Sand Land

An Israel for Rednecks

E.J. Montini tells New York Times to "shut up," proclaims himself the Valley's #1 provincial windbag.

Buffalo Rick's sinister scribblings against U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn O. Silver.

Hot Links: South Mountain shootout, Steve Berman, Grampa McCain, Russell Pearce, and more...

Hot Links: John McCain's numbers weaken in AZ, the 9/11 Frisbee, Gerald Richard on Darrell Ankarlo, a pot-eating tyke, and more.

Hot Links: Bruce Jacobs slammed over slamming, Matt Leinart still starting QB, Daddy Yankee hearts Old Man McCain, and more.

Hot Links: Polls Say Obama Kicked Butt in Debate, Congressman's Son Hacked Sarah Palin's E-Mail, Nick Nolte Jumps From Window Fleeing Fire.

Hot Links: Hillary Nixes Second White House Run (Sorta), McCain Mocks Obama Stimulus Plan, Rolling Stone Shrinks.

Hot Links: McCain's Arizona Lead Withers, Feds Collar Mongols, Food Network's Fieri Feasts in Flagstaff.

Hot Links: McCain Camp Claims They'll Take Arizona, Phillies Win World Series, Napolitano Stumps for Obama in Ohio, More Miley Cyrus Racy Pics on the Way.

Molten Gold

Jett flakes, so Kreme flies solo and gets his art jones fixed at the Molten Brothers' "Deck" show

Eight Year Old St. Johns Boy Is Poster Kid for Gun Laws

If there's anything the tragedy in St. Johns should teach you, it's that if you plan to spank your eight year old 1,000 times, you may not want to show him how to shoot a rifle. Either that, or you might want to consider the option of a "time out" for the little bugger.Sure, sure, no one deserves to ... More >>

Doug MacEachern, aka, "Mr. Provincial," Takes a Swipe at His Betters at The New York Times

Is it just me, or is MacEachern looking more and more like the old dood from Family Guy these days?Here's a big surprise, the Republic's lead curmudgeon Doug "Mossback" MacEachern doesn't like it that the New York Times recently labeled Cactus Country a "State of Fear," due to our loss of Janet Napo ... More >>

John Conyers' House Judiciary Committee to Hold 287(g) Hearing April 2

from Congressman Nadler's Web site NYC Congressman Jerry Nadler (left), with House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers. Trying to get info out of Washington, D.C. from here in Sand Land is like attempting to obtain cheese directly from the cow's teat sometimes. Nevertheless, I'm in rece ... More >>

Shrine Whine

Governor Photo-Op was wrapping herself in the flag over the new AZ 9/11 shrine. Now, she who puts the P in politician's running for cover

Mad Max Rules: The Arizona Legislature's Mandatory Handgun Ownership Laws

pic by Joshuashearn Coming soon to an athletic sock or purse near you... Just when you thought our gun-lovin' legislature had gone as far over the deep end into Mad Max territory as possible, our lawmakers up and make gun ownership mandatory for all lads and ladies 21 and above ... More >>

Neo-Nazi Oi Fest II Scheduled for October 24 in Tonopah, Arizona

from whiteknightsofamerica.com Some sieg heil-ing action from last year's Oi Fest, posted to WKOA's site What could it be that draws neo-Nazis to western Maricopa County town of Tonopah? Desert vistas pregnant with ennui? The occasional corpse dumped next to the Interstate? Exhaust from ... More >>

Cottonwood Rednecks Freak Over Korean Statue of Mother Earth Named "Mago"

from MagoEarthParkGalleryWhat's all the hubbub? Looks pretty cool to me...To cop and alter a line from Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I, the rednecks are revolting! Yeah, man, they stink on ice.Like you needed more proof that Arizona's chock full of backwards, toothless puddin'heads who ... More >>

March 23 In Blogs: Russell Pearce, She & Him, Republic Ramen, and J.D. Hayworth

​In the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries: Feathered Bastard: Russell Pearce's Police State Bill on the Today's COW Calendar, Will Sanity Prevail in Sa ... More >>

Easter Bunny Disables Photo Radar for Several Hours: Catch the Video by Jason Shelton

Peter Cottontail's hoppin' mad about photo radar...These anti-photo radar activists rock like Amadeus. Back in December, it was a passel of renegade Santas attacking photo radar cameras in Tempe with big Xmas gift boxes. This Sunday, on that great pagan celebration known as Easter, Peter C ... More >>

Linda Ronstadt Returns, Joe Arpaio Hunts Hispanics, and ACLU Announces Plans to Sue Over SB 1070

EarlyOnsetofNightOne way of combating Sheriff Joe's anti-brown sweeps, and SB1070 to bootTomorrow will be a big day in Sand Land, with Latina pop icon Shakira meeting with Mayor Phil Gordon over their opposition to Arizona's new racial profiling law. Normally, that alone would make for a huge news d ... More >>

Los Angeles Boycotts Arizona, Sorta; U.N. Officials Blast SB 1070; and Seattle Cops Stomp Hispanics (No, Really)

Matthew FieldThe City of Angels just dropped one on Sand LandThe Los Angeles City Council today joined the growing list of cities and organizations boycotting Arizona because of our new "papers please" legislation SB 1070. Well, kinda sorta.According to LA Times reporter Phl Willon, the council vote ... More >>

Tom Horne Protested by Tucson Students Over Ethnic Studies Ban

Horne: He's against, like, overthrowing the government, and stuffHundreds of demonstrators protested Arizona Schools Superintendent Tom Horne in Tucson today over his backing of Sand Land's new ethnic studies ban. The new law forbids classes that teach "ethnic solidarity," promote the overthrow of t ... More >>

Rapper Pitbull Cancels Phoenix Show In Protest Over SB 1070

Pitbull, sinking his teeth into SB 1070Cuban-American rapper Armando "Pitbull" Perez is taking a bite out of Arizona over the state's "papers please" legislation by canceling a stop in Phoenix  at the Celebrity Theatre as part of his "Mr. Worldwide's Carnival" tour.The popular rapper, perhaps b ... More >>

Three Undocumented DREAM Activists Released from ICE Custody in Tucson

David Abie MoralesDREAM activists, being arrested at John McCain's office MondayThree undocumented DREAM activists who had been arrested Monday on second degree trespassing charges after staging a sit-in at U.S. Senator John McCain's Tucson office were released last night from ICE custody, according ... More >>

Michelle Obama Embarrassed by 2nd Grader; and Why Arizona Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce Is an Idiot

And a little child shall lead them...In case you missed it, the video above is of First Lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by Mexico's First Lady Margarita Zavala, visiting with a group of Maryland second graders on Wednesday. One kid raised her hand to ask if it was true what her mommy says that Bara ... More >>

Whites Racially Profiled, Asked for Their "Papers" To Be on Native American Land

In a hilarious spoof of Cops sure to redden the face of every cracker nativist in Sand Land and beyond, L.A.'s "Josh on the street" skewers Arizona's "papers please" law by flippin' the script on white folks and asking them for their documentation to be on what was originally Native American land.Jo ... More >>

Los Lobos Latest Act to Cancel Show and Boycott Arizona

Drew ReynoldsLos Lobos, "The Wolves" ditch their Talking Stick show, scheduled for June 10Arizona could have one killer rock concert, on par with Coachella, if all the bands who're cancelling Cactus Country gigs or boycotting the state due to SB 1070 were to participate.The East L.A. Chicano rock ba ... More >>

Joe Arpaio's Candidates Steve Poizner, Bill Hunt, Jay LaSuer All Lose Big-Time in California

OCWeeklyJoe Arpaio, extremist Barbara Coe, and loser Bill Hunt in NovemberIt's official: Joe Arpaio's endorsement is worth squat beyond the confines of Sand Land, particularly when we're talking about California.All of the politicians Arpaio plugged, campaigned for, raised money for, or just had a k ... More >>

Apache Junction Man Indicted in Theft of Saguaros

www.freewallpaper.com​If you live in the Sonoran Desert you may think Saguaro Cacti are everywhere -- that's because in these parts, they are. But that doesn't mean they're yours for the taking. The rest of the world isn't as blessed with the same prickly foliage, so the federal government -- thro ... More >>

June 29 In Blogs: Pamela Gorman, First Friday, Blitzen Trapper, Maizie's, and Hispanics

​​​In the 24-hour news cycle, it can be difficult to keep up. We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:

Another Day, Another Bank Robbery (Or Failed Robbery as is the Case in Latest Attempted Heist)

Phoenix Police Department If you know this guy, call the cops.​Well, the sun came up yesterday, which seems to mean one thing lately here in Sand Land: somebody robbed a bank -- or at least tried to. For those in the news biz, you've probably noticed lately that about once-a-day ... More >>

Anti-SB 1070 Billboard on Camelback Near Third Street by Brave New Foundation

A public service announcement brought to you by the Brave New Foundation project Cuentame Despite the fact that District Court Judge Susan R. Bolton ripped out most of SB 1070's spine on July 28, Sheriff Joe Arpaio's still doing his anti-Hispanic dragnets. And if other law enforcement age ... More >>

Morning Poll: Are You Buyin' Arizona Capitol Times Congressional Poll?

www.vimeo.com​The results of a poll published by the Arizona Capitol Times  are making the media rounds this week.The poll focuses on the Distric 3 Congressional primary and shows a dramatic shift in numbers from a poll taken a little over month ago. According to Yellow Sheet, the Cap Times e ... More >>

Jan Brewer Wrong Again: FBI Stats Show Violent Crime Down in Arizona 14 Percent

courtesy of Dennis Gilman The FBI gives the lie to Jan Brewer's noxious rhetoric It's been proven over and over again: Governor Jan Brewer's hysteria and the hysteria of her nativist allies over alleged illegal-alien-perpetrated crime in Arizona is founded on anecdotal evidence, some of it gl ... More >>

John McCain vs. DREAM Act: Vote Expected Today

Tim'es a waistin', people. Hit those phones. Hit 'em hard.The DREAM Act, proposed legislation that would legalize the status of undocumented students brought here when they were young, is being discussed on the floor of the U.S. House even as I type this. A vote in both houses of Congress is expecte ... More >>

Fourteenth Amendment Challenged by Racist Wackjobs in D.C.

Pity poor state Senate President-elect Russell Pearce.He couldn't be there for all the fun today in D.C. as a passel of his moonhowlin' racist buds -- including nativist poster-boy Kris Kobach, now Secretary of State from Kansas, Pearce's primary flunky Arizona Representative John Kavanagh, and fell ... More >>

Russell Pearce Fundraiser To Be Protested Friday

Pearce builds his own trough and goes hog-wild FridayAnti-Russell Pearce activists are set to protest both a Friday, January 7 fundraiser for the state Senate President-elect, and the opening day of business for the Arizona Legislature on Monday, January 10, when Pearce will take his seat as the Dar ... 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 >>

Joe Arpaio Laughs as a Little Girl Cries

You remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio, our bete noir before Russell Pearce ascended to the state Senate presidency?Well, Sand Land's smarmy, strutting, pseudo-lawman takes top bill along with little Katherine Figueroa in a recently-released teaser for the documentary Two Americans, which is currently ... More >>

Russell Pearce Scores Partial Win in Bid To Rig Redistricting

Pearce wins a Pyrrhic victory, of sorts The Arizona Supreme Court today handed state Senate President Russell Pearce a partial win in his bid to rig the redistricting process that will affect Sand Land politics for the next 10 years.In an order just issued by Vice Chief Justice Andrew Hurwitz, the c ... More >>

Jan Brewer, Russell Pearce-Inspired License Plates, a Few Suggestions

democraticunderground.comProposed background for a new Sand Land license plate? It should be...The Cronkite News Service's Rebekah Zemansky recently reported on efforts by several legislators to add more specialized license plates to Arizona's already vast selection.Currently, you can pick ... More >>

Sound Strike Responds To One-Sided Salon.com Article

Zack's been coming to AZ long before 1070 was an issueWhen I read the recent Salon.com article "How a boycott meant to save Arizona is hurting it," I wondered to myself how its author, a woman by the name of Drew Grant, ended up writing such an insipid, one-sided piece about the Sound Strike, a piec ... More >>

Connecticut Legislature Approves Bill to Charge Undocumented Students In-State Tuition

Color Lines America is a country divided on education for children of illegal immigrants.​Connecticut will become the 13th state to charge undocumented students in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.   Their senate passed a bill yesterday to that effect, which the gover ... More >>

John McCain Doubles Down on Racist Scapegoating of Latino Migrants

CNNMcCain, digging the hole deeper after his racist comments over the weekend When white nationalist websites and racist minutemen with erstwhile ties to child killers are championing your cause, you know you've made a serious error. Particularly when you're a failed presidential candidate still des ... More >>

Russell Pearce, Scott Bundgaard Score Meaningless "Friend of the Family Awards"

Mean ol' Russ is a "Friend of the Family": Who Knew?Funny thing about the ruling Republican caste here in Sand Land: they like to give themselves meaningless awards that look legitimate to the unskeptical eye, in a bald attempt to trick the electorate into thinking that they're a bunch of good guys ... More >>

The Associated Press Flubs SB1070 Protester Story

Mean ol' Russ is a "Friend of the Family": Who Knew?Funny thing about the ruling Republican caste here in Sand Land: they like to give themselves meaningless awards that look legitimate to the unskeptical eye, in a bald attempt to trick the electorate into thinking that they're a bunch of good guys ... More >>

Neo-Nazi-Hunting Cops Honored by ADL and 100 Club

Career Criminal Squad detectives score two big awards for crushing the Arizona branch of the Vinlanders Social ClubI've written extensively about the Phoenix Police Department's elite Career Criminal Squad and the vital work they do targeting criminal street gangs, such as various neo-Nazi skin ... More >>

SB 1070-Critic Daniel Patterson Discusses 1070 Repeal and Ethnic Studies Ban

LD 29's Dan Patterson at the state Dems' winter meeting...Videographer Dennis Gilman and I drove down to Tucson on Saturday to check out the Arizona Democratic Party's winter meeting, held at a local high school there. Among those we chatted with was state Representative Daniel Patterson of Legislat ... More >>