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An Arizona sheriff running for Congress as a Republican denied accusations Saturday that he had threatened to deport an alleged ex-lover, a Mexican national. In the process, he also resigned from a volunteer position with Mitt Romney's Arizona campaign and came out as gay. After a report published Thursday by the weekly Phoenix New Times, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu acknowledged that he had a "personal relationship" with a man identified only as Jose.

A sheriff seeking the GOP nomination for an Arizona congressional seat was forced to confirm he is gay Saturday and resigned from presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's Arizona committee amid allegations of misconduct made by a man with whom he previously had a relationship. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu denied claims he tried to threaten the man, a Mexican immigrant and a former campaign volunteer, with deportation if their past relationship was made public. The man's allegations were first published Friday in The New Times, a Phoenix alternative weekly magazine. Babeu, a first-term sheriff who has risen to national prominence with...

Paul Babeu, an up-and-coming member of the Republican Party, stepped down from his role as a co-chairman of Mitt Romney’s Arizona campaign on Saturday, in the wake of allegations that he threatened to deport a Mexican ex-boyfriend when the man refused to keep quiet about their years-long relationship.

FLORENCE, AZ - Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu says allegations that he made threats against a man claiming to be his ex-lover are false. Sheriff Babeu held a news conference in Florence Saturday afternoon after an article was printed in the Phoenix New Times Friday. During the news conference, Babeu admitted that he is gay but that no threats were made to a man known as "Jose."

Abdullah shot Mohammad Mzeal to death in April 2009 because he was enraged Mzeal had called his sister and told her he had been at a strip club. The sister had confronted Abdullah about his behavior, telling him it was inappropriate and contrary to their Muslim faith. After shooting Mzeal behind a Safeway store at 35th and Northern, Abdullah drove to his sister's house and yelled for her husband to come outside. He then shot the husband, Ayad Mizel.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu — who became the face of Arizona border security nationally after he started stridently opposing illegal immigration — threatened his Mexican ex-lover with deportation when the man refused to promise never to disclose their years-long relationship, the former boyfriend and his lawyer tell New Times.

A retired female fighter pilot running for former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' open seat in Congress said Friday that Rick Santorum's recent remarks on women in combat make her want to "go kick him in the jimmy." Martha McSally, a retired US Air Force colonel and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, is running in Arizona's congressional special election as a Republican. According to her Facebook page, she was the first American woman to fly in combat since the 1991 lifting of a ban on women in that role. Appearing Friday morning on FOX News Channel's "FOX & Friends," she...

The Arizona Senate on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a bill that a critic called an attack on government employee unions. The bill now awaiting a formal Senate vote would prohibit deductions from government employees' paychecks for unions and most other outside groups without annual authorizations. Gilbert Republican Sen. Andy Biggs said his bill is intended to make it easier for workers to halt dues deductions if they quit unions. Democratic Sen. Steve Gallardo of Phoenix said the bill is designed to weaken unions and their representation of government workers. The Senate postponed action on a separate bill to prohibit...

Texas Gov. Rick Perry will appear with Newt Gingrich for the first time at the CNN debate in Mesa, Ariz., on Feb. 22, a spokesperson for Perry confirmed to ABC News. Perry will appear in the spin room with Gingrich after the debate. There are no other events planned, at this time. Perry endorsed Gingrich when he dropped out of the race on Jan. 19 but has yet to appear publicly with him.

The 30-second spot, "Latinos with Newt," features four Hispanic supporters detailing why they want to see Gingrich in the White House. (CNN) – Newt Gingrich's campaign released a new ad Friday directed towards the Arizona Latino community, ahead of the state's February 28 primary. The 30-second spot, "Latinos with Newt," features four Hispanic supporters detailing why they want to see Gingrich in the White House. "We owe Barack Obama nothing. Many of our people have lost their jobs. Others have lost their homes," one supporter said in the ad, as an image of Hispanic workers sitting idly on a curb...

(SCOTTSDALE, AZ) - An unarmed Arizona grandfather was blasted in the head this week by a police officer who killed the man because he "thought" he had a weapon. This was the particular officer's sixth fatal shooting in the line of duty, it happened Tuesday night in Scottsdale, "There were at least three officers in position to engage the suspect. At least one of the officers thought he saw something in the suspect's hands," Scottsdale Police Sgt. Mark Clark told Arizona's KPNX.

Santorum Could Win Arizona GOP Primary on a Shoestring Budget February 17, 2012 Phoenix, Arizona – The Arizona primary is now less than two weeks away. Is anybody in Arizona campaigning for Rick Santorum? In fact, does anyone even know who he is? Santorum has a shoestring operation in Arizona, but he could win the primary. Santorum represented Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate, he's the son of a coal miner and a social and fiscal conservative. As other challengers to Mitt Romney have faded, Santorum has surged. He doesn't have much money and he's being greately outspent by Mitt Romney,...

Fox and Friends did an interview with Col.(Ret)McSally. She's running for Gabby's seat in Arizona CD8 and she just blew herself out of the water.

Republicans favor Jesse Kelly as their candidate for former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' Arizona House seat, according to a poll released first to POLITICO. A Wenzel Strategies survey, paid for by Citizens United Political Victory Fund, shows Kelly is ahead of his nearest GOP primary challenger by close to 25 percentage points in the special election. The poll, taken Wednesday and Thursday of this week, puts Kelly at 43 percent to State Sen. Frank Antenori's 18 percent and sports commentator Dave Sitton's 10 percent. Twenty percent aren't sure. The poll included 700 respondents and has a 3.68 percent margin of error....

Just three weeks earlier, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was sailing high. He won the South Carolina primary and seemed headed for Florida with the wind at his back. That was before Mitt Romney ripped him apart with the toughest and nastiest ads I have ever witnessed. To Romney's great credit, he buried Gingrich with ads and two strong debate performances in one week. After the next three states to vote chose Rick Santorum over Romney and Gingrich, it appeared the race was an open battle once again. But then came the conservative CPAC gathering in Washington. Gingrich gave a...

PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities are investigating an Arizona officer's decision to shoot a man holding a baby, as officials point out that the same policeman had been involved in six previous shootings since 2002, five of them fatal. Snip The Maricopa County Attorney's Office investigated his previous shootings and ruled them justifiable, Rodbell said. In one instance, he received the department's medal of valor for killing a suspect who was holding a store employee hostage after hijacking a doughnut truck driver.

PHOENIX - An Iraqi family living in the valley claim it is part of their culture, but police say it’s a crime. Police have re-arrested Yusra Farhan, an Iraqi woman taken into custody last week. Farhan was accused of beating her 19-year-old daughter for talking to a boy, but detectives have found that wasn't the first time. Back in November, Farhan allegedly burned the victim's face and chest with a hot spoon, because she did not agree to an arranged marriage with a 38-year-old man. Also arrested were Farhan's husband and 18-year-old daughter. 45-year-old Mohammed Altameemi is facing one count...

As they have publicized nowhere, the ASUA Senate will vote today on a resolution condemning bills in the Arizona legislature that will disallow private citizens from exercising their right to carry concealed weapons on college campuses. This is a long and storied sage with ASUA — read this site’s reports on the matter from 2009, 2010, and 2011, just as a selection. The resolution (here as a pdf with today’s meeting agenda) is hardly different than resolutions other ASUA Senates have passed on the matter, but this round of bullets against personal property rights is noteworthy for a few reasons....

When a federal appeals court issued a ruling describing a prosecutor’s misconduct that forced a halt to a drug-trafficking trial in Tucson, the U.S. attorney’s response was to ask the court to erase the prosecutor’s name from the published decision. Bad move. After republishing the name of the errant prosecutor, Jerry Albert, the court pointed a finger at the U.S. attorney’s office and said it was time to start taking responsibility for the misdeeds of its employees. “When a prosecutor steps over the boundaries of proper conduct and into unethical territory, the government has a duty to own up to...

PALO ALTO -- Newt Gingrich, fundraising in California this week to bolster his fading presidential campaign, said this afternoon that he is "on the way to Michigan and Arizona," which hold primaries on Feb. 28. The former House speaker's campaign characterized his week of California fundraising as necessary to compete on Super Tuesday, when 10 states hold primaries or caucuses March 6. "We're on the way to Michigan and Arizona, but we're out here doing fundraising, and we scheduled this a couple months ago," Gingrich said as he left a series of meetings at the Hoover Institution, a think tank...

Good news just keeps coming for former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum. Not only does a new Rasmussen poll show him leading Romney by 12 points nationally, but a new poll from the American Research Group shows that he’s also made a significant jump in the state of Arizona: The American Research Group survey shows Romney with 38% support among likely Republican primary voters, followed by Santorum at 31%, Newt Gingrich at 15% and Ron Paul with 11%.The new figures represent a significant shift since January, when a similar poll indicated Romney and Gingrich tied at 32%, Paul with 12% and...

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - Carrying guns has always been a hot topic in Arizona, and it appears more women are exercising their right to own one. A new survey shows 23 percent of women in the U.S. have a gun. That's up from 13 percent in 2005. Darcie Edelkraut has been a gun owner and member of the Scottsdale Gun Club since 2009. "I had never seen a gun, held a gun and didn't know much about shooting," she said. The Arcadia mom and marketing specialist said she was tired of playing tennis and her other activities, so she sought out...

Bourque Industries today announced that the Company has earned National Institute of Justice (NIJ) certification for its Level III stand-alone Kryron Terminator Armor – under the model designation KT-MIA-II – complying with the most recent and rigorous NIJ Standard-0101.06. NIJ certification is a prerequisite for most US law enforcement agencies when purchasing personal body armor for its officers. This essential government stamp of approval allows Bourque's innovative Kryron Terminator Armor to be marketed and sold to federal law enforcement, state police, sheriff's offices, and municipal police forces across the country. Bourque's Level III armor joins the Level II Ultralight, the...

The Arizona governor could deploy an armed, volunteer militia to respond to natural disasters and patrol the Arizona-Mexico border for illegal immigrants and drug-traffickers under a legislative proposal (SB1495, creates a volunteer state militia) to fund a state guard. The state would pay $1.9 million to activate the Arizona State Guard, created last year through an executive order signed by Republican Gov. Jan Brewer. Arizona would join 23 other states and territories with active guards, but the state would stand alone (as) its militia focused on border enforcement…

n his New York Times bestselling book, Throw Them All Out, Breitbart editor Peter Schweizer revealed how members of Congress enrich themselves and their relatives using earmarks and insider information. Now, the Washington Post, following in Schweizer’s footsteps, has conducted a study that found 16 members of Congress have used their power of the purse to benefit companies, colleges, and community groups tied to their relatives. *snip* Among those cited in the Washington Post report were the following (below):

by John HillStand With ArizonaDespite being persecuted by the Department of Justice, despite a Federal judge's Kafkaesque order prohibiting his office from arresting illegals "based solely on the suspicion that they’re in the country illegally", Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his staff continue to work hard every day to keep illegal aliens out of Arizona - and every other state in the union. The frontline war in Maricopa was particularly intense over the past several days, as 20 illegal aliens have been arrested by MSCO on smuggling charges. Most recently, MCSO Human Smuggling detectives arrested 12 illegal aliens while...

Catalina, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- The AzCDL-requested and historic Constitutional Carry legislation that became law in 2010 was not the be-all-end-all of restoring the right to carry in Arizona. It was a major milestone, but there are still a century’s worth of statutes that need to be excised or significantly altered in order to truly restore your right to bear arms in Arizona. Our job is far from over. AzCDL began working with legislators on proposed bills for the 2012 legislative session shortly after the 2011 session ended. As a result, a number of pro-rights bills have been filed. Listed below are...

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Monday to allow guns onto college campuses. That 5-3 vote came after Sen. Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, sided with Democrats in opposition. Yarbrough said he was not convinced that limiting the right to those with a state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon provides sufficient safeguards. But the other Republicans on the GOP-dominated panel said all they were doing is affirming the constitutional right of individuals to protect themselves. SB 1474 would still allow colleges and universities to keep buildings as gun-free zones. But that would require that they post signs banning weapons at each door....

Firearms may soon be allowed on Arizona college campuses if Senate Bill 1474 is passed. This past April, Gov. Brewer vetoed the bill, which was then SB 1467. In her veto letter, she said the bill was too ambiguous in stating its key concepts of where weapons can be carried and how K-12 schools will be affected. “Bills impacting our Second Amendment rights have to be crystal clear so that gun owners don’t become lawbreakers by accident,” Brewer said. The bill has been modified to correct the areas in which Brewer said were too vague, in hopes of being passed...

An Iraqi woman has been accused of beating her teenage daughter and padlocking her to a bed after she was seen speaking to a young man. After Yusra Farhan was arrested in the Arizona hospital where her daughter was being treated for her injuries, she told police she wanted to punish the girl for violating her 'culture'. Farhan, 50, faces charges of aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. She was being held in a Maricopa County jail. Police did not identify her daughter by name. The incident started on Tuesday, when the daughter was spotted by her father talking...

This is a larger scandal than anything like Watergate, Nobody died there. People lied and there was a cover-up. Here, there’s lies and cover-ups and we still don’t have the answers, but people have been killed. Fourteen hundred of these guns are still outstanding; other people will die from actions of Eric Holder and the Department of Justice.”

Yusra Farhan's daughter recently started talking with a boy. So, Farhan beat her with a shoe and tied her to a bed because her "Iraqi culture states that a female is not allowed to be having contact with males because females are not allowed to have boyfriends," she later told police. Unfortunately for Farhan, she's in America -- where beating your children is illegal, regardless of whatever draconian culture you subscribe to. According to court records obtained by New Times, Phoenix police contacted Farhan on Wednesday at St. Joseph's Hospital, where she was visiting her daughter who was admitted for...

Littoral ship named for Gabby ---

by John HillStand With ArizonaFox Phoenix TV (KSAZ FOX 10) on Thursday showed a ridiculous propaganda piece purporting to show "the Arizona border" and how "safe" it is, as they follow Americans from around the nation on a "tour" of the border. Here's how they describe the piece: Make your own decision about life on the border. What is life on the border really like? Hop on the Border Bus Tour, and do your own fact finding about what it means to have a secure border. And in the video, the tour leader, Bob Feinman, tells us on the bus...

..WASHINGTON (AP) — The Navy has named a ship for Gabrielle Giffords, the recently retired congresswoman from Arizona who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head received in January 2011. In a ceremony at the Pentagon, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus unveiled an artist's rendering of the USS Gabrielle Giffords. The littoral combat ship is among the Navy's most versatile and can operate in shallower coastal waters than larger ships. Mabus said: "God bless the USS Gabrielle Giffords and all who sail in her." Mabus also announced that the ship's "sponsor" is Roxanna Green. She's the mother of Christina-Taylor...

Colonel Martha McSally was a pilot in the United States Air Force. She was the first American woman to fly in combat since the 1991 lifting of the prohibition of women in combat. McSally is also the first woman to command a USAF fighter squadron, the 354th Fighter Squadron (354 FS) based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. in 2001 Martha McSally successfully challenged the military policy that required US and UK servicewomen stationed in Saudi Arabia to wear the body-covering abaya when traveling off base in the country. .....

Monday, the Arizona Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 1474 by a 5 to 3 vote. This bill, sponsored by state Senator Ron Gould (R-3), is right-to-carry reform legislation which would enable law-abiding citizens to defend themselves while on the grounds of higher education campuses. SB 1474 will now be sent to the Senate floor for a vote. Please call AND e-mail your state Senator and encourage him or her to support this important personal protection legislation! SB 1474 would prohibit a public university, college, or community college from adopting or enforcing any policy prohibiting the lawful carry of a...

by John HillStand With ArizonaMore than 10,000 people in 24 hours viewed our video "14 Illegals in 24 Seconds", showing illegal aliens - most with large backpacks - easily moving over terrain near Tucson, 30 miles North of the border. Floods of illegals crossing the Arizona desert occur continually, thanks to the failure of the Federal government to provide secure border fencing or adequate border patrol agent numbers. But what of the fencing that does exist in parts of Arizona? How well does that stop those determined to get in? Well this next video should give you a clue, and...

GLENDALE - A pregnant 17-year-old girl takes matters into her own hands when an intruder tries to break into her house. It happened near 75th Avenue and Glendale about 11:30 a.m. Monday. Investigators say at first the burglar rang the door bell. When no one answered, he tried to break in by going through a doggie door. What the burglar didn't realize -- a pregnant teen was there to meet him with a gun. “He tried to put his hand inside and I guess she shot him in his hand,” says neighbor Liz Zamora. The teen fired at the burglar,...

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed a ruling that barred a woman from running for a city council seat because she doesn't speak English proficiently. The state's highest court ruled that Alejandrina Cabrera's name shouldn't appear on the March 13 election ballot in San Luis but didn't list a reason for the decision. A full written ruling is expected at a later date, according to an Arizona Supreme Court spokeswoman.

Mexico arrests figure in Fast and Furious gun-smuggling scandal REPORTING FROM MEXICO CITY -- Mexican authorities have arrested a reputed enforcer for the country's most powerful drug cartel -- a man also alleged to have amassed weapons from the U.S. government's failed Fast and Furious gun-smuggling operation (link, in Spanish, includes video). Jose Antonio Torres Marrufo, 33, is also wanted by U.S. officials on drug-trafficking charges in El Paso. Mexican and U.S. authorities say he served as a top lieutenant to Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and the Sinaloa Cartel and was in charge of operations in the border state of...

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly once again has vetoed money to fund a commission aimed at developing green jobs. Shelly says legislation that created the Green Economy Commission doesn’t set guidelines on how it would work with the tribe’s executive branch, which has similar goals. He also says the commission is supposed to seek outside funding.

PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona lawmakers Monday advanced a pair of gun-rights bills that would expand where firearms could be carried, including a proposal allowing concealed weapons on university campuses, touching off pointed criticism from groups as divergent students and law enforcement officials. A bill introduced by Republican state Sen. Ron Gould of Lake Havasu City allows people with necessary permits to carry concealed guns on campus grounds and prevents public universities and community colleges from restricting that privilege.

A ruling that an activist's language skills are insufficient for a City Council seat unsettles border towns where Spanish is used in day-to-day life. An appeal is before the state Supreme Court. Reporting from San Luis, Ariz.— For almost a decade, Alejandrina Cabrera has had no trouble speaking her mind in this dusty Arizona border town. She's gone door to door campaigning for City Council candidates. She's addressed the City Council. She's even led two recall petitions against the mayor. But when she decided to run for San Luis City Council, she hit a surprising roadblock: her language. Like virtually...

FLORENCE, Ariz. - An officer-involved shooting may have involved as many as seven illegal immigrants. The shooting occurred just outside of Florence, near the Hunt Highway and Felix. That’s about 60 miles southeast of the valley. An officer with the Florence Police Department attempted to pull over a black pickup truck that stuck out to that officer for a couple of reasons. No. 1 -- this happened early in the morning, so there weren't many vehicles out on the road, and No. 2 -- the officer says the truck appeared to be having some mechanical problems. Just before 7 a.m.,...

LAS VEGAS — Newt Gingrich is wooing NASCAR voters. As he charts a possible course to the Republican nomination, aides say Gingrich will paint frontrunner Mitt Romney as the candidate of the PGA golf tour while the former House speaker pursues the blue collar mantle of Dale Earnhardt. It’s a strategy that exploits the class warfare Gingrich professes to oppose. Still, it could pay dividends once the GOP race again swings South. Gingrich sees delegate-rich Texas as a firewall in April. But he must slog through more than 30 contests before that....

You know the border is a place where drugs and illegal immigrants transit every day. But you have no idea how bad things really are.

Support Jesse Kelly for Congress for the AZ-8 Special Election this April 17. Jesse KellyKelly for Congress web page. Campaign page

Newt Gingrich holds lead over Mitt Romney in Georgia

UA President Eugene Sander publicly declared his opposition to guns on campus on Thursday, as well as discussed his recent meetings with state legislators regarding the College of Medicine and the university’s budget during his fourth town hall-style meeting. Sander began the meeting by explaining some of the proposed legislation that would allow guns on campus, saying that because the UA is an academic hub that houses scholars, athletes, professors and children, having guns on campus would be neither smart nor safe. “I believe in the Second Amendment and I even own a host of guns, however this does not...