Archives for May 2008
444 Days That ‘Jimmy-Rigged’ the Future in an Obama-nation
Was Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a kidnapper of Americans in 1979?
Former U.S. Embassy hostages taken by Iranian militants claim that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of the terrorist leaders who helped kidnap and torture them. Notably Don Sharer, formally US Navy, and retired US Army Colonel, Chuck Scott emphatically state that the current Iranian President was a prominent captor.
From website: http://rescueattempt.tripod.com/id28.html
“Chuck Scott characterized his tormentor as
‘cold, hard-nosed’ , and said his memory is solid, ‘as sure as I’m sitting here. If you went through a traumatic experience like that and you were around people who made it possible, you’re never going to forget them,’ said Scott.”
This is a memorial to the soldiers who died trying to rescue the hostages, retrieved from
website: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006063/posts.
This photograph is taken at Arlington National Cemetery. The memorial for these heroes is across from the Ampitheater, and is next to the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial:
Eight soldiers died that day, trying to rescue Americans held up in a political nightmare. The terrorist revolution and control of Iran is back again like a dark shadow nearly thirty years looming; Jimmy Carter’s inept fostering of the Fall of the Shah of Iran, his impotent foreign policy, and his gross miscalculation of the Iranian revolution saddles us all with militant terrorists holding nukes.
“Iran is quite distant from Israel…I think it would be almost inconceivable that Iran would commit suicide by launching one or two missiles of any kind against the nation of Israel.”- Former President, Jimmy Carter at Emory University, September, 2007
“My interest in meeting with Iran is practical; it is not based on my assessment of who they are or my judgment about their values, but rather it is a practical assessment in terms of how we can best achieve our ultimate goal, which is an Iran that is not threatening its neighbors, is not threatening Israel, does not possess nuclear weapons, is not funding organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas,” -Barack Obama, April, 2008.
He further discussed this recently in Oregon:
“Iran, Cuba, Venezuela — these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying, `We’re going to wipe you off the planet.'”
John McCain regarding Iran and Barack Obama’s concepts for diplomacy-
“It (Iran) provides deadly explosive devices used to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq, sponsors terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East and is committed to Israel’s destruction…The threat the government of Iran poses is anything but tiny.”
Why is ACLU Tim, Democrat candidate for county attorney, running away from his experience as an ACLU lawyer?
Tim Nelson, former Democrat political flak for Governor Napolitano and current candidate for county attorney, is trying to downplay his record as an ACLU attorney. Originally, on April 29, Nelson issued a press release declaring that he was proud of his record as an ACLU attorney. But now that press release is nowhere to be found on his website. The disappearing press release said in part,
I am proud that, in the mid-1990s, I represented several clients, including the American Civil Liberties Union, in their fight to protect freedom of conscience in the state of Arizona….Like everyone who values the freedoms guaranteed to us by our Constitution, I am grateful to the many organizations, such as the ACLU, that work to protect our civil rights.
An East Valley Tribune article, “County Attorney Hopeful Discounts Ties to ACLU,” reports that Nelson has issued a second press release downplaying his record as an ACLU attorney, by pointing out that when he worked for Napolitano, he was forced to defend the state against lawsuits by the ACLU. He said, “it’s not reflective of what I’ve done in the 20 years I’ve been a lawyer.” Apparently ACLU Tim realizes that he can’t get elected to county attorney as an ACLU attorney, Arizona voters don’t want the fox guarding the henhouse, so he’s trying to hide the big ACLU elephant (or should we say donkey) in the closet.
The Tribune article described some of Nelson’s work for the ACLU as follows –
He represented the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona in a lawsuit to stop the mayor of Gilbert from declaring seven days in November as “Bible Week.” Nelson and the ACLU argued it violated the separation of church and state.
The case dragged on in federal court for almost a year with big-name Christian lawyers stepping in to defend the town. It ultimately ended in compromise, both sides agreeing the declaration would go forward but with toned-down language.
Nelson wasn’t just a paid attorney in the case. He was the lead attorney and took on the ACLU case pro bono, receiving no compensation. Sounds like something he passionately believed in. But not something the majority of reasonable Arizonans find appropriate, and Nelson knows it.
Reflections on the Mesa Mayoral Race
(Author’s disclosure: Until now and only after the race, I have minimized commenting on the Mesa Mayor’s race to avoid using the blogosphere as a means to promote one candidate over another. During the race, I served as the campaign manager for the Rex Griswold Campaign Committee.)
Tuesday, Mesa voters elected a “newcomer” as Mayor of Arizona’s 3rd largest city. Scott Smith won handily beating Rex Griswold, 55% (26,094) to 45% (20,610). I say “newcomer” because Scott Smith has actually been around Mesa for some time as a developer and chairman of Mesa United Way. Throughout the election, Smith was successful in rounding up almost every major endorsement from Mesa politicians including, County Supervisor Don Stapley, State Representatives Kirk Adams, Russell Pearce and almost every city council member.
Rex Griswold, the former owner of popular Anzio Landing, and district five councilman, resigned from his seat under Arizona’s “Resign to Run” law and entered the race last September. Griswold ran on a platform of experience in business and government experience. He was also able to garnish many endorsements but not from the Mesa political establishment.
Smith raised almost $200,000 of which $87,000 was from his own personal loans. Griswold raised just over $100,000 of which he loaned $17,710 to the campaign. Griswold was obviously outspent 2:1.
While Smith ran on a platform of being the outsider, his endorsements and donations clearly reveal that he had the Mesa political establishment behind him. Griswold attempted to run as a reformer but was tainted by Smith as an ineffective councilman. This came up during the most visible skirmish over MD Helicopters.
In the end, while Smith’s endorsements and fundraising abilities played a role, the major factor in his victory was that the voters of Mesa simply wanted someone new. (The Mayor and Council now seats five new members out of seven.)
The East Valley Tribune had the best coverage of the race with all its stories found here. The Arizona Republic also gave fair coverage to the race with the final article covered here.
On behalf of the Rex Griswold Committee, I congratulate Scott Smith and wish him the best and all our support as our next Mayor of Mesa.
Blowout in Oro Valley.
Yesterday’s Oro Valley election was a serious rout. Democrat Barry Gillaspie beat Republican Terry Parish by a wide margin. The vote count was 5,544 for Gillaspie and 3,266 for Parish with almost 34% turnout. In the primary Parish was slightly ahead of Gillaspie 3,757 to 3,415. These numbers are astounding given the voter registration numbers in Oro Valley, 11,596 Republicans, 6,856 Democrats, and 6,636 other.
Clearly Parish was not able to use party registration to his advantage. His position in favor of the most expensive option for the Naranja Town Site would have meant higher taxes. Gillaspie favors the simpler approach to the park. The style of the two could not have been different. Engaging Parish in conversation involved a lot of listening. On the hand Gillaspie is good at listening and even if he disagrees will hear you out. Voters are still not happy about the Oro Valley Marketplace tax incentives that resulted in attracting a Wal-Mart to the area. Parish had supported the incentives for the Vestar development.
The voting does not have much significance on other state or national elections because the local nature of the issue. Parish did not campaign as a social or fiscal conservative so voters were not judging the value of those issues. When the newly elected council members are sworn in there will be 3 Republican, 3 Democrats, and one Independent in an overwhelmingly Republican town. Truly politics is local in this case.
The Pima County Republican Party did not get much return on their $1,500 contribution to Parish’s campaign. The Democrats donated to both Latas and Gillaspie. Barry certainly did well for the modest amount of money he spent. A few weeks ago the Parish campaign teemed up with the Tim Bee and Vic Williams campaigns to walk Oro Valley. They may want to shift strategy before the elections in September and November.
One Third of all Black Americans Terminated
-Gayle Plato-Besley
FACT of US CENSUS- 38.3 million:
The estimated number of U.S. residents who were black or black in combination with one or more other races as of
July 1, 2002. This race group then made up 13.3 percent of the total population.
Young women are being racially profiled in the most evil of ethnic cleansing. This is all a product of liberal propaganda. It must stop and only the African-American role models can truly change the horror. Where are the Black preachers when it comes to the rights of the unborn? Are black children less valuable than all others? Barack Obama is a false prophet at best when he ignores the
needs of child bearing women of color. Help these women find a value to life.
millions. In any other definition, this would be considered a genocidal event.
[From a statement by Sen. Obama on the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, January 22, 2008. Full statement is available here: http://www.barackobama.com/2008/01/22/obama_statement_on_35th_annive.php]
A Barack Obama quote from his book, “Audacity of Hope” (Chapter 2)
Obama’s Masses
God forbid this is the trend but if it is, Senator McCain best be getting the GOP excited about voting FOR him. If masses like this is any indication of things to come, and the fundraising continues to trickle, we are in trouble.
Oro Valley election ends on the 20th.
The election for the remaining Oro Valley Town Council seat ends on Tuesday, May 20. According to the town clerk’s web page it is too late to mail the ballots but you can drop them off at the Oro Valley Clerk’s office at 11000 N. La Canada Drive.
Incumbents Barry Gillaspie and Terry Parish are seeking another 4-year term on the council but only one of them will make it. The Explorer has coverage of the primary election.
I guess their business model was not based on illegal labor.
One of the big scare tactics of the opponents of the employer sanctions law was that business would flee the state. Imagine my surprise when I read that a German company chose to locate in Arizona over California and Colorado. From the AZBiz.com article
we found Tucson most appealing based on living costs, taxes and shipping costs.
I wonder if Schletter selected Arizona because of high or low taxes. Most likely another example of how low taxes attracts business, increases economic activity, and raises overall tax receipts. A big Sonoran Alliance welcome goes out to Schletter.
Jenney responds to “stupid oath” comment
On Thursday Jim Nintzel of the Tucson Weekly stated that Tom Jenney of Americans for Prosperity “is sending out a stupid oath that he wants politicians to sign.” We have reprinted Jenney’s response below. The oath is a multiple choice form that lets politicians pledge to be a Friend of the Taxpayer or an Ally of the Taxpayer and even has a nice line for any qualifications.
17 May 2008
Re: “Hollow Promise,” The Skinny, May 15 http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Opinion/Content?oid=oid:110922
To the Tucson Weekly:
Skinny columnist Jim Nintzel finds AFP Arizona’s 2008 Local Government Tax and Spending Pledge to be “stupid” (“Hollow Promise,” May 15), because we are asking local officials to “vow not to support increasing government spending at all.”
Nintzel is often a keen observer of the state and local economy, but he has apparently missed the dozens of news stories and official reports this year projecting sharp downturns in various streams of tax revenue, including state-shared income and sales tax revenue, which will probably come in below last year’s revenues.
Even the spendthrift majorities on the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the Tucson City Council managed to get the news—and have been putting the brakes on spending. So far, the County and City budgets from FY 2009 look relatively modest, with projected spending lower than that of FY 2008.
[Sources for projected budgets:
http://www.pima.gov/finance/PDFs/Budget/RecBdgt/2008-2009/00cbdgtschl.pdf http://www.tucsonaz.gov/budget/docs/09RecBudgetFacts.pdf]
Further, the planned slowdowns in spending come after a year in which local governments went hog-wild with spending. In 2007, Supervisors Bronson, Elias, and Valadez voted to increase the county budget by 15.8 percent, and Tucson’s City Council members voted unanimously to increase the city budget by 14.6 percent. That is more than twice the rate of growth of the Tucson-area economy—even when the economy is in a period of strong growth.
In 2007, the allowable spending increase for the AFP Arizona scorecard was 7 percent, which allowed for population growth, inflation, and real per-capita economic growth. The 2008 tax and spending limits are lower, because of the recession. The people of Pima County and Tucson are going through tough times, and local governments have no business increasing taxes or spending money faster than the economy is growing.
The 2008 Local Government Tax and Spending Pledge is available online here: http://www.americansforprosperity.org/index.php?id=5491&state=az
Tom Jenney
Arizona Director, Americans for Prosperity
www.aztaxpayers.org
tjenney@afphq.org
(602) 478-0146
