Domestic Policy

Ask a Mexican on Guns in Mexico

By Gustavo Arellano

Arizona's 20-Week Abortion Ban Is Unconstitutional, Says Federal Appeals Court

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says Arizona's law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional, citing just about every Supreme Court case on the subject since Roe v. Wade."The 20-week law is [an] unconstitutional under an unbroken stream of Supreme Court authority, begin ... More >>

Flip-Flopping John McCain Is No Political Profile in Courage

John McCain Bucks the NRA, Supports Expanding Background Checks for Gun Sales

Republican Senator John McCain announced today his support for an amendment that calls for an expansion of the federal background-check system for gun sales, an amendment that's specifically being targeted for defeat by the National Rifle Association.According to all the newspapers in Washington, th ... More >>

"Gang of Eight" Immigration Deal Outline Released

An outline of the immigration bill formed by the so-called "Gang of Eight" -- which includes Arizona's Republican Senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake -- has been released.There's a whole lot of stuff in this outline, including some of the more specific details on immigration law, but it includes se ... More >>

Joe Arpaio-Henchman Bill Montgomery Milks CIR While Separating Parents from Children

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is gettin' real popular with some in the pro-immigration reform crowd. Never mind that he collaborates with Sheriff Joe Arpaio in prosecuting undocumented workers, while ignoring those who hire them. See also: -Bill Montgomery's Victims Rot in Jail, While A ... More >>

Are "People Who Want to Secure the Border and Prevent Illegal Immigration" Racist?

According to poll results released yesterday by Rasmussen Reports, 11 percent of U.S. voters think that "people who want to secure the border and prevent illegal immigration" are racist.An additional 22 percent said they didn't know if these people are racist.See also:-Poll: One-Third of Voters Not ... More >>

Poll: One-Third of Voters Not Convinced People Who Want to "Secure the Border" Aren't Racist

Good news for people who talk up their desire for the country to "secure the border" and try to prevent illegal immigration -- most American voters don't think you're racist.The problem is, according to poll results, that still leaves one-third of American voters who still think you might be racist.

Arizona's the Best State for Gun Owners, Says Magazine Formerly Run by Man Who Shot and Killed Neighbor in Arizona

Arizona is "the best" state for gun owners, Guns & Ammo magazine says today.Believe it or not, Guns & Ammo magazine omitted the fact that the former editor of the magazine shot and killed a man in Arizona less than a year ago.See also:-Richard Venola, Former Editor of Guns & Ammo Magazine, A ... More >>

'Til Death Do Us Part: Arizona's Dangerous Love Affair with Guns

Jan Brewer Releases Steaming Depends-Load of Hypocrisy on Immigration Reform

Can Governor Jan Brewer read? The statement from her office on the immigration reform plan released today by U.S. Senator John McCain and his colleagues makes me think not. Though that's no big surprise. See also: -Jan Brewer "Kinder, Gentler" on Immigration? Republic Dons Kneepads for Governor ... More >>

John Leonardo, Arizona U.S. Attorney, Supports Obama's Gun-Control Plan

John Leonardo, Arizona U.S. Attorney, released a letter to the public today that expresses support for banning certain kinds of guns and requiring background checks for all sales of firearms. Leonardo begins his letter by explaining that the "political climate for a constructive discussion about gu ... More >>

Arizona Deserves No Peace From Pro-Immigrant Forces

Gabrielle Giffords' and Mark Kelly's Call for "Laws to Require Responsible Gun Ownership": Yay or Nay?

Two years after the Tucson shooting in which six people were killed, and 13 others were injured, including then-Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Giffords and husband Mark Kelly used the date to call for Congress to do something."In response to a horrific series of shootings that has sown terror in ... More >>

Sandy Hook Slaughter: Adam Lanza's Mom, Ron Barber's Wisdom and Bob Lord's Petition

Just like many of you, I've been transfixed this weekend watching the TV news coverage of the slaughter of the innocents at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. And like a bad case of acid reflux, the national debate has begun -- for the umpteenth time -- over the issue of gun ... More >>

Obama vs. Romney: Arizona's Anti-Immigration Law Gets Mention During Second Presidential Debate

Arizona's anti-immigration laws and policies were center stage during part of the second presidential debate at Hofstra University in New York. President Barack Obama criticized Governor Mitt Romney for pledging to veto the DREAM Act and saying that "self deportation" was his plan to address the mi ... More >>

Jan Brewer Gets a "D" in Economics From the Libertarian Cato Institute

The libertarian Cato Institute has not been taking it easy on Arizona -- it has consistently said the state's immigration laws are no good for the economy, and now it's giving Governor Jan Brewer a "D" in fiscal policy.The idea behind the grade is simple: "governors who have cut taxes and spending t ... More >>

Election 2012: Catholic and Mormon Voters Face a Difficult Choice Between Obama and Romney

Religion has played an increasingly dominant -- and sometimes volatile -- role in politics in recent years. But what happens when religious beliefs conflict with a political party's platform? Or when voters have to square conflicting beliefs within their own church? In this week's feature story, M ... More >>

Tuscon City Council Votes to Support Law Calling for Stricter Background Checks On Potential Gun-Owners

The Tucson city council voted unanimously last night to support the federal Fix Gun Checks Act of 2012 after hearing testimony from the survivors of the January 2011 Tucson shootings. "Based on the testimony from them, based on what's happened in the last couple of weeks in Milwaukee and Aurora, a ... More >>

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's Deputy Reports to ICE a Speeding Teenager -- Along With the Boy's Parents Who Weren't Even in the Car

See also SB 1070: Supreme Court Upholds "Papers Please" Section, Invalidates OthersSee also Brewer Declares "Victory" as Court Tosses Unconstitutional SB 1070 ProvisionsSee also Babeu Turns Distortion of Truth Into an Art FormSee also Babeu Calls Obama's DREAM Act Policy "Shocking" Pinal Coun ... More >>

Congressional Candidate Matt Salmon Says Lobbyist Matt Salmon Never Lobbied for "Obamacare"; Kirk Adams Says Otherwise

Republican Congressman-turned-lobbyist-turned-congressional candidate Matt Salmon promises he'll "join the fight to repeal Obamacare" if he's elected to Congress this fall.If you ask his primary opponent in the state's Fifth Congressional District, former Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams, Salmon alr ... More >>

CNN Flubs Coverage of U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Obamacare, Incorrectly Reports That Bill was Not Upheld

Everyone was watching the big moment this morning, awaiting the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Obamacare... and CNN blew it. The flub started as veteran newscaster Wolf Blitzer breathlessly announces that reporter Kate Balduan has some news from the steps of the courthouse. Then&nbs ... More >>

"Obamacare": Nancy Barto, Senate Health Chair, Drops Multiple Debunked Talking Points About Law, Including the "Lie of the Year"

Republican state Senator Nancy Barto is the chairman of the Senate Healthcare and Medical Liability Reform Committee, which would make you think Barto knows a thing or two about how health care works.After taking a look at her comments on the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Patient Protection ... More >>

SB 1070: Why Obama Is Partly to Blame for the Racist Bill

DREAM Act Has Support From 73 Percent of Arizonans, According to Poll

If you trust public-opinion polling, then Arizonans aren't the hard-asses about illegal immigration that they're portrayed to be.According to a new poll from the Merrill/Morrison Institute -- which found earlier in the week that the race between President Obama and eventual GOP nominee Mitt Romney i ... More >>

NRCC Going After Andrei Cherny, Kyrsten Sinema in CD9

The National Republican Congressional Committee has been increasing press-release blasts to some of its targeted districts recently, including two already today.The releases mostly tie local candidates to the Obama administration and the current Democrats in Congress, just plugging in the name of th ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Says He Shouldn't Be the "Poster Boy" of Immigration Protests, Notes MCSO Just Picked Up 54 Suspected Illegal Immigrants

​For once, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he shouldn't be the center of attention.Six young people -- the oldest 23 years old -- were arrested by Phoenix police Tuesday during a protest at Trevor Browne High School, rallying against Arpaio's methods of immigration enforcement.To those six ... More >>

SB 1070 Redux: Phoenix Police Department Criticized for Post-1070 Operations Order

The Phoenix human rights group Puente is planning a press conference and rally for Friday March 9, to protest the Phoenix Police Department's current operations order on immigration enforcement, which allows crime victims and witnesses to be questioned about their immigration status.The operations o ... More >>

Bad Mormon: Mitt Romney's Anti-Immigrant Stance Doesn't Jibe with LDS Teachings

Can Barack Obama Pump New Life Into Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

www.allvoices.com​If you didn't get an O-boner from President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech last night, you probably didn't watch it.Per usual, the president killed it -- the man's got a gift for gab.Unfortunately, talking about doing things doesn't get things done.For example: his comm ... More >>

Crossroads of the West's Tucson Gun Show Scheduled for Same Day as Anniversary of Jared Loughner's Deadly Rampage

​On the same day Tucson residents commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Tucson shooting that left 6 people dead and 14 others wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Crossroads of the West will hold a gun show at the Pima County Fairgrounds.Crossroads of the West bills itself as ... More >>

Unless Your Name's Wil Cardon, You'd Probably Beat Wil Cardon in GOP Senate Primary, Poll Shows

James KingWil Cardon trails Congressman Jeff Flake and "some other candidate" in the GOP Senate primary.​If you happen to be someone other than Mesa businessman Wil Cardon, you probably would beat Cardon in the GOP Senate primary, according to a recently released poll.Cardon, who is running to rep ... More >>

Anti-Amnesty Senate Candidate Wil Cardon Unfazed By Arizona's Apparent Shift to Support Pathway to Citizenship For Illegal Immigrants

James KingWil Cardon supported Jeff Flake -- until Flake started agreeing with him, that is.​Senate candidate Wil Cardon apparently didn't get the message when ousted Senate President Russell Pearce got a voter-assisted boot from office last week.Pearce's historic downfall -- combined with a recen ... More >>

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman's Still Boycotting Arizona. Yay or Nay?

Coed MagazineJoe Arpaio is NOT one of them.​Michael Coleman, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, is still boycotting Arizona because of SB 1070, Arizona's controversial immigration law -- according to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, that is (we've got a call into to Coleman's office to verify -- stay ... More >>

"Dream Act" Signed by California Governor Jerry Brown. KPHO Suggests the "Dream" Could Be Coming to Arizona. Ha!

​The "Dream" came true for illegal immigrants in California over the weekend -- Governor Jerry Brown signed a version of the controversial Dream Act into California law Saturday. Now, local TV news station KPHO is suggesting the "Dream" may be coming to Arizona (insert Wayne Campbell's "Shyeah...a ... More >>

Joe Arpaio to Barack Obama: Look at Me, Look at Me!

​President Barack Obama today told a representative of a national Latino group that Arizona's is not the model the rest of the country should mirror when it comes to handling illegal immigration.Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio responded by issuing a press release saying that not only are his me ... More >>

"Major Triumph," Governor Brewer Says of Appeals Court Shoot-Down of Forced Health Insurance Purchase

Image: www.freedombunker.comObama's health care plan received a major blow today as it's requirement to force Americans to buy insurance was rejected by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.​ Governor Jan Brewer called today's appeals court shoot-down of Obama's mandatory health care plan a "majo ... More >>

Phoenix DREAM Activist Recognized on Capitol Hill

Angelica Hernandez being recognized by U.S. Senator from Illinois Dick DurbinOn Tuesday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held its first DREAM Act hearing since the legislation was first proposed a decade ago. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat, announced the hearing last week. Durbin ... More >>

Immigration Reform Introduced in Congress, Locals Say It's a Political Ploy For Obama

U.S. Senator from New Jersey Bob Menendez, who introduced immigration legislation in Congress today The United States Senate is at it again with immigration reform legislation, but Republicans are still unwilling to join the effort.Today, Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, introduc ... More >>

Arizona Does "Not Have a Single Common Sense Gun Law" On Books, Brady Center Finds

www.last2pics.comYee-haw​For a state that recently became only the second state in the entire country to pass a law that names an official state gun, it shouldn't come as much of a shock that Arizona scored a whopping zero points on this year's Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence annual scoreca ... More >>

Barack Obama Holds Immigration Dog And Pony Show With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Bloomberg, But No Members of Congress

White House Left, right, or center: Don't hold your breath waiting for "immigration reform."​President Barack Obama is hosting a meeting to outline his views on immigration reform this afternoon with top cabinet officials and national politicians, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloo ... More >>

Twenty-Two Sniveling Senators Ask Double-Talking Barack Obama To Stop Deporting Undocumented Youth. Change Unlikely.

Prerna Lal received deportation notice as Obama insists his administration isn't deporting talented young folk.​Twenty-two United States Senators sent a letter to President Barack Obama late last week asking him to stop deporting undocumented youth who might be eligible for the federal DREAM Act, ... More >>

Billboard Truck Marks Firearm Murders Since Giffords' Tragedy; Michael Bloomberg Among Mayors Behind Gun-Control Ad

  Image: www.fixgunchecks.org A billboard truck sponsored by Mayors Against Illegal Guns began rolling its gun-control message across the country today.​A billboard truck that began rolling across the country today advertises the estimated number of gun-related homicide ... More >>

Congressman Ben Quayle Bashed by Congressional Dems for Accepting Federal Health Care -- Only He Didn't

James KingBen Quayle did not accept government funded health care, despite what Congressional Democrats might have told you.​The egg is on the face of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this morning for calling Arizona Congressman Ben Quayle a "hypocrite" for accepting government fund ... More >>

Feedback for the Issue of Thursday, January 20, 2011

Jared Lee Loughner Uber Alles? Let's Face It, Gun Nuts Are Just Selfish

Extremist gun nuts refuse to compromise on the firearm restrictions: Jared Lee Loughner might as well be their poster boy My colleague Ray Stern has responded to my reply to his recent pro-gun editorial. In it, Ray wonders what I meant at one point in my rebuttal, which is entitled, "Ment ... More >>

Jared Lee Loughner's Second Amendment Rights and Ray Stern

ebaumsworld.comIt seems I've introduced my dear colleague Ray Stern to the fascinating world of facts, statistics and sources, as he finally breaks down and uses a few in his latest pro-gun nut diatribe, "The Anti-Gun Culture..."In it, Ray returns once again to his us-versus-them, all-or-nothin ... More >>

Mental Health Check for Gun Buys? Talk About a Straw Man...

YahooMovies If he only had a brain, he could pass that non-existent mental health evaluation and buy a Glock... In the wake of the Tucson massacre, there have been, as you might expect, a number of folks who have suggested that maybe Arizona, and the nation, would benefit from stricter gun le ... More >>

Welcome to New York: Your Lack of "Character" Means No Handgun Permit

Image: www.planetware.com​ Two cops -- a man and woman -- stood at the door when the senior citizen opened it one afternoon in Middle Village, Queens. The female cop had her hand on the butt of her holstered handgun. "You registered a couple of rifles last year," the female cop explained. "But yo ... More >>