Brnovich: The name Laurie Roberts is unable to write

MIA AZ AG Mark Brnovich, issues statement, hides behind assistant

Although the topic is far from humorous, alert readers had ample reason to smirk while reading Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts’ most recent biased-laced offering.

For those who no longer subscribe to the agendized newspaper with a decidedly leftward bent, Roberts is the one who describes conservative Republicans as “Kooks,”and used her allotted space to continually lambaste Arizona’s former Attorney General Tom Horne on the basis of innuendo and contrivances.

Her most recent column on the handling of the serious case of rape perpetrated by a convicted sex offender on a teacher is a stellar example of Roberts’ keyboard contortionism.

In her opening sentence Roberts notes that the Arizona Attorney General’s Office is asking for dismissal of the lawsuit filed by the teacher who was brutally assaulted and raped after being left in an unguarded prison classroom with a convicted sex offender. “The AG’s reasoning,” she writes, “is essentially this: the woman knew she was in a prison, so what did she expect?”

We take no exception with Roberts’ righteous sarcasm.

But what is more than a bit odd is that she names Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Weisbard, but neglects to even mention his elected boss, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich —- the man at whose desk the buck is supposed to stop.

In its coverage of this brutal crime, even the left-of-center Huffington Post tops its report, “Arizona Attorney General’s Office Wants Lawsuit Of Teacher Raped By Prison Inmate Dismissed” with an expansive photo of Attorney General Brnovich.

The victim, who has filed a $4 million lawsuit, cites a lack of basic security measures to ensure her safety as she gave a GED exam to inmates Jan. 20, 2014.  Jacob Harvey, the 20-year-old rapist, who lingered behind, was serving a sentence incarcerating him until 2041 after being convicted of sexual assault, kidnapping and dangerous crimes against children. He raped and beat a woman in front of her young child during a home invasion. Find out more about this character using the DOC inmate search. His inmate number is 279133.

“Plaintiff is an ADOC (Arizona Department of Corrections) employee who routinely worked at the prison complex,” lawyer Weisbard wrote in his motion to dismiss. “By being placed in a classroom at the complex, the officers were not placing Plaintiff in any type of situation that she would not normally face. The risk of harm, including assault, always existed at a prison like Eyman.”

Huffington notes, Brnovich wasn’t available to comment Wednesday, but the Attorney General’s Office issued this statement: “As a former prosecutor, no one is more sympathetic to victims of violent crimes than Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Our office was disappointed to see a misleading opinion piece that was recently published regarding the brutal assault of a Department of Corrections employee that occurred in January 2014. The Attorney General’s Office is taking affirmative steps to make sure that justice is served for the victim of this heinous crime. We would ask all parties to respect the integrity of the legal process.”  (Editorial Brnovich referenced as “misleading.”)

Since the office Brnovich leads is seeking dismissal of the victim’s lawsuit, it raises the question of exactly what “affirmative steps” —- other than his sympathy —- he is taking to “ensure justice is served for the victim of this heinous crime?” 

The case goes forward. U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton has rejected the motion to dismiss the victim’s lawsuit filed by Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office.

McCain’s 2016 pick a mirror-image non-starter

Ditches Hillary for another sweetie

Failed presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain is not exactly on the same page as most Arizona Republicans. He was the object of ridicule, receiving boos and turned backs at the annual Statutory Meeting of the State Committee of the Arizona Republican Party from many of the nearly 800 elected delegates, where he made a rare appearance last weekend. (A video of the spectacle is included under the link.)

McCain was censured in 2014 at the annual mandatory meeting of the Maricopa County Republican Committee, where the resolution to censure passed overwhelmingly — 1,150 in support with only 351 opposed. Arizona’s “unfavorite son” was censured again two weeks later by a 78% margin at the 2014 GOP Statutory Meeting.

The majority of Arizona counties also passed censure resolutions against the unpopular McCain. Few Arizona conservatives care what he thinks.

Now Bloomberg News reports that McCain —- who influences no one —- has announced his intention to support his longtime doppelganger, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, if he officially decides to run for president.

Last October, McCain began withdrawing his support from Hillary Clinton, whom he’d previously lavished with enthusiastic praise and referred to as a “Rock Star.”

The multi-censured McCain and Lindsey Graham have even more in common than their weak border security and amnesty positions putting them at odds with their constituents. Republicans in South Carolina passed this censure resolution publicly rebuking  Sen. Lindsey Graham. The censure, which passed by the identical 78% as the reproach of McCain, cites 30 examples of Graham violating the Republican Party platform. At the bottom of the page, are other censures against Graham going back to 2007.

The 30-point censure states: “Lindsey Graham has committed a long series of actions that we strongly disapprove of and hold to be fundamentally inconsistent with the principles of the South Carolina Republican Party.”

On the list of grievances is his McCain-like support of amnesty, which has earned him the label Lindsey Grahamnesty.

McCain and Graham are well-matched amigos. If he enters the race, we predict his effort will be as well received as McCain’s.  America deserves better.

Tony Bouie scores cushy post: Establishment takes care of its own

Newly elected Arizona Governor Doug Ducey isn’t letting any grass grow under his feet as he repays establishment favors.

In this accolade-filled press release, Ducey announces the appointment of accomplished charlatan Tony Bouie as the new director of the Arizona State Lottery.

This post, “Tony Bouie: Problematic candidate is baaack,“ dated Jan. 30, 2012, contains links to numerous articles we’ve written about Bouie’s brazen attempts to deceive the voters in two separate districts where he sought legislative seats.  “It’s time to stop the embarrassment, Tony“ contains links to a dozen other articles about the duplicitous Tony Bouie.

A man with an abundance of personal problems, Bouie is best known for registering as a Republican after being a lifelong Democrat, and then opportunistically lying about it when running in a GOP heavy District. He shamelessly filed his intent to run within FIVE short days of changing his registration status. Then the newly-minted Republican had the temerity to refer to himself as a “conservative leader.” After his con was exposed he went so far as to send out a press release declaring that he “became a Republican in his heart,” but neglected to reregister — with the new party that meant so much to him. 

Until his lies were exposed, opportunistic imposter Bouie remained so insistent touting his longtime Republican credentials that he told the Capitol Times, “In fact, I’ve been a Republican half of my voting life.”

The lottery —- state sanctioned gambling —- is taking a pointless gamble with Tony Bouie.

In an arena where integrity must be the paramount consideration, Gov. Ducey and his advisors have fallen far short of the mark in replacing principled former state lawmaker Jeff Hatch-Miller, who has held this position since 2009.

Departing candidate Mitt gets it right with Jeb jab

Bush fatigue coupled with Jeb Bush’s notorious amnesty stance make his candidacy unacceptable

In his Friday morning announcement that he will not be running for president, Mitt Romney lobbed a less than subtle parting shot at 61-year-old Jeb Bush.  Though cloaked, conservative politicos got his message loud and clear —- and Romney was right on target.

“After putting considerable thought into making another run for president, I’ve decided it is best to give other leaders in the Party the opportunity to become our next nominee,” Romney, 67, said, as he underscored the need for a fresh face for the GOP.

“I believe that one of our next generation of Republican leaders, one who may not be as well known as I am today, one who has not yet taken their message across the country, one who is just getting started, may well emerge as being better able to defeat the Democrat nominee,” he told supporters on the conference call during which he announced his decision. “In fact, I expect and hope that to be the case.”

We join Mitt Romney in that hope.

Here is Jeb Bush calling the invasion of the United States by illegal aliens, “an act of love.” 

“Yes, they broke the law,” Jeb Bush acknowledges, “but it’s not a felony. It’s an act of love. It’s an act of commitment to your family. I honestly think that that is a different kind of crime. It shouldn’t rile people up that people are coming to this country to provide for their families.”

AZ U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon slips on pick

Imagine you’re an Arizona member of congress and could invite anyone in the entire state to travel to Washington, D.C. as your guest to attend Barack Obama’s State of the Union address last night.

With a wide array of worthy conservatives to choose from, U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon,* who gives lip-service to being anti-establishment, confounded many with his selection of KFYI’s marginal talk show host Mike Broomhead.

Broomhead devotes interminable time to sycophantically interviewing the repeatedly censured John McCain, and was a dependable fawning lackey to former Gov. Jan Brewer, who took her marching orders from McCain strategists. 

An A-Lister Salmon might have considered? Former Maricopa County Republican Chairman A. J. LaFaro, would have been an excellent conservative message-sending choice. The message Broomhead sends is one of subservience to the AZ GOP’s elites.

* Cartoon courtesy of Arizona Daily Independent

Pelosi’s provocative app’t to House Intelligence

Although Democrats are defending House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s oddly timed appointment of U.S. Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) to the House’s Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), others have expressed concerns about naming the congressman with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood to this committee charged with oversight of the United States Intelligence Community —- including intelligence related activities of 17 elements of the US Government, and the Military Intelligence Program.

HPSCI’s subcommittees deal with Technical and Tactical Intelligence, Terrorism. Human Intelligence, Analysis, and Counterintelligence—- including the Muslim Brotherhood.

This 6-page opening statement going back to April 13, 2011, illustrates the concerns even at that time. Now retired U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) said, “We have heard the full spectrum of views on, and approaches to interaction with, the Brotherhood from various government officials. This inconsistency makes me feel like our government is playing checkers while the Muslim Brotherhood is playing chess.”

Robert Spencer, writing for FrontPage Mag provides important background on Rep. Andre Carson’s appointment. Take time to read his well researched report.

Carson, raised as a Baptist and educated in a Catholic school, converted to Islam as an adult. He has attracted attention for his public statements, including when he was guest speaker at the 2012 Islamic Circle of North America/Muslim American Society convention where he said American schools should be modeled on madrassas —- Islamic schools noted for their penchant to promote repressive, anti-Westernized culture and hatred toward Christians and Jews —- “where the foundation is the Qur’an.”  Both sponsoring groups have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Moments later, according to this report in the UK’s Daily Mail, Carson, a former police officer, warned undercover law enforcement he suspected of being at the event looking for “secret meetings” that “Allah will not allow you to stop us.”

He has a history of making wild and unsubstantiated statements. On August 28, 2011, Carson referred to the Tea Party movement using these words: “This is the effort that we’re seeing of Jim Crow. Some of these folks in Congress right now would love to see us as second-class citizens. Some of them in Congress right now of this Tea Party movement would love to see you and me… hanging on a tree.” Despite calls to resign, Carson said, “I stand on the truth of what I spoke.”

Good going, Ms. Pelosi.

 

American ‘diplomacy’ sinks to embarrassing new low

John Kerry arrives a week late with “friend” James Taylor

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry finally arrived in Paris. As he met with France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and President Francois Hollande to offer condolences on the barbaric terrorist attacks that killed 17 people in Paris last week, Kerry brought along an over-the-hill rocker “friend.”

Barack Obama, whose calendar was bare, was noticeably missing when 40+ world leaders assembled in Paris to participate in a unity march following the slaughters. Millions of people took to the streets in expressions of solidarity in the wake of a series of Islamic terrorist attacks (video) in France.

Appearing on stage with Kerry, James Taylor performed a rendition of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend” in an odd tribute to the victims of the bloody carnage.

Before arriving in Paris, Kerry said of the trip, “My visit to France is basically to share a big hug for Paris and express the affection of the American people for France and for our friends there who have been through a terrible time.”

Attempting to deflect criticism aimed at the out of touch Barack Obama, was Jimmy Carter, who vies with Obama for the “Worst U.S. President Ever“ award. Carter said, “President Obama’s just come back from vacation, and I know how it is when you’ve been gone for a week or two, I think he’s probably got a lot on his desk.”

Many Americans will remember it was French President Jacque Chirac who was the first foreign Head of State to arrive at the White House with a personal message of support and condolences after the radical Islamic-inflicted September 11, 2001 carnage that killed nearly 3000 on American soil.

This abysmal snub by Barack Obama is not only rude, it is embarrassing.

Shortly after Carter’s inane comments, the Wall Street Journal reported that Obama regretted his decision not to send a top White House official to represent the U.S. at the Paris march. The entire episode presented a conundrum for Obama who still can’t bring himself to acknowledge that the ongoing heinous acts of terrorism each have an Islamic jihadist component. That was likely the reason he couldn’t bring himself to personally attend the march with the other heads of state.

It’s past time for Americans to admit what we have taking up space in the Oval Office.