Free Republic

Controversial Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio and former New Mexico U.S. Attorney David Iglesias are involved in a controversy related to an FBI investigation, Talking Points Memo highlights. Arpaio, known as “America’s toughest sheriff” is currently under investigation by the FBI for targeting his political foes in apparent retaliation, according to KHPO, a Phoenix area TV station. Iglesias told KPHO, that he would “seek an indictment” against Arpaio if he were the U.S. Attorney in Arpaio’s area. Then things get even stranger, with Arpaio’s office releasing a statement attacking Iglesias’ reputation. The statement reads in part: *** Rather than dignify...

Calling himself “the poster boy” for those who oppose the enforcement of federal immigration laws, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he will continue to arrest individuals who are in the country illegally, even if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not renew the 287(g) agreement that the Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff’s Office has operated under for the past two years. “We’ve been doing it for two years and have been very successful, but I guess they don’t like to enforce illegal immigration laws,” Arpaio told CNSNews.com. “[It] doesn’t make any difference. I’m still going to continue my programs, regardless of what...

Ted Williams' frozen head for batting practice at cryogenics lab: book BY Nathaniel Vinton DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Updated Friday, October 2nd 2009, 10:44 AM Head of Ted Williams was abused by employees at Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz., whistleblower says. AP Ted Williams, who spent his entire career with the Red Sox, died in 2002 at the age of 83. 'Frozen,' by former Alcor exec Larry Johnson, makes shocking claims about how employees treated Ted Williams' frozen head. Take our PollCryonics: Critical or near-criminal? In "Frozen," Larry Johnson, a former exec at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation...

In what some might consider an ironic twist, on Wednesday a law making guns accessible and more portable in public went into effect the same day that restrictions on women's rights to choose to terminate an unintended pregnancy went into effect in Arizona. Arizona StatePress.com reports that both laws are "stirring controversy among Arizona residents, businesses, organizations and politicians." The new laws allow guns to be kept in cars on campus, as well as on public and private properties. New abortion laws, which have been challenged in court, impose a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions. Another new gun...

Gov. Jan Brewer recently signed five pieces of legislation that foster gun-safety education in Arizona’s schools and reinforce the rights of gun owners in the state into law. The legislation was sponsored by Sens. Jack Harper and Russell Pearce, and mandates that Arizona’s Right-to-Carry permit holders are allowed to defend themselves in public restaurants, store their firearm in a locked vehicle while parked in a publicly accessible parking lot, and reveal their firearm to an individual threatening them or a loved one. Furthermore, the new law states that an individual who shoots someone in self-defense is innocent until proven guilty....

In just a few days, bills that were signed by Governor Brewer back in July will become law. The following are a few key pro-rights bills that will become effective after midnight on September 30, 2009. Defensive Display – Clarifies and codifies the defensive display of a firearm, such as: - exposing or displaying a firearm in a manner that a reasonable person would understand was meant to protect the person against another's use or attempted use of unlawful or deadly physical force - verbally informing another person that the person possesses or has available a firearm - placing the...

Published on Friday, September 18, 2009 It seems there is hardly a day passing that does not witness another one of our rights infringed by an aggressive and activist federal government. In this atmosphere, states are reasserting their sovereignty and their rights under the Constitution. The state of Montana has made a law directly challenging the right of the feds to regulate firearms that are manufactured and kept in the state. The basis for federal jurisdiction in this and so many other matters is the commerce clause of the Constitution, which allows the feds to regulate interstate commerce. Article 1,...

PHOENIX — An Arizona couple accused of sexual abuse after taking bath-time photos of their children and then trying to have them developed at Walmart are suing the state and the retail giant. Lisa and Anthony "A.J." Demaree's three young daughters were taken away by Arizona Child Protective Services last fall when a Walmart employee found partially nude pictures of the girls on a camera memory stick taken to the store for processing, according to the suit. The Peoria couple's attorney said Walmart turned the photos over to police and the Demarees were not allowed to see their children for...

A robbery gone wrong ended when the victim upped the ante on the would-be robber by pulling a sword. Police say that the suspect and the victim, who are believed to have been friends, went to a check cashing store near the victim's house on Thursday. The two men in their thirties, according to police, returned to the victim's home, where the suspect hit the victim in the shoulder with a bat in an attempt to rob him. Little did he know he was dealing with an apparent ninja who keeps swords just laying around the house. After being hit...

To the editor: I carry a gun everywhere I go in Flagstaff. I carry at the bank, I carry at the grocery store, I carry when I go check the mail. Any business with a sign that says "no weapons" does not get my business. I do not have a permit to carry a gun, as you do not need one in our great state. I carry a gun for one reason; guns save lives. According to a study by The University of Florida a person defends himself with a gun every 53 seconds. According to the NCIPC, a homicide...

CHANDLER, AZ -- Police say two teens face burglary charges after they allegedly forced their way into a home with a 14-year-old boy inside Wednesday morning. According to a Chandler police report, the teen was alone in the home near Frye and Alma school roads when two men knocked on the front door about 7:30 a.m. Since he didn't know the men, the boy did not answer the door, according to the report. Police said the men then forced their way into the home through a back door and the boy ran out of the house to a neighbor who...

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – There is an epidemic in an old gold mining town in western Arizona: The wild burros that roam the town's single street are overweight, with rolls of fat on their necks and big, full bellies. But don't blame them. They'll eat anything. It's the half million tourists who visit tiny Oatman each year. They're the ones who have been feeding these critters carrots, hay or anything else, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management says.

Libertarian activist and radio host Ernest Hancock fired up concern about right-wing extremism around the country last week after he revealed to CNN's Rick Sanchez that he had planned the interview with someone who carried an AR-15 rifle to the protests outside of President Barack Obama's Aug. 17 appearance at the Phoenix Convention Center. At the Tribune's request, Hancock explains his motivations. Ernest Hancock In 1994, I learned that holding a sign, "Legalize Freedom ... Register Libertarian," at a Janet Reno speaking event would get you arrested by Phoenix police. I was quickly released with no charges and returned to...

Arthur Frommer This week Arizonans were shocked when iconic travel industry promoter Arthur Frommer blogged that "I will not personally travel in a state where civilians carry loaded weapons onto the sidewalks [and t]ourists should safeguard themselves by avoiding stays in Arizona." Mr. Frommer's comments, touched off a firestorm of criticism - so much so that as of publication of this column, Frommer's blog entry attracted 1,061 comments compared to the usual 8 comments or so for his other blog entries. The crux of the criticism against Mr. Frommer's Arizona travel advisory (even by pro-gun folks like me who don't...

She's admitted to the grisly murder of a disabled man, and now she's talking to FOX 10. Angela Simpson tells Police she stabbed 46 year-old Terry Neely more than 50 times, then cut up his body and burned it in a trash can. Simpson was already in jail, when detectives interviewed her about this crime. They say she was very candid about committing this murder, showing no remorse

Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted says a lot of things in his column this week that would have got him labeled a loon in my high school Theology class. But that was in the 80s when the real loons were teaching high school Theology. We were taught not to take stories of miracles or the existence of the devil as literal. Such beliefs and talk were “mysto-babble� and indicative of an immature faith. We needed to get to the allegorical sense and to help us there we were given exhaustive naturalistic explanations of the miracles in the Bible. (note: My school...

The poll is halfway down the page on the left. One of the responses is: I would have brought more guns. It is at 49%. I think this poll deserves a freeping.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Adding to an endorsement list that already has Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas on it, former State Senator Scott Bundgaard has added the ultimate endorsement prize, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio has been a long-time supporter of Bundgaard and they share a commitment to winning the fight against illegal immigration. The LD4 Senate seat will be open as a result of term-limits. Bundgaard had held the seat prior to the election of current Senator Jack Harper, and he has spent the last eight years working in the private sector. A former top-ranked Friend of the Taxpayer, Bundgaard has...

SIERRA VISTA — Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was not threatened with physical harm when a man’s private gun fell from its holster at an event last week in Douglas. Douglas police said there was no wrongdoing in the incident. Ron Barber, the district director for the Arizona 8th Congressional District’s U.S. representative, said Giffords didn’t know about the incident until she was leaving the Safeway where she was holding a “Congress on Your Corner” meeting. Also at the meeting were protesters of a national health care plan Giffords is supporting. The incident was reported to Douglas police officers who...

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...

What's troublesome about gun nuts in this country isn't so much that they want to play with firearms and wear them on their hips with almost no restrictions. It's that many feel they have the God-given right to end every conflict with a bullet, or three. There's often implied cowardice that goes along with all the righteous handgun-totin'. Way too often, sidearms are worn by craven men with chips on their shoulders, itching for a fight they don't have to resolve with their fists. Take the case of Harold Fish, the ex-Tolleson high school teacher convicted of second-degree murder by...

It is a back country wanderer’s worst nightmare; arriving at a remote trailhead to find yourself accosted by two growling, snarling off-leash dogs, and then their owner, who threatens to kill you for having taken action to deter the approaching canines. That’s what retired Arizona teacher Harold Fish told investigators in May 2004 at the end of a dayhike in the Coconino National Forest that put him in a deadly confrontation with a man named Grant Kuenzli. Fish said he yelled a warning to Kuenzli to call off the dogs—a warning apparently ignored—then drew his 10mm Kimber semiautomatic pistol and...

National Rifle Association Arizona - -(AmmoLand.com)- The Arizona Senate passed three important self-defense bills in a session that lasted into the early morning hours Wednesday. First, SB 1113 enables law-abiding Right-to-Carry permit holders to carry firearms for self-defense in restaurants. This NRA-backed bill passed by an overwhelming, bi-partisan majority of 19-8 and will now be sent to Governor Jan Brewer’s (R) desk for her consideration. “If this important, common-sense legislation is signed, Arizonans will have the ability to defend themselves and their families from criminal attack in restaurants,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “Headlines remind us that restaurants...

THE WIDER VIEW: Taking shape, the new bridge at the Hoover Dam 04th July 2009 Creeping closer inch by inch – 900ft above the mighty Colorado River – the two sides of a £160million bridge at the Hoover Dam in America slowly take shape. The bridge will carry a new section of US Route 93 past the bottleneck of the old road which can be seen twisting and winding around and across the dam itself. When complete, it will provide a new link between the states of Nevada and Arizona. In an incredible feat of engineering, the road will be...

A 62-year-old retired schoolteacher who shot and killed a Payson man four years ago at a trailhead north of Strawberry is getting a new trial. The Arizona Court of Appeals granted the new trial for Tolleson resident Harold Fish in a 110-page opinion that said, in part, the original trial judge — Mark Moran of Flagstaff — erred in not allowing the victim’s past behavior to be introduced into evidence. The court also ruled that the three dogs the victim, Grant Kuenzli, had with him could have been classified as “dangerous instruments” as de­fense attorney Melvin McDonald asked. Deborah Fish,...

PHOENIX (AP) -- A state appeals court on Tuesday ordered a new trial for a 62-year-old retired teacher convicted of murder in the shooting death of a hiker in northern Arizona five years ago. Harold Fish claimed he shot Grant Kuenzli in self-defense during their encounter in the Coconino National Forest, but a jury convicted him and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. ---------------------------cut--------------------------- In May 2004, Fish was hiking when two dogs belonging to Kuenzli began running down a hill and threatening him. Fish told police he fired a warning shot at the animals. Kuenzli then became enraged...

If Arizona's state Legislature, now in session, fulfills its blood-oath bond with the National Rifle Association, the state will become the 41st to legalize carrying concealed handguns into restaurants that serve alcohol. Arizona restaurants oppose the legislation. However, restaurateurs discovered their rights have scant standing when the NRA yelps that gun owners deserve their "rights" and obliging politicians jump. Long ago when the NRA was founded as an educational rifle owners' and sportsmen's organization, handguns and militant overkill about the Second Amendment had no discernible roles. Then an ultra-conservative element took over and transformed the NRA into a political juggernaut...

Harold Fish, who's serving time for shooting a man in what he calls self-defense, will get another trial. The Arizona Supreme Court has reversed and remanded the high-profile case, sending it back for a new trial in which Fish can introduce testimony that was barred from his first go-around. The case began in 2004, after Fish ran into Grant Kuenzli and his dogs while hiking on a lonely trail in northern Arizona. According to Fish, the only witness, Kuenzli charged aggressively at Fish after failing to control his unleashed canines. Fish pointed a his 10-millimeter handgun at Kuenzli, yelled at...

HB 2439, the AzCDL-requested CCW training reform bill that now includes "Petty Offense" and "Defensive Display" language, is scheduled for a Senate Third Read vote this afternoon (6/30/09). We expect it to pass. From there it will be sent to the House for concurrence votes and a Final Read vote before it can be sent to the Governor. All this must occur before the Legislature shuts down the 2009 session which we are told will be TONIGHT. Rather than wait for the passage of HB 2439 in the Senate, we need to put immediate pressure on House members to support...

Howard Fischer's latest screed against self-defense. I've posted the article in the Star, plus my comment. Senators favor concealed guns on college campuses By Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.28.2009 PHOENIX — State senators voted Friday to let people with concealed-weapons permits carry guns onto college and university campuses. Supporters said the move would make campuses safer. The 15-6 vote on the provision in HB 2439 came after backers said they believe that having people who are licensed by the state to have weapons should cut down on the number of massacres that occur on campuses....

HOUSE BILL 2439 AN ACT Amending title 13, chapter 4, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 13‑421; amending sections 13‑3102, 13‑3105 and 13-3112, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to weapons. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE) Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Title 13, chapter 4, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 13-421, to read: START_STATUTE13-421. Justification; defensive display of a firearm; definition A. The defensive display of a firearm by a person against another is justified when and to the extent a reasonable person would believe that physical force is...

HB 2439, the AzCDL-requested CCW training reform bill that now includes “Petty Offense” language for carrying concealed without a permit, passed out of the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW) this evening (6/26/09). As a bonus, the Senate voted to add the language of SB 1243, the AzCDL-requested Defensive Display bill, via an amendment offered by Senator Russell Pearce. Like we mentioned in our last Alert, HB 2439 has the shortest path to go to get to the Governor before the session ends in just a few days. It’s critical that we keep the pressure on the Legislature. The Senate...

A Tucson hospital's health-care package promises affluent Mexican women the chance to have their babies in posh surroundings with access to the latest medical equipment. But the marketing materials leave out a key draw in the arrangement: U.S. citizenship for the newborn. Tucson Medical Center's "birth package" gives an official nod to a generations-old practice of wealthy Mexican women coming to U.S. hospitals to give birth. Mexican families do the same thing at all local hospitals, but TMC is the only one actively recruiting their business. The practice is legal, but offensive to some advocates of tougher U.S. immigration standards.

PHOENIX -- A Mesa homeowner used a shotgun to defend himself during a home invasion late Wednesday night, authorities said. According to Mesa Police Department spokesman Sgt. Ed Wessing, two men armed with guns and demanding money forced their way into the home near Stapley Road and Southern Avenue. The intruders rounded up the four men who live there and forced them into a room, Wessing said. "At some point during this crime, one of the residents was able to grab a shotgun," Wessing said. "(He) shot and killed one of them, and then fired at the second suspect (who)...

PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Senate has reversed itself and voted to allow people with concealed-carry permits to take handguns into restaurants that serve alcohol. Good news, terrible headline.

SELLS, Ariz. – The reputed head of Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel is threatening a more aggressive stance against U.S. law enforcement, instructing associates to use deadly force, if needed, to protect increasingly contested trafficking operations, authorities said. Such a move by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, Mexico’s most-wanted man, would mark a turn from the cartel’s previous position of largely avoiding violent confrontations north of the border – either with American law enforcement officers or fellow traffickers. Local police and federal agents in Arizona said they recently have received at least two law enforcement alerts focused on Guzman’s reported orders that...

Hey, guns are the ultimate equal opportunity employer. They don’t discriminate, they equalize. All things being equal, i.e. - both parties having guns, it comes down to skill, weapons reliability, and a little bit of luck. So, if you are a female who fancies herself as the prettier half of the crime duo Bonnie and Clyde, you best remember that you are now on equal footing, not superior footing. Thankfully, the right person won this round: Man shoots woman, foils carjacking, police say By Alexis Huicochea and Jamar Younger Arizona Daily Star Tucson, Arizona | Published: 04.24.2009 A woman who...

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio sent 200 deputies and volunteers to the Avondale area to crack down on crime and illegal immigration. The sheriff’s office is setting up a command base for the effort on Van Buren Street in the west-side suburb. The sheriff has organized similar crime sweeps over the past year in Mesa, east Phoenix, north Phoenix and Guadalupe. Critics say the tactics unfairly target Hispanics. The American Civil Liberties Union and Hispanic activists sued Arpaio in federal court saying the raids amount to racial profiling. The Obama administration also is looking into Arpaio’s enforcement policy.

SIERRA VISTA — Some taxpayers have had it with politicians not listening to what they want, and they’re hoping a Tax Day Tea Party will send a message. On Wednesday, which is the day income tax filings are due, local residents will be showing their displeasure with how the government is working for them and telling them they don’t want new taxes. “They haven’t listened to us about much of anything,” said Joanne Daley, one of the organizers of the Tax Day Tea Party events in Sierra Vista. “It’s we the people, not the other way around.” Daley is one...

PHOENIX (CNS) -- Maybe TV isn't so bad after all. An estimated 92,000 inactive Catholics in the Phoenix Diocese have come back to the church in the last year thanks in large part to a groundbreaking television advertising campaign called Catholics Come Home. The promotional spots featured people and locations from around the Phoenix Diocese to promote the church during prime-time television. The cornerstone of the campaign, the Catholics Come Home Web site, addresses often misunderstood aspects of the faith. "For those who had fallen away from the practice of their faith, it let them know that we want them...

Walked over to Juarez Mexico this morning...took some clips of the many soldiers deployed on the streets...they are everywhere. Thought fellow freeper might like to see a compilation of clips so I uploaded to youtube....if you click the [HD] box you can watch it in nearly the original quality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFNM4VM236E

The House voted Wednesday to kill a resolution calling for an ethics investigation into potential quid pro quo between lobbyist campaign donations and lawmakers. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., sponsored the proposal that would have forced the House Ethics Committee to launch a probe into ties between the source and timing of campaign contributions by lobbyists and subsequent legislator requests for special projects or earmarks. While open-ended, Flake's resolution was a direct response to the ongoing federal investigation into the PMA Group, a lobbying company accused of making fraudulent donations to lawmakers using names of people who did not exist. The...

President Barack Obama Mesa, Ariz., Feb 18, 2009 / 03:01 pm (CNA).- This morning when President Obama arrived in Mesa, Arizona to announce his $75 billion "Homeowner Stability Initiative," a group of about 200 Catholics were holding a prayer vigil across the street. The group was praying that Obama will change his mind about supporting the unpopular Freedom of Choice Act.Fr. Jack Spaulding, the pastor of St. Timothy’s Catholic Church, led a prayer vigil that lasted about 45 minutes. "As Catholics, this is a tremendous opportunity for each one of us to put our faith into action through a...

TUCSON, Ariz. — A jury in Tucson has found that a southern Arizona rancher didn't violate the civil rights of a group of illegal immigrants who claimed he detained them at gunpoint in 2004. The federal jury also found Roger Barnett wasn't liable on claims of battery and false imprisonment. But the jury did find him liable Tuesday on four claims of assault and four claims of infliction of emotional distress. The jurors ordered Barnett to pay nearly $78,000 in damages. The bulk of that is punitive.

SNIPPET: "Authorities say 30-year-old Sheri A. Zulpo of Edgewood, N.M., was booked into the Coconino County jail on charges of terrorism, attempted first-degree murder and endangerment and possible federal charges may also be filed."

The Gulf Cartel in Mexico has now been deemed the biggest terroristic threat in the United States, including in North Texas. In recent months, there have been no kidnappings or deaths related to the Gulf Cartel in North Texas, authorities say. However, a large task force recently arrested dozens of cartel members and confiscated millions in cash, drugs and weapons. The Gulf Cartel has been called one of the most dangerous groups in the world, and authorities said they have waged a war to control all the drugs coming into the U.S. from Mexico. "They are fighting back with the...

An Arizona man who has waged a 10-year campaign to stop a flood of illegal immigrants from crossing his property is being sued by 16 Mexican nationals — seeking $32 million in damages — who accuse him of conspiring to violate their civil rights when he stopped them at gunpoint on his ranch on the U.S.-Mexico border, the Washington Times reported Monday.

div class="noticia_imagen_contenedor" style="width: 288px;"> Bishop-elect James S. Wall Phoenix, Feb 5, 2009 / 11:33 am (CNA).- This morning, the Holy Father appointed a Phoenix priest, Fr. James S. Wall as the new bishop of Gallup, New Mexico.  Fr. Wall, 44, will be the diocese’s fourth bishop. Fr. Wall, the current Vicar for Priests for the Diocese of Phoenix, was born in 1964 in Gando, Arizona on the Navajo reservation.  After studying History at Arizona State University, he went on to earn a Master of Divinity degree from St. John Seminary in Camarillo California, Jim Dwyer from the Diocese of Phoenix...

Location 2100 Maple Los Angeles, CA INTERESTING POINTS: 1. Interesting that this group has the recourses to rent a permanent facility. (even if it is in downtown) 2. Note the mural there is a man holding a Palestinian flag, leading a group of Hispanic people. 3. This facility just opened this month. Downtown Los Angeles is unbelievably dirty. Trash everywhere and just dirt. Very few light posts so it is dark and creepy. The meeting was supposed to start at 6:00 but at 7;15 a gang looking crowd was developing and since I was alone, I thought it best to...

MANASSAS, Va., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday afternoon, Senator and former presidential hopeful, John McCain, announced the creation of his new grassroots organization named "Country First." Commenting on the new organization, ConservativeHQ.com Chairman Richard Viguerie stated, "Senator John McCain is a General without an army. He's attempting to lead but he has no followers because his trumpet does not sound certain." In a message sent to presidential supporters, Senator McCain described the new organization as an effort to "better define our Republican ideals and message, recruit and back, strong, dedicated candidates and continue our efforts to bring real reform...