It’s the same old hash — reheated

The gravy is the involvement of the Republic’s lawyer

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s crime suppression patrols are being targeted in a lawsuit alleging his officers have racially profiled Hispanics, as reported in an early edition of the daily.

“From what we have been hearing on the ground, he has been violating people’s civil rights left and right,” said Kristina Campbell, an attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). The allegations were filed Wednesday as part of an existing lawsuit.

Today’s revised and inflated edition features an above-the-fold front page article complete with two full-color photos and a jump covering the entire continued page. One of the photos dates back to March.

“4 Americans,” have been found to front the lawsuit and claim mistreatment.

Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. Paul Chagolla declined to comment on the lawsuit’s contents, but said the agency doesn’t racially profile people and that the sweep allegations were an attempt to refresh a civil case against the sheriff. “This is not a new lawsuit,” Chagolla said

Vincent Picard, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said the Sheriff’s Office has not violated their agreement. The agreement allows up to 160 specially trained sheriff’s deputies and jail officers to enforce federal immigration laws.

ICE, the federal agency that provided the officers special training said the sheriff has stayed within the bounds of its training agreement.

This lawsuit is the latest legal round fired by agendized groups such as the ACLU and Hispanic advocacy organizations trying to prove Sheriff Arpaio engages in racial profiling while arresting illegal aliens.

The lead attorney is David Bodney. Bodney also represents The Arizona Republic.

How convenient.

Ethics violations front and center at Phoenix City Hall

Where is the best mayor in the galaxy while we’re being “ribbed?”

Phoenix Police are investigating an aide to city councilman Michael Nowakowski. Gregory Coleman, who formerly worked for Congressman Ed Pastor, requested an $1,100 “loan” from a developer who had a zoning case before the city. Coleman was fired last week after the developer, Warren Pitman, disclosed the April transaction. Coleman, who solicited the loan to cover his car payment, has not repaid the loan, although he did write a check for insufficient funds to his benefactor.

“I felt very awkward and more afraid to say ‘no’ for fear of him possibly sabotaging the case,” Pitman said in an e-mail. He also disclosed that last December, he bought $1,000 worth of ribs for a Coleman family reunion with the understanding that he would be repaid. Coleman never repaid him, he said. Coleman denies accepting ribs from Pitman.

“He’s crazy,” Coleman said.

Coleman, an ordained minister, said he hoped the incident would be remembered as an “honest mistake,” the daily reports. “If I breached the ethics policy within the city, I should be terminated,” he said. “Just don’t make me out to be a villain.”

Apparently, Mayor Phil Gordon is too busy vying for Mayor of the Universe to oversee his own council

District 7 Councilman Nowakowski, is the general manager of Spanish language Radio Campesina, KNAI-FM (88.3). The station is associated with the National Farm Workers, an organization founded by Cesar Chavez, and holds a virtual monopoly within the Latino community. It advocates on behalf of pro-illegal legislation and is enmeshed in organizing marches and boycotts. Coleman was hired after he volunteered on Nowakowski’s campaign last year. Laura Pastor, daughter of the congressman lost by nearly 11 percentage points in a hotly contested race.

This amazing tale of arrogance even gained coverage at KOLD TV News 13 in Southern Arizona.

Simply traveling without documents?

Only until they are able to purchase counterfeit or stolen ones

Immigration and Customs Enforcement picked up 15 illegal aliens yesterday afternoon at a drophouse near 21st Avenue and Thomas, according to a report in the daily. They were located in a truck parked in the driveway of the home.

The house had been rented by one of the unlawful border trespassers.

In the daily’s five sentence coverage of the incident, reporter Chelsea Schneider attained a feat a lesser person might have deemed impossible — using the term “undocumented immigrants” four times and “immigrant,” once. That includes the headline, so technically she takes a mulligan.

Since the Society of Professional Journalists guidelines render the employees at the Arizona Republic unable to use the words “illegal aliens,” we will.  Seeing Red AZ makes use of a more accurate style book.

Rep. Russell Pearce has won the endorsement of PLEA

As he wages a campaign for the District 18 senate seat, Rep. Russell Pearce sends out this note to supporters. He has received the endorsement of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association. (PLEA): The videos on the PLEA site make for fascinating viewing.

“My good friends (they have endorsed me for Senate and we have worked well together on public safety issues), the men and women in the Phoenix Police Department “get it” and are very concerned about our safety and would love to do more to make our neighborhoods safer, but the Mayor and Public Safety Director Harris refuse to take the handcuffs off and let them do their job. Not a lack of authority, a lack of political will on the part of the Mayor and his allies.   They put law breakers above law keepers and your safety or the Rule of Law.”

Seeing Red AZ applauds this important police endorsement of Rep. Russell Pearce.

Pearce has also been overwhelmingly endorsed by the Maricopa County Executive Guidance Committee (EGC).

David and Goliath in the land of Sheriffdom?

The daily is trying to set up an underdog scenario. The editorial board is no doubt hoping for an article to refer to on November 5, 2008 — the day after election day, showing that their Republican-turned-Democrat underdog was able to defeat the incumbent sheriff of Maricopa County.

The problem is that the newspaper, so intent on defeating Sheriff Joe Arpaio, has to deal with the fact that he remains immensely popular and has out raised his opponent Dan Saban by $350,000 in campaign donations.

Presenting those facts with their twist requires a bit of fancy footwork and imaginative creativity. So, the resourceful minds placed the article they eventually hope to refer to on the inside back page of the Valley section, just above the obituaries. Grieving family and friends of the recently deceased will be looking for something other than this story.

The genial smiling face of challenger Dan Saban, who was unable to gain the endorsement of the Buckeye Police Association where he served as chief, is juxtaposed next to a scowling photo of Joe Arpaio.

That same police association has endorsed Arpaio.

But the main thrust of the article is the carefully inserted sub-header which in Arizona Republicese identifies why Saban is unable to generate support: Challenger: Some backers are afraid to anger sheriff.

Saban says supporters “admit they’re intimidated by the prospect of contributing to his campaign and angering Arpaio.” The inference is the sheriff has a goon squad at the ready to rough up those who contribute to the party-switching Saban.

The real goon squad is the Republic which hammers the sheriff daily, sparing no amount of ink in the attempt to usher him out of office.

Mesa police revise immigration status policy

Police unions hail crime fighting proposals

All persons arrested by Mesa police will be asked their immigration status and federal authorities will be contacted if there is sufficient reason to believe that a suspect is in the country illegally. Mesa Mayor Scott Smith and Police Chief George Gascon appeared at a joint press conference yesterday where the new policy was announced.

The East Valley Tribune carries the story and video.

Although the changes are incremental rather than sweeping, the new policy is a turnaround for the city, which has long been criticized for its lenient guidelines. Due to previous inaction, eight East Valley legislators invited Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio to conduct neighborhood patrols in the area. Chief Gascon, a vocal critic of the sheriff, mocked the actions of Arpaio and his deputies as “a publicity stunt.”

Eating humble pie is rarely a treat. Our suggestion to Chief Gascon is to wash it down with some icy guarapó.

Ballot initiatives: The grim realities

Employer sanctions signed into law by Governor Napolitano one year ago today

The deceptively named initiative Stop Illegal Hiring has gathered the requisite signatures to garner a place on the November ballot. The measure is led by Andrew Pacheco, whose wife, Jessica, lobbied for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which vigorously opposed real sanctions on employers who knowingly hired illegal laborers. She is now employed by Lincoln Strategy Group, which formerly carried the name of its principle, Sproul & Associates.

While masquerading as a measure to stop illegals from gaining employment—the carrot that feeds the steady stream unlawfully breaching our southern border—Pacheco’s business-backed initiative actually provides additional protections to the employer and illegal worker. Pacheco, a former prosecutor, is well aware of the mind-boggling criminal industry that provides stolen and counterfeit documents to enable the illegal workforce to gain employment and desired services.

“The people of Arizona have spoken in a strong voice, telling us that they want a law that gets tough on illegal immigration, gets tough on the scourge of identity theft, while still protecting innocent workers,” said Andrew Pacheco.

Sounds good, but nothing could be further from the truth. His venture is intended to provide protections to the employers who continue to exploit the illegal hires to whom they pay substandard wages as they increase their ill-gotten bottom line.

The Arizona Capitol Times reports that more than half of the more than $513,000 raised by the Stop Illegal Hiring campaign through May 31 came from Wake Up Arizona, a coalition of Arizona business owners that formed to oppose the current sanctions law. That group has contributed nearly $375,000.

Wake Up Arizona also was part of a federal challenge to the law which was upheld in a federal district court and is now being considered by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court heard arguments last month and is expected to issue a ruling later this year.

On a sobering note, two opposing measures, Legal Arizona Workers and Support Our Law Enforcement, led by gubernatorial candidate Don Goldwater and Rep. Russell Pearce, were unable to collect sufficient signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Don Goldwater’s letter to supporters is available here.

The groups hit a block wall attempting to use the necessary paid signature gatherers because the supporters of illegal immigration had signed contracts that included a non-compete clause making it impossible for L.A.W and S.O.L.E. to acquire their services. The hard truth is that no measure has attained ballot status without employing paid circulators.

It’s a stunt, a three-ring circus

What is going on here is a publicity stunt,” said Mesa Police Chief George Gascon, regarding the crime suppression patrols Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is bringing to Mesa. “It has nothing to do with public safety,” Gascon said.

“This is really a three-ring circus. This is not policing by any stretch of the imagination,” according to Gascon. “For people to think this is impacting illegal immigration defies imagination.”

Arpaio announced two months ago he would return to Mesa after several East Valley legislators requested the special enforcement, but this is anther example of the skewed reporting by the daily newspaper, whose mission appears to be removal of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas—both Republicans.  Rarely a day goes by without the repetitive drum beat by written editorial, columnists, or contrived news stories, blasting the popular lawmen for doing the job the voters elected them to do—which is not in line with the view of the pro-illegal immigration daily.

“I’m not his (Arpaio’s) biggest fan. I work with immigrants that I love and I would hate to see them go,” Heather Marsh, 22, of Mesa, said. “They take jobs from us. It’s kind of like a Catch-22. I love them but they’re kind of killing me.”

Heather might be on to something there. When she becomes a higher wage earner and is being taxed exorbitantly to pay for the education, medical care and criminal justice system costs incurred by the illegal alien population, she might more clearly realize just how much she is being “killed.”

Phoenix police union standing by Mexican militia reports

American invasion by Mexican military not worthy of reporting in Arizona Republic

NewsTalk 550AM-KFYI radio informs us that the top member of a Phoenix police union is standing by reports that at least one of the men involved in a Monday morning home invasion and homicide was an active member in the Mexican Army.

“Even if you put aside the Mexican military, you have illegals in the country…they’re protected with tactical gear using tactical strategies in police uniforms willing to ambush police officers. I think that’s bad enough,” said Mark Spencer, President of the Phoenix Police Enforcement Association.

While on the J.D. Hayworth show Tuesday, Mark Spencer announced that the suspects were hired by drug cartels to perform home invasions and murders.

The incident resulted in the death of the homeowner. Between 50 and 100 rounds were fired at the house.

Spencer said a police officer told him that one of the men captured said they were completely prepared to ambush Phoenix police, but ran out of ammunition.

He added that all were all dressed in military tactical gear and were armed with AR-15 assault rifles. Three other men involved in the invasion escaped.

You can read more here, see the police documents and listen to Spencer’s interview on the J.D. Hayworth show.

Amnesty and open borders? Exactly what we need

Twenty people have been killed in three days in the border town of Juarez, Mexico–directly across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. Associated Press reports the city is home to the violent and aggressive Juarez drug cartel

According to a recent report by CNN’s Lou Dobbs, at least 24 people were killed over one weekend last month, some brutally mutilated or decapitated. Nearly 4,200 people have been killed in the 18 months since the Mexican government declared war on the drug cartels. Of those, 450 were government officials, prosecutors and law enforcement officers.

Watch this video for a stunning report.

Sorry, this is not “just a region.” We are two sovereign nations, “my friend.”