Finally, Mesa Police Chief George Gascón gets to head a police department in a municipality that proudly declares itself to be a sanctuary city.  Chief Gascón will now be shipping out to San Francisco, the City by the Bay, where Tony Bennett left his heart and rational people leave their brains.  Look, rocket science, this ain’t: any place that would consciously elect Nancy Pelosi to public office cannot be firing on all neurons.

Ah, San Francisco.  Where illegal aliens, junkies and transients can congregate without fear of arrest or hassle by those who would seek to enforce the law.  No more hemming and hawing and denying your ‘burg is a sanctuary city.  Shout it from the rooftops and the corners…. but watch out for the junkies’ needles on the sidewalks….

Meanwhile, Hispanic activists and leaders here were saddened by the news of the departure, saying that they were “concerned that they had lost an important voice in the immigration debate.”

Debate?  What debate?  With illegal immigrants flooding over the border, bankrupting the public healthcare and educational systems, clogging the courts and filling the jails…. what’s to debate?

To the extent that the folks saddened by Gascón’s skipping off to SanFran are more concerned that law enforcement go after “real criminals” like murderers, they are advocating nothing less than recognition and acceptance of a race-based immunity from the equal application of the law. 

And they need to remember that, speaking of victims of violence, Phoenix Police Officer Jim Erfle might well be around today but for the fact that he was murdered by a previously-deported illegal immigrant from Mexico. That loser, Erik Martinez, had zero regard for the same immigration laws that those who lament Gascón’s departure want people like Joe Arpaio to ignore.  Get a grip.

And, by the way, have you been to San Francisco lately?  A visit there today gives new meaning to the phrase “a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there.”

Best of luck to Gascón: he’s going to need it.

   Missing from President Barack Obama’s remarks on the anniversary of the Battle of Normandy, were his usual apologies for America.

Missing were his usual mentions of U.S. transgressions, of our arrogance, of our lecturing, of our selfishness.

In the cemetery overlooking Omaha beach, as Obama stood in the shadow of the memory of the 9,387 U.S. soldiers killed in that battle, there was not a word about our belligerence, about our entry into unnecessary wars.

Perhaps his usual disparagements could not be heard above the echoes of the bullets and screams of war on that beach 65 years ago.

Maybe the American sacrifices on that sand, finally told Barack Obama the truth about America.

Below is an editorial titled “Wake Up,” which first appeared in The Phoenix Gazette on May 28, 1990. We reprinted this piece last year, and do so again, as it is a timeless tribute to the men and women who have defended and who continue to defend the United States and whose blood and courage have fortified the ramparts of freedom. 

Wake up, Private, they will be here soon.

Colonel, wake up, it’s Memorial Day.

Somebody poke the Lieutenant over there and make sure he’s awake, too. They’re celebrating Memorial Day, and they will be here soon.

They will be here with small American flags pushed through the grass and earth on top of us.

They bring the fragrance of newly blossomed flowers, the stems still moist from the fresh cuts.

They will be here soon with trumpets to remember us and what we did in Arlington and Richmond, Leesburg, Gettysburg and Normandy.

They will come to read our names, touch our headstones.

They will think about you, over there, at Bunker Hill, and you, beyond, and the rest of the men from Fort McHenry.

There will be a salute with rifles, and it will be for you who came here from Guadalcanal and Pork Chop Hill, and you, beyond, from the jungles of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Grenada.

Wake up, Sergeant, they are coming with a speech for you and your soul mates from Beirut and Desert Storm.

They will be here for you, the men and women from Somalia and Panama and the recent fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Stay awake, now, sailor. They will be here soon with a song for you and your mates from the Iowa and the Arizona, the Pueblo, the USS Liberty, the Stark, and the Cole.

And you who served in time of peace but faced the fire and fever while patrolling freedom’s wall, they are coming because you gave the last full measure of devotion.

They are coming with quiet voices.

The assembled will again resolve that none of us, not one of us here, died in vain.

They will pledge that our rows will not lengthen without just cause or without the prayerful counsel of a united nation.

They will deliver to us the sweet, enduring promise that the United States of America shall not perish from the Earth.

They will be here soon, our sons and daughters, our wives and husbands, our mothers and fathers, our brothers and sisters, and those who never knew us.

They have not forgotten.

  The Associated Press is reporting that the National Archives has lost a computer hard drive  ”containing massive amounts of sensitive data from the Clinton administration, including Social Security numbers, addresses, and Secret Service and White House operating procedures.”    

In addition, the missing information includes logs of events and political records as well as “an as yet unknown amount of personally identifiable information of White House staff and visitors.”   

Missing from the AP story, was a logical reminder that President Clinton’s former national security adviser Samuel R. “Sandy” Berger entered a guilty plea April 1, 2005, for the unauthorized removal and retention of classified material.   

For that crime, Berger was fined a total of $56,905, his security clearance was canceled, and he was required to report monthly monthly to a probation officer for two years. Berger also picked up trash in Virginia parks for 100 hours to fulfill a community service requirement.   

Still, there is no telling what else Berger might have removed from the Archives in his pants, and, if he is not a logical suspect in the case, he should be. 

Normally, this site does not link to MSNBC, for a variety of reasons.  However, today’s “Morning Joe” segment included an interview with Missouri Senator Kit Bond.  If you don’t have time to immerse yourself in all of the charges and countercharges now flying around between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the CIA, just take a look at this clip.  It says it all, so watch it all, especially Sen. Bond’s comments about canines toward the end.

You want more?  Check out Newt Gingrich today on ABC News.  Listen to the whole thing… amazing.

The only question remaining is whether there is enough room left under the bus for the Obama administration to throw Pelosi, given the prior tossing under of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Rob Blagojevich, Obama’s grandmother, etc.  

Pelosi is toast, but she will be the last one to realize or accept it.  It’s kinda like Weekend at Bernie’s, and she’s Bernie.

The Goldwater Institute issued a report yesterday on public officials using tax dollars to promote themselves. We’re told they jumped on this issue after the left wing media went after County Attorney Andrew Thomas for issuing a Crime Handbook for the public. After the left wing media unfairly targeted Thomas, Sonoran Alliance went after Attorney General Terry Goddard for wasting thousands of dollars promoting himself on multiple handbooks and brochures prominently featuring his face on the front cover and in several places within the literature as well. Thomas’s booklet didn’t even feature his face on the front.

The Goldwater Institute report states that Thomas is not “constitutionally mandated” to issue the handbook. It conveniently leaves out the fact in the section about him that he’s statutorily mandated to educate the public on issues related to crime. A.R.S. 13-2314.03 governs how money seized from criminal profiteering (RICO funds) is to be spent by law enforcement.  “Monies in the fund may be used for the funding of gang prevention programs, substance abuse prevention programs, substance abuse education programs…” This is not explained in that section. In the report’s chart of how much each public official has spent on “self-promotion,” it leaves out the fact that Thomas’s office, as the largest law enforcement agency in the state, receives $2.5 million in this kind of directed RICO funding each year.

Seems pretty clear that issuing a guide for the public educating them about crime and how to protect themselves from it falls within this statute. Again, conveniently, the report failed to point out that $65,000 of the cost of the booklet was paid for with RICO funds. And on top of that, the Goldwater Institute report conveniently failed to point out that the handbook was wildly popular and the public ordered thousands of copies. The purpose of the handbook was not to promote Thomas for reelection, but to genuinely educate the public. Which cannot be said about other booklets that have been issued by other public officials, such as Pima County Barbara Lawall’s 56-page booklet bragging about her accomplishments as county attorney, featuring her picture on the front.

Only at the very end of the report, in a separate section, is it casually mentioned that there are RICO funds used by law enforcement officials for purposes like educating the public – but still never mentions that they are mandated to by statute!

Ignored was any discussion of how if just a few people are able to save themselves from being victims, or a few defendants are deterred after reading the handbook, the cost of the booklet (allegedly $215,000) would have more than paid for itself, considering the cost in savings of the arrest, prosecution, appeals, defense, etc. of the deterred crimes.

We also have a philosophical difference with the Goldwater Institute on politicians promoting themselves. Law enforcement promotion is different than regular politicians promoting themselves. Are criminals deterred by the concept of Sheriff Joe Arpaio? You bet they are! His larger than life image creates fear in the minds of criminals. There is a legitimate reason for law enforcement officials to let the community know who they are. Incidentally, the report notes they had nothing to report on Sheriff Arpaio, who asserts the office has never issued anything with his photo on them. No surprise there, the people love him so the media follows him everywhere and provide him with immense amounts of publicity. The report downplayed this - they should have pointed that if he was really such a publicity hound as his enemies always accuse him of being, then this firmly refutes that notion.

The report concluded this about Thomas, “Not one of these is necessary to achieve transparency or accountability or to discharge the official obligations of the position of the county attorney.” Based on the information they left out, such as the fact that Thomas is mandated by statute to spend RICO funds to educate the public, and the fact that unlike other politicians, his photo is not featured on the front of the Crime Handbook, this conclusion is not accurate. Clearly, the Goldwater Institute is jumping on Thomas in order to look like they’re playing fair and going after Republicans too, and Thomas was an easy target because of being extensively targeted by the liberal media over the Crime Handbook.

Law enforcement officials like Attorney General Terry Goddard have issued countless brochures and booklets knowing the liberal media will never call him on it (Sonoran Alliance counted 72 last year). The list of publications his office offers continues to grow. Far too many of them have his photo on the front and/or photos inside. At the bottom of this post is a current list of the Attorney General’s publications. Thomas has nothing like it.  His sole Crime Handbook looks rather paltry compared to all the glossy handbooks Goddard has issued featuring his photo on the front.

The Goldwater Institute is praising bills by Sen. Jim Waring and Rep. Kyrsten Sinema that would prohibit public officials from issuing publications like these. That’s fine, but there needs to be more honesty about these publications. Trying to hold up Andrew Thomas’s one Crime Handbook as the reason for getting this kind of legislation passed is intellectually dishonest and a transparent attempt to smear Thomas for something that has been really been abused by officials like former governor Janet Napolitano. Blame also should be placed on legislators like Waring and Sinema who were responsible for passing the RICO statute in the first place instructing law enforcement officials to educate the public about crime. I don’t think I’ve ever read a government publication that didn’t include the name of the government official responsible for issuing it, so let’s hope the proposed legislation doesn’t go overboard.

Incidentally, the report gave Thomas a high score for dealing with the public records requests from the Goldwater Institute. The report says that to this day, Terry Goddard has not even fulfilled all of the public records requests. Napolitano received the lowest score of all officials for responding to public records requests. This leaves us wondering, were they hiding something? How many more publications has Goddard issued that the Goldwater Institute was not able to get information about?

This would have been a valid report if the Goldwater Institute hadn’t tried so hard to portray Thomas as equally as guilty of self-promotion as other officials. Obviously the Goldwater Institute was trying to find a high-profile Republican to go after to make their report look fair. But let’s be honest, Republicans tend to be more fiscally conservative than Democrats. By including the unfair attack on Thomas, the report loses its credibility.

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS CURRENTLY OFFERED BY TERRY GODDARD

Housing Discrimination: Get The Facts

Educational Brochures

Arizona Crime Victims’ Rights Laws

Consumer Guide for Young Adults

Consumers’ Guide to Buying a Car:

Steer Clear of Trouble!

Crime Victims’ Guide

Crime Victims’ Right to Leave Work

The Criminal Appeals Process

CUT IT OUT - Arizona Brochure

CUT IT OUT Safety Card

Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation Tip Card

Elder Abuse: Potential Legal Remedies

Employment Discrimination: Get the Facts

Employment Discrimination Tip Card

Financial Exploitation of the Elderly

Housing Discrimination Tip Card

Identity Theft Repair Kit

Identity Theft Tip Card

Indian Arts and Crafts Act

Internet Safety Guide for Parents and Teens

Internet Safety Tip Card

Life Care Planning Packet

Office of Victim Services

Predatory Lending Tip Card

Protecting Arizona Seniors

The Promise of Brown v. Board of Education

Recognize and Report Phone Fraud

Restitution: The Realities

Top 10 Consumer Scams

Voting Discrimination Tip Card

Attorney General Opinions

Opinions (1999 to Present)

Handbooks And Manuals

Area Agency Handbook

Guide to Pre-Employment Inquiries

The Primer (Colorado City)

Public Service Orientation Manual

Safety Net Directory

School Use Guidelines: Community College District Resources

School Use Guidelines: School District or Charter School Resources

School Use Guidelines: University Resources

Tenant’s Rights and Responsibilities Handbook (Community Legal Services)

Forms

FHA Accessibility Compliance Site Review Form

Gambling Registration Form

Posters

CUT IT OUT Poster

Discrimination in Employment Poster

Drug Endangered Children

Hopes, Dreams and Fair Housing Poster

Identity Theft Poster

Reports

2005 Gasoline Report

Arizona Attorney General Annual Reports

Arizona DNA Report 2007

Capital Case Commission Final Report

Cold Case Task Force Report 2007

NIJ Report on Zylon Body Armor

Racial Profiling Policy Guidance

More than 1,000 people assembled at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs last night to hear national radio talk show hosts and political consultants Mike Gallagher, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt analyze the first 100 days of Barack Obama’s presidency.

If you think that the Republican Party is dead or dying, if you think that Obama has clear sailing toward his Socialistic ideals, you’re wrong. The crowd said so.

Here was a group of enthusiastic patriots who gathered to hear … talk show hosts. There were no political leaders, no movie stars, no singing sensations. Just talk show hosts.

But their commentaries, witticisms, and impassioned observations about the hopefulness of America brought the crowd to its feet with cheers and applause. Just talk show hosts. 

The assembled were thirsty for drinks of common sense, for an acknowledgement that it is wrong to give terrorists our interrogation manuals, that it is all right to call terrorists – terrorists, and it is wrong for an American president to keep apologizing for America.

The atmosphere was filled with enthusiasm, attendees were anxious to do battle, encouraged by the words of … just talk show hosts.

Imagine the passion if a leader were to emerge to carry the nation forward, propelled by the words of those talk show hosts. The Republicans who gathered last night merely need to find him, or her.

For anyone still wondering why Cah-leeeeee-fornia is on the verge of bankruptcy, and what some of the reasons for that circumstance might be, look no farther than this. And if you can read this, thank a teacher who has actually worked to educate you.

Which brings us to the story of high school special education ”teacher” Matthew Kim.  Kim’s “fitness to teach” is under review, but thanks to an agreement forged (in more ways than one) between the Los Angeles Unified School District, his employer, and Kim’s teacher’s union, he is on full pay ($68,000 per year) plus full benefits…. and does zero teaching.  For the past seven years.

To quote the L.A. Times article appearing today: “Every school day, Kim’s shift begins at 7:50 a.m., with 30 minutes for lunch, and ends when the bell at his old campus rings at 3:20 p.m. He is to take off all breaks, school vacations and holidays, per a district agreement with the teacher’s union. At no time is he to be given any work by the district or show up at school. 

“He has never missed a paycheck.  In the jargon of the school district, Kim is being ‘housed’ while his fitness to teach is under review. A special education teacher, he was removed from Grant High School in Van Nuys and assigned to a district office in 2002 after the school board voted to fire him for allegedly harassing teenage students and colleagues. In the meantime, the district has spent more than $2 million on him in salary and legal costs.”

Say what?  In the seven years since he was re-assigned while his “fitness to teach” has been evaluated, the school district (translation: California taxpayers) has paid more than $2,000,000.00 in salary and legal costs to resolve the issue?  That works out, boys and girls, to around $286,000 (minimum) per year…. with no end in sight. 

Ummm… here’s a little math quiz for you (assuming you weren’t “educated” in California): if Kim’s annual pay is $68,000 and he enjoys a benefits package worth, say, $18,000 per year, who is benefitting more from this gaming of the system, Kim or the lawyers…? who, by the way, declined the Times’ requests for comment.  But read the whole Times article to get a flavor of the accusations against Kim and his defense.   

Oh, and if you thought that Kim’s case was an isolated one, think again.  The L.A. Times article points out that Kim is but one of some 160 instructors and other school district staff personnel drawing down their salaries “…for doing nothing while their job fitness is reviewed. They collect roughly $10 million a year, even as layoffs are considered because of a budget gap.”

And so the Golden State continues its tawdry slide into the Pacific, not because of earthquakes, mind you, but because of human stupidity, greed and piggish unions that care not what the consequences of their actions are.  No wonder the unions are so infatuated with that “card check” thing.   

First, we heard yesterday from Department of Homeland Security Commandante Janet Napolitano that the Obama regime’s “passive surveillance” policy at the nation’s borders - and more significantly, at the nation’s airports - is all that is deemed presently needed to protect against the spread from Mexico into this country of the swine flu (or, as their PC dictionary dictates it should be called, the “H1N1 virus.”). 

Napolitano was directly asked if the monitoring that is now being conducted at entry points in the country is sufficient, to which she coughed back: “We think that what we’re doing now at the land ports and the airports makes sense.”  Right.

Then today, we have The Chosen One telling people this morning that the nation should take the “utmost precautions” to stem the spread of the virus.  He added that schools where the presence of the swine flu is suspected should “…strongly consider temporarily closing so that we can be as safe as possible.”  The Chosen One also noted in his press conference that the first confirmed death in the United States from the disease was reported overnight from Texas, indicating that the victim was a child, but without giving any more information.

So, within the span of less than 24 hours, one orifice of the multi-headed administration Hydra says (a) merely monitoring the border with Mexico, where the swine flu originates, is sufficient for now, because closing the border would be “economically” problematic, while another orifice (the “Head” head) says (b) American schools where the swine flu is suspected should be temporarily closed.  And who knows what the other administration Hydra heads will have to say in the coming weeks. 

Great: leave the border and airports wide open to an influx of more people from the confirmed source of the illness, but close the schools where the illness is suspected as part of a plan to exercise “utmost precaution” to defend against the spread of the disease here.

In the meantime, we learn that, indeed, the first confirmed death in the United States from swine flu occurred in Houston. The victim: a 2 year-old boy. From Mexico City.

Make no mistake, the passing of a child or anyone from this disease is a tragedy, avoidable or not; but as this disease approaches pandemic proportions, it is becoming increasingly clear that the D.C. Hydra has no clue.

None.  Zero.

So, for the first time in many years, Arlen Specter has decided to do the principled thing: stop dissembling about his true colors and own up to the fact that he is an unprincipled politician who values tenure, charade and the trappings of senatorial privilege over principle.  He and the Democratic Party are a match made in …. well, made in that place wherever Democrats and brain-dead politicians (forgive the redundancy) congregate.

For years, Specter campaigned as a Republican and accepted donations, large and small, from Republicans. 

And, as recently as last March 17, Specter said: “I am staying a Republican because I think I have an important role, a more important role, to play there. I think the United States very desperately needs a two-party system. That’s the basis of politics in America. And I’m afraid that we’re becoming a one-party system, with Republicans becoming just a regional party with so little representation in the northeast or in the Middle Atlantic. And I think as a governmental matter, it is very important to have a check and balance. That’s a very important principle in the operation of our government. It’s really in the Constitution on separation of powers.”  Watch the video…. he really looks sooooo sincere.

Ah, but looks can be deceiving, and since deception and deceit are rapidly becoming the hallmarks of the regime now at the helm on Capitol Hill and at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Specter should fit right in.  Hey, Obama has already welcomed him into the fold.

For all the Republicans who supported Specter and donated money to his campaigns, here is a link to Senator Specter’s e-mail site where they can offer their views and comments on his decision.  Heck, they might even be tempted to demand a refund of the monies they contributed to him under the belief (now proven to be false) that, in fact, he was “staying a Republican” and would not bolt the Republican Party. 

And when that site server crashes because of the flood of so many comment forms and Specter orders the site shut down, here is his “snail-mail” address:  Senator Arlen Specter, 711 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510.

When someone seeks and extracts money from another under false pretenses, that is a crime normally called “fraud.”  Here, Specter will likely simply deny the fraud and claim that it is “business as usual” and that his constituents knew, or should have known, that he was an unprincipled thief.

Yeah, Specter will fit right in with the current regime.