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Archives for September 2007

Conservative Christians Scrambling?

September 30, 2007 by 15 Comments

The New York Times has an interesting article today portraying conservative Christians as scrambling for a presidential nominee. Apparently, Giuliani’s personal life and positions on abortion, gun rights and homosexuality has leaders in this important voting block strategizing how to propel someone like Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter or Sam Brownback to front runner status.

As this blogger has asserted many times before, if the party faithful has no where to cast a vote, they won’t cast at all. Principles like protecting innocent human life, are the impetus for showing up to vote.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Political Parties, Political Science

GOPAC comes to Tucson.

September 30, 2007 by 7 Comments

GOPAC class.jpg

     This Saturday GOPAC, Pima County Republican Party, and the Arizona Republican Party held another very successful candidate school. State and local candidates packed the room to learn the nuts and bolts of how to win from GOPAC associates David Avella and Todd Schnick as well as some local Arizona campaign professionals.

 jonathan paton.jpg

     Lunch featured an uplifting speech by Arizona RNC Committeeman Bruce Ash. State Representative Jonathan Paton followed Ash. He inspired the audience and impressed the national political consultants with his delivery and message.

     Saturday’s Southern Arizona GOPAC campaign school followed the June GOPAC campaign school held in Phoenix, the largest state sponsored GOPAC training held this year. Sources said that a candidate school of this quality has not been held in Tucson for many, many years.

     Congratulations to everyone from GOPAC, Judi White and staff at the county party, and Sean McCaffrey and staff at the state party for working so hard day-in and day-out on their mission of getting Republicans elected. If you are considering donating to a national Republican organization that has not sold out the grassroots of the party we wholeheartedly endorse the well run and focused GOPAC. A big thanks as well to Jim Click for his support of the event.

Filed Under: Political Parties, Special Event

Even liberal journalists are distancing themselves from Goddard because of the corruption investigation

September 30, 2007 by Leave a Comment

When you’re a Democrat politician and the liberal media is denouncing you, you’ve got problems. Usually the liberal so-called mainstream media goes out of its way to promote Democrat politicians and candidates and give them positive coverage. If the liberal media is jumping on the bandwagon with the Republican Party criticizing a Democrat, that Democrat must be in some serious trouble. This is the case with Attorney General Terry Goddard, the liberal media appears to have deserted him because the latest investigation by Sheriff Arpaio into allegations of political corruption and bribery by Goddard’s office has got liberals afraid of being tainted by association and going down with Goddard.

On Horizon’s Journalists’ Roundtable Friday night, the liberal journalists hung Goddard out to dry. Tribune Reporter Mark Flatten said that Goddard has put up some “odd roadblocks” by refusing to turn over documents requested by Sheriff Arpaio in the investigation, forcing the Sheriff to subpoena them. Flatten observed that when Arpaio and county attorney Thomas objected to Goddard having his attorney present when AG employees were interviewed, Goddard responded oddly again – he attempted to take the investigation out of the public light by claiming that it should be behind closed grand jury proceedings. A Superior Court judge ruled against him on that. Flatten said that Arpaio is probably right when he says that Goddard is acting like he is hiding something. Flatten then said it was interesting to see Arpaio (who has a reputation for fighting possibly dubious public records requests from adult entertainment magazine Phoenix New Times) becoming Arizona’s champion of public records law. What is Goddard hiding?
It will be interesting to continue watching this investigation unfold, and see whether the Valley’s papers subtly continue distancing themselves from Goddard.
Friday night’s Horizon should be available within a day or two here.

Filed Under: Crime and Punishment, Government

Victory over Environmental Extremists

September 30, 2007 by 5 Comments

In a little reported case, a rancher had sued and won a $600,000 defamation suit against the radical Center for Biological Diversity.

The People for the West Newsletter has an excellent review (no link available):

On September 25, 2007 the Arizona Supreme Court denied review of the verdict and $600,000 damages awarded in Chilton Ranch and Cattle Company v. Center for Biological Diversity (the Center). In January 2005, an impartial jury of ten found the Center had maliciously defamed the rancher. An appeals court upheld the jury’s findings.

Overthe previous seven years Jim Chilton had contracted, at considerable personal expense, Dr. Holechek along with world-class experts in hydrology and native fish biology. They conducted dozens of fullday hands-on management consultations. The scientists regularly monitored the natural resources and made recommendations, all of which Jim Chilton followed…

During the seven years preceding the trial, the Center launched four formal attempts to legally prohibit grazing on Jim Chilton’s allotment, arguably with no scientific foundation for their litigious and procedural attacks. By the end of 2005, however, the Center was able to pay the punitive damages, having received $500,000 that year from taxpayer-funded legal settlements.

The fact that Chilton went out of his way to safeguard the environment leads one to wonder if the Center’s objective is to protect nature or control private business.  I’ve sent an email to the editor of the PFW asking him to clarify the taxpayer-funded legal settlement.

None of the major papers are reporting this landmark decision.  But the Flagstaff-based Arizona Daily Sun has background on the appeal.

This is a typical tactic of the left: put out false facts and smear your opponent.  Two weeks ago, MoveOn.org’s “Gen. Betray-us” ad back-fired, forcing the party that MoveOn had “bought and paid for” to condemn them.  Last week, the Clinton backed “Media Matters” outfit was caught creating a phoney controversy over Rush Limbaugh’s criticism of phoney Ranger Jesse MacBeth.  Now the CBD is fined for faking photographs.

I hope this is the begining of a more aggressive campaign by the cente right against the radical left.

Filed Under: Environment

Mr. Quayle is Unavailable

September 30, 2007 by 28 Comments

Quayle

According the Arizona Republic Political Insider, the October 17th Trunk and Tusk Dinner has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with former Vice-President, Dan Quayle.

The dinner was to feature the former Vice-President as the keynote speaker and chief draw to raise money for the party. Unfortunately, Mr. Quayle has been called away on business to Japan as part of his venture with Cerberus.

But the Political Insider seems to think there is more intra-party mechanics at work behind the scene:

But The Insider continued to hear talk that more than scheduling was involved in Quayle’s cancellation. It wasn’t hard to believe, frankly, considering some of the local GOP’s intra-party rancor of late, especially relating to immigration. Could it have been that a few prominent Republicans or members of the congressional delegation unhappy with Arizona GOP Chairman Randy Pullen pressured Quayle not to participate?

Could it be that the “anti-Pullen” wing of the GOP is making another attempt to financially starve the GOP leadership into submission? Political Insider seems to think so based on another GOP “insider:”

I’m sure there’s a legitimate scheduling conflict. But there’s no doubt that prominent Republicans gave the vice president an earful about his willingness to raise money for the state Republican Party.

Filed Under: Political Parties

Is Chandler unfairly labeled a sanctuary city?

September 29, 2007 by 4 Comments

Chandler is frequently labeled a sanctuary city along with Phoenix. But is it really? Phoenix has an ordinance in place stating that police officers may not report illegal immigrants to I.C.E. for small violations such as traffic offenses or cite-and-release misdemeanors. Chandler has no such written policy. The definition of a sanctuary city can include a city that has no written policy, but only if its actions reflect the behavior of a sanctuary city. Recently, I.C.E. increased its responses to calls from local police around the Valley, no longer ignoring illegal immigrants arrested for most crimes. More illegal immigrants are being turned over to I.C.E. in the Valley, even in Phoenix. Over 6,000 illegal immigrants were arrested in the Valley within the past year, twice as many as the year before. It might be time to take Chandler off the sanctuary list. I’d be curious to hear if others disagree.

Filed Under: Border, Crime and Punishment, Government, Illegal Immigration, Immigration

Federalist Society panel discussion on ballot measure campaigns & campaign finance law applicability

September 29, 2007 by 5 Comments

The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies Phoenix Lawyers Chapter presents a panel discussion:

Should Campaign Finance and Disclosure Laws Apply to Ballot Measure Campaigns?

When: Tuesday, October 16, 2007, 11:30am to 1:00pm
Registration and Buffet Will Open at 11:00am, the program will begin promptly at 11:30am.

    Up to 1.5 hours CLE may be available

 

Where: The Phoenician Resort

    Las Brisas Room
    6000 East Camelback Road

Scottsdale AZ 85251

Who:

    § Andy Gordon, Partner, Coppersmith, Gordon, Schermer, Owns & Nelson PLC
    § Professor Daniel Lowenstein, UCLA Law School
    § Bill Maurer, Executive Director Institute for Justice Washington Chapter
    § Steve Simpson, Senior Attorney Institute for Justice
    § Moderated by Professor James Weinstein, Amelia Lewis Professor of Constitutional Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

Details: $35 registration fee, includes hot buffet lunch

    $15, additional fee for 1.5 hours CLE credit and materials
    $20, registration for students

Registration is available online, where you can pay by credit or debit card: www.fed-soc.org/events/eventID.195/event_detail.asp

You may also register by RSVPing to Kasey Higgins (khiggins@ij.org or 480-557-8300).
The registration deadline is Friday, October 12; your courtesy in registering online or contacting Ms. Higgins before October 12 is greatly appreciated.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Constitutional Law, Freedom of Speech, Government, Special Event

Gingrich Out

September 29, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Newt Gingrich

The Associated Press is reporting that former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, had decided against a run for Presidency.

Although many social conservatives applaud Newt’s brilliant ideas and strategies, they were finding it difficult to reconcile it with Newt’s personal life.

Gingrich probably took seriously the GOP’s efforts to “clean its own house” and how that translates into raising money for a national campaign.

Newt’s “departure” will no doubt remind social conservatives that they should also consider the personal lives of other candidates in the race before backing any one of them.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections

Pappas Out, Biomedical-Campus In

September 29, 2007 by 1 Comment

Bulldozing

Arizona Republic reporter, Yvonne Wingett, finally breaches the real issue over the whole fiasco of Pappas School in the downtown area. One can assume that the Republic finally started reading the comments on its stories and blogsites like Sonoran Alliance.

From the very beginning, its been all about the land that Pappas sits upon and how it could be incorporated into the expanding biomedical campus. There was only one problem standing in the way – Sandra Dowling.

Late last year, Dowling was pressured to resign from the Maricopa County Regional School District which turned the district over to a receivership. The receivership then hired a $700/day consultant and his wife to run the district to the edge of a decision by the board.

The school isn’t even dead and buried and the land is already the hot topic of speculation and development.

Say “Goodbye” to Pappas as the Board of Supervisors prepare to vote on its fate, Monday morning.

Pappas employees can expect pink slips over the next few weeks with the county at least trying to afford them preference and priority in rehiring.

Filed Under: County Government

Bee Our Candidate!

September 27, 2007 by 4 Comments

Here is a great video put out by the faithful faith-based community in Southern Arizona encouraging Tim Bee to stand in the gap for faith, family and freedom.

YouTube Preview Image
Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Family, Religion
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