Arizona has had its share of elected officials who brought shame to the State in a national spotlight for years:
- Convicted felon and openly racist Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
- Mean-spirited Governor Jan Brewer who infamously shook her finger in President Obama’s face when he visited Arizona.
- Impeached Governor Evan Mecham, who revoked the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a paid federal holiday causing Arizona to lose the 1993 Super Bowl.
And then there was Senator John McCain—a point of light and balance to the embarrassments of local politics.
This week, the nation mourns a true hero and patriot in both Arizona and Washington DC.
Almost everyone knows he was a North Vietnamese POW and that he served Arizona for over 30 years as an esteemed senator, with a maverick reputation for decisions on critical issues such as preserving the Affordable Care Act. I hold John McCain in the highest respect possible and here is one reason why that everyone does not know.
The father of one of my lifetime friends became terminally ill while living in Texas. She wanted her father to come home to Arizona and be cared for at the Phoenix VA Hospital during his final months. Just one call to the Senator’s Phoenix office set into motion bringing her father home to Arizona and at no expense to her family.
True heroes accomplish great things quietly with no expectation of notice or accolades. This story is but one of many illustrating why Senator McCain is not only recognized nationally but also became Arizona’s favored son.
Two women, from both Democrat and Republican political parties, won the Senate primary race in Arizona this week. Historically, after the November election, Arizona will now have its first woman senator. I pray that the winner will begin their senate term with dignity and accomplishment in honor of the man whose reputation will forever set the bar for a true statesman.
I’m an Arizona native, I write for Feminine Collective, and I honor the legacy of Senator John McCain. Sleep in heavenly peace.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore Flickr via Compfight cc
Dori Owen
Dori Owen blogs on ArizonaGirlDiary.tumblr.com, is a columnist on FeminineCollective.com, a contributor/editor for The Lithium Chronicles, created the Facebook page Diary of an Arizona Girl, is an author on AskABipolar, was featured in the books FeminineCollective RAW&UNFILTERED VOL I and StigmaFighters Vol II, and is a zealous tweeter as @doriowen. She's a former LA wild child who settled into grownup life as a project manager, collecting an MBA and a few husbands along the way. Dori spent her adult years in Southern California, with a brief stay in Reno, and has now returned to where she ran away from in Arizona. She is a shown artist, writer, and her favorite pastime is upcycling old furniture she finds from thrift stores. She lives with her beloved rescued terrier, Olivia Twist, and the cat who came to visit but stayed. The love of her life is her grown son in Portland, Oregon who very much resents being introduced after her pets. But she she does love him the most.
