, in this story we have two republicans so nothing really changes. Arza didnt have an opponent for the election (well other than a write-in one) so he'll just be replaced with another republican and that republican will be elected. So nothing changes politically. It's just a sick and saddening story.

[Jobu]

I think it'd be refreshing if everyone actually said what's on their minds.

My balls itch.