Shrinking newspapers: Beware!

Are lawsuits on the horizon for Arizona’s largest daily newspaper?

A subscriber has sued the News and Observer for breach of contract after staff cutbacks and the whittling of the size of the newspaper left him with less than he expected when he renewed his subscription in May.. On June 16 the paper announced the layoffs of 70 staff members and cuts in news pages.

Keith Hempstead, who alleges fraud, is a lawyer and a former reporter. He says he loves the newspaper and is trying to make a point.

District 18 GOP candidate debate, 6:00 PM tonight

This debate will feature only Republican candidates due to an uncontested Democrat primary. A future general election debate will include candidates from both parties.

House Candidates: Cecil Ash, Steve Court, Kanani Henderson and Ron Middlebrook

Senate Candidates: Rep. Russell Pearce and Kevin Gibbons

Additional information is available here.

Judicial retention finds itself in a dither

The mostly feel-good exercise for judicial retention is based on the Judicial Performance Review, in which appointed commissioners vote to determine whether or not individual judges meet performance standards.

Heaven forbid judges in Maricopa or Pima counties should directly submit to an actual citizen performance review for what amounts to their lifetime appointments.

Yesterday the unthinkable happened. For the first time in the 16-year history of the JPR, one trial court judge in Maricopa County actually received more negative than positive votes.

Whether or not there is actual justification for the lopsided tally, this obviously is an embarrassing situation for the long-standing judge.

The commission, comprised of judges, lawyers and public members, conducts evaluations to determine whether judges meet requisite standards of performance.

The group met yesterday for their public vote. It’s clear from assessing this list of Arizona’s Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and Trial Court judges who are up for retention on the 2008 General Election ballot, it’s pretty much a slam dunk.

That’s what makes the sole upside-down vote a standout.

Pander Bares

McCain and Obama speak at LULAC Convention

John McCain and Barack Obama can be viewed on this video as they addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) yesterday.

Obama says: Make sure your child speaks Spanish.”

Lou Dobbs warns: Watch for incrementalism on immigration “reform.”

The International Herald Tribune covers it this way:

Senator John McCain told a major Hispanic group here Tuesday that he remained committed to passing the kind of immigration legislation that angered many Republican voters last year, but he underscored that he intended to first secure U.S. borders.

Speaking to the convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens, McCain noted his efforts to pass comprehensive immigration legislation, which was supported by President George W. Bush and such Democrats as Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts but which fell apart last year after an angry grass-roots movement that viewed it as tantamount to amnesty rose up to oppose its passage.

We encourage you to read the entire article here.

It will have you Seeing Red AZ.

The GOP Platform takes center stage

Do conservatives have a reason to be concerned?

Conservative activists are preparing to do battle with allies of John McCain in advance of September’s Republican National Convention, hoping to prevent his views on global warming, immigration, stem cell research and campaign finance from becoming enshrined in the party’s official declaration of principles, the Washington Post reports.

McCain remains out of step with many grassroots activists and the platform could turn into a contentious issue for those who desire to maintain the conservative roots of the GOP.

Arizona has two delegates representing the state on the platform committee. The question is, since they were elected on the McCain Unity Slate, will they be inclined to offer any political resistance to McCain’s agenda?

The 2004 Republican Platform is available here.

The GOP national convention will be held in Minneapolis-St. Paul, September 1-4.

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.

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves

Maricopa County Republican Committee press release is posted here.

Family friendly restaurant declares it’s “obligation” to promote “gay” agenda

McDonald’s is “thrilled” to join homosexual chamber

McDonald’s has signed on to a nationwide effort to promote “gay” and “lesbian” business ventures.

According to McDonald’s CEO Jim Skinner, McDonald’s will aggressively promote the homosexual agenda. In remarks on McDonald’s Web site concerning the company becoming a member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), Skinner wrote: “Being a socially responsible organization is a fundamental part of who we are. We have an obligation to use our size and resources to make a difference in the world…and we do.”

The company gave an undisclosed amount of money to the NGLCC in return for being recognized as a major promoter of the homosexual agenda. In return, NGLCC placed Richard Ellis, vice president of communications of McDonalds USA, on the NGLCC Board of Directors.

Ellis was quoted as saying: “I’m thrilled to join the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce team and ready to get to work. I share the NGLCC’s passion for business growth and development within the LGBT community, and I look forward to playing a role in moving these important initiatives forward.”

Read this American Family Association Action Alert.

Interestingly, the business directory link on the NGLCC page now displays this message: The Business Directory is being updated and is not available at this time, and has taken down the names of participants. The group has also shut down many of the links provided in the following article:

Read the WorldNetDaily coverage here.

Remembering our many blessings on this Independence Day

 

….and honoring those 56 brave men who had the vision and strength of character to challenge authority and affix their signatures to the Declaration of Independence.

Before affixing their signatures to the Declaration of Independence, the Founders included this memorable line:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.