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Taking the birther thing to a new level, archconservative Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) is considering filing a lawsuit to put President Obama on the spot over his birth documents, according to a Mohave Daily News readout of a Franks town hall over the weekend. Oh, yeah, and Franks apparently didn't object when an audience member suggested Obama "denounced" the U.S. as a Christian nation during an overseas trip, which never happened. MDN's Jim Seckler: The other main issue dealt with numerous speakers questioning Obama's birth certificate and why there wasn't an investigation into whether he is a naturalized citizen. One...

28 year old Jesse Kelly of Tucson Ariz., a Republican seeking to boot Democrat Gabrielle Giffords from the U.S. House of Representatives. "If you're not going to get anyone's attention, you might as well not waste your time or money." “I'm tired of President Obama and the liberals who control Congress insulting us, calling us racist, and calling us a mob. I'm tired of their double-talk. I'm tired of their bait-and-switch shell games. I'm tired of being avoided by my public servants. They have forgotten that they work for us. ... “ Ronald Reagan once famously said, "Freedom is never...

'They're destroying this nation, and while I'm still breathing, I will not let it happen' "Send a warrior to Congress." "Does this look like a Rino?" In the battleground of American political power, candidates for office tend to use every weapon at their disposal to be heard above the din. Now, a U.S. Marine who helped lead the initial charge into Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein is taking that approach literally by brandishing his M-16 assault rifle in some eye-catching campaign fundraising ads.

Atrazine Levels across the Nation

Travel writer Arthur Frommer recently said that he will never visit any place in Arizona again. Is it because he was badly served at a Denny's in Flagstaff? Maybe he didn't like the turn down service at the Motel Six in Phoenix? Perhaps he was mad because the folks at the McDonald's in Tucson didn't recognize him? Nope. It's because Arizonans are fond of the Constitution of the United States, that's why. On his blog, Frommer fretted over the recent appearance of Arizona's law-abiding citizens carrying firearms at a townhall meeting. It so upset his delicate mental balance that he...

On Wednesday, August 26, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. local Arizona Time Harry Mitchell will host a Telephone Town Hall. I hope you will be able to participate. To participate, please sign-up by 5:00 p.m. local Arizona Time on Monday, August 24 by filling out the form below. You will receive a call at the telephone number you submit at 6:30 p.m. on August 26th. Once contacted, please remain on the line and you will be automatically placed into the town hall. Please note: Due to an anticipated high call volume, only individuals living in and currently residing in Arizona’s Fifth...

PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- A man toting an assault rifle was among a dozen protesters carrying weapons while demonstrating outside President Obama's speech to veterans on Monday, but no laws were broken. It was the second instance in recent days in which weapons have been seen near presidential events.

(CNN) – At least two Arizona men brought assault rifles to President Obama’s speech Monday to the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Phoenix.

Gabrielle Giffords (D)- AZ was scheduled to hold an event at the American Legion Post #66 in Green Valley/Sahuarita, Arizona. She canceled, so Jesse Kelly held a town hall in her place.

On Monday, President Obama will be coming to speak in Phoenix. Special interests are attacking the President and his principles for health insurance reform, and we need to show that the American people are standing up for change. So we're inviting supporters like you to gather nearby to publicly show our support. Please join us -- here are the details: What: Show of support for President Obama Where: Northeast corner of Washington Ave. & Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85003 When: Monday, August 17th 7:00 a.m. Last fall, when Swiftboaters and special interests attacked President Obama, folks like you came to...

Congress, Festival for Our Lady of Guadalupe   Events will take place Aug. 6 -8 in Phoenix following Supreme Convention. The Knights of Columbus will hold its First International Marian Congress on Our Lady of Guadalupe from August 6-8, 2009, following the organization’s 127th annual convention in Phoenix.  The Congress will conclude with a Guadalupe Festival at Jobing.com Arena on August 8. Nearly 20,000 attendees are expected from throughout the United States and from Mexico.Co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, the Diocese of Phoenix, the Archdiocese of Mexico City and the Center for Guadalupan Studies, the Congress will be held at...

Perhaps states are starting to learn the right fiscal lessons from the red-ink blowouts in high-tax California and New York. Today, the legislature in Arizona will vote on a tax reform designed to entice more employers and high-income taxpayers to the state. Sponsored by Republican Governor Jan Brewer, the plan would cut state property taxes, the corporate tax and personal income taxes, in exchange for a temporary rise in the sales tax. Most economic studies agree that states have more jobs and higher income growth when they tax consumption rather than savings, investment and business profits. This explains why most...

All throughout August, our members of Congress are back in town. Insurance companies and partisan attack groups are stirring up fear with false rumors about the President's plan, and it's extremely important that folks like you speak up now. So we've cooked up an easy, powerful way for you to make a big impression: Office Visits for Health Reform. All this week, OFA members like you will be stopping by local congressional offices to show our support for insurance reform. You can have a quick conversation with the local staff, tell your personal story, or even just drop off a...

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona is the latest Democrat overrun by protesters at a local town hall event. Sources say the protesters showed up after a robocall -- it's unclear from whom -- went out to Arizona voters encouraging them to show up at the event. The event was supposed to involve one on one chats with Kirkpatrick, a freshman member of Congress. Kirkpatrick was unable to get the event started and canceled it. "I am disappointed that the event was disrupted by a small but vocal group," Kirkpatrick said. "I grew up in Greater Arizona, and I remember the...

FORT HUACHUCA — It’s not likely that one fan will be washing his right hand anytime soon. Not after Charlie Daniels shook it. “He just strolled off that burgundy bus wearing a Hawaiian shirt, walked right over to me and shook my hand,” Rick Hawkins said, holding it up for all to see. “I was completely shocked.” The Charlie Daniels Band performed Wednesday evening on Fort Huachuca, delivering an energized concert that opened with a string of hits, kicking off with, “Drinkin’ My Baby Goodbye” (Sitting on a bar stool, actin’ like a dern fool), then rolling into “The South’s...

Does anyone have a time/date and location?

Is there, within the Grand Canyon, an enigmatic system of tunnels that is evidence of an ancient Egyptian voyage to America? Is it all bogus? Or is the truth most likely somewhere in between? On April 5, 1909, a front page story in the Arizona Gazette reported on an archaeological expedition in the heart of the Grand Canyon funded by the Smithsonian Institute, which had resulted in the discovery of Egyptian artefacts. April 5 is close to April 1 – but then not quite… so perhaps the story could be true? Nothing since has been heard of this discovery. Today,...

The House investigative committee’s top-ranking Republican wants White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to answer for allegations that he used “Chicago-style scare tactics” to intimidate lawmakers who say the economic stimulus has failed. In a letter sent to Emanuel on Tuesday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking member Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) demanded to know how involved the chief of staff was in an effort to “threaten” Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer after Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said the president’s Recovery Act was a failure. According to reports, Emanuel directed four Cabinet secretaries to send what Issa characterized as “threatening...

Due to the financial crisis, Arizona legislators are considering selling the House and Senate buildings in the hopes of bringing in cash...

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) explains why he is opposed to Obama's health care bill. He also talks about Democrats voting down Republican amendments to the health care bill. Kyl thinks it is "quite possible" that health care reform will pass. Kyl also discusses politics and health care. Sen. Kyl says he will not vote for Judge Sotomayor's confirmation.

In a pilot program, the charitable arm of Citigroup is giving the National Council of La Raza money to help buy foreclosed homes in Phoenix for rehabilitation and ultimate purchase by low-and moderate-income Latino families. In all, New York-based Citi Foundation is providing $1.75 million to the NCLR, of which $235,000 will go to its Raza Development Fund. That'll allow the fund to acquire, maintain and rehab properties to sell or lease. Raza Development Fund chief Tom Espinoza says the fund will add about $4 million and federal stimulus program money will boost the total to about $12 million to...

Prosecutors filed sexual assault charges against four boys ages 9 to 14, officials said Thursday, alleging they brutally attacked an 8-year-old girl after luring her to a shed with chewing gum. Police said the girl's parents criticized her after the violence, blaming her for bringing shame on the family. All five children are refugees from the West African nation of Liberia......"The father told the case worker and an officer in her presence that he didn't want her back. He said 'Take her, I don't want her,"' Hill said. Hill cited the family's background as the reason the family shunned the...

American Border Patrol has released a new online map of the Southwest border that shows the where and what type of fencing is installed between San Diego, California and Brownsville, Texas. Viewers can open a map of Border Patrol sectors and then click on a given sector to see where fencing and vehicle barriers have been installed. Numbers along the border represent individual photographs of the border taken from ABP's airplane. A click on a number reveals details of the type of fencing or vehicle barriers that have been installed. http://americanpatrol.com/ABP/SURVEYS/BORDER-2009/Border-Main-20009.html The ABP data represents the current status of the...

The command from his father was gruff, but not unduly so: "Stand up. Put your hand over your heart." Quickly, the boy, I'd say about 7 or so, jumped up from the curb and did just that as several men, all no doubt older than his grandpa, marched by. One played the bagpipes. Another carried the American flag, slowly fluttering in the midday mountain air. All was quiet, save for the bagpipes, as the men strode by. Yet another Fourth of July parade in small-town America. Every year, we go to Show Low for a few days on either end...

FORT HUACHUCA — For years, Building 66050 has been vacant. It is deteriorating, but members of the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers are determined to save the structure, which during World War II housed the Colored Officers Club. The building, its paint now peeling, windows broken and interior unsafe, is where black entertainers such as Lena Horne would come to the post to perform for black soldiers when the Army was segregated. The fort is where two black divisions, the 92nd and 93rd, trained before heading off to combat in World War II. One division went to Italy and the...

Ron Johnson speaks with Sen. Dean Martin on Feb. 1 in front of the state capitol. Phoenix, Ariz., Jul 16, 2009 / 05:55 am (CNA).- The Arizona Catholic Conference says the latest state legislature session was “truly extraordinary” and possibly the most pro-life session in Arizona history. Abortion restrictions were passed while tax credits for student vouchers and non-profits were preserved or expanded. Further, a weighty anti-immigrant bill went down in defeat.Characterizing the legislative session, which ended July 1, as “one of the most unusual and bitter legislative sessions in memory,” Ron Johnson of the Arizona Catholic Conference (ACC)...

Wednesday July 15, 2009 Governor Approves Sweeping Overhaul of Abortion Regulation in Arizona By Peter J. SmithPHOENIX, July 15, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - For the first time in years, pro-life legislation in Arizona has taken three major steps forward as Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on Monday signed into law a comprehensive reform of state statutes regulating abortion. Amongst other things, the regulations will guarantee new conscience protections for hospitals and medical professionals opposed to abortion and abortifacient contraception. The overhaul of abortion law also replaces the term "fetus" with "unborn child" and stipulates that only a licensed physician may perform...

Do you support or oppose the 24 hour waiting period on abortions that Brewer signed into law? I support the law. I support the law, but it should go further. I oppose the law. I oppose the law, and the government should stop wasting their time with abortion.

Barack Obama and his administration don’t mind playing hardball on the stimulus package, as Jake Tapper reports. Yesterday, Senator Jon Kyl suggested that not only should Congress refuse to consider a second stimulus package, they should bring the current Porkulus to a halt before it wastes even more money. Rather than make a reasoned argument for their stimulus package, however, the White House threatened to choke Arizona’s federal funds in retaliation: "On This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said of the $787 billion stimulus package, “the reality is it hasn’t helped yet. Only about 6.8...

Barack Obama and his administration don’t mind playing hardball on the stimulus package, as Jake Tapper reports. Yesterday, Senator Jon Kyl suggested that not only should Congress refuse to consider a second stimulus package, they should bring the current Porkulus to a halt before it wastes even more money. Rather than make a reasoned argument for their stimulus package, however, the White House threatened to choke Arizona’s federal funds in retaliation:

The Obama administration is firing back at Sen. Jon Kyl for calling for an end to economic stimulus spending, and it's aiming where it hurts the most — at home in Arizona.

PHOENIX (AP) - Arizonans with concealed weapons permits will be able to take a handgun into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. That's under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday. It would require bar and restaurant owners who want to ban weapons to post a sign next to their liquor license. Drinking while carrying a weapon would be illegal.

In an unusual move, President Obama sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee vowing to veto any defense bill that funds more Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jets. Obama threw down the gauntlet as the Senate took up the 2010 defense authorization bill. The firm commitment to veto any defense bill containing funding for the F-22 puts Obama in a tough position: he would veto bills written by a Democratic Congress. The letter to Sens. Carl Levin (D-Mich) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) comes as the two senators introduced an amendment to strip $1.75 billion for seven...

At first Stewart Loew was excited by the sight: a mountain lion on the family's farm near Amado. In 40 years on the Agua Linda Farm, Loew said this was first large cat he had seen when it appeared in the donkey pen about a month ago. But soon, his animals started to turn up mauled or dead. First there were four sheep. Then, on June 15, an awful sight: 16 pygmy and nubian goats — all the mammals in the farm's petting zoo — were killed. Only the geese were spared. Loew and his wife, Laurel, who run the...

1. What is the supreme law of the land? 2. What do we call the first 10 amendments to the Constitution? 3. What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress? 4. How many justices are on the Supreme Court? 5. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? 6. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States? 7. What are the two major political parties in the United States? 8. We elect a U.S. senator for how many years? 9. Who was the first president? 10. Who is in charge of the executive branch?

It appears as if the spirit of the 9th and 10th Amendments are alive and kicking in Arizona: Voters in Arizona will decide next year whether residents will be subject to mandates in the pending health care reform that President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are promoting. At least five other states - Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming - have considered proposals to take pre-emptive action against the pending federal mandates, but those proposals have either not made it out of committee, failed to get enough votes from one side of the legislature, or are still being...

Arizona is now close to becoming the first state to outlaw climate change legislation. The state Senate voted Monday, 19-10 to approve a bill banning the Department of Environmental Quality from enacting or enforcing measures with language pertaining to climate change. The bill is now awaiting House approval.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a Tucson man Friday on federal charges related to the sexual exploitation of children. According to officials, Albert Thomas Rogers, 51, contacted an ICE undercover special agent regarding a tour including the sexual exploitation of children in January. Rogers is the superintendent for the Tanque Verde Unified School District and an associate principal at Emily Gray Junior High School.

AUTHORITIES ARREST TWO PEOPLE ABOARD U.S. AIRWAYS FLIGHT AT PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AFTER SMUGGLING HANDGUN ON BOARD.

For the past month, Emma Ramirez has been sleeping with her late husband. Each night, she tucks the urn full of his ashes into the bed they shared and talks to him in her dreams. Saying goodbye is harder than she imagined. But when her grief wanes, the Tucson woman plans to have her mate buried at sea as a tribute to his years of Navy service. "I know he would be honored," Ramirez, 58, said of her husband, Francisco M. Ramirez, a retired chief petty officer who died on May 15 at age 99. The Ramirezes are among a...

PHOENIX — Are you 18? Not convicted of a crime? Legislation set for debate today would let you carry a concealed weapon without having to bother with the background check, training and proficiency test now required. Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, said she believes all Arizonans should have the right to defend themselves. Allen, who does have a state-issued permit to carry a concealed gun, said she does not believe that makes gun owners any safer. More to the point, she said the law makes Arizonans less safe. Allen’s proposal, SB 1270, does not do away with the concealed weapon permits....

The Triple and Quadruple Bypass Burgers are advertised at Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, Arizona June 17, 2009. The restaurant is known for their hospital theme and enormous burgers.

Saudi Arabian Muslim Student Raed Al-Saif at Univ. of Tampa Tries To Get On Plane With 7 inch Butcher Knife in His Carry On Bag, the last name "Al-Saif" is linked to Al-Qaeda. Fifteen of the nineteen on 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia they used box cutters and small knives to take over control of the 4 airplanes on 9/11. The United States government determined that al-Qaeda, headed by Osama bin Laden, bore responsibility for the attacks, with the FBI stating "evidence linking al-Qaeda and bin Laden to the attacks of September 11 is clear and irrefutable". The Government...

Pima County Sheriff's investigators have charged three people with a May 30 home invasion that left a father and 9-year-old girl dead. Shawna Forde, Jason Eugene Bush and Albert Robert Gaxiola face murder, burglary and aggravated assault charges. Investigators say the suspects broke into a home in Arivaca, shooting and killing 29-year old Raul Flores and his daughter Brisenia. The child's mother was also wounded, but was able to return gunfire. Detectives believe the suspects were after money and drugs. Authorities say Raul Flores had drug connections. Investigators say Forde was the mastermind of the operation. She and Gaxiola are...

A smoky fire in the Baboquivari Peak Wilderness southwest of Tucson has grown to about 14,500 acres today. [snip] About 215 firefighters are on the fire, and tanker trucks are on hand to protect a ranch and related buildings in Wood Canyon, about 30 miles south of Three Points. [snip] Wood said tankers were dispatched to another fire on state land near Sunsites, 70 miles southeast of Tucson, Monday. The Diamondback Fire burned about 80 acres east of U.S. 191, Wood said. Coronado National Forest officials, meanwhile, said the Slavin Gulch Fire in the Dragoon Mountains, 50 miles southeast of...

Do you favor cutting the business tax rate to make it more equal to homes, effectively shifting more costs to homeowners? Yes No Do you believe such a change would be good for the economy by bringing more businesses or commercial activity to Arizona? Yes No Whom do you trust most to come up with a fair and balanced fiscal 2010 budget? Gov. Jan Brewer Legislative Republicans Legislative Democrats None of the above

Another tunnel apparently dug by drug smugglers has been found beneath the U.S.-Mexico border in Nogales, Ariz. Scioli said it’s the 63rd smuggling tunnel found beneath the border in the Nogales area since October 1995, and the 16th since last October.

An outspoken anti-immigration activist who was at the center of a series of violent crimes in Everett earlier this year now stands accused of the home-invasion killings of an Arizona man and his 9-year-old daughter. Shawna Forde, 41, and two associates in her Minuteman American Defense group are charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of aggravated assault ... The May 30 killings were believed to be premeditated and part of a plan to steal money and drugs to finance the Minuteman group she leads. Forde's own family said that the woman...

PHOENIX — The state moved on two fronts Tuesday to prohibit politicians and appointed agency chiefs from blocking law enforcement officers from enforcing immigration laws. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 8-3 to outlaw any policies that keep any public employee from contacting federal immigration officials to determine whether someone with whom they are dealing is in this country legally. That would include not just people stopped by police, but anyone who enters a government building applying for a benefit, service or license where being a legal resident is a condition. And to make sure SB 1162 had some real teeth,...

Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon used the occasion of a fatal shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC – allegedly by a white supremacist – to accuse Sheriff Joe Arpaio of being sympathetic to Nazis and neo-Nazis. At a news conference called to discuss Phoenix's light rail system, Gordon led off expressing his sympathies to the family of the victim in the DC shooting. He then called white supremacists "despicable" and wondered aloud why community and law enforcement leaders across the Valley have repeatedly denounced white Supremacists, except for Arpaio. According to Gordon, the sheriff has had numerous occasions to...