Think You're Free? Try to Start a Business.

From the Institute for Justice via BigGovernment

What's the Mood in Arizona? Fabulous!

I've been asked a few times what I think the political mood is in Arizona.  Well, as usual, it's quite Conservative. 

Dems Stand to Lose Big in Arizona (be sure to read the comments there too.  all but 1 or 2 are in support of Arizona as of 11:51AM MST)

Arizona's congressional seats are likely to swing heavily Republican this Tuesday, giving conservatives a possible seven-to-one edge over Democrats in the state if all four contested races there change parties.

At issue for Democrats is the controversial SB 1070, a law that allows the state to enforce federal illegal immigration statutes.

Poll numbers in the First and Fifth Congressional Districts show voters clearly leaning toward the Republican candidates. In AZ-1, incumbent Anne Kirkpatrick, a Nancy Pelosi loyalist, is down seven points to dentist and political newcomer Paul Gosar. In AZ-5, incumbent Harry Mitchell, Tempe's former mayor, is down four points to Republican David Schweikert. Mitchell defeated Schweikert two years ago.

Mitchell and Kirkpatrick have both been outspoken against SB 1070 and are now paying the price. Both also supported bills to legalize illegal immigrants in Arizona - in stark contrast to their opponents.

Arizona State University polling expert Bruce Merrill says the Republican 1070 stance is driving independent voters to their side. "The independents are breaking about 60-40 in terms of supporting a much tougher stand on illegal immigration," Merrill said.

Poll numbers show the other two districts are too close to predict, and could go either way. In the Seventh Congressional District, three-term incumbent Raul Grijalva could lose to a twenty-eight year old scientist with no political background. Ruth McClung, who's mother runs her campaign, could defeat Grijalva because he wanted businesses and tourists to boycott his own state.

The Eighth District has 114 miles of border with Mexico. Its incumbent Gabrielle Giffords also opposed SB1070 and favored legalization - the exact opposite of her opponent, former marine Jesse Kelly.

What will happen in Arizona may be a case of voters' revenge. While many Democrats, including President Barack Obama, criticized SB1070, a good number of Arizona voters appear to be for it - and many may be critical independents. "We have had a tremendous increase in independents [in the state]," Merrill said. "So they almost hold the balance of power in Arizona."

Worst Attack Ads Ever? Not Quite.

From reason.tv.  Taken from the candidates own words from the past.

"John Adams is a blind, bald, crippled, toothless man who wants to start a war with France.  While he's not busy importing mistresses from Europe, he's trying to marry one of his sons to a daughter of King George.  Haven't we had enough monarchy in America?" 

Thomas Jefferson also said "John Adams is a hideous and hermaphroditical character with neither the force and firmness of a man nor the gentleness and sensitivity of a woman.

"If Thomas Jefferson wins murder, robbery, rape adultery, and incest will be openly taught and practiced.  The air will be wrent with the cries of the distressed.  The soil will be soaked with blood.  And the nation black with crimes.  Are you prepared to see your dwellings in flames?  Female chastity violated?  Children writing on a pike? 

John Adams also said "Jefferson is the son of a halfbreed Indian squaw raised on hocakes and Hamilton is a Creole bastard brat of a Scots peddler."

Damn!  Now that's some campaigning right there!  Come on Conservatives and Tea Partiers, hit the dem-socialists where it hurts.  With the truth!

Embarrassed BLM Changes Signs in AZ Desert Spending Your Tax Dollars

The Bureau of Land Management used Federal funds ($600 Million to increase border security measures was granted) to update their signs in the Arizona desert.  You remember the signs.  I posted about them a few times:  Public Lands South of I-8 now a no-go area, Just How Far North Is This?, We Can't Protect You South of Interstate 8.

 

 

The new signs say

• Active Federal Law Enforcement Patrol Area
• Clean-up and restoration crews at work

Protect Citizens First

From Wolff at Howling at the Moon

Immigration Counters

Vote 2010 Arizona

How I plan to vote on November 2nd:

Federal

US Senator - Ian Gilyaet, a write in candidate.  Because McCain needs to retire (and move to California).  McCain is far too willing to reach across the aisle to Progressives.  He was instrumental in the 2007 push for amnesty and I do not believe that he has really abandoned this stance.  He says he's no longer convinced of human-caused global warming but I don't believe him on that either. The bottom line is that he is not conservative enough.

U.S. Representative in Congress District 3 - Ben Quayle not because he's a fantastic candidate and definitely not because of his father (I do not believe in political royalty) but because he will help get a majority in the House.

State

Governor - Jan Brewer not because she's ideal but because she's on the right side of 90% of the important issues.  I did not appreciate the tax increase she wanted and campaigned for but it's the only thing I've been unhappy with.

State Senator District 4 - Scott Bundgaard

State Representative District 4 - Jack Harper, Judy Burgess

Secretary of State - Ken Bennet

Attorney General - Tom Horne

State Treasurer - Doug Ducey

Superintendent of Public Instruction - John Huppenthal

State Mine Inspector - Joe Hart

Corporation Commision - Brenda Burns, Gary Pierce

Maricopa County

County Attorney - Bill Montgomery even though I am personally acquainted with the libertarian candidate Michael Kielsky who is very decent fellow.

Clerk of the Superior Court - Michael J. Jeanes

Justice of the Peace North Valley - Gerald A. Williams

Constable North Valley - Philip W. Hazlett

Central Arizona Water Conservation District (see here and here - more tea party people at all levels of government is good for our future):

TC Bundy

Raymond Johnson

Mark Lewis

Cynthia M. Moulton

John A. Rosado

Deer Valley Unified School District Governing Board Member (short statements from each candidate)

Mike Gregoire

Definitely NOT Kelly Gorman who sees Charter and private schools as a threat to district enrollment

Christy Agosta just to ensure that Gorman doesn't get in

Judges 

I haven't gone through all the judges yet but I will be reviewing the information here and will post soon.

Propositions:

106 - YES = Can't be forced to purchase health insurance

107 - YES = End racial discrmination

109 - YES = Hunting, fishing, harvesting wildlife will be a Constitutional Right

110 - NO  = More power to the state government and less to the people relating to state trust land deals

111 - YES = Changes name of Secretary of State to Lieutenant Governor and must run on same ticket as Governor

112 - NO  = Initiative filing deadline stays at 4 months

113 - YES = Secret ballots in elections for employee representation (ie, this is the no union thug can demand to see your ballot and then demand an explanation on how you voted)

203 - NO  = medical marijuana will not be legalized

301 - YES = transfers the balance of money in the land conservation fund to the state general fund

302 - YES = terminates programs which supplant the responsibilities of parents

Donors Send Millions to Defend Arizona Law

Thank you Mr. Mellon and the more than 42000 others who have sent donations to help Arizona defend itself against the federal government!

Donors Send Millions to Defend Arizona Law

Arizona has attracted more than $3.6 million of donations to help defend its law to crack down on illegal immigration, with one whopping contribution—and thousands of smaller ones—from out of state.

Timothy Mellon, an heir to a Pittsburgh steel and banking dynasty, has donated $1.5 million to a legal-defense fund established by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, according to the governor's office.

Mr. Mellon, who is identified on a donor list as a Wyoming resident, is among more than 42,000 people who have contributed to the border state's legal battle for the right to enforce the law, which Arizona's legislature passed earlier this year.

The law makes illegal immigration a state crime and requires police to check the immigration status of anyone they stop if they suspect they are in the state unlawfully.

Mr. Mellon's contribution is an anomaly. Through Sept. 9, the latest date for which information is available, most of the donations have been small, many between $20 and $100. Sympathizers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia have contributed to the fund. Most of the individual online contributions have come from Arizona, followed by California, Texas, Florida and New York.

Since Ms. Brewer signed Arizona Senate Bill 1070 in April, her popularity has soared, bolstering the Republican's chances in next Tuesday's gubernatorial election. Polls show her with a lead of more than 10 percentage points over state Attorney General Terry Goddard.

The law sparked a national debate and propelled illegal immigration to the forefront of the midterm election campaign. Candidates in more than 25 states have said they would draft similar laws if they were elected, according to ImmigrationWorks USA, a pro-business group that favors changing immigration policy.

Arizona is widely regarded as a testing ground for tackling illegal immigration. SB1070 could culminate in a U.S. Supreme Court clash over state versus federal power that backers of the measure hope will establish a new legal precedent that delegates more authority over immigration to the states.

In May, amid lawsuits from individuals and civil-rights groups, Ms. Brewer signed an executive order creating the Border Security and Illegal Immigration Defense Fund to raise money from private citizens to help pay the state's legal costs.

The state is represented by Snell & Wilmer, a big Phoenix law firm that is charging $225 to $450 an hour. Ms. Brewer tapped outside counsel after Mr. Goddard, her Democratic rival in the gubernatorial election, expressed reservations about defending the law against the suits, according to the governor's spokesman.

A spokesman for Mr. Goddard said he stepped aside after the Arizona legislature enacted a statute that deprived him of the authority to defend SB1070 in court and gave the governor the authority to hire outside counsel.

In early July, the Obama administration filed suit over the statute, saying the state had "crossed a constitutional line" and was interfering with federal authority over immigration. Most out-of-state donations began flowing to Arizona after that suit was filed.

On July 29, a federal judge temporarily stopped key provisions of the law from taking effect, saying it was unlikely Arizona would prevail in challenges to provisions such as requiring police to question and detain suspected illegal immigrants during routine stops. Arizona appealed the decision, setting in motion what is likely to be a protracted legal battle with Washington.

About 220 attorneys have taken part in the suits so far, and there have been more than 1,000 legal filings, the governor's spokesman said. The state has paid more than $441,000 in legal fees, according to invoices from Snell & Wilmer reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Those expenditures are for only two months and are likely to increase quickly.

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will consider the Obama administration's suit beginning Monday.

"Gov. Brewer has stated that she is prepared to take this case to the U.S. Supreme Court," said Paul Senseman, the governor's deputy chief of staff.

If the case were to reach the high court, attorneys fees could soar to $10 million, according to Robert Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, a nonpartisan research group in Los Angeles.

Mr. Mellon was unavailable for comment. "We believe the donation speaks for itself," said Robert Culliford, general counsel for Pan Am Systems Inc., a private shipping and freight concern of which Mr. Mellon is chairman.

Mr. Mellon has donated money to several GOP candidates during the current election cycle, including U.S. Senate hopefuls Carly Fiorina in California and Marco Rubio in Florida and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, according to OpenSecrets.org, which tracks political contributions.

AZ DPS Patrol Vehicle Stolen by Presumed Illegal

It's an AP article so I can't link and copy it here.

A Department of Public Safety officer made a traffic stop of a stolen pikcup truck suspected of carrying illegal immigrants north of Casa Grande this afternoon - near the Sacaton rest stop along west bound Interstate 10. Casa Grande is near where the Sheriff Deputy was shot earlier this year and near where two illegals used a cell phone to call for help but were dead by the time they were found - that was a likely case of one cartel attacking another.

A scuffle ensued and the patrol car was stolen. The driver later abandoned the patrol car 30 miles south of Phoenix. The driver was arrested. Strange. They don't report his immigration status.

9th Circuit Court of Appeals: No Proof of Citizenship Required to Register to Vote in Arizona

Another attack on Arizona.  9th Circuis Court says no proof of citizenship is required to register to vote in Arizona.  Unbelievable.  These idiots will destroy this country.  Arizonan and retired US Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O'Conner, who was sitting as an acting appellate judge, ruled against her own home state.  Fine.  Take John McCain and retire to California.  Please.

Court throws out Arizona rule requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote

A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out a state mandate for people to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed to register to vote.

In a divided decision, the majority of the three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded the requirement, approved by Arizona voters in 2004, runs afoul of the federal National Voter Registration Act. That law spells out what states can and cannot require to vote in federal elections.

Judge Sandra Ikuta, writing the majority decision, specifically concluded that the requirement to produce one of a list of specified documents proving citizenship is on that list of what is not allowed.

That conclusion drew derision from Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who oversees elections and who said the proof is necessary to protect the integrity of elections.

"If you buy that argument, then I assume they are going to let us go through airports signing a certificate saying that 'I am not a terrorist, I promise I don't have any explosives in my underwear,' '' Bennett said. He vowed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sen. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, who crafted the 2004 measure, said the ruling "flies in the face of common sense.''

"It should go without saying that states have the right to ensure that only citizens vote,'' he said.

While striking down the proof-of-citizenship requirement, the court let stand the other key provision of the law which require people to provide identification before being allowed to cast a ballot.

Potheads Have Blood on Their Hands

These ridiculous so-called medical marijuana laws must be defeated.

Secure the Southern border

By: Rep. Lamar Smith

Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the southern U.S. border is “as secure as it has ever been.” This surprising statement came only a few weeks after an Arizona rancher was shot and killed on his own property by a suspected illegal immigrant.

Many citizens in Arizona and other border states thought the tragic death of an U.S. citizen on his own property would finally wake up the Obama administration to the growing violence along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Though Napolitano may not want to admit it, the southern U.S. border is far from secure. Illegal immigration, drug smuggling and drug-related violence continue to threaten Americans across the country. Since President Felipe Calderon took office three years ago, there have been more than 28,000 violent deaths on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexican border due to drug cartel violence.

More than 900 U.S. Border Patrol agents have been assaulted this year. This includes the murder of Robert Rosas, who was on patrol near San Diego, Calif..

Drug cartel violence is a serious problem in Mexico. An Investor’s Business Daily editorial noted last month, “Beheadings, stonings, car bombs and terrorist attacks speak to a lust for power every bit as implacable as that of the Afghanistan’s Taliban or insurgents in Iraq.”

Unfortunately, the Obama administration continues to promote policies that fund the violence along the border.

Marijuana, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, is the “top revenue generator for Mexican drug trafficking organizations, a cash crop that finances corruption and the carnage of violence year after year.”

But rather than enforce federal drug laws that prohibit marijuana use, the Obama administration issued a directive to prosecutors not to investigate medical marijuana dispensaries in the 14 states that allow them. These dispensaries are often fronts for illegal marijuana distribution.

If the Obama administration really wants to address drug-related violence along the U.S.-Mexico border, it needs to cut off the cash crop for Mexican drug cartels. That means enforcing all federal drug laws—including those that outlaw marijuana.

Drug trafficking and drug-related violence isn’t the only problem along the U.S.-Mexico border. Lax border security is a serious national security risk.

So far in 2010, 447,731 immigrants have been apprehended trying to cross the Southwest border illegally. Of those, 50,912 are from countries other than Mexico -- including terrorist-sponsoring countries like Syria, Pakistan and Yemen.

We already know terrorists exploit weaknesses in the U.S. immigration system to come here. Several of the 9-11 hijackers had overstayed their visas and should have been deported. It is no surprise that terrorists are trying to exploit weak border security on the U.S.-Mexico border to enter the United States undetected.

In addition to national security concerns, illegal immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border hurts U.S. citizen and legal immigrant workers. Last year, 556,041 individuals were apprehended while trying to enter the U.S.

According to T.J. Bonner, the head of the U.S. Border Patrol Council, for each illegal immigrant apprehended, two illegal immigrants enter successfully. That means an estimated one million people succeed in crossing into the United States illegally each year. That’s roughly the population of cities like Dallas; San Jose, Calif., or Detroit.

While millions of Americans are struggling to find work, there are an estimated seven million illegal immigrants in the U.S. workforce. Legal American workers should not have to compete with illegal immigrants for scarce jobs.

Worksite enforcement could help make those much-needed jobs available for U.S. citizen and legal immigrant workers. But under President Barack Obama, worksite enforcement administrative arrests are down 77 percent.

Real border security means stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the United States and putting an end to illegal immigration. The Obama administration can do much more to protect American lives and jobs.

Editorial: The High Cost of Border Insecurity

There is a great editorial at copanews (that is Maricopa County News).  I'm including it here in it's entirety.  It has one flaw - it fails to note why the Yuma sector is so much more secure is that they have a fence and the border patrol quickly jails for two weeks you if you're caught once, 30 days the second time, and so forth.

Editorial: The high cost of border insecurity

E.M. Murray

With the controversy in the State of Arizona over illegal immigration -- particularly since the passage and signing into law of Senate Bill 1070 -- we have been inundated with news clips of angry people on both sides of  the issue. We have also been lulled nearly to sleep by the talking heads on the evening news spouting figures about illegal immigration that have little or no meaning to us. Depending upon which television channel you watch, the numbers may even be different.

We hear one figure one day and a different figure another day. What is the real story behind the numbers? Does anyone have accurate figures? Are there any figures we can believe?

It is virtually impossible to obtain accurate figures, either for the number of undocumented aliens in the United States (for obvious reasons) or the cost to US citizens of having those undocumented aliens here. There are, however, credible sources who give numbers based on research instead of on emotion. This article will use those sources.

A publication from the Majority Staff of the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Investigations, “A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border,” (www.house.gov/sites/members/tx10_mccaul/pdf/Investigaions-Border-Report.pdf), is a report that every concerned citizen should read. Don’t read it just before going to bed at night, though – it may give you nightmares.

The numbers

The United States shares nearly 6,000 miles of international border with Mexico and Canada. This article focuses on the US/Mexican border, since that is the area of interest to Arizonans. According to the report, during 2005, approximately 1.2 million illegal aliens were apprehended. Let’s see what that number actually looks like: 1,200,000. That is one of those numbers too large for most of us to really comprehend. Of those 1.2 million aliens, 165,000 were from countries other than Mexico (OTM). Of those 165,000, approximately 650 were from special interest countries (SIC).

Those special interest countries are a concern for both the United States and Arizona because they are “designated by the intelligence community as countries that could export individuals that could bring harm to our country in the way of terrorism” (quoted from a written statement of David Aguilar, Chief, Border Patrol, U.S. Department of Homeland Security).

The Tucson Sector of Border Patrol (the sector we reside in) is the busiest and biggest sector in the Border Patrol Service. It is so large and so busy that agents from other sectors are on loan to the Tucson Sector. According to Colleen Agle of the Tucson Sector, in the period of October 1, 2009 through July 31, 2010, there were 194,000 apprehensions in the sector. Border Patrol estimates (or guesstimates!) that for every one undocumented alien apprehended, 2.6 get away. Using that figure, 504,400 – over half a million -- entered the US through that one sector alone and were not caught. Those uncaught aliens could populate a city the size of Tucson. The Federal government estimates that only 10 to 30 percent of illegal aliens are apprehended, meaning that for the 194,000 caught in the Tucson sector, up to 1,746,000 came into the US illegally – and were not apprehended. That is a population the size of Phoenix!

Drugs, drugs, and more drugs

A large portion of illegal activity at the border has to do with illegal drug smuggling. In the fiscal year 2005, Federal drug seizures amounted to 222,714 kilograms (490,995 pounds or 245 and a half tons) of cocaine and 1,162,509 kilograms (over 2,562,867 pounds or more than 1,281 tons) of marijuana. So much for the “war on drugs.”

Pinal County numbers

What do the numbers have to do with us here in Maricopa? In 2009, the Pinal County Jail booked 325 illegal aliens. During much of the year, nation of origin was not recorded, but of those that were, there were 42 OTM undocumented aliens. Of those, two were from SICs – one from Cuba and one from Iran. Bear in mind that these people were not booked into the jail for being in the country illegally. They were booked for violations of law including DUI and extreme DUI, smuggling (people and/or drugs), assault with intent, child abuse, child molestation, aggravated assault on an officer, aggravated assault, theft, forgery, arson, identity theft, money laundering, kidnapping, unlawful flight from law enforcement, burglary, and just about any other crime one can think of.

From January 1, 2010 through June 30, 2010, the Pinal County Jail booked 191 undocumented aliens. Of those, 30 were OTMs. Of those 30, seven were NOIs, including one from Brazil and one from Colombia.

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) called the U.S. Border Patrol 249 times in 2009 and 237 times in 2010 (as of August 9th). Many of those calls were for multiple persons.

The Pinal County Adult Detention Facility has an agreement to house illegal aliens, who are turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.). In 2008, they housed 6,728 of these individuals. In 2009, that number was 6,549.

According to Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Tim Gaffney, the cost to house a prisoner is $59.64 per person per day. Multiply the inmate numbers by $60 and you begin to see the staggering amounts of money spent. Is it any wonder that it seems like Sheriff Paul Babeu is always asking the Board of Supervisors for more money?

In addition to the obvious dangers to the citizens of the county due to crimes committed by undocumented aliens, there is another major issue. The majority of vehicle pursuits by the PCSO involve drug and human trafficking. These pursuits put everyone on the road at risk, both unsuspecting citizens and the deputies. In 2007, there were 142 vehicle pursuits in the county. In 2008, there were 140. In 2009, the number of vehicle pursuits was up to 289. Through (only!) July 31st of this year, there have been 246 pursuits. In some cases, the deputies have dropped pursuits when the risk to citizens was too high to warrant further pursuit. However, even ending a pursuit does not guarantee safety. (See http://www.copanews.com/Article.aspx?ID=1616 for an example.)

The human costs

In addition to threats, risks, and losses to the public due to crimes committed by illegal aliens, there are also human costs. Deaths in the desert are all too common. (Actually, even one death is too many.) The slow or infirm are often left behind by the “coyotes” (human traffickers) to make their own way – or die – in the desert. Through July 15, 2010, the Pima County Medical Examiner handled 134 deceased illegal immigrants (an increase from 93 last year). On October 6, 2010, The Washington Independent reported 252 bodies were recovered in Pima County. The office was so overloaded with bodies that the medical examiner had to get a refrigerated truck to store some of them. It is estimated that 2/3 of the deceased are never identified, leaving hundreds of families to worry and wonder about their loved one.

In Pinal County this year, through August 12, 2010, 12 bodies were recovered from the desert. While many of those people died of exposure, either to cold nights in the winter or heat in the summer, two were officially ruled as homicides. Five of the deceased have not been identified; their families will never know what became of them.

In addition, the television news has a story about a “drop house” nearly every week. Houses where men – and women -- and children – are held against their will, starved, and abused, while their families in Mexico are extorted to obtain their release.

Yuma Sector: doing the job

The Yuma Sector of Border Patrol, on the other hand, was bragging in September that they have had no border-crossing fatalities this fiscal year (www.YumaSun.com). In recent years, enforcement was stepped up in that sector. (Now-Sheriff Babeu was a participant in the increased Yuma Sector enforcement.) Border enforcement in the sector is so tight that word has gone out not to try to cross there. If you are caught, you will be summarily jailed and then deported. “Catch and release” is no longer the way things are done in Yuma Sector.

No money for enforcement

One problem Pinal County has in relation to being a “smuggling corridor” is that we are not technically a “border county.” Although trafficking, both human and drugs, is a serious problem in our county, and related violence is escalating (see http://www.copanews.com/Article.aspx?ID=1158), we are not included in funds for enforcement because we are not a “border county.” Washington cannot conceive that we would need enforcement funds – after all, we’re miles away from the US/Mexican border!

Arizona dollars

While the “FAIR Report” has been termed unfair by some, it offers a conservative estimate of the cost of Arizona’s illegal immigrant population. The organization’s estimate comes to about $1.3 billion per year – ONLY for education, medical care, and incarceration (http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecenters5e3f). In case that figure doesn’t impress you, it’s $1,300,000,000 of your tax money. This does not include a lot of other costs: displacement of legal workers by illegal immigrants willing to accept lower wages, law enforcement costs for prevention and enforcement and judicial process (court) costs, the need for bi-lingual employees in numerous industries, bi-lingual printing costs for documents (including voting materials), higher insurance rates associated with illegal immigration related crimes such as property loss and auto theft, US money sent to Mexico -- and on and on it goes.

The education costs do not include things such as ESL instruction and school nutrition programs. Look at the cost of supporting illegal aliens and then look at the Arizona State budget deficit; you may see a connection there.

Your family is paying (the figure may be considerably higher now) about $717 per year just to support illegal immigrants. If you don’t like the large class sizes at your child’s school, consider this: 15 to 20% of the students in his or her class are illegal immigrants. If you have ever been forced to wait for hours at the Emergency Room, be aware that the preferred medical provider of illegal immigrants (who will never pay the bill, by the way) is the Emergency Room. In addition, your medical bills are high in order to cover the cost of those who are uninsured and never pay.

Governor Brewer has taken a solid stand against illegal immigration in signing Senate Bill 1070. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County is still doing his raids to arrest illegal immigrants. Sheriff Paul Babeu of Pinal County has become a vocal opponent of illegal immigration due to recent crimes in our county. More and more states have passed or are passing laws similar to our SB 1070.

What you can do

When you go to the polling place on November 2 to exercise your right – and your responsibility – to vote, consider the platforms and the promises of the candidates. If you see illegal immigration as a problem for Pinal County and for Arizona, vote for those who see it the same way and say they will do something about it.

If you see people you suspect of being illegal aliens, call 9-1-1. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has authorization to apprehend undocumented aliens, who are then turned over to I.C.E.

Note: The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office was very cooperative and willing to help with research for this article and provided numerous facts, figures, and interviews. The local media has carried articles about illegal trafficking in Maricopa but when asked for data regarding stops of undocumented aliens by the Maricopa Police Department, we received the following communication from the Public Information Officer of the Department: “Per our Departmental policy we do not ask people whether they are undocumented aliens. Subsequently, we do not have stats surrounding those circumstances.” For this reason, there is no information specific to Maricopa in this article

SB1070 Hearing To Be Broadcast on CSPAN

I've been hearing all day on local radio that the November 1 appeasl court hearing in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco will be broadcast on CSPAN.  I don't know which CSPAN channel yet but will post it if I find out.  But, the CSPAN website streams quite well so look for it there!

Viewing rooms will also be set up at the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco, Phoenix, Tucson, and in Seattle, Portland (OR), and Pasadena (CA).

I'll be watching it and I hope you will as well!

Walter Oberstar?

This is just weird.  Is Jeff Dunhams puppet Walter  a congressman running for re-election??

I just saw the congressmen croaking "I read the bill" on the news and immediately thought he looked like Walter.  That's just too funny.

DHS Now Says Their Memo Was a False Alarm

ou puhlease!  we live in a a freaking banana republic already!

DHS Memo Proves Cartel Involved in Officer Shooting April 2010

Remember the Pinal County Sheriffs Deupty who was shot in out in the desert while tracking smugglers? And how he was maligned by local idiots? Well, well, well. A DHS memo was sent to several law enforcement entities around Arizona in May which corroborates his story. So, the Federal Government never said a word to defend this fine officer, Sheriff Babeu, or the people of Arizona who have been crying out for help in protecting their homes and property and their own lives from the invasion force of the drug cartels.

Jim Sharpe of KFYI started off his show this morning with this topic, comes back to it at about 12:00 minutes into the recording, and Sheriff Babeu joined him at about 20:35 minutes into the recording.  Sheriff Babeu confirms that he received the memo and that it's real.  Of course, it was "law enforcement sensitive" so Sheriff Babeu was restricted from using it to defend his officer.  Babeu also points out that the 911 commission said that the government should share information as quickly as they can even if it's not 100% accurate.  Clearly, the Obama regime is not cooperating; but we knew that.  Listen to Sheriff Babeu from 20:35 through the end of the recording.  Babeu is going after them with snipers.

250000 illegals have been apprehended using this area as an illegal alien and drug smuggler superhighway; 400000 roaming around free.  The memo says there are 23 hilltops with scouts.  In some cases, these scouts have radios with rolling encryption - ie, they cannot be tracked.

In the memo, the intel shows that the cartel was involved in the ambush of the officer.  All the while the federal government and DHS sat on this information.    If you weren't convinced before, you should be now... DHS is lead by a liar, President Obama is a liar.

So, the Director of DHS, also the former Governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano sits there and lies saying the border is as secure as it has ever been all the while knowing that it actually far less secure than it has ever been and parts of Arizona are now under the control of the cartels and they are actually at war with each other fighting over our American land.  And they put up signs facing north to tell us to keep out!!!!!

Note that Puerto Penasco is the quaint little beach community where a large number of Zonies own condos and drive down every weekend.  I repeat that if you set foot in Mexico, you're insane.

DHS Memo: Drug Cartels Plot To Send Asssassins To AZ

PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. -- Mexican drug cartels have plotted to send assassins into Arizona to murder bandits who are stealing drugs from the cartels, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by CBS 5 News.

A CBS 5 News law enforcement source said the memo was sent to several law enforcement agencies in May.

The memo said, "We just received information from a proven credible confidential source who reported that a meeting was held in Puerto Penasco in which every smuggling organization who utilizes the Vekol Valley was told to attend. This included rival groups within the Guzman cartel."

The Guzman cartel is one of the most powerful and dangerous cartels in Mexico.

The Vekol Valley is a known drug smuggling corridor in Pinal County and is also where Pinal Deputy Louie Puroll claims to have been ambushed by armed smugglers on April 30, according to Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.

"It was decided to send a group of 15, very well equipped and armed sicarios (hired assassins) complete with bullet proof vests, into the Vekol Valley," according to the memo.

The cartels would then "send groups of 'simulated backpackers' carrying empty boxes covered with burlap into the Vekol Valley to draw out the bandits." Once identified, according to the memo, "the sicarios will take out the bandits."

After CBS 5 News told Babeu that it knew about the memo, he confirmed his agency was one of several Arizona law enforcement agencies that received the memo in May.

"We need to be plain and clear with the American people about this information. You've already confirmed it. I'm not going to lie about it," Babeu said during an interview Thursday afternoon.

"This is no longer a law enforcement matter. This is literally a national security threat to our country," Babeu said.

"These drug cartels are working in tandem to now bring this violence here to America. And this is alarming because to this point, we haven't seen this, a coordinated response from drug cartels who nearly have toppled the Mexican government," he said.

Babeu did not give details, but said he has received several similar memos from federal law enforcement agencies about Mexican cartel activity taking place within Arizona's borders.

"All of these things are proof and evidence that we need help here," Babeu said. "That it's not just local law enforcement that needs to fight this. That we do need armed soldiers to the border to stop this. This threat is real."

DHS Alerted AZ Sheriffs That Mexican Drug Cartel Was Sending Assassins Into Arizona Valley, Then Did No More Than Set Up Signs To Warn Travelers Away

(CNSNews.com) – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned Arizona law enforcement officials in May that Mexican drug cartels were deploying assassins to kill bandits highjacking their drug loads in the Vekol Valley, 70 miles inside Arizona. Then the federal government set up signs in the region to warn American citizens away from this area of U.S. sovereign territory.

That local law enforcement would be left to confront agents of a foreign cartel coming across the international border of the United States to carry out a deadly drug war on U.S. soil is further evidence that the federal government is not doing its duty to secure the border, said Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.

“This is confirmed intelligence that Mexican drug cartels are now working in concert to protect their drug loads in the United States, literally, to send well-armed, military trained--even with ballistic vests--up to my county,” Babeu told CNSNews.com.

“This clearly is no longer a public safety issue,” he said. “This is a national security issue. The violence is bleeding into America and we must stop it.”

The DHS sent an e-mail on May 13, 2010 to several law enforcement agencies warning that Mexican drug cartels were deploying “sicarios” (assassins) into the western part of Pinal County, Ariz., to “take out” bandits that were robbing drug smugglers who had entered the United States from Mexico through the Arizona desert.

The e-mail was sent on May 13, 2010, and made public this Friday, Oct. 15, after local media in Arizona obtained the e-mail and questioned local law enforcement about it.

Babeu said that until now the e-mail was kept private because it was considered “law enforcement sensitive.” But Babeu, a critic of the Obama administration’s handling of immigration and border security issues, said he released it today because it constitutes further evidence that the government is not protecting Americans from the threats posed by a porous border.

“This is unacceptable for our federal government not to secure the border and not to respond to these threats,” Babeu told CNSNews.com. “How has it become in America [that] local sheriffs and law enforcement have to go up onto hillsides and pull people out of caves and take lookouts and scouts, who have binoculars, and night vision, and communication devices which are encrypted and rolling – they said so, right in the memo.”

The May 13 e-mail reads, in part: “We just received information from a proven credible confidential source who reported that last weekend, a meeting was held in Puerto Penasco in which every smuggling organization who utilized the Vekol Valley was told to attend. This included rival groups within the Guzman cartel.

“It was decided that the cartel would send a group of fifteen, very well equipped and armed sicarios complete with bullet proof vests, into the Vekol Valley” the e-mail continues. “The Cartel has a map of where the most bandit activity has been occurring. The group will walk into the valley taking four days to get into LPOP positions and communicate back to Penasco. Penasco will then send groups of simulated backpackers carrying empty boxes covered with burlap into the Vekol Valley to draw out the bandits. Once the bandits have been identified, the sicarios will take out the bandits.”

“Incidentally” the e-mail continues,” the night of the Vekol Valley shooting, we received information from a source who reported that the scouts in the valley (the Cartel has 23 scout locations with rolling encryption) were reporting that bandits had shot two sheriff’s deputies and the area was covered with cops.”

The last portion of the e-mail apparently refers to the reported ambush of Pinal County Deputy Louie Puroll, who was shot while scouting the Vekol Valley area on April 30, two weeks before DHS sent the e-mail warning of drug cartel operations in the small location.

While Vekol Valley in southwest Arizona is about 70 miles north from the U.S.-Mexico border, Puerto Penasco – the site where DHS said the drug cartels were meeting to discuss the assassination plot – is a resort town on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, a little more than 60 miles south from the border.

Babeu said despite the federal government’s intelligence, it failed to respond to its own warning, except to install 15 billboard-sized warning notices in the Vekol Valley area cited in the DHS e-mail. (See story.)

“It is right in that exact location,” Babeu said of the signs that were erected shortly after the e-mail was sent. “That’s why they put up these signs. They knew of this and the only thing they did was put up signs warning our citizens to stay out.”

Babeu said the federal government’s border security policy has failed and action should be taken immediately to stem further violence by Mexican drug cartels on U.S. soil.

DHS did not respond to phone or e-mail requests from CNSNews.com for comment on this story and the May 13 e-mail.

Falcon Lake Murder Update

An update on the Falcon Lake murder.

The Mexican investigator, Armando Flores Villegas, was decapitated and his head delivered in a suitcase to the Mexican military’s Eight Zone headquarters in Reynosa on Oct. 12.  Remind yourself who else decapitates people on a regular basis.  The sick jihadi influence is in northern Mexico.

StratFor does indeed have a story on it's front page, but it's subscription only so no quoting. But, it does say that the truck the Hartley's drove to Falcon Lake had license plates from the Mexican stae of Tamaulipas and, of course, they drove their jet skiis straight into a known drug cartel war zone. It goes on to state that the cartel scouts saw this as the Hartleys arrived on the American side of the lake. So, they were marked for death at first sight.

Los Zetas No. 2 Miguel “Z-40” Trevino Morales is apparently attempting a damage control effort by identifyting and eliminating the lower level criminals who attacked the Hartleys.

I still say the Hartleys were fools to be there in the first place but they were obviously lulled into a sense of safety by the fact that they had lived in Tamaulipas, Mexico for 2 years and had just recently moved back to the American side of the border.

Stand With Arizona says

STRATFOR says captured intelligence shows that David Hartley was targeted for death once the Zetas thought he was a spy for a rival cartel. Doesn't make it any less tragic, but does back up Mrs. Hartley's story. One thing is for sure, this lake is a zone of lawlessness, and the Feds need to shut it down. There is nothi...ng to stop anyone or any materials from moving into the U.S. via this lake.

and then links to this story in the San Antonio News

Lake killing blamed on blunder

By Lynn Brezosky - Express-News

BROWNSVILLE — A global intelligence company Wednesday said the death of U.S. citizen David Michael Hartley on Falcon Lake was a case of mistaken identity in a turf war between rival drug cartels.

Hartley, who was shot during a Sept. 30 sightseeing trip to the Mexican side of the binational reservoir, was shot by Zeta cartel enforcers because he was mistaken for a spy of the rival Gulf Cartel, according to the report by STRATFOR, and Austin-based think tank specializing in intelligence and international issues.

The report goes on to say Hartley's body likely was destroyed as Los Zetas went into “damage control” mode and that the lower-level operatives responsible for the unauthorized strike against him now are on the Zetas' hit list.

“The cartel boss — Miguel Treviño — is highly upset over the fact that these individuals shot and killed Mr. Hartley and it's our understanding that the cartel boss is hunting for the killers of Mr. Hartley so he can take care of them himself,” said Fred Burton, STRATFOR's vice president of intelligence.

Burton, who doesn't cite his sources, goes on to say the beheading Tuesday of Rolando Armando Flores Villegas, the lead Mexican investigator in the case, was a stern signal to both the United States and Mexico that no body will be produced and to leave the situation alone.

Hartley's wife, Tiffany, has said the two were ambushed while taking pictures of a submerged Mexican town.

She said she raced to U.S. shores without her husband after a futile attempt to lift his body, the gunfire trailing her well across the U.S. line.

The case has drawn international attention, with Tiffany Hartley and her family appearing on various news shows defending her story of lake pirates and pleading for action amid a drug war that has Mexican officials paralyzed by fear.

Her mother, Cynthia Young, said the family had seen the STRATFOR report but had no comment yet on its findings.

“It hasn't been confirmed through the investigative officers here,” she said. “But we're still standing and believing for a miracle that we will get David back in some fashion and that's the way God wants it. But he's in charge.”

October 12, 2010 - Tenth anniversary of the USS Cole Attack

Please go to The Jawa Report and read the whole thing in honor of the murdered.

The 10th Anniversary of the USS Cole Bombing

In remembrance of the 10th anniversary of the USS Cole bombing, I am reprinting my article from 2007. And little has changed since it was written. Primary plotters Al Quso and al Badawi were both released in Yemen. Al Quso, added to the FBI's most wanted list in 2009, made an al Qaeda video in 2010. Al Quso may be in Pakistan or Shabwa, but he certainly hooked up with his clansman Anwar al Awlaki along the way. Jamal Al Badawi was released upon surrender in 2007, about a week after this article was written. After US objections, he may have in and out of jail. Supposedly he's on a hunger strike now because he was supposed to have been released again during Ramadan 2010. In US custody, al Nashiri's trial was going forward but now is "on hold." Tawfiq bin Attash won't see the inside of a court room any time soon.

The thing that's new this year is the emergence of AQAP as an entity that has the ambition to strike the United States homeland. Consequently, the US is putting its security in the hands of the supposedly reformed Yemeni President Saleh, which is quite scary considering his history. Apparently Saleh's brutality toward his own people is not an issue, nor his incompetence, nor his criminality. Here in the US, the political fall-out from allying with an al Qaeda appeaser and a security apparatus seriously compromised by al Qaeda is minimal. In Yemen, Saleh's broad and bloody methods of counter-insurgency have created new civil unrest. Saleh's propensity for duplicity means that much of it is a dog and pony show targeting his domestic opposition.

And the question screaming for an answer on this day of all days is to what extent was President Saleh and the upper echelon of his administration involved in the USS Cole bombing? We know there was some mid-level facilitation both before and after the attack which killed 17 US service members, and badly injured 49 others. But current indications are that Saleh had foreknowledge. And we can all shuffle that knowledge from page to page and post to post, but if AQAP -- God forbid -- succeeds in hitting the US, then the prevailing assessment of Saleh as trustworthy, irreplaceable or mailable will seem ludicrous. Those sailors and their families have given their lives to this country, but they have more to give--truth about Yemen and Saleh, a rare commodity. By whitewashing the facts of their deaths and by forgiving Yemen's "failures" in this case, the current administration (like the prior two) is endangering not only their mates who are serving today but all American citizens.

Update on condition of Sue Krentz

Susan Krentz is not just "a Douglas woman".  Rather, Susan Krentz is the widow of the murdered Arizona Rancher Rob Krentz.  Stupid news 4.

Update on condition of Sue Krentz

TUCSON - News 4 has an update today on the condition of a Douglas woman hit last month while crossing the street with a friend.

The Arizona Cattle Growers Association, acting on behalf of the family, says that Sue Krentz is stable condition and still in the ICU at the University Medical Center. She has had several surgeries to repair damage to her pelvis and leg. At this time she is heavily sedated to keep her still so she can recover. Her head is still very swollen, but that doesn't seem to be an issue.

Sue is the widow of Robert Krentz, who was killed earlier this year on his Douglas-area ranch. No arrests have ever been made in his killing.

Sue and her friend were crossing a street when police say they were hit by Ramon Saucedo, now facing charges of aggravated assault and D-U-I.

Her friend is expected to make a full recovery.

The ACGA has established the an account to help the family with medical expenses. If you would like to help, you can go to any Wells Fargo Bank and ask for the Sue Krentz Recovery Fund, Account #5206283169.

Illegal alien rape suspect has been deported nine times

Why we need a fence and some serious border enforcement and far more stringent immigration law.  Here's a guy who has been deported nine (9) times for various weapons, assault, and sexual crimes.  This is insanity.  But then what would you expect when the Director of Homeland Security admits she doesn't know what to do with an illegal alien?

Oh, and because most of these crimes were repeated in California I have to ask, yet again, what is wrong with that state?  Come on people!  You must flip your legislature!

Illegal alien rape suspect has been deported nine times

On the evening of May 16, a police officer responding to a woman’s cries for help, caught Madrigal, 46, on top of a woman, raping her. Madrigal had forced the woman into the bushes behind a Safeway in Edmonds, Washington.

According to the arrest affidavit, Madrigal approached the woman, offering her $35 for sex. When she said no, the illegal alien dragged her behind the store and raped her.

The 28-year-old rape victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Madrigal reportedly told police: “Sometimes we have control in our brains, but we make mistakes.” (Is that an admission that he knows he's a violent lunatic who can't control himself? - Kirls)

Madrigal has been charged with rape, and is also being held on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer. Police report that the illegal alien has a total of 35 different aliases.

Due to his numerous aliases, police had to rely on fingerprint records to identify Madrigal.

Madrigal has a lengthy crimial record in this country, dating back to 1989, when he was convicted of theft with a firearm in California. After that, he was deported twice, before his next arrest on this side of the border.

In 1999, he was arrested for drug distribution in San Diego and San Francisco. He was deported three times that year alone, between April and August.

In 2000, Madrigal was arrested again for drug distribution in Stockton, Ca.

In 2002, he pleaded guilty to sexual assault in Denver, and deported again.

In 2003, he was deported three more times.

Mexican President Calderone on Drug Trafficking and CA Ballot Measure to Legalize Pot

In an article about the success of the Drug War in Tijuana, Mexico, Mexican President Calderone blames American pot heads and other drug users for the increase in drug trafficking and slams California idiotic ballot measure which would legalize pot making the problems worse.  The Cartels will defend their market share increasing the violence on the American side of the border.

I don't agree with Calderon on many things and I don't agree 100% with him on this.  But, he's right that you idiot pot heads and drug users, share the blame for a lot of this.  You have the blood of thousands on your hands.  You are at least partially responsible.

A fence supported by both governments would go a very long way to severely restricting the flow of everything in both directions.  Why isn't it done?

"The reality is that while the United States continues to consume drugs, drug trafficking will not go away," he said. "The surveys on drug use in the United States are truly disappointing. Instead of a reduction, there is an increase."

He was sharply critical of a Nov. 2 ballot measure in California that would legalize possession of small quantities of marijuana and pave the way for local governments to allow retail sales of the drug, saying it reflects a "terrible inconsistency" in U.S. drug policy.

"They have exerted pressure and demanded for decades that Mexico and other countries control, reduce and fight drug trafficking, and there is no discernible effort to reduce the consumption of drugs in the United States," he said.

Jaurez Officer Murdered, Another Shot, a Civilian Shot

A Jaurez traffic cop is shot and killed for no apparent reason, another Jaurez traffic cop shot and in critical condition, and a civilian shot.  These were traffic cops.  The first was escorting a vehicle in the course of a traffic violation task.  The shooting appears to have come out of nowhere.

Other facts noted in the article, Juárez officer gunned down: Assisting officer, civilian are wounded

Ramiro Cordero, a Border Patrol spokesman, said the agents had responded to the sound of gunfire in the area.

"Immediately, as always, we took positions in order to ensure that nothing came across that might harm or injure our citizens, and we immediately contacted the other law enforcement agencies to let them know what was going on," Cordero said.

On June 29, a gunfight between Mexican police and a group of gunmen that erupted near an S-Mart parking lot killed one Mexican federal police officer and probably caused seven bullet pockmarks in the walls of El Paso City Hall, according to the El Paso Police Department.

On Aug. 6, Irvin High School teacher James Patrick Barnes was shot in the back on the balcony of his girlfriend's house in colonia Cazadores Juarenses, which is across the border from UTEP.

On Aug. 21, another gunfight involving Mexican police broke out in the same area.

Paisano Drive was shut down from Executive Center Boulevard to Santa Fe Street for about 30 minutes that day to prevent people and vehicles from being struck by stray bullets.

During the battle, an alleged gunman was killed and three Juárez police officers were wounded.

Thirty-three transit and city police officers have been killed in Juárez this year, Torres said.

More than 2,300 people have been slain in Juárez this year, according to an El Paso Times tally.

By Thursday evening, at least six more people were killed in the city, including two unidentified men found tied up and shot to death.

The men's heads had been covered with plastic bags wrapped with tape, Chihuahua state police said. One man wore only boxer shorts while the other wore a green jersey, possibly of the Mexican national soccer team, and a pink mini-skirt.

In some drug-related murders, victims have been dressed in women's clothing after death as a form of humiliation.

Note that the El Paso, TX, USA police have to immediately respond to shootings in Mexico with a defensive stance.  It's as if they are at war with us.

Who else in the world do we know that cares so much about humiliation?  Come on, you all know the answer as well as I do.  The moslems.  The influence is obvious and growing.  It's on our border.  It's coming to your town.  Don't think you're safe because you're 100 miles away from the border.  I'm 150 miles from the border and it's here.  It's creeping.

Real Forensics Experts Debunk Lies From Phoenix New Times

The Phoenix New Times wasn't always good only for birdcage liner but this is the final nail in the coffin of any possibility that I will ever pick up that piece of crap again.  Not that I have in years.

Pinal County Sheriff Deputy Louie Puroll was shot April 30th in the desert about 50 miles south of Phoenix and at least 80 miles north of the border.  Puroll was tracking drug smugglers at the time.  He did not intend to get close to the smugglers.  Puroll is an experienced desert tracker; that's what he does for a living; he's had as many as 40 illegals surrender to him simultaneously.

On September 23, the Phoenix New Times wrote an article clearly indicating that they believed the story was fake.

But the "smugglers" escaped apprehension, and the packs that supposedly were filled with dope also vanished with them.

They blather on about how 100 officers and a few helicopters couldn't find these "smugglers" or their "packs" but conveniently don't mention that these officers and assets weren't on the scene until 2 and 1/2 hours after the incident.  This was quite close to roads and highways.  The smugglers could have walked to one of the roads and arranged a pickup within 10 minutes or so.  No doubt they were long gone before any other official was on the scene.  But the New Times didn't care about that.  And that is just on page 1.  You can read the whole thing at the link above if you like.  I'm not wasting my time any further.

On October 7th, the Phoenix New Times doubled down on their slander of Sheriff Babue and Deputy Puroll with an article entitled Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu Goes on the Defensive in a Desperate Attempt to Save His and Deputy Louie Puroll's Reputations.  In reality, that article was a desparate attempt to deny that the Phoenix New Times is indeed a "conspiracy theory publication", did indeed go "expert shopping", that Sheriff Babeu had indeed reopened the investigation, and that the statements of the DPS were indeed bizarre.

And now, Sheriff Babue and Deputy Puroll are, of course, vindicated.

Sheriff's office: Evidence backs up deputy's story

FLORENCE, AZ - Independent testing of a bloodied shirt backs up the story of a deputy who contends he was shot by drug smugglers in the remote desert, officials said Thursday. The deputy dismissed speculation that he staged the incident to publicize drug and human smuggling.

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said the Arizona Department of Public Safety concluded that a bullet passed through the shirt, but that no gunpowder was found on it. The sheriff's office said that confirms the bullet was fired from far away, as Pinal County Deputy Louie Puroll said it was.

"This case is now closed, and we're going to move on," Sheriff Paul Babeu said.

Puroll told investigators he was following a group of smugglers carrying bales of marijuana when he was ambushed by men firing AK-47 rifles about 50 miles south of Phoenix on April 30.

In what Puroll described as a running gunbattle, he was grazed by a bullet in the small of the back.

The shooting immediately raised questions about why a deputy would be looking for armed drug smugglers in the remote desert without backup. A dragnet involving more than 100 officers in the rugged mountainous area found no suspects and no bales of marijuana.

In his first public comments since the shooting, Puroll said he didn't plan on confronting the smugglers.

"I never intended to get close to them," a blunt-talking Puroll told a news conference. "They just stopped sooner than I thought they would. If I'd have known I was going to get in a gunfight, I'd have taken five or six guys with me. I can't imagine anybody shooting themself, let alone me."

He said he believes he believes he hit one of the men during the firefight but wasn't surprised that the dragnet didn't find any sign of the men or their cargo.

"It's a big desert," Puroll said. "A motivated individual who carries drug packs for a living and knows the cops are coming can cover a lot of distance in 2 1/2 hours. If you gave me 2 1/2 hours head start in the desert, you would not find me, no matter how many helicopters you used."

Puroll said he was an experienced deputy who made his living working alone in the desert.

"I've had as many as 40 (illegal immigrants) at a time surrender to me, surrounding my truck and begging for water and to call the Border Patrol," he said.

The sheriff's office reopened the investigation into Puroll's shooting on Sept. 27 and sent the shirt for testing following comments from two forensic pathologists that the bullet was fired from inches away, not from at least 25 yards as Puroll said.

Babeu said he reopened the investigation to maintain transparency and that his office has nothing to hide.

The shirt wasn't sent to the Department of Public Safety originally because there was no indication that Puroll wasn't telling the truth, and all the evidence backed up his story, Babeu said.

Americans Murdered in Mexico on Track to Set Record

I still hear about Zonies running down to Puerto Penasco (aka Rocky Point) or vacationers going to the big resorts in Cancun and Acapulco.  Those going to the northern areas are either ignorant or stupid.  In general, people should not spend their time or money in Mexico until that country gets it's drug and human smuggling problems under control.  Of course, my own country could help more in that situation by building a damn fence!

48 die in first 6 months, a pace that will probably exceed any previous year

American killings in Mexico may set record pace

Forty-eight Americans were murdered in Mexico during the first six months of 2010 - a deadly pace that appears likely to exceed any previous year of homicides on record, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of the U.S. State Department's death registry.

The tally doesn't include two Texans reported killed Sept. 30 in separate incidents in isolated areas of Tamaulipas, where the terrorist group known as the Zetas has been warring with their Gulf Cartel rivals in communities all along the southeast Texas border.

A college freshman from Brownsville, Jonathon William Torres Cazares, was shot and killed after authorities say his public bus got hijacked on a highway in Tamaulipas.

"He was 18 years old and traveling in Mexico visiting his family," according to a statement issued by Leticia "Letty" Fernandez, a spokeswoman for the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. "Our thoughts go out to his family and friends."

Meanwhile, David Michael Hartley, 30, of McAllen, was reported to have been shot in the head by a boatload of armed men while jet skiing on the Mexican side of the binational Falcon Reservoir, shared by Texas and Tamaulipas. His body has not yet been recovered.

State Department data shows at least three other Americans were slain this year in Tamaulipas. But no details were available. In much of Tamaulipas, the news media are no longer reporting on crime because of threats and violence against journalists carried out by drug traffickers.

slayings rise steadily

American killings in Mexico have risen steadily since 2007, when drug violence began to rage out of control in border cities including Nuevo Laredo and Tijuana and later spread to Ciudad Juarez, now ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Most homicides this year occurred in border states, like Chihuahua and Baja California, the analysis of State Department data from mid-2002 to mid-2010 shows.

Last year, 80 homicides of U.S. citizens were reported in Mexico, compared to 57 in 2008 and 35 in 2007.

13 Americans die in juarez

At least 13 Americans have been slain in Ciudad Juarez in 2010, including an employee of the U.S. Consulate, Lesley Enriquez, 35, and her husband, Arthur Redelfs, 34. Jorge Salcido, the Mexican husband of another consulate employee, was killed minutes before the others in a coordinated attack on their two cars.

Enriquez worked in the citizen services, the section of the busy Juarez consulate that provides assistance to U.S. crime victims and their families and generally "offers assistance to Americans in need," said a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

State Department homicide statistics tell only part of the story: Many killings abroad never get reported.

Three U.S. citizens - a bridegroom, his brother and his uncle, all from New Mexico - were reported by Mexican authorities to have been abducted during a May wedding at the El Señor de la Misericordia Catholic Church in Juarez. Their bodies were later found dumped in a pickup truck, but those three homicides do not appear to be included in the registry.

The State Department refuses to reveal the names of the victims. Nor does the department usually comment on the status of the homicide investigations, though consular officials are required to monitor investigations abroad that involve U.S. citizen victims and communicate with families.

The policy can lead to ambiguous and even conflicting information.

In a warning issued earlier in 2010, for example, the State Department specifically instructed Americans to avoid Gomez Palacio and other cities in the state of Durango because of "sharp increases in violence."

The warning said four U.S. citizens had been murdered in Gomez Palacio in 2009-2010. However, the State Department's own registry shows only three homicides there.

One of the three victims was a California school board member, Roberto Salcedo, shot by gunmen who stormed a restaurant after Salcedo went to visit his wife's family during the Christmas holidays in Mexico last year.

other american killings

Many more killings of Americans have been reported in Chihuahua state, which includes Ciudad Juarez and borders El Paso.

Sixteen U.S. citizens have been reported slain there so far in 2010 - 13 died in Juarez where an armed conflict between warring cartels has resulted in the loss of nearly 7,000 lives since 2008.