Click here to view the embedded video.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2011
CONTACT: Apryl Marie Fogel

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar, DDS (AZ-01) introduced H.Res. 490, a Resolution of No Confidence in U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The resolution states “that it is the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress has lost confidence in the Attorney General of the United States.”

Congressman Gosar hopes to accomplish two goals with this resolution: First, the reproval by Congress of an executive official, is a significant statement. Cabinet positions, including the Attorney General, are appointed with the consent of half of Congress, the Senate. Congress is more than entitled to express its approbation, disapproval or censure. This resolution does that for the House.

The second goal is public awareness. By filing this resolution, we are anticipating a debate on the House floor and a floor vote. This will bring needed inquiry, exposure and transparency to the issue itself.

Congressman Gosar said “It is imperative that the citizens of our nation have confidence in our Attorney General. After months of evasive answers, silence and outright lies it is time that Congress speak up on behalf of the many people who have or will fall victims to the firearms in the flawed gunrunning operation Fast & Furious.”

H.Res. 490 has 21 co-sponsors including Trent Franks (AZ), David Schweikert (AZ), Jeff Duncan (SC), Connie Mack (FL), Paul Broun (GA), Lynn Jenkins (KS), Gus Bilirakis (FL), Kenny Marchant (TX), Michael Grimm (NY), Blake Farenthold (TX), Renee Ellmers (NC), Jeff Landry (LA), Dan Burton (IN), Alan Nunnelee (MA), Francisco “Quico” Canseco (TX), Vicky Hartzler (MO), Bobby Shilling (IL), Steve Pearce (NM), Bill Johnson (OH), Walter Jones (NC), Allen West (FL).

Link to Resolution: www. gosar.house.gov/ResolutionofNoConfidence

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 13, 2011
CONTACT: Richard Cullen

WASHINGTON (DC) Congressman Ben Quayle (R-AZ), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement Tuesday calling for the resignation of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder:

“Fast and Furious was a fundamentally flawed operation. Since its implementation, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and numerous Mexican citizens have been killed by criminals using weapons that were allowed to ‘walk’ during the program. These weapons continue to pose a grave threat to people living near the Southern border. These facts alone signify a lack of leadership and control within the Justice Department that warrant the removal of those people who authorized and failed to supervise this damaging operation.

“When the incredible failures of Fast and Furious came to light, Attorney General Holder and his subordinates chose the route of evasion over forthrightness. They provided documents to Congress only when compelled to produce them with subpoena. These documents revealed that on February 4, 2011, senior officials at the Justice Department, the ATF and the Arizona U.S. Attorney’s Office responded to an inquiry by Senator Charles Grassley with a letter that contained categorically false information. Ten months later, the Justice Department was forced to rescind that letter—a move the attorney general acknowledged is extremely rare. During last week’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, the attorney general refused to take responsibility or hold any of his subordinates accountable for their handling of Fast and Furious. Mr. Holder himself called the operation ‘wholly unacceptable’ and ‘fundamentally flawed.’

“The fact that he hasn’t fired a single person shows that Attorney General Holder is more concerned with protecting himself and his political appointees than holding individuals accountable for Fast and Furious. I have refrained from calling for his resignation until he had a chance to testify before the Judiciary Committee. Asking for a cabinet member to resign is a serious step and one I take very seriously. After reflecting on last week’s testimony, the operation, and Mr. Holder’s handling of the fallout, I have lost all confidence in his ability to lead the Justice Department. I call for his immediate resignation.”

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This is a victory for leftists and Strategic Telemetry who were attempting to manipulate the Arizona Constitution to gain political power by leveraging data to the left’s advantage.

Three members of the commission decided to disregard the mandates outlined in the Arizona Constitution and solely utilize the element of competitiveness to draft Arizona electoral boundaries.

The law states the following under Article 4, Part 2, Section 1:

(14) The independent redistricting commission shall establish congressional and legislative districts. The commencement of the mapping process for both the congressional and legislative districts shall be the creation of districts of equal population in a grid-like pattern across the state. Adjustments to the grid shall then be made as necessary to accommodate the goals as set forth below: 

A. Districts shall comply with the United States Constitution and the United States voting rights act; 

B. Congressional districts shall have equal population to the extent practicable, and state legislative districts shall have equal population to the extent practicable; 

C. Districts shall be geographically compact and contiguous to the extent practicable; 

D. District boundaries shall respect communities of interest to the extent practicable; 

E. To the extent practicable, district lines shall use visible geographic features, city, town and county boundaries, and undivided census tracts; 

F. To the extent practicable, competitive districts should be favored where to do so would create no significant detriment to the other goals.

The two Democrats and Independent member, Colleen Mathis, established “F” – the competitive provision – as the main criteria in drafting the maps.

This was a blatant redistribution of votes.

With Mathis now reinstated, the commission can move forward working to further divide and leverage minority power against the rest of the State of Arizona.

We would assume that Governor Brewer is furious over the court’s action (A statement was just released.)

This may also set the stage for a constitutional crisis.

This also should give the legislature further motive to move quickly to enter a special session with the exclusive objective of referring a repeal of the law that gave us the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.

The Legislature has until November 30th to pass a referendum in order to place it on the ballot on the same day of the Presidential Preference Election on February 28th.

If you support repealing the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission and restoring this authority to 90 elected accountable people instead of 5 un-elected un-accountable people, contact the Arizona Legislature and let them know.

Time is running out for the legislature to act.

Lets restore this important authority to those who will not manipulate the law using slick Democrat consulting firms.

Senator Sylvia Allen

On Tuesday the Senate confirmed the Governor’s removal of the Independent Redistricting Commission Chair Colleen Mathis. This action should have been taken back in June, but it was taken now because the maps produced by the IRC under the direction of the Chair are unconstitutional in all six criteria that must be considered:

• The U.S.Voting Rights Act
• Equal Population
• Geographical Compactness
• Respect for Communities of Interest
• Use of Visible Geographic features
• Competitiveness

We believe that Ms. Mathis has presided over a dysfunctional process riddled with incompetence and that she has failed in her one, overriding goal: to produce constitutional maps.

The Chair prevented Republican Commission members from hiring their own counsel, and she engineered the awarding of a mapping consultant contract to a partisan firm that clearly was in over its head. The awarding of the contract to Strategic Telemetry was done under a cloud of open meeting violations and alleged bid-rigging. Those evaluations were then put through a paper shredder so that nothing can be verified.

She has refused to cooperate with the Attorney General’s open meeting law investigation of the IRC.

The IRC abandoned the use of grid maps, contrary to the Arizona Constitution.

Dramatic changes were made to the draft maps over the weekend of September 24, in private and without the full Commission. The following Monday, commissioners were asked to view and approve the entirely new maps.

After seven days of testimony in front of the Joint Legislative Committee on Redistricting, there is overwhelming evidence that the IRC has produced unconstitutional congressional and legislative draft maps. You can read the report here.

The law provides for the actions that the Governor and the Legislature took Tuesday. When Proposition 106 was passed by the people, provisions were included for removal of any Commissioner if they did not function properly and within the law.

I heard a consistent complaint over and over from many in my District who attended the IRC meeting. They felt strongly that the commissioners did not listen or care about the testimony given concerning their proposed maps. Early in the process, maps from my District had been drawn and submitted to the Commission. These maps had strong support of the vast majority of my District. These maps met the Constitutional criteria and would have kept eastern rural Arizonatogether. In my District alone, 15 cities and towns passed resolutions in support of our maps and against the IRC maps. The five eastern counties all testified that we would lose rural representation under the new maps and that the four new districts drawn out of the original District 5 did not meet the Constitutional criteria.

More than ten years ago, Prop 106 (the Creation of an Independent Redistricting Commission) was sold to the public by persuading them that it would be “independent” – that is, free from all partisanship. Please understand that NOTHING is ever free from politics or partisanship but if it is held accountable to the people through their vote and voice, then we have a better check on the process.

Before the IRC (Prop 106), the state Constitution put the responsibility for redistricting in the hands of the Legislature, approved by the Governor. This constitutional process held the Legislature/Governor accountable to the people who, through their vote and voice, could express their desires and concerns. Through this process, my 15 cities and towns and five counties’ resolutions would have had more of an impact on the Legislature than on an “independent” commission composed of people who feel no responsibility to or consequences from the voters.

By creating an “independent” commission that is totally unaccountable to the people, the people’s voice has been lost, and all that matters is the individual partisanship pressure the commissioners feel from special interests. We need to repeal the law that created the IRC and put this process back in the hands of the people, as it was originally constitutionally designed.

Click here to view the embedded video.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 6, 2011
CONTACT: NRSC Press Office

President Obama, National Democrats Seek To Pink-Slip Former State Party Chair In Favor Of Bush Appointee

Curtain Lifted On Backroom Deal-Making In Arizona Senate Race

WASHINGTON — Just last week, Don Bivens, the former two-time chairman of the Arizona Democratic Party, officially announced that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Arizona. For seven months, the Democrats have been struggling to field a candidate in that race which they had previously vowed to be competitive in.

With much fanfare and brand-new campaign video, Bivens said:

“I’m not a politician. I’ve spent my entire career in the private sector, working with businesses large and small. I’m running for the United States Senate because we can’t keep sending the same folks back to Washington and expecting a different result.” 

Click here to view the embedded video.

Unfortunately for Mr. Bivens, however, it seems the professional political class in Washington, and most notably, President Obama, are dismissing his candidacy as it’s barely begun.

Politico today lifted the curtain on the backroom deal-making taking place among Democrats in Washington and reports that no less than President Obama himself has personally called former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who was appointed to that office by President George W. Bush, and urged him to run for Senate in Arizona.

It’s unclear if the President reached Carmona at the ultra-exclusive Canyon Ranch spa in Tucson where he currently serves at its Vice-Chairman, but what is clear is that President Obama and national Democrats clearly aren’t happy with their former State Party Chair’s candidacy. As Politico reports:

“On September 23, President Obama called Richard Carmona to encourage him to run,” said one Democratic strategist. “The president said Carmona would certainly shake up the race.”

“It’s a remarkable development to hear that President Obama and national Democrats have so quickly dismissed the candidacy of a longtime party leader like Don Bivins in favor of someone who George W. Bush appointed to office, but politics makes for strange bedfellows. We look forward to hearing from Arizona Democrats like Don Bivins regarding the President’s recruitment efforts,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh said today.

# # #

Are Arizona’s lobbying and gifts statutes too lenient or too strict? What about disclosure? Should it be full and immediate?

It certainly seems that this scandal will continue to broaden and have an impact as well. How will it affect both parties and will it lead to further reforms in the areas of campaign finance, lobbying and non-profit reporting?

If Senator Bundgaard is telling the truth, Ballard will likely be prosecuted heavily for any number of crimes. But if Senator Bundgaard is lying, this will be the end of his political and professional career.

This is likely going to the courts but before it does, expect local media to run back and forth between Bundgaard’s attorney and Ballard’s spokesman.

KFYI – Barry Young Show

When I first heard the breaking story, I contacted someone who I trust who could provide information about what had happened. Having known Scott Bundgaard for about 10 years, hearing about the incident was a complete shock. This was not the Scott Bundgaard I have known. It was later disclosed to me that Scott’s girlfriend had admitted to being “the jealous type” to others. I don’t know this to be the case but if the reports are correct that she was smashing her cell phone into Scott’s face and throwing his clothing out of the car as it drove down the 51, I would tend to believe those accounts. One question I have that has not been answered is whether or not Ms. Ballard had consumed any alcohol Friday evening. If Scott has been aware of this and she had jumped into the driver’s seat of his car, it would seem to be a reasonable thing for him to stop her from driving off while under the influence. If she had not consumed any alcohol, this question is completely irrelevant.

As far as the issue of declaring immunity, the only people who would know the answer to that are the police, Scott and Aubry. Given media accounts, it sure seems that Scott did not boldly proclaim “Diplomatic Immunity!” as some people have claimed. I don’t know the answer to this but we may find out.

Senator’s Ex Tells Her Side of the Story: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Back to Ms. Ballard. Anyone who does the research online will note that she has been involved with a local organization called Project Streetlight/Branded Phx. According to the organization’s website, it is local leader in the eradication of child sex slavery/prostitution. Ballard is listed as a public relations representative to the organization according to a November, 2010 press release.

Senator’s Ex Tells Her Side of the Story: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Another interesting note about this story is that Ms. Ballard participated in a competition called Miss Arizona Dream Girl sometime ago. On an ESPN website written by Gregg Easterbrook, a photo of what appears to be Ballard posing as Miss Arizona Dream Girl contains the following description, “Brad Twarowski of Spring Grove, Ill., notes that the Miss Arizona Dream Girl competition spreads the wealth by choosing someone every month; gawk at Miss Arizona Dream Girl of January, Aubry Ballard, here.” As of today, that photo of Miss Ballard wearing a bikini and sporting a power drill has been removed; However, a cached file of the page was captured on December 25, 2010 and is still available. (Apparently, ESPN updated the page yesterday.) Ballard currently works for a company that specializes in internet marketing and search engine optimization.

Senator’s Ex Tells Her Side of the Story: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

What does this all mean? Perhaps the best explanation of what really happened should take place in the legal courts because the court of public opinion is doing a pretty lousy job. Both Scott and Aubry deserve their day in court and the opportunity to set the record straight but in the meantime, it’s been nothing but a “have you stopped beating your wife, he-said, she said” media fiasco.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 20, 2011

Arizona could become National leader with new laws

 January 19, 2011-Phoenix, ARIZONA – Following multiple reports of devastating abuses involving Arizona probate court,   Arizona State Representative David Smith (R – Carefree) sponsored legislation that would make Arizona the nation’s leader in judicial probate reform.  House Bill 2424 seeks to remedy rampant financial exploitation and abuses by Arizona’s probate court-ordered fiduciaries and others in the court system. The concerns over probate abuses have been widely documented in the media and in a report to the United States Senate submitted in September 2010.

When asked about his motivations, Representative Smith shared in an interview with the Arizona Republic’s Laurie Roberts: “I was concerned about the articles I read in the paper, some of the abuses that you point out.  In fact, I knew some of the people involved in one case.”

Sherry Lund, who is advocating for HB2424 said, “We are fighting for probate reform so no other Arizona family will suffer from the horrific abuses in the current system.  Such reform is overdue and new laws are the solution.”

HB2424 will become the national standard for probate reform.  The current draft includes:

• Improving oversight of probate court system by establishing an advocacy panel appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and President of the Senate. 
• Allowing wards, or their families, to request a change of fiduciary annually.
•  Protecting financial interests of persons in probate by “capping” certain fees while requiring the court to establish a fee schedule for others.
•  Developing stronger fiduciary accountability by requiring a monthly accounting of expenditures.
•  Ensuring the civil liberties and wishes of the ward are upheld and respected.
•  Implementing stricter qualifications for probate judges.

 One of the key pieces of the new bill is the ability to replace the court appointed fiduciary annually. The case of Marie Long has been one of the most egregious stories of exploitation. When Mrs. Long was placed under the care of a court appointed fiduciary she had a $1.3 million estate, yet it was completely depleted within 4 years leaving her penniless and dependant on the state.    When asked about the provision to allow for a change of fiduciary, Jon Kitchel, attorney for Marie Long said if it includes trustess, “Unquestionably, she’d still have her money.”

Laura Knaperek, who is working on behalf of victims of probate abuse said on the bill being introduced, “At the end of the day, probate court is about families.  If abuses are occurring in the probate system, families are suffering.  This legislation is an important first step towards protecting families.  I’m very honored to work for HB 2424 with Representative Smith and the other co-sponsors.”

For most Americans, the concept that the government could take control of your life, seize for redistribution all of your assets, and deprive you of the comfort of family and friends while doing so is beyond a Kafkaesque notion. The court ordered control of lives, destruction of families, elimination of personal wealth, and the complete disregard for individual directives is happening.  These are not isolated cases of bad people, mismanaged funds, or folks with duplicitous intent looking to surreptitiously get rich quick off of Grannies life savings…there are many cases of full blown, court ordered removal of Constitutional rights, personal directives being ignored, families drug though years of legal wrangling based on hearsay without the benefit of evidence, and nothing short of legal thievery.  The families fight back at great personal cost and suffer at the hands of the courts in ways most citizens would never believe…until you see it for yourself. 

There is a storm building of moral outrage.  Families being torn apart, lives shattered, and the best laid plans of loving and caring spouses, parents, and children being ignored.  The collusion that is taking place between the courts/judges, the fiduciary agents, and probate attorneys could make organized crime syndicates look weak in comparison.

This coming storm is not to be ignored.  Here is one story…the first of many.

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona
Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Fate of many in the hands of a few

Pullen impaled on the stake of a flawed election

We value fair play and honesty, and it makes our blood boil when we discover that there are those among us who have been throwing monkey wrenches into the electoral process. Our investigative team has looked at the evidence, and it is now clear that some dark souls have tampered with the normal process of electing State Committeemen for the Republican Party in Arizona. This is an outrage.

We first heard about it on the radio a few days ago – Randy Pullen, the hard-working, selfless, highly-effective Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party was blocked from reelection as a State Committeeman in his own district, LD11. Being elected as a state committeeman is a prerequisite to run for chairman. Therefore, a relatively small number of Precinct Committeemen (PCs) were able to deprive the rest of the state, the chance to reelect this stalwart.  The news is astonishing. Nobody in the entire state has done more and taken less to advance the party than Randy Pullen.

What were the PCs thinking? Since Pullen took over the leadership of the party, in election after election, even when the odds were stacked a mile high against GOP candidates, he led the way to an ever increasing crescendo of victories, culminating in the blockbuster win of 2010 that now gives Republicans a veto proof legislature. Nobody can suggest that Pullen has been anything but very successful, but maybe that is the problem. You have to wonder who in Arizona would thwart the will of the majority by dumping, through manipulation, anyone who advances the causes so near and dear to us – sealed borders, immigration control, tight fiscal policies and more. The perpetrators are so-called Republicans, because only they have their hands of the levers of power within the party, but who is behind them? We the people are already frothing at the mouth from the indignities heaped on us by the Democrats. This skullduggery within the GOP is clearly over the top, and it has to cease.

A track record like Pullen’s is not created by wishful thinking. This man tirelessly works full time for the good of the GOP and the people of Arizona, and continues to do so even after this shameful display of no confidence. Not only does he not draw a dime of salary, he spends his own money to handle expenses. Randy Pullen is a man at the top of his game, and is worth a king’s ransom in private industry, yet he has chosen to serve us for no tangible reward at all. What infuriates us is that a small handful of sinister people can endanger the entire state to serve their nefarious agenda.

This was no accident.  We have to wonder who is behind this. Elections do not occur in a vacuum. Much of what is manifested at the ballot box is dictated by hard work and preparation behind the curtain. To unseat someone of Pullen’s caliber and accomplishment, and to do it under the radar, requires a well oiled machine of dedicated, undercover operatives. They clearly have done the bidding of those whose interests are served by bringing down anyone of a differing political alignment. Why did this happen?

Fellow citizens, we face grave challenges. The extreme hard left wing of the Democratic Party did not evaporate and blow away in the 2010 midterm election. Moreover, neither are the squishy, go along to get along moderates” of the Republican Party rolling over and playing dead. Both of these groups are hell bent on molding this nation in their image, and it is not one that serves us well. As never before, we have had a glimpse of their rotten plans. We want nothing to do with their vision for America, because it does not include us. It’s all about them. Is this what the Founding Fathers envisioned for us? Is this why American soldiers have repeatedly gone to war, giving of their very lives? We think not, and do not intend to sit meekly by the side while scoundrels prevail. If fight we must, fight we will.

Over the next two years, there is an enormous amount of work to be done. Arizona, despite its size, plays a huge role in the national scene. With the 2012 election looming just over the horizon, we need all the help we can get to pull our nation off the rocks, sailing full steam ahead in the right direction. We need people like Randy Pullen at the helm. With campaign hardened experience, proven in battle, Pullen is now forced to the sidelines just when we need our most experienced leaders for the presidential cycle. This is an outrage!

We deserve to know who pulled the rug out from under us and the reasons why.

C O M M O N  S E N S E is determined keep digging until we get to the truth.

A m e r i c a n  P o s t – G a z e t t e

Distributed by C O M M O N  S E N S E , in Arizona

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Yvonne Wingett, reporter for the financially troubled Arizona Republic, has once again hit a discordant note with another of her infamously vituperative articles. Ms. Wingett, frequently called “Wingnut”, discusses a conflict between the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and certain other elected officials who she criticizes for running up legal bills for lawsuits against the board.

“Wingnut” seems to accurately describe the alleged journalist who acts as a PR agent for elected officials who not only are not up to the job, but work actively against the public interest.

The Board of Supervisors has enthusiastically championed the expenditure of about one third billion dollars on a courthouse project that nobody needs, and whose vital records have been hidden away and locked up preventing public scrutiny. In fact, this board has done so many things that are over the line, they have practically invited the lawsuits against them.

Ms. Wingett said not a word about that, but excoriated those who have been forced to defend themselves against this ruthless Board of Supervisors whose hands have been caught in the cookie jar too many times. The Board has repeatedly attacked several departments that have cried foul over the handling of the court house fiasco, and the slashing of much needed budgets.

Of course, there is nothing new here. This news is so old, it has cobwebs growing on it, but Ms. Wingett soldiers on, perhaps goaded by an overly enthusiastic editorial staff at her gradually eroding organization. If Ms. Wingett has a firm grasp of the obvious, and would like to do us all a service, she should look into why.  

What is the root cause of all this conflict?  If she really digs just a little she might find that the BOS has let their top dog, David Smith, assume way too much authority.  He makes no effort to work with the other elected officers and constantly interferes in their business either by withholding support or trying to take over.  

David Smith leaves behind him a trail of bad decisions and very suspicious behavior. There is not a hint about that from Ms. Wingett who actually gives support to Smith’s misdeeds by skewing the truth. Maricopa county has become notorious for government by the most unscrupulous or unsuitable people. It is sad that journalism has ceased to exist as a profession, now ranking at a level normally reserved for another human occupation that we usually call the oldest of all professions.