Operational Control Should Be Metric for Success

Washington, D.C. – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today criticized the border security proposal outlined by the Department of Homeland Security’s Chief of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The five-year plan moves away from operational control as the metric for measuring effective and sustainable border security and shifts the focus of border security from being resource-based to risk-based.

“Unless the federal government has operational control, the border is not secured,” said Flake. “When the Tucson Sector looks like the Yuma Sector, the Obama Administration can start patting itself on the back. But to abandon operational control as the metric of success now makes me question the seriousness of the Administration’s proposal.”

“We have a plan in Congress that would put the federal government on the path to operational control – The Border Security Enforcement Act.”

In 2011, Congressman Flake introduced in the House H.R. 1507, the Border Security Enforcement Act of 2011, which is focused on increasing resources along the Southern U.S. border. Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl introduced the legislation in the Senate. Among the 10 key provisions of the bill is the deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard troops and 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents to the United States-Mexico border by 2016. It would create additional Border Patrol stations along the southwest border and six additional permanent Border Patrol Forward Operating Bases and would upgrade existing bases.

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Obama Administration Ought to Focus on Securing Border Instead of Suing Arizona

Washington, D.C. – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today urged the Supreme Court to uphold SB 1070, Arizona’s immigration enforcement law.

Congressman Flake has consistently opposed the Obama Administration’s decision to sue Arizona over the law.

“It should be expected that states like Arizona will take action to enforce immigration laws when the federal government continues its long history of failing to do so,” said Flake.

“The Obama Administration ought to focus on securing the border instead of suing Arizona for trying to help.”

Congressman Flake has introduced H.R. 1507, the Border Security Enforcement Act of 2011. Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl have introduced the legislation in the Senate. Among the 10 key provisions of the bill is the deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard troops and 5,000 additional Border Patrol agents to the United States-Mexico border by 2016. It would create additional Border Patrol stations along the southwest border and create six additional permanent Border Patrol Forward Operating Bases and upgrade existing bases.

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ARIZONA MAINSTREAM PROJECT

INVITES YOU TO ATTEND

Seminar on the Arab Spring and Sharia Law

Date: Saturday, April 14, 2012
Time: 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Location: Burton Barr Central Library on the 4th Floor
Address: 1221 North Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ

(Doors open at 1:00 pm)

Presented by

Patrick Poole and Al Fadi

What Arab Spring? Learn what is really happening in the Middle East with the rise to power of the Muslim Brotherhood and the spread of Sharia Law in the East and in our country!

Patrick Poole has just returned from Washington D.C. where he briefed White House Intelligence and Homeland Security on the level of infiltration of the Muslim Brotherhood under the Obama Administration. Patrick will give us the latest details of this recent visit from the Muslim Brotherhood to the White House.

Patrick Poole is a counter-terrorism consultant and intelligence analyst with previous experience in both the business and public policy arenas. Mr. Poole’s area of expertise is the ideology and history of the international Muslim Brotherhood and its operations in the West, and the domestic terror threat from Islamic radicalism. His work in this field resulted in his appoint-ment to Team B II, a panel of distinguished experts, including former CIA Director Jim Woolsey and former DIA Director Lt. Gen. Ed Soyster, on counterterrorism, intelligence and national security issues. His white paper, “10 Failures of the U.S. Government on the Domestic Islamist Threat” was published by the Center for Security Policy in November 2010. In March 2011, Mr. Poole was part of an expert panel that testified before the Arizona House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee and the Arizona Senate Border Security, Federalism and States’ Sovereignty Committee on the topic of “Cross Border Terror Threats and Islamic Terror Support Networks in Arizona.”

Al Fadi is a former Wahabbi Muslim from Saudi Arabia. He is the researcher, editor, writer, and translator for numerous ministries, including “Answering Islam” and runs an outreach center called; the Center for Islamic Research & Awareness. Al is the editor, co-author and contributor of “The Qur’an Dilemma,” a critical analysis book of the Qur’an. He is also the director of TheQuran.com Group (www.theQuran.com) which desires to assist both Muslims and non-Muslims who seek to learn more about the main source of Islamic teachings, the Qur’an, to research it, to critically analyze it, and to better comprehend its contents without the traditional religious and cultural barriers designed to indoctrinate and encapsulate the minds of many truth seekers. He is an invited teacher/lecturer on Islam and related Islamic study topics. As a former devout Muslim, he is an expert on the teaching and challenges of Islam. In addition, Al is an invited guest/expert on numerous Arabic evangelical Satellite TV and Radio shows on the topics of Islam and the Middle East.

There will be books and DVDs for sale at this event, so bring extra cash with you!!!

Cost: $10 per person

Refreshments will be served

Payment can be made at the door, from our website, or by mail

Arizona Mainstream Project
15029 N. Thompson Peak Pkwy
Suite B-111 Box 589
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

To RSVP and for more information email honey@arizonamainstreamproject.org or call 602-425-7267

(TUCSON) – Congressman Raul Grijalva’s Republican challenger, Gabby Saucedo Mercer is calling for real immigration reform. The conservative activist, Saucedo Mercer, endorses the Krentz plan for border security and supports real immigration reform, including a documented worker program along the lines of the old “Bracero” guest worker program.

Grijalva continues his exploitation of difficult social issues for his political purposes. He does not seek solutions, only seeks to create more confusion and acrimony. Last week, Raul Grijalva, with his fellow progressives in Congress, filed a challenge to Arizona’s SB 1070. While many states across the country have similar laws, in April 2010, the Congressman called for a boycott of his own constituents in protest of the Arizona law.

In the press conference called to address his amicus brief, Grijalva and other progressives, including Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, exploited the recent killing of Trayvon Martin, the teenager killed in an altercation with a neighborhood-watch volunteer.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, said a law like SB 1070 will give police “the right to be judge and jury,” which could have disastrous results “in a nation where we all are different. In one case, a hoodie equals suspicion,” she said. “In another case, it is a tanness of your skin, or the coloration of your skin, or maybe the configuration of your face,” according to an AP article.

“To sensationalize and exploit a young man’s death, to argue against national security and the state of Arizona’s attempt to protect itself when the Federal government has failed to do so, is at best dangerous; it is shameful,” said Saucedo Mercer.

Just this month Emilia Palomino-Robles, 42 of Sonora, Mexico, was sentenced to prison, for her role in an attempt to purchase military-grade weaponry that was ultimately destined for export and transfer to a Mexican drug trafficking organization in the Republic of Mexico. The cartel attempted to buy:

• A Dragon Fire anti-tank weapon;
• Two AT-4s (an 84-mm unguided, portable, single-shot recoilless smoothbore weapon);
• A Law Rocket (a Light Anti-Tank Weapon);
• A Stinger Missile (a portable infrared homing anti-aircraft surface-to-air missile);
• Two Def Tech grenade launchers and a dozen 40 mm grenades;
• One M-60 machine gun;
• One .30 caliber machine gun; and
• Three cases of hand grenades

“Every day the people of Arizona and our country are at risk from the federal government’s failure to protect our national security and the security of our neighborhoods. Grijalva would rather play politics with our lives than get down to the business of supporting real immigration reform and border security.”

The Krentz plan was developed by Arizona cattleman in response to the shooting death of Southern Arizona rancher Rob Krentz.

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WASHINGTON (DC) – Congressman Ben Quayle released the following statement regarding President Obama’s comments to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev which were caught on an open microphone. President Obama asked for “space” on the issue of missile defense until after he is reelected:

“It is hard to believe that a President of the United States could demonstrate as much duplicity, weakness and cynicism as President Obama did in his open-mic comments to President Medvedev. For the leader of the free world to communicate to another nation that he would say one thing to the American people and do another as a reelected President is absolutely stunning.

“The purpose of American missile defense is to protect America and its allies from the terror of nuclear weapons—no matter their source. The President’s willingness to compromise that security in any way is a gross dereliction of duty.

“Since the President was caught on tape admitting he will say one thing and do another on a vital national security matter, I have to wonder what other issues he would shift positions on if he were elected to a second term. America needs a President that will lead with clarity and conviction. We need a leader that will negotiate from a position of strength—not a leader who will negotiate away our strengths.

“President Obama has shown that his word cannot be trusted either by the American people, or America’s allies. That alone should disqualify him from the second term he hopes will liberate him from his duty to stand up for America’s interests.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 6, 2012
CONTACT: Zach Howell

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Ben Quayle released the following statement after legislation he cosponsored, the Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2012 (H.R. 4119), was reported out of committee by a unanimous vote. The bill increases criminal penalties for constructing, financing or using cross-border smuggling tunnels. Congressman Quayle has been working with the sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), to advance the bill through the Judiciary Committee.

“For more than twenty years, dangerous drug cartels have been using illegal cross-border tunnels to smuggle drugs into the United States—74 of these tunnels have been found in Arizona alone. The penalties for those caught constructing, financing and using these tunnels have been absurdly low, and I’m glad to join Congressman Reyes in addressing this problem.

“I have been working to get this bill through the Judiciary Committee, and I’m grateful to Chairman Smith and my colleagues for their support in reporting this bill out of the committee to the House floor. It is time to stop the rampant construction and use of border tunnels and I believe that this legislation will accomplish exactly that when it is enacted”

Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith congratulated Rep. Quayle following the committee’s passage of the bill:

“I congratulate Representative Quayle on the Committee’s passage of the Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2012. I appreciate his leadership on this important legislation to help combat the construction of cross-border tunnels. Drug cartels will stop at nothing to get their destructive products into the U.S. In the last five years, 40 tunnels have been discovered in California and 74 in Arizona. This bill gives law enforcement officials the tools they need to investigate and prosecute those who construct, finance and use cross-border tunnels.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 25, 2012
CONTACT: Genevieve Fry Rozansky

Legislation Allows Harsher Punishments for Ultralight Smugglers and Those who Conspire with Them

Washington, D.C. – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today praised the House passage of H.R. 3801, the Ultralight Aircraft Smuggling Prevention Act of 2012, which was introduced by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

The legislation targets the use of ultralight aircraft in smuggling operations specifically along the southern U.S. border by assigning harsher criminal penalties to those who are smuggling and those who conspire to engage in smuggling operations using ultralight aircraft.

“Ultralights have become a vehicle for smuggling drugs across our southern border, but local authorities haven’t had the tools to discourage and punish their operators and those working with their operators,” said Flake.

“In speaking with ranch owners near the border in Arizona and state officials, this has become a serious problem. I’m grateful to Congresswoman Giffords for introducing this legislation, which will allow law enforcement to hopefully significantly curtail smuggling via ultralights and strengthen the integrity of our southern border.”

H.R. 3801 adds “ultralights” to the definition of aircraft under aviation smuggling provisions of Tariff Act of 1930 and would add “conspiracy to commit” smuggling to the charges one can be charged with (in addition to actually committing smuggling crimes) when using ultralight aircraft. Finally, it would encourage interagency cooperation between DoD and DHS on technology to detect ultralights.

H.R. 3801 includes provisions approved by the House in H.R. 5307, introduced by Congresswoman Giffords in the 11th Congress (H.R. 5307) and details included in H.R. 1507, the Border Security Enhancement Plan which Congressman Flake introduced this Congress and Senators McCain and Kyl introduced in the Senate). H.R. 3801 is identical to S. 1974, which was introduced by Senators Udall and Heller and approved last December.

“This bill is a fitting tribute on Congresswoman Giffords’ last day in the House. She’s worked to pass it for years. While today may be her last day in the House, her public service will certainly continue. She’s passionate about improving Arizona and the country, and she’s going to continue to be an effective advocate for the issues that are important to her.”

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Those who are promoting the repeal of SB1070 are upholding and empowering cartels and gangs who are committing cross border criminal activity.

We are in a State of Emergency here in Arizona. Our border is not secure. The crippling drug war in Mexico is seeping like a very bad wound into our state. Violent beheadings and body dismemberment, the signature of the drug cartel’s, have now come into the Valley of the Sun, and are even finding their ugly way into the heart of America: A young girl brutally killed in Oklahoma only a week ago!

Increased gun battles along the Arizona border and 75-miles into Arizona; dangerous vehicle pursuits with drug cartel members and those who are delivery agents of drugs occur most frequently; kidnappings too. Continued reports by U.S. Border Patrol Agents of military-grade weapons being used against them; reports of sophisticated communication systems, including professional-grade radio towers, satellite radios and encrypted phone systems; look-outs controlling mountain ranges in southern Arizona; and a cancer-like growth of pure vile and hatred toward any law enforcement, and the laws of the United States.

Drugs and human trafficking create billions of dollars for these evil violent Mexican drug gangs/cartels. Just the competition for bounty from human and sex trafficking generated an estimated $2 billion last year to Mexican gangs and cartels.

At a time when the Obama Administration is not only refusing to secure our borders but implementing policies that will embolden this criminal element we must stand firm in enforcing internal immigration laws for the protection of our state and citizens. SB1070 is all this state has to stop illegal immigration since our border is not secure.

The Tucson Sector is the busiest drug and alien smuggling corridor on the border.

Agents working the Tucson Sector estimate they are apprehending less than five percent of what they know is crossing the border on a monthly basis. That means over 95% of what they know is coming across the border is not being apprehended and therefore not counted. (April 2011)

Agents in the Tucson Sector estimate that they only work about 70% of their border area during any month. That means for 30% of the border they have no idea what is coming across. (April 2011)

More law enforcement is needed to help address this emergency created by our open borders. I will be introducing SB1083 – Organizing the AZ State Guard – to help state law enforcement with cross-border criminal activity.

Approximately 62% of the Arizona border with Mexico is federal public land. Significant drug and alien smuggling occurs on this land, especially where the Border Patrol does not have unfettered access to patrol the border. Federal agencies on the Arizona Border, citing environmental concerns, restrict and in some cases prevent effective border patrol access to the border area for the purposes of patrolling the border.

This is an insane policy that only protects and empowers the criminals but leaves Arizona citizens at risk. Our state has a right and a responsibility for the welfare, health and safety of the people to use our police powers to protect our state. I will be introducing SCR1008 – titled, “Declaration of emergency: state authority” – to address this issue.

In summary, nobody knows how many illegal drugs and alien smugglers are crossing the borders of the United States, and the numbers they are reporting are not accurate enough to even predict trends in illegal crossings. And friends, that is just the Tucson Sector. What about the rest of the land and sea borders of the United States? Our ranchers and farmers who live within 100 miles of the border are speaking out, and no one hears. Governor Brewer has written strong letters to President Obama asking for help with our border, and it all goes on deaf ears.

Those who are suggesting we weaken internal enforcement of our immigration laws by repealing SB1070 will only empower the drug cartels/human smugglers, and cross-border criminal activity. The Open Borders crowd does not care about the harm that is being caused to citizens. The open-borders crowd does not care about the rule of law or our Constitutional form of government. Arizona must stand firm in protecting our citizens, property and lives.

Until we can rid ourselves of the Obama Administration, the corrupt (Fast and Furious) Justice Department, and the do-nothing Homeland Security and their failure to protect our country, then the State of Arizona must do what we can to protect our citizens. No responsible elected official would suggest that we weaken SB1070 until our borders are secure.

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The F-35 is America’s next fifth-generation, multi-role fighter that our military leaders have designated to replace our military’s current arsenal of ageing F-16 and F-18 fighters. The F-35 is a pragmatic approach to modernizing America’s air superiority by using the same platform to serve the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. The highly advanced capabilities of the F-35 will provide out troops in the air, sea and land with the technology and situational awareness to get the job done and safely return home.

A recent program update proves that 2011 was a banner year for the program. Of the 872 test flights and 6,622 test points the F-35 was to endure in 2011, the program surpassed those goals by flying 972 test flights and completing 7,823 test points. These flights and test points ensure that the plane is strong and reliable through hundreds of challenging scenarios. The results prove that the F-35 program is maturing faster than anticipated – which is a good problem to have when working with advanced military technology.

Despite these overachievements, we have seen a lot of change in America’s political landscape. Most significantly, the deficit reducing “supercommittee” failed, forcing $600 billion in mandatory cuts from Department of Defense programs. During negotiations leading up to the supercommittee, there was a groundswell of support for full program funding and members of the committee were prepared to defend the F-35 because they recognized it’s importance to America.

Unfortunately, because the committee failed, the program is once again under debate. As evidence, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently confirmed that he aims to cut Defense Department spending on next generation weapons programs which could include the F-35. While no one believes that the F-35 will be cancelled, small businesses right here in Arizona are watching closely to see if the Pentagon will uphold their commitment to program funding, since the small business community has capitalized their production lines in anticipation of program growth.

The bottom-line is that we cannot allow political expedience to dampen the progress of the F-35. The program is deeply connected to our economy and cuts would send ripple effects across a nation. The programs suppliers, consisting of 1,300 independent companies across the United States and supporting 127,000 jobs, have the most to lose. If those parts are no longer needed in the quantities that were originally requested, then those suppliers will be unable to meet payroll and the rising jobless claim rates in the United States will see a significant uptick.

The security of our nation and the protection of our troops are important to all of us. It is our job to ensure that the men and women in the armed services are armed with globally superior technology and protection. America’s ingenuity and industrial infrastructure can deliver that superiority, and we Americans can make sure that the program and our troops are fully supported. The F-35 is not just a budget line item. It is a line item that represents real people and business, and we need to let our elected officials in Washington know that we support the F-35.

Lt. Col. Wendy Rogers, USAF (retired) was one of the first 100 women pilots in today’s Air Force. In 2010, she ran and narrowly lost a bid for the Arizona State Senate in Democrat-leaning Legislative District 17. She owns and operates a Tempe-based office complex as well as a home inspection business with 10 fulltime employees operating in four counties. Lt Col Rogers and her retired Air Force husband have two adult ASU-grad children and live in Arizona’s brand new Congressional District 9.

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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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1, 2011
CONTACT: Genevieve Frye Rozansky

Congressman Flake Praises Senate Passage of Kirk-Menendez Amendment Targeting Central Bank of Iran
Flake Has Introduced Similar Legislation in the House

Washington, D.C., Dec 1 – Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today praised the passage of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (S.1867) offered by Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons by prohibiting foreign financial institutions that do business with the Central Bank of Iran – the financier primarily responsible for facilitating Iran’s illicit activities – from opening or maintaining correspondent operations in the United States.

The International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report on November 8th that found Iran has developed technologies and conducted research to produce nuclear weapons and deliver them. In response, the United Kingdom and Canada levied economic sanctions on Iran’s Central Bank.

“Every day that Iran has access to Western capital brings them closer to making their nuclear aspirations a reality. The Kirk-Menendez amendment will severely limit funding sources for Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and is one of the few steps remaining at our disposal to stymie this dangerous threat to the U.S., Israel and the rest of the Middle East,” said Flake. 

Last week, Congressman Flake along with Congressman Mike McIntyre of North Carolina introduced H.R. 3508 which, like the Kirk-Menendez amendment, would levy economic sanctions on foreign financial institutions that conduct business with the Central Bank of Iran.

These sanctions would include a prohibition on the opening or maintenance in the U.S. of an account by a foreign institution that does business with the Central Bank of Iran and would freeze any assets in the U.S of those institutions. In an effort to avoid a dangerous spike in oil prices, transactions pertaining to petroleum would be subject to sanctions six months after the legislation takes effect. The legislation also contains a national security waiver and a provision to ensure efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Iran are not hampered by the sanctions law.

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INVITES YOU TO ATTEND

Sharia Law:  What We Need To Know

PRESENTED BY AL FADI

Date: Saturday, December 3, 2011
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Location: The Scottsdale Bible Church  Room E-210
Address: 7601 E. Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ

Al Fadi is a former Wahabbi Muslim from Saudi Arabia.  He is the researcher, editor, writer, and translator for numerous ministries, including “Answering Islam” and runs an outreach center called; the Center for Islamic Research & Awareness. The center focus is to bring awareness regarding Islam, to build bridges with Muslims, and to provide expert input on issues related to Sharia Law and Democracy.

Al is the editor, co-author and contributor of “The Qur’an Dilemma” (both English & Arabic versions) – a critical analysis book of the Qur’an. He is also the director of TheQuran.com Group (www.theQuran.com) which desires to assist both Muslims and non-Muslims who seek to learn more about the main source of Islamic teachings, the Qur’an, to research it, to critically analyze it, and to better comprehend its contents without the traditional religious and cultural barriers designed to indoctrinate and encapsulate the minds of many truth seekers.

Al has a Masters in Engineering and is currently working on completing his M.Div. in Biblical Communications. He is an invited teacher/lecturer on Islam and related Islamic study topics. He is an invited guest speaker and trainer at numerous churches and mission agencies on the topic of Islam & Evangelism to Muslims. As a former devout Muslim, he is an expert on the teaching and challenges of Islam. In addition, Al is an invited guest/expert on numerous Arabic evangelical Satellite TV and Radio shows on the topics of Islam and the Middle East.

Refreshments will be served

Cost: $10 per person

Go to www.arizonamainstreamproject.org to make payment by credit card.  If making payment at the door, please RSVP to Susan Leeper at 480-998-5022 or susan@arizonamainstreamproject.org

Senator Sylvia Allen

The Arizona border remains under assault. This assault is not diminishing but increasing! Just south of Arizona, Mexico is in a state of civil war. The death toll in Mexico is more than 40,000 lives lost since 2006. Only the Mexican military is able to maintain any semblance of order, and many within Mexico are now even openly questioning “for how long?” In a recent exclusive interview with Newsmax, former Mexican President Vicente Fox said bluntly his nation was at “war” with drug cartels. “Everybody’s trying to deny that we’re going through a war but that’s what it is.”

Graphic photos of beheadings, kidnapping scenes, and mass graves are sent to me weekly in Border Briefing reports. The cartels/gangs have corrupted Mexican law enforcement at all levels, thereby protecting their illicit $12-billion-a-year criminal enterprise. You would think the United States government would be greatly concerned; you would think those in positions of public trust in Washington would spend at least as much time working on stabilizing Mexico as they do on Egypt and Libya. Yet hardly a word is said about the increasing problems and threats stemming from our immediate neighbor to the south other than the spin from Washington that “the border is safer now than ever.” But to those of us tasked with providing security to the citizens of Arizona and beyond, nothing of substance is said or enacted and, all the while, a war is headed this way. This war is real, and it is dangerous, and soon this war will be fought with increasing measures in America.

NewsMax devoted two months last Spring conducting more than 20 interviews during visits to border areas in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. They found overwhelming evidence that Mexico’s drug cartels have already penetrated deep into our nation’s heartland, and Americans are increasingly fearful.

As Chairman of the Arizona Senate Committee on Border Security, my committee heard testimony last year from many citizens who live in the border area. They reported home invasions, vandalism, stolen property, and a host of other criminal activities. An Intelligence Briefing to a Joint Session of Selected Legislators on November 10th, 2011, by Zack Taylor, retired Border Patrol Supervisory Agent, and Dr. Lyle Rapacki, a Threat Assessment and Intelligence Specialist, went even further than the NewsMax articles. These experts reported how “lookout posts” are positioned in key points throughout the desert, and as far north (65-miles from the border) as the City of Casa Grande, Arizona, the I-8 corridor and Apache Junction, and along the I-10 corridor approaching the bedroom community of Ahwatukee. This briefing further revealed that the cartels (and lookouts) are heavily armed with military-grade weapons, camouflage, sophisticated and expensive night-vision goggles, satellite communications, food and water, and organized logistical support. If you go to the Pinal County Sheriff’s website, you can read many reports of drug busts, fire fights, auto chases, and other serious encounters with the cartels/gangs/human smugglers occurring frequently in Pinal County, which is far inside the border of the United States of America.

Additionally, and with as much concern, Arizona has to deal with health issues and trash, mounds of trash left by illegals marching into America. Fifth-generation rancher Jim Chilton has seen his once-beautiful ranch, just a few miles from the border with Mexico, be destroyed with crushed trees and cactus, whole hillsides turned into charred eyesores, years worth of his award-winning conservation projects obliterated – and his ranch is littered with trash, tons of trash, and some of this trash is dead bodies. Mr. Chilton stated: “I’ve got 30,000 to 40,000 illegal aliens coming right through my ranch every year, and the Forest Service says each one leaves about eight pounds of trash. This means 100 tons of trash. Some of my cows eat the plastic bags that are thrown down, and about 10 head of cattle die per year, and their deaths are slow and painful. At $1,200 per cow lost, this means I lose $12,000 a year in cows to trash!”

Adding insult is the Bureau of Land Management with their insane proposal to shut down target shooting on 490,000 acres in the Sonoran Desert National Monument, and another 1.4 million acres of additional public lands in Pinal County. The Bureau claims shooters are leaving trash behind. It is NOT the shooters who are decimating the desert but drug and human smugglers! The BLM knows this but have developed this ploy to restrict Arizonans from entering this land. Arizona Game and Fish, on their maps, warn hunters that 35 miles north of the Border the land is impacted by illegal activity from illegals. Arizona is losing control of her sovereign land!

Tragedy upon tragedy, as we add the fires set by illegals that have destroyed our lands! Senator McCain was correct this past summer laying blame on the illegals for some of the horrific and terribly destructive fires that were purposefully set. It cost more than $70 million to fight these insidious fires, and the official U.S. Government response was to attempt to silence McCain. Why is the apparent official policy of the United States to ridicule and silence those who are trying to protect our state of Arizona? Why are the cartels protected? Why do official U.S. government departments, sworn to protect American citizens, extend protection to gangs working with the drug cartels, and even to terrorists entering our nation from various border entry points?

In 2007, speaking on the Larry King show, former Mexican President Vicente Fox confirmed the coming merger with Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Not only did Fox admit that he and George W. Bush had agreed to create a common currency, the Amero, he also contended that a North American Union is “inevitable.” There is, on the other hand, no will to secure our borders or to enforce our laws. There is a concerted, deliberate, and sophisticated program under way to erase our national boundaries and create a North American Union. Merging our country with Mexico and Canada would be a losing proposition for Americans. The governments of these three countries are not alike. The gift of sovereignty handed to us by our Forefathers would be extinguished, and we would become subjects, no longer free. I do not want this for myself or my grandchildren!

Progressive groups, radicals of many persuasions, and even anti-American groups are using the cry for “Open Borders” for their own purposes, and not for the concern of migrants. Those purposes include, but are not limited to, undermining our form of government and eroding our national sovereignty. Many of those entangled are innocent bystanders who become subject to blackmail and abuse by “coyotes,” cartels, human and slave traffickers, and radical political groups who have agendas that reach far beyond the safety and legal status of a vulnerable illegal family. With the recent recall of Senator Russell Pearce, the open borders crowd feels empowered, and they have no intention of stopping until they rid the political and governing scene of each and every individual who stands in the way of full and completely open borders, no national boundaries, and the complete remaking of America into the North American Union.

As an Arizona state legislator, I took an oath to uphold the Federal and State Constitutions and the laws of our land. If those laws need to be changed, we have a process by which people, through their elected representatives, can change them. In the meantime, elected representatives and residents are encouraged to live by the laws intended to provide order and safety for all. There is no higher calling for an elected official, state or federal, than to protect the freedom and public safety of the citizens they represent. Border Security ranks supreme. Without first securing the border, we will never be able to solve the myriad issues involving illegal immigration.

Arizona is in a State of Emergency. If we want to protect our national and state sovereignty, we must secure our border and enforce our laws. This is NOT a political move or call to action; this is a call to declare a State of Emergency in Arizona to preserve our land, our citizens and their property, and our state sovereignty, with all the means afforded to us by the Constitution of the United States of America.

We are still seeking donations to build the border fence. Please take a look at the “Build the Border Fence” website, and consider making a generous donation.

Best wishes to all of you during this holiday season. Despite the gloomy news on the border, we have much to be grateful for! God willing, we will make some progress on securing the border in the months ahead. The next Update will discuss some solutions to the border emergency.

It seems that despite the magnitude of the Fast and Furious scandal, there isn’t much outrage.

Arizonans don’t need me to tell them that Fast and Furious is a big story. This scandal started in our backyard — in the ATF’s Phoenix office — and was administered by a U.S. attorney appointed by President Obama.

Every step of this operation seems riddled with incompetence and dishonesty.

High-ranking U.S. officials used taxpayer money — stimulus money no less — to buy guns and ship them to Mexico. The administration claims these firearms were shipped to Mexico in an attempt to destabilize Mexican drug cartels.

A further investigation will help us determine if, in fact, the administration’s real agenda was indeed promoting gun control.

Not only did this incompetence sink the operation, it strengthened the cartels and destabilized Mexican security forces on the border.

In other words, under this then-secret program, thousands of guns were shipped over our borders and placed directly into the hands of criminals. Sadly, these guns can be traced to over 200 murders, including that of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and high-ranking Mexican officials.

Some have tried to say that Fast and Furious is simply a case of an overreaching federal government dropping the ball or botching an operation — that it was planned to do something different, that weapons were lost and that officials miscommunicated or were ill-informed.

However, as more evidence has come to light, it has become clear that this operation was not botched. The administration fully intended for guns to end up in the hands of Mexican criminals.

As an Arizonan watching this unfold in my backyard, I can also assure you this is more than feds dropping the ball. People are dying. American tax dollars are arming criminals and it seems the administration is trying to cover it up.

This is egregious.

Almost as egregious, is the fact that the mainstream media has largely seemed to ignore this scandal. Where is the media’s understanding of the scale of this operation? Where is the outrage for not only the actions of President Obama and Eric Holder, but for their inconsistent stories? Where is the outrage for the use of American tax dollars for criminal activity? Where is the outrage for the more than 200 lives lost?

There is a growing voice in the House, mine one of the strongest among them, that believes we need a special prosecutor to hold Eric Holder and the Justice Department accountable. We must put the facts together and properly lay them out on a timeline.

Let’s face it. If it turns out that our attorney general misled the House Oversight Committee in May, the honorable thing for him to do is tender his resignation.

However, the honorable thing for President Obama to do right now is to stop playing politics and come clean on what his Justice Department knew and when they knew it. Incompetence and dishonesty that cost lives cannot and will not be tolerated.

The truth of this operation must come out just as fast and furiously as it was withheld from us.

The main duty of our government is to protect her citizens. However, here in my backyard, taxpayer-funded weapons have taken lives. I do not know what else needs to be said for America to start listening.

Congressman David Schweikert represents Arizona’s Fifth Congressional District.