Free Republic

They’re coming for your home. Right now. I suggest you save it. I can guide you, but you must do exactly as I say. Except, this isn’t The Matrix. You’re no actor, like Keanu Reeves, playing a distraught programmer-hacker named “Neo.” Nor am I an actor, like Laurence Fishburne, playing your guide “Morpheus.” This is real life, baby. Your home or apartment—and the neighborhood in which you live—is under siege. “Agents”—sans black glasses and black business suits—who work for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have written a new regulation called “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” (AFFH) that...

Getting the story is always priority No. 1, but a Phoenix TV reporter seems to have forgotten about No. 2 until it was too late. Jonathan Lowe, a reporter for KPHO, was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly defecating on a front lawn near the subject of his story’s home. The 33-year-old was seen by a neighbor as he picked up papers from the street before leaning against the wall of a house and relieving himself, according to a Goodyear police report obtained by his station. An officer tasked with the job of tracking Lowe down said the suspect admitted to...

BISBEE — Bisbee High School sent 84 seniors out in the world Thursday night with some sage advice from both students and teachers alike. It was lovely evening at Bisbee’s historic Warren Ballpark, where a full moon shone over Bisbee’s hills while students waited nervously for the ceremony to begin. The theme of the evening was perseverance, brotherhood and love. Bisbee High School principal Laura Miller gave her first commencement speech, while keynote speaker, former Bisbee High teacher and coach Walt Edge gave his 50th.

Arizona GOP Senator John McCain’s reelection campaign is lashing out with negative attacks against his Republican primary opponent, State Senator Dr. Kelli Ward, as new polling shows trouble for McCain’s attempt for a sixth Senate term. A new poll from Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows Dr. Ward and Senator McCain tied at 41 percent in a head-to-head matchup. The poll has even more bad news for McCain, showing the aging Senator with just a 35 percent approval among Republican primary voters. With such high negatives, it’s no surprise McCain’s campaign would shift from ignoring Ward to attacking her. Their goal,...

While growing up, I read a constant litany explaining that Javelina's were not dangerous. I read, over and over, that all the old stories of them attacking humans were old wives tales, not documented, never happened. So, I was a bit surprised to come across a news article from the 7th of May, 2016, that had hard evidence of an unprovoked real world attack by a herd of javelinas.  It was life threatening for an adult human with two leashed dogs. From fox10phoenix.com: The victim told authorities that a herd of javelina came out of a nearby wash, crossed...

DOUGLAS — The Douglas Police Department has made an arrest in the case involving more than 70 gravesite headstones, which had their name plates stolen, at the Page Memorial Cemetery located on the 1300 block of Third Street. Sgt. Jose Duarte reported Monday, May 16, that detectives have identified a male subject as Manuel Siqueiros Olivarria, 53. The incident went under investigation late last week. Although detectives believe the thefts may have been occurring for several months, they are only now being reported.

<p>Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says in a letter that he has the power to name warships as he chooses, in response to a former Marine and congressman who charges he has politicized the process.</p> <p>Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican and House Armed Services Committee member, wrote Mr. Mabus to question the naming of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer after former Sen. Carl Levin, Michigan Democrat and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.</p>

Ted Cruz and his allies are preparing for the coming National GOP Convention. According to NBC News, Cruz who recently attended a GOP convention in Texas told his supporters that the days ahead will be "challenging" for the Republican Party. He, however, expressed hope that those who remain loyal to him and the party "will be the remnant, will be the core of pulling this country back from the abyss." Aside from this pronouncement, [he] has remained mum about whether he will throw his support for presumptive nominee Donald Trump. According to the NBC report, the support of Cruz and...

The Arizona law increases penalties against protesters who block access to a political rally. Is blocking access to a political event a political statement in itself? In a Phoenix suburb in March, protesters parked about two-dozen cars in the middle of the highway to stop drivers on their way to an outdoor rally for Donald Trump and Joe Arpaio, the controversial Arizona sheriff. With posters that read "Dump Trump" and "Must Stop Trump," the protesters, in one sense, acted on their right to demonstrate against the Republican frontrunner and the sheriff who was sanctioned for refusing a judge's order to...

PPP's new Arizona poll finds that John McCain has a negative approval rating with Republican primary voters, and is at pretty serious risk of losing nomination for another term. Only 35% of GOP voters approve of the job McCain is doing to 50% who disapprove. He's in particularly poor standing with conservative voters. Among 'somewhat conservative' voters his approval spread is 33/52, and among 'very conservative' voters it drops all the way down to 18/67.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas urged college graduates who seek to "preserve liberty" to do so by fulfilling the duties of their daily vocations rather than attempting to achieve sweeping political goals. "At the risk of understating what is necessary to preserve liberty in our form of government, I think more and more that it depends on good citizens, discharging their daily duties in their daily obligations," Thomas said Saturday during a commencement address at Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts college in Michigan.

Pregnant, female, Navy SEALs was something many of us used to joke about as a way of exaggerating the absurd social engineering in the military. Yet, placing women in special operations and direct combat units has now become a reality under the Obama-led Pentagon. Sadly, not only have Republicans like John McCain refused to use their perches on the Armed Services Committees in the House and Senate to block this social engineering, they are now codifying it with a provision that could lead to a mandatory draft of all women. Earlier this week, I noted that the final House version...

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and three deputies were held in civil contempt in a racial profiling case on Friday. “In short, the court finds that the defendants have engaged in multiple acts of misconduct, dishonesty, and bad faith with respect to the plaintiff class and the protection of its rights,” U.S. District Judge Murray Snow wrote in a 162-page ruling.

(Professor and Bisbee students conduct archeology dig at Warren Ballpark) BISBEE — Warren Ballpark was the scene of a groundbreaking expedition Wednesday as students from Bisbee High School participated in an archeological dig in their own backyard. University of Arizona anthropology professor Rob Schon came to the idea to do a dig at the park through his love of baseball. “My family and I are into baseball and I was searching on the internet, and Warren Ballpark came up,” he said. “I found their website and found Mike Anderson’s book ‘Warren Ballpark’ and realized we know a lot about the...

Sen. Lindsey Graham paused for five full seconds and stumbled over his words pondering the question: When is the last time he split with fellow Republican Sen. John McCain on a major issue? “I don’t know, let me think about it,” Graham (S.C.) finally said of his closest Senate friend. “There have been several. I just can’t recall right now, right off the top of my head.” Yet that’s what has happened in the wake of Donald Trump’s ascendancy to presumptive Republican nominee for president. In the Republican civil war over Trump, this is perhaps the most glaring example of...

On Tuesday, Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey signed into law a budget stripping at least $200,000 in funding from Planned Parenthood, calling the budget “proof the government can live within its means and be responsible with the people’s money.” The budget, which takes effect on July 1, ends abortion providers’ practice of charging the government for more than the cost of medications, which Planned Parenthood is accused of using to obtain “reimbursements” up to ten times the actual cost. The provision was added to the budget by an amendment last week. The language exempts licensed hospitals and outpatient facilities operated...

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that former Ariz. Gov. Jan Brewer and Okla. Gov. Mary Fallin are both on his shortlist for running mate. “Well also Jan. Jan Brewer has been fantastic,” he said. “She has been so fantastic. You know I won so big, her territory, we won so big. And she is a fabulous woman. And I agree with you, the governor of Oklahoma -- fabulous person.” When asked whether Chris Christie is still in the running as a possible vice president pick, Trump declined to give a straight answer, opting to praise the New Jersey governor. “I...

On May 9 — less than two years since universal background checks were hoisted onto the backs of law-abiding citizens in Washington state — Gabby Giffords was in the state campaigning for special protective orders that will allow firearm confiscation. The orders — “Extreme Risk Protection Orders” — would be similar to California’s Gun Violence Restraining Orders, inasmuch as they would allow “family or household members” to petition a judge to order the temporary confiscation of firearms from another family member or person living in the household.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, broke Sunday with GOP colleagues including ally Lindsey Graham by suggesting Republicans rally behind Donald Trump. "You have to listen to people that have chosen the nominee of our Republican Party," the Arizona senator and 2008 GOP nominee said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. "I think it would be foolish to ignore them." McCain recently said privately that with Trump as the GOP's nominee, his re-election chances this year in Arizona are in danger. "This may be the race of my life," McCain said at an Arizona fundraiser in April.

"The state treasurer was asked to support the school-funding deal that would become Prop. 123. When he wouldn’t agree, according to staff notes obtained by The Republic, he and a deputy were told ‘dark money’ would be used against the treasurer. But the governor’s team says the claims are untrue; that’s not what happened at all." JP Twist“The only reason that these documents were created was to somehow inflict some sort of awkward, weird, bizarre political payback,” [JP Twist] said. You can tell when JP is lying because he gets adjective diarrhea. You may recall that JP was chief of...