Free Republic

by John HillStand With Arizona The Department of Justice is after him, La Raza is after him, and left-wing groups funded by George Soros have vowed to spend whatever it takes to defeat him for election this year. But if his enemies think this would cause Sheriff Joe Arpaio to keep a lower profile, they will be very disappointed. Today, Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County, AZ erected a McDonald's-style sign outside the fence of his famous "Tent City" jail touting how many inmates - more than 430,000 - who have been "served" since he opened it 19 years ago....

In a unanimous vote, the Gila Community College (GCC) board agreed to oppose allowing guns on campus. “There’s been a lot of controversy over this bill,” said Larry Stephenson, president of the GCC board. The board’s Feb. 16 vote was spurred after the Arizona Senate hopped on the guns on campus bandwagon with Senate Bill 1474. The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 6 and now awaits a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee. Following in the GCC board’s footsteps, the Arizona Board of Regents passed a resolution opposing the bill to allow firearms on campus on Feb....

Local reporters in Arizona are asking whether guns, ammo, and cash found in a raid on a "stash house" are tied to Operation Fast and Furious. The story is from CBS 5, KPHO, out of Phoenix. The items were found in a raid by the AZ DPS Gang Task Force. The house was reportedly by used by a "rip crew." If you'll remember, it was a rip crew that got into the shootout that left Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry dead.

The Prescott city prosecutor is reviewing whether to file charges of discharging a firearm within city limits after a woman told an officer she shot at a large pit bull dog Monday that jumped up on her backyard fence while she was in her fenced yard with her 4-year-old and 7-month-old children and their small dog, said Prescott Police Lt. Andy Reinhardt. When the officer told the woman that he would forward the report to the city prosecutor for review, she said she understood, but had only shot at the dog out of self-defense, according to the police report. The...

by John HillStand With Arizona Well the gloves are finally off, and the Death Star of the illegal alien amnesty movement is coming after America's most potent symbol against illegal immigration: Sheriff Joe Arpaio. National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguia, in a press conference in Phoenix, called the Maricopa County lawman "America's worst sheriff" and called on Arpaio to resign from office, claiming "discrimination against Latinos". This marks the first time that La Raza has come against Sheriff Arpaio directly. After the passage of S.B. 1070, NCLR and the SEIU paid to bus in protesters from Los Angeles...

Complaint for Constitutional Violations of the Article II section I clause 5 and Ballot Challenge pursuant to ARS 16-351(B) and for declaratory and injunctive relief 1 thru 38 exclusive. Complaint and Ballot Challenge pursuant to ARS 16-351(B) with respect to Barack H Obama, Any elector may challenge a candidate for any reason relating to qualifications for the office sought as prescribed by law, including age, residency or professional requirements, if applicable. The Plaintiff [Kenneth Allen] as a legal voter in the state of Arizona herby challenges the Democratic Party and Barack H. Obama,. Mr Obama is not eligible and does...

Arizona congressional candidate Paul Babeu’s ex-boyfriend spoke to CNN on Monday, saying he felt “used” and threatened by the Pinal County Sheriff after their relationship ended. Babeu’s ex-lover Jose, a 34-year-old Mexican national, told CNN’s Miguel Marquez that Sheriff Babeu threatened to have him deported if he went public with their affair. Jose’s face is pixilated in the interview. Jose — who said he is in the country legally — told Marquez he felt “used” during the affair. Marquez then asked Jose, “Used. And then threatened?” “Yes,” Jose said in the interview. “I got a text from him, directly, on...

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.

TOPEKA — With protesters chanting and pounding drums outside the Capitol, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, one of the nation’s most prominent advocates of illegal immigration crackdowns, urged lawmakers Wednesday to force employers and law enforcement officers to help chase off illegal immigrants. “There’s no question that if a state passes laws to discourage illegal immigration … then you will see some self-deportation,” Kobach told the House State and Federal Affairs Committee. The protesters outside said those laws are more likely to produce discrimination, worker shortages and costly lawsuits. “If Mr. Kobach, who is promoting, not only here in Kansas...

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....

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...

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...

For nearly a year now, House Oversight Committee Chair Darrell Issa (R=CA) and Attorney General Eric Holder have locked horns over Operation Fast and Furious. Throughout this time we have seen heated exchanges between the two during Congressional hearings, watched the DOJ’s narrative change more than once, and wondered why Holder has thus far been allowed to dictate the speed at which the committee can investigate him. As of late, when Holder dug in and simply refused to the turn over the documents the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed, the contest between he and Issa turned into nothing less than a...

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...

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.

Following a Georgia judge’s ruling that Barack Obama is eligible to be on the state’s 2012 Democratic Party presidential ballot, the front lines in the continuing eligibility battle are being fought in Arizona. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio told WND today his office has scheduled a news conference in Phoenix for March 1 to release findings of the Cold Case Posse that has been investigating Barack Obama’s birth certificate and eligibility to be president. Arpaio declined to release to WND any of the posse’s conclusions in advance of the press conference, although he is on record saying the findings may...

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.