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Ash made the oddly not surprising statement — as it’s coming from the land of Governor Jan Brewer, revisionist history books and the most repellant immigration laws in the nation — after State Rep. Richard Miranda voiced his support for a Latino Appreciation Day:

“I wanted to speak to you all about Latino Americans here in Arizona,” said Rep. Miranda on the House floor.

After contentious debate on the floor, Rep. Ash stepped to the microphone and said that he was in definite support of the proposition — on one condition:

“I’m supportive of this proposition. I just want them to assure me that when we do become in the minority you’ll have a day for us,” Ash said.

Meeting with laughs on the House floor, the sentiment was supported by at least one Arizonian asked by CBS5:

“Good idea. Like they have Cinco de Mayo for Mexicans. We need something for whites.”

Ash claims that even though he was honest in his statement that White Americans need an appreciation day, he was not trying to be inflammatory; he just wanted to lighten the mood on the House floor:

“There was a little contention there so I was just really trying to lighten things up a little bit,” Ash said. “I think it was appropriate. It was appropriate for the mood that was in the House and I think that if and when the Caucasian population becomes a minority, they may want to celebrate the accomplishments and the contributions of the Caucasian population the same way.”

Apparently, Ash wants this ‘Appreciation Day’ to happen sooner rather than later.

According to the 2010 Census, White children made up the minority of children being born for the first time in United States history. Still, considering that White Appreciation occurs in this country 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, I don’t think we’ll see any affirmative action holidays in the near future.

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The two leaders could be seen engaged in an intense conversation at the base of Air Force One’s steps. Both could be seen smiling, but speaking at the same time.

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Asked moments later what the conversation was about, Brewer, a Republican, said, “He was a little disturbed about my book.”

Brewer recently published a book, “Scorpions for Breakfast,” something of a memoir of her years growing up, and defends her signing of Arizona’s controversial law cracking down on illegal immigrants, which Obama opposes.

Obama was objecting to Brewer’s description of a meeting he and Brewer had at the White House, where she described Obama as lecturing her. In an interview in November Brewer described two tense meetings. The first took place before his commencement address at Arizona State University. “He did blow me off at ASU,” she said in the television interview in November.

She also described meeting the president at the White House in 2010 to talk about immigration. “I felt a little bit like I was being lectured to, and I was a little kid in a classroom, if you will, and he was this wise professor and I was this little kid, and this little kid knows what the problem is and I felt minimized to say the least.”

On the tarmac Wednesday, Brewer handed Obama an envelope with a handwritten invitation to return to Arizona to meet her for lunch and to join her for a visit to the border.

“I said to him, you know, I have always respected the office of the president and that the book is what the book is,” she told reporters Wednesday. She said Obama complained that she described him as not treating her cordially.

“I said that I was sorry that he felt that way. Anyway, we’re glad he’s here, and we’ll regroup.”

A White House official said Brewer handed Obama a letter and said she was inviting him to meet with her. The official said Obama told her he would be glad to meet with her again. The official said Obama did note that after their last meeting, which the official described as a cordial discussion in the Oval Office, the governor inaccurately described the meeting in her book. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation between the president and the governor.

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Secretary Janet Napolitano said Thursday the department is ending an agreement with the Maricopa County sheriff’s office that allowed trained deputies to enforce immigration laws. It’s also restricting the office’s use of the Secure Communities program, which uses fingerprints collected in local jails to identify illegal immigrants.

Napolitano’s announcement came shortly after the Justice Department released a scathing report accusing Sheriff Joe Arpaio (ar-PEYE’-oh) and his office of committing a wide range of civil rights violations against Latinos. Justice Department investigators said the abuses included a pattern of racial profiling.

Police say they found $100,000 in his car and an additional 100 pounds of marijuana at his apartment.

TMZ reports:

Police say Hopkins told them he got involved in the drug deal to provide a nice Christmas for his family.

Hopkins is being held on $35,000 bond. If convicted, he faces up to 5 years in prison.

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The justices said Monday they will review a federal appeals court ruling that blocked several tough provisions in the Arizona law. One of those requires that police, while enforcing other laws, question a person’s immigration status if officers suspect he is in the country illegally.

The Obama administration challenged the Arizona law by arguing that regulating immigration is the job of the federal government, not states. Similar laws in Alabama, South Carolina and Utah also are facing administration lawsuits.

The court now has three politically charged cases on its election-year calendar. The other two are President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul and new electoral maps for Texas’ legislature and congressional delegation.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

The Obama administration is waging a furious legal fight against a patchwork of state laws targeting illegal immigrants, and on Monday the Supreme Court has its first chance to jump into the fray.

Arizona is asking the justices to allow the state to begin enforcing measures that have been blocked by lower courts at the administration’s request. Among those provisions is one that requires police, while enforcing other laws, to question a person’s immigration status if officers suspect he is in the country illegally.

Similar laws in Alabama, South Carolina and Utah also are facing Obama administration lawsuits. Private groups are suing over immigration measures adopted in Georgia and Indiana.

The Justice Department says regulating immigration is the job of the federal government, not states.

Arizona counters that the federal government isn’t doing enough to address illegal immigration and that border states are suffering disproportionately.

If the justices take the case, it would add another politically charged dispute between a Republican-dominated state and the Democratic administration to the court’s election-year lineup. The immigration case would be heard and decided at roughly the same time as the constitutional challenge to President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. On Friday, the justices intervened in a partisan fight over redistricting in Texas. That case will be heard in January.

In urging the court to hear the immigration case, Arizona says the administration’s contention that states “are powerless to use their own resources to enforce federal immigration standards without the express blessing of the federal executive goes to the heart of our nation’s system of dual sovereignty and cooperative federalism.”

Many other state and local governments have taken steps aimed at reducing the effects of illegal immigration, the state says.

But the administration argues that the various legal challenges making their way through the system provide a reason to wait and see how other courts rule.

In April, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld a federal judge’s ruling halting enforcement of several provisions of Arizona’s S.B. 1070. Among the blocked provisions: requiring all immigrants to obtain or carry immigration registration papers; making it a state criminal offense for an illegal immigrant to seek work or hold a job; and allowing police to arrest suspected illegal immigrants without a warrant.

In October, the federal appeals court in Atlanta blocked parts of the Alabama law that forced public schools to check the immigration status of students and allowed police to file criminal charges against people who are unable to prove their citizenship.

Lawsuits in South Carolina and Utah are not as far along.

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See also: Missing 5-Year-Old Jhessye Shockley Feared Dead After Alleged Abuse By Mother

According to reports, Hunter, 38, was released after police missed the required 48-hour time limit of Hunter’s first court appearance.

Despite her release, police say hunter is still a suspect and charges against her may be filed in the future.

After searching for Jhessye for weeks, the police arrested Ms. Hunter last Monday and held her in $100,000 bail. At a news conference the afternoon of the arrest, Sergeant Coombs said that Ms. Hunter was a suspect in Jhessye’s disappearance and that the police presumed that the child was dead.

Read more at the New York Times.

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This and other revelations are slowly coming to the surface as Glendale homicide detectives  are now leading the investigation three weeks into the girls disappearance.

Family members say Jhessye’s mother, Jerice Hunter, told the school Jhessye had ringworm.

Police said Monday the girl’s mother is not a suspect.

Glendale police Det. Jeff Daukas tells CBS 5 Hunter’s polygraph test has not yet been scheduled. Daukas says it will be conducted by the FBI or Glendale police.

Read more at kpho.com.

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Mother of missing 5-year-old Glendale girl gives birth

Shockley has been missing since Oct. 11 after she wandered from her home in Glendale. Since, her family and others in the media have levied charges of racism, claiming her disappearance would receive more attention if she was not a missing black girl.

Investigators have yet to give the girl’s mother, Jerice Hunter, a polygraph test, though they say they are working with the FBI to schedule one.

Read more at therepublic.com.

Jahessye (JES’-ee) Shockley was last seen by her three older siblings last Tuesday at her Glendale home while their mother was running an errand. Police believe she left their apartment through the front door but don’t know anything about what happened next.

“If it was just her walking away, we would have found her by now,” Coombs told The Associated Press. “Obviously she’s not with us. Somebody knows something or somebody has interacted with her and put her in a place, and we just haven’t found her yet.”

Police have no suspects, evidence or promising leads.

Coombs said the girl’s mother is not a suspect despite comments she made to reporters.

“They’re treating me like that – the interrogations and the way I’ve been spoken to,” Jerice Hunter, Jahessy’s mother, said Monday in an interview with the AP. “(They’re) very disrespectful.”

Coombs said police have treated Hunter no differently than any other mother of a missing child. They conducted an initial interview as well as follow-ups because “people remember things, details, as time goes by.”

He said Hunter might believe she’s a suspect because “emotions are speaking.”

Meanwhile, Jahessye’s grandmother told The Arizona Republic on Sunday that Child Protective Services removed Hunter’s three other children from her home and put them in foster care.

CPS spokesman Steve Meissner said Monday he couldn’t immediately confirm or deny the agency’s involvement. He cited an Arizona law that allows for information about children to be released only if there has been a death or near death caused by child abuse, abandonment or neglect.

Coombs declined to comment about the children’s whereabouts, saying only that they’re in a safe place.

Hunter also declined to speak about her other children but pleaded for Jahessye’s safe return.

“I would really appreciate anybody who has any information, anyone who thinks they have seen anything, to contact the police,” she said. “If you have my child, please take her to a safe place, a public place where she can be located.”

She added: “The

The law went into effect July 20. It requires visitors at 15 state prisons to pay the fee for background checks. But the money actually gets deposited into a building renewal fund.

The Middle Ground Prison Reform has sued the state Department of Corrections seeking to have the fee declared a tax and any money paid so far returned to visitors.

The group says it believes the fee is unique among states.

Corrections officials deny allegations that it targets vulnerable groups and that it’s unconstitutional. They say the fees will help ensure inmate safety.

Some 30,000 people visit prison inmate each year, but the law includes some exceptions to the fee.

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Williams showed a great deal of American patriotism while disrespecting the Latino man due to his pride about being Mexican.

Katt Williams is known to have struggled with mental issues and the line between his performance and his personality has become blurry. In Phoenix, a few nights before his controversial show, he participated in a fight at a Young Jeezy concert and was kicked out of the venue.

Katt Williams has been criticized by Latino advocacy groups and journalists for his comments about Mexicans.

The OC Weekly reports:

For the next four minutes of the routine, Williams remained fixated on the standoff, taking issue with Mexicans living in the United States who have an affinity for their homeland, before breaking into a rendition of the national anthem. *Quick historical footnote: “The Star Spangled Banner” was written by Francis Scott Key, a slave owner, and in the perpetually omitted third verse, he writes,”No refuge could save the hireling and slave / From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave.”

The Tucson Citizen called the sad ordeal as one “sure to bring him some new TEA Party fans.” Black and brown folks have taken to YouTube to record commentaries disappointed in his actions as the Sound Strike issued a five-point statement offering, in part, an informed historical perspective.

Read More At The OC Weekly

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The story made news after Richard Ruelas reported on the incident in an article published in the Arizona Republic on Sunday.

The story was part of the newspaper’s five-part series on gun ownership in Arizona.

In the piece, Klein said she has a number of guns and started carrying one in 2000 after hearing someone outside her home.

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The 607-square-mile blaze, the second largest ever in Arizona, is expected to reach the power lines as early as Friday. If the lines are damaged, hundreds of thousands in parts of New Mexico and Texas could face rolling blackouts.

Meanwhile, crews were hopeful that they could slow the fire Thursday if weather predictions hold true. After a few days of driving winds, there was no high-wind warning issued for Thursday.

However, fire officials spoke guardedly late Wednesday as they faced the 12th day of the fire fight.

“Don’t get complacent just because we don’t have a red flag warning. Ten to 15 mph winds are good winds to drive fire, especially through grass, so we’re going to have to be very careful,” fire information officer Jim Whittington said at a late night briefing Wednesday at a rest stop on the edge of Springerville.

Residents remaining in Springerville and the neighboring community of Eagar were evacuated Wednesday as a spot fire popped up on the northwestern edge of the Wallow Fire. That caused officials to worry about the prospect of the fire hooking around a bulldozer line and a burned out area and racing toward town.

Apache County sheriff’s deputies and other law enforcement officers went house-to-house in Springerville looking for any remaining residents.

At Reed’s Lodge along Springerville’s main street, Daric Knight was still there late Wednesday afternoon to make sure no embers landed on the wood shingles at the front or elsewhere on the property. Knight’s family has owned the lodge for decades.

“I’ve seen lots of fires, but nothing like this,” he said.

About 7,000 people live in Springerville, Eagar and surrounding areas, although many already had left before the sheriff ordered the full evacuation.

The blaze has blackened about 389,000 acres and destroyed 11 buildings, primarily in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. No serious injuries have been reported.

Whittington said the fire did grow Wednesday, but an updated acreage figure wouldn’t be available until Thursday morning.

Firefighters planned to assess the area at daybreak, particularly around the mountain resort community of Greer, and would know then whether any additional structures had burned.

Firefighters had spent the past two days trying to create a line where they could defend the towns. They used bulldozers to scrape off vegetation and hand crews to remove other fuels. The line hasn’t been breached, but officials were still worried about spot fires.

Crews on the ground have had help from more than a dozen helicopters. More help will be available from the air Thursday, when a 747 super tanker was expected to arrive.

The fire prompted Texas-based El Paso Electric to issue warnings of possible power interruptions for its customers in southern New Mexico and West Texas.

The company uses two high voltage lines to bring electricity from the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix to the two states. Losing the lines would cut off about 40 percent of the utility’s supply, possibly triggering the rolling blackouts among its 372,000 customers.

The blaze, burning in mainly ponderosa pine forest, was sparked May 29 by what authorities believe was an unattended campfire. It became the second-largest in Arizona history on Tuesday.

It has cast smoke as far east as Iowa and forced some planes to divert from Albuquerque, N.M., some 200 miles away.

Officials in Catron County, N.M., told residents of Luna to be prepared to leave if winds push the blaze into western New Mexico.

Thousands of firefighters, including many from several western states and as far away as New York, are helping. Their focus includes protecting the mountain towns, including Alpine, Nutrioso and Greer.

Whittington said Wednesday was a rough in the Greer area when flames raced down the canyon and forced firefighters to change positions.

“It was pretty hairy. The firefighters did a good job,” he said.

With a blaze as large as this being driven by unpredictable and gusty winds, putting the fire out is a gargantuan task. All fire managers can do is try to steer it away from homes and cabins by using natural terrain, burning out combustible material first and trying to put out spot fires sparked by embers blowing in front of the main fire front.

“We have a fire fight on our hands. It’s going to be tough and we’re going to be here a while,” Whittington said.

Another major wildfire was burning in southeastern Arizona, threatening two communities. The 181-square-mile Horseshoe Two fire has devoured 14 structures, including three summer cabins since it started May 8. Fire officials say the 116,000-acre blaze is 40 percent contained.

Arizona’s largest blaze came in 2002 when flames blackened more than 732 square miles and destroyed 491 homes west of the current fire. A fire in 2005 burned about 387 square miles in the Phoenix suburb of Cave Creek and consumed 11 homes.

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Police said Carey Hal Dyess also wounded one person in the shootings around Yuma, a city of about 91,000, before he was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound nearly six hours after the first shots were fired.

The lawyer was killed while packing up his office on his last day of work.

“This is not a random act,” Yuma Police Chief Jerry Geier said. “These victims were targeted.”

Yuma County Sheriff Ralph Ogden said the first shooting was reported shortly after 5 a.m. in Wellton, about 25 miles east of Yuma. The woman was in critical condition at a Phoenix hospital.

He said Dyess then fatally shot four people around town before driving to Yuma and killing prominent attorney Jerrold Shelley at about 9:20 a.m. The bodies in Wellton were found between 8:20 and 9:45 a.m.

Police believe Dyess drove back toward Wellton, pulled over and fatally shot himself. His body was found at 10:47 a.m. inside a vehicle.

Neither police nor the sheriff would identify the other four dead.

Shelley was killed in his downtown law office. Shelley represented Dyess’ ex-wife in their 2006 divorce, which was Dyess’ fifth.

Vida Florez, a Yuma attorney who knew Shelley, said she learned of the shooting after leaving court. She said she heard from a witness who spoke to the police about what happened inside the office.

“They said the shooter came in and told the secretary to `Get out of here,’” Florez said. “She did, and he shot Jerry Shelley and he left.”

Shelley also was one of the lawyers representing seven young men — three sets of brothers — who sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson after accusing a priest of repeatedly raping them when they were children.

A man and woman were found dead in a small farm house outside the nearby town of Wellton, said Yuma police Sgt. John Otero. The tree-shaded home was set back about 100 feet from a highway, with a cow pasture in front.

The downtown shooting prompted officials to block off a street and to lock down the nearby county courthouse and some schools. Those buildings were later reopened.

Court records show Dyess was involved in two civil court cases, one in Yuma and one in Wellton. A judge issued an order of protection against Dyess in one of the cases in 2006, and a court clerk said it stemmed from Dyess’ divorce. No information was immediately available on those cases.

Court records also show the 2006 divorce was Dyess’ fifth, with the previous four divorces all in Washington state.

The divorce file showed that Theresa and Carey Dyess were married in Tombstone in May 2002 and the couple filed for divorce in 2006. Theresa Dyess alleged there had been domestic violence and she asked for and received an order of protection. No details of that incident were immediately available in the court file.

Carey Dyess later took out a protection order against Theresa Dyess, records showed.

The divorce was granted and the couple later agreed on a property split that gave Theresa Dyess the couple’s home in Wellton once she bought out her former husband’s share.

A lawyer for Carey Dyess filed a brief in October 2008 that said Carey Dyess had not been paid more than a year after the divorce became final.

“Mr. Dyess is sick and believes (his ex-wife) is `holding out,’ waiting for him to die, Yuma attorney Gregory Torok wrote in a court petition. The file shows the issue led to a final settlement two months later.

Dyess also took out an order of protection against a man he identified as `my wife’s boyfriend,” who he alleged was harassing him by driving by his home every day.

Yuma attorney Amanda Taylor described Shelley as a good man who was dedicated to his Mormon beliefs. She said Shelley’s wife also worked in the office, and that they have two grown children.

“This is very frightening” she said. “You know, family law, that’s some of the most dangerous law to practice because it’s so emotional, but it’s usually the younger ages when it’s about custody issues.”

She said Shelley was wrapping up a long career.

“He was retiring. He literally was packing up his office today,” Taylor said. “He was an excellent family man. Well-respected in this community. Very kind. I’m just sick. I’ve lost such a good friend.”

Others in Yuma expressed similar feelings of grief, with Mayor Al Krieger calling the shootings a tragedy for the victims and their families.

“It’s one of those things where someone went and did something very, very foolish,” Krieger said. “I’m sorry for the loss of life.”

Yuma County Presiding Judge Andrew Gould issued a statement through the Arizona Supreme Court saying officials were “thankful that those within the courthouse are safe,” but shocked and saddened at the violent acts that occurred in the close-knit community.

Gov. Jan Brewer said she was “horrified” at the news and expressed sympathy for the victims’ families.

“Many questions remain unanswered at this point, but I know that law enforcement and investigators will be working to piece together this tragedy in the days ahead,” she said in a statement. “In the meantime, this cruel violence has left a void in our hearts.”

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As the SWAT team forced its way into his home, Guerena, a former Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq, armed himself with his AR-15 rifle and told his wife and son to hide in a closet. As the officers entered, Guerena confronted them from the far end of a long, dark hallway. The police opened fire, releasing more than 70 rounds in about 7 seconds, at least 60 of which struck Guerena. He was pronounced dead a little over an hour later.

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As survivors of the deadly January attack looked on, Jared Lee Loughner lowered his head, raised it and said what sounded like “Thank you for the freak show. She died in front of me.” His words were loud but mumbled, and it wasn’t clear who he was talking about. He wore a khaki prison suit and sported bushy, reddish sideburns.

U.S. District Judge Larry Burns’ decision means the 21-year-old will be sent to a federal facility for up to four months in a bid to restore his competency.

The ruling came after Loughner spent five weeks in March and April at a federal facility in Springfield, Mo., where he was examined by two court-appointed mental health professionals. The two were asked to determine whether Loughner understands the consequences of the case against him.

The competency reports by psychologist Christina Pietz and psychiatrist Matthew Carroll haven’t been publicly released.

Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 federal charges stemming from the Jan. 8 shooting at a meet-and-greet event that wounded Giffords and 12 others and killed six people, including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge.

After the outburst, two marshals standing behind Loughner’s chair grabbed him by each arm and led him from the courtroom. Loughner’s father, sitting a few rows behind his son, lowered his eyes and huddled with two women seated next to him.

After a short recess, the marshals told the judge that Loughner had calmed down. They then brought Loughner back into the courtroom, and the judge told him he had a right to watch the hearing.

Burns asked Loughner if he wanted to stay in the courtroom and behave, or view the proceeding on a TV screen in another room.

“I want to watch the TV screen,” Loughner responded.

At least two survivors of the Tucson attack looked on: Giffords aide Pam Simon, who was shot in the chest and right wrist; and retired Army Col. Bill Badger, who is credited with helping subdue Loughner after a bullet grazed the back of Badger’s head.

Prosecutors had asked for the mental exam, citing a YouTube video in which they believe a hooded Loughner wore garbage bags and burned an American flag.

The judge gave the two mental health professionals access to Loughner’s health records from his pediatrician, a behavioral health hospital that treated him for extreme intoxication in May 2006 and an urgent care center where he was treated in 2004 for unknown reasons.

Loughner will be sent to a federal facility for a maximum of four months to see if his competency can be restored. If he’s later determined to be competent, the case against him will resume.

If he isn’t deemed competent at the end of his treatment, his stay at the facility can be extended. There are no limits on the number of times such extensions can be granted.

If doctors conclude they can’t restore his mental competency, the judge would have to decide whether the suspect can be restored. If the judge decides there’s no likelihood of restoration, the judge can dismiss the charges against him. In that case, state and federal authorities can petition to have him civilly committed and could seek to extend that commitment repeatedly, said Heather Williams, a federal public defender in Tucson who isn’t involved in the Loughner case.

The doctors who examined Loughner were ordered not to focus on his sanity at the time of the shooting.

Loughner’s lawyers haven’t said whether they intend to present an insanity defense. But they noted in court filings that his mental condition will likely be a central issue at trial and described him as a “gravely mentally ill man.”

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The group mostly moved heroin, according to investigators, and officials suspect each of the arrested sheriff’s employees played a crucial role in moving the drugs and hiding the illicit profits. Authorities say the ring moved about $56,000 worth of heroin a week through the Valley.

“The fight against drugs, illegal immigration and human trafficking is important not only to me but the citizens of Arizona,” Sheriff Joe Arpaio said. “That a deputy sheriff would provide information and associate with these drug and human traffickers is despicable.”

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Nobody was listening to us, especially the board,” said student activist Lisette Cota, AlterNet reported. “We were fed up. It may have been drastic but the only way was to chain ourselves to the boards’ chairs.”

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WASHINGTON — Donors from around the country have donated about $358,000 to the re-election campaign of Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the event she attempts to seek political office again.

Giffords was critically wounded by a gunshot to the head in January during a shooting rampage in Tucson. She has been undergoing extensive therapy in Houston and it’s unknown whether she’ll be able to resume her duties or seek elective office again.

But supporters want to be ready just in case. Colleagues organized a fundraiser on her behalf in March.

Her campaign’s fundraising report shows that political action committees generated about two-thirds of the donations during the first quarter of 2011. The other third came from individuals, many from the Tucson area.

In all, her campaign has about $556,000 in the bank.

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Legislature gave final approval late Thursday night to a proposal that would require President Barack Obama and other presidential candidates to prove they are U.S. citizens before their names can appear on the state’s ballot.

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Arizona would become the first state to require such proof if Gov. Jan Brewer signs the measure into law.

Republican Rep. Carl Seel of Phoenix, the author of the bill, said the bill wasn’t about opposition to Obama. “This bill is about the integrity of our elections,” Seel said.

Thirteen other states have considered similar proposals this year. The proposals were defeated in Arkansas, Connecticut, Maine and Montana.

The bill won final approval from the state House in a 40-16 vote.

So-called “birthers” contend since the last presidential election that Obama is ineligible to hold the nation’s highest elected office because, they argue, he was actually born in Kenya, his father’s homeland. The Constitution said a person must be a “natural-born citizen” to be eligible for the presidency.

Hawaii officials have repeatedly confirmed Obama’s citizenship, and his Hawaiian birth certificates have been made public. Even though the courts have rebuffed lawsuits challenging Obama’s eligibility, the issue hasn’t gone away.

“It’s a fringe issue in my view, and it’s going to cause people to look again at Arizona and say what’s all this craziness going on there,” said Democratic Rep. Daniel Patterson of Tucson, an opponent of the bill.

The Arizona proposal would require political parties and presidential candidates to hand in affidavits stating a candidate’s citizenship and age and to provide the candidate’s birth certificate and a sworn statement saying where the candidate has lived for 14 years.

If candidates don’t have a copy of their birth certificates, they could meet the requirement by providing baptismal or circumcision certificates, hospital birth records and other documents.

If it can’t be determined whether candidates who provided documents in place of their birth certificates are eligible to appear on the ballot, the secretary of state would be able to set up a committee to help determine whether the requirements have been met.

The names of candidates can be kept off the ballot if the secretary of state doesn’t believe the candidates met the citizenship requirement.

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Obama signed the proclamation Wednesday, saying that “Chavez’s legacy provides lessons from which all Americans can learn.”

Through non-violent boycotts, marches and fasts, Chavez led a movement to protest the use of harmful pesticides and won improved wages and conditions for those who toiled in the fields. He inspired millions of Americans to social and political activism in the 1960′s and 1970′s.

The Yuma, Arizona, native died in 1993 of natural causes. He would have been 84 on Thursday.

Before Wednesday’s proclamation, 10 states already commemorated Cesar Chavez Day, including California, Arizona and New Mexico.

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Williams scored 25 of his career-high 32 points in the first half of Arizona’s 93-77 victory Thursday night, helping the Wildcats reach the final eight for the first time since 2005.

“As a team, we came together and willed ourselves to win,” said Lamont Jones, who added 16 points. “Derrick is a great player, but we all contribute.”

The top-seeded Blue Devils (32-5) were sent packing from a regional semifinal for the second time in three years. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, with 900 wins, will have to wait until next season to resume his pursuit of Bob Knight’s record as the winningest men’s coach in Division I history.

“The tournament is cruel,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s an abrupt end for everybody when you don’t win.”

Solomon Hill added 13 points for the Wildcats, who shot 54 percent and made 9 of 15 3-pointers, including five by Williams.

Williams had 13 rebounds to help his team dominate the boards, 40-27, while playing 15 minutes from his hometown of La Mirada.

“It makes me feel great,” he said. “If we win this game on Saturday, we’ll be known as one of the greatest Arizona teams to play.”

Fifth-seeded Arizona (30-7) will play Connecticut (29-9) on Saturday in the West Regional final. The third-seeded Huskies defeated No. 2 San Diego State 74-67 in the other semifinal.

“A lot of people counted us out,” Jones said. “We kept on beating on the door, beating on the door until we were in.”

Duke’s Kryie Irving scored 28 points in his most minutes since returning at the start of the NCAA tournament after missing 26 games with a toe injury.

“After we lost the lead, I think everyone got a little rattled,” he said. “We tried to settle down, but by then it was too late.”

Kyle Singler added 18 as one of three Blue Devils in second-half foul trouble. Nolan Smith was held to eight points — well under the senior’s 21-point average.

“The way they played in the second half, they should win it all,” Smith said. “Williams is a monster. They hit us full force, and kept hitting. They did everything right, and we did a ton of things wrong.”

Down by six points early in the second half, the Wildcats unleashed a scoring rampage that left the Blue Devils wondering what happened.

Williams scored just two points during the 19-2 run that seemingly came out of nowhere, while five of his teammates did the rest, hitting from long range, driving to the basket and scoring off a fast break.

“They just got on a real roll. When you get on a roll, you have more energy than the other guy,” Krzyzewski said. “We had no stop for them, and you kind of get overwhelmed there for a little bit. They knocked us back and got that double-digit lead.”

Jones’ basket tied the game at 53 and the spurt ended with Arizona leading 66-55, its first double-digit lead of the game. Jones and Jamelle Horne had five points each, while Williams focused on rebounding.

“The second half was just complete nastiness, as coach would say,” Kevin Parrom said. “We came out swinging. We didn’t let up. We knew they were just going to focus on Derrick and that’s when other guys came in and stepped up. It shows that it’s not just Derrick Williams who is on this team.”

Horne’s dunk extended Arizona’s lead to 77-63 as the Wildcats’ fans roared, thrilled to see their team making a deep run in the tournament a season after the school’s 25-year streak of consecutive appearances ended.

The Wildcats closed the first half on an 18-13 run, capped by Williams’ 3-pointer just before the buzzer, that left them trailing 44-38. He hit back-to-back shots from the same spot at the top of the 3-point line during the spurt in which his teammates contributed just five points.

The Wildcats closed within one point earlier in the half, and Duke responded by outscoring them 14-7, including eight in a row, to take its largest lead, 31-20.

Irving didn’t start the game, but he quickly had an impact once he got in. He scored seven points in the run that built Duke’s biggest lead.

Irving came in as one of the nation’s most touted freshmen, and he scored double figures in all 11 games he played in his abbreviated season. He has yet to decide if he’ll return or enter the NBA draft.

“I could definitely see myself wearing a Duke uniform again,” he said. “I don’t want to take it off right now.”

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WASHINGTON-Recent polls have shown that President Barack Obama has overwhelming approval of the American public on his recent handling of the shooting of Congresswoman, Gabrielle Gifford which resulted in the deaths of six people. The American Foreign Press reports:

The vast majority of Americans approved of President Barack Obama’s handling of the Arizona shooting but were divided on the role political rhetoric played in the attack, a poll found Monday.

The ABC News-Washington Post poll found that 78 percent approved of Obama’s call for a more civil politics in the wake of the tragedy, including 71 percent of Republicans and conservatives.

But Americans were divided evenly between saying that the increasingly partisan political discourse in the United States encourages violence.

The poll found just 52 percent of Americans favor stricter gun regulation after the shooting, roughly the same percentage as in past years and less than in the days after the deadly 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, the Post said.

The January 8 attack in Tucson, Arizona was allegedly carried out by disturbed 22-year-old Jared Loughner, who’s exact motives remain unclear.

Six people were killed in the attempted assassination of US Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot through the head and is in serious condition. More than a dozen others were wounded in the assault.

Read more at AFP

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Like so many Americans all across the country, Barack and I were shocked and heartbroken by the horrific act of violence committed in Arizona this past weekend. Yesterday, we had the chance to attend a memorial service and meet with some of the families of those who lost their lives, and both of us were deeply moved by their strength and resilience in the face of such unspeakable tragedy.

As parents, an event like this hits home especially hard. It makes our hearts ache for those who lost loved ones. It makes us want to hug our own families a little tighter. And it makes us think about what an event like this says about the world we live in – and the world in which our children will grow up.In the days and weeks ahead, as we struggle with these issues ourselves, many of us will find that our children are struggling with them as well.

The questions my daughters have asked are the same ones that many of your children will have – and they don’t lend themselves to easy answers. But they will provide an opportunity for us as parents to teach some valuable lessons – about the character of our country, about the values we hold dear, and about finding hope at a time when it seems far away.

We can teach our children that here in America, we embrace each other, and support each other, in times of crisis. And we can help them do that in their own small way – whether it’s by sending a letter, or saying a prayer, or just keeping the victims and their families in their thoughts.

We can teach them the value of tolerance – the practice of assuming the best, rather than the worst, about those around us. We can teach them to give others the benefit of the doubt, particularly those with whom they disagree.

We can also teach our children about the tremendous sacrifices made by the men and women who serve our country and by their families. We can explain to them that although we might not always agree with those who represent us, anyone who enters public life does so because they love their country and want to serve it.

Christina Green felt that call. She was just nine years old when she lost her life. But she was at that store that day because she was passionate about serving others. She had just been elected to her school’s student council, and she wanted to meet her Congresswoman and learn more about politics and public life.

And that’s something else we can do for our children – we can tell them about Christina and about how much she wanted to give back. We can tell them about John Roll, a judge with a reputation for fairness; about Dorothy Morris, a devoted wife to her husband, her high school sweetheart, to whom she’d been married for 55 years; about Phyllis Schneck, a great-grandmother who sewed aprons for church fundraisers; about Dorwan Stoddard, a retired construction worker who helped neighbors down on their luck; and about Gabe Zimmerman, who did community outreach for Congresswoman Giffords, working tirelessly to help folks who were struggling, and was engaged to be married next year. We can tell them about the brave men and women who risked their lives that day to save others. And we can work together to honor their legacy by following their example – by embracing our fellow citizens; by standing up for what we believe is right; and by doing our part, however we can, to serve our communities and our country.

Sincerely,

Michelle Obama

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Days after the Tuscon, Arizona shooting, a billboard for Rush Limbaugh’s radio show with the words “Straight Shooter” and features bullet holes in it still stands in Tuscon. Limbaugh has been extremely defensive about the incident, blaing democrats, defending Sarah Palin and criticizing Arizona Sheriff, Clarence Dupnik.

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ARIZONA –Republic district chairman for district 20, Anthony Miller has quit his post due to threats from the Tea Party. The Arizona Republic reports:

Miller, a 43-year-old Ahwatukee Foothills resident and former campaign worker for U.S. Sen. John McCain, was re-elected to a second one-year term last month. He said constant verbal attacks after that election and Internet blog posts by some local members with Tea Party ties made him worry about his family’s safety.

“I wasn’t going to resign but decided to quit after what happened Saturday,” Miller said. “I love the Republican Party but I don’t want to take a bullet for anyone.”

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According to several friends, Jared Loughner, suspect in the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman, Gabrielle Gifford, Loughner was fan of conspiracy theory movies produced by right wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. The two movies are “Loose Change” which claims 9/11 was an inside job, which Alex Jones was an executive producer and “Zeitgeist” another conspiracy theory movie which had parts of Jones movie “Terrorstorm.” “Zeitgeist” claims that the Federal Reserve was behind several wars and manipulates the American public and that there was a secret conspiracy for a “One World Government” or “New World Order,” common themes in the Patriot Movement.

Jones is 9/11 truther from Patriot Movement school of thought. He believes in a New World Order conspiracy which Loughner had brought up as well. Jones is quite popular on the fringe right wing “Patriot” movement which has had a resurrection in the Tea Party after fading away after Timothy McVeigh’s act of terror in Oklahoma. Alex Jones is a big support of politicians Ron and Rand Paul and both have appeared on his show.

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Sunday’s tragedy not only highlighted the evil man is capable of but also the heroism under duress that man (and woman) is capable of as well. These heroes come from all walks of life and backgrounds.

Here are a few of them.

Daniel Hernandez

A 20-year-old intern to U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has received a standing ovation at the Arizona Capitol for helping the congresswoman after a deadly shooting.

Daniel Hernandez started working with Giffords just five days before the attack Saturday in Tucson. He’s a political science major and a junior at the University of Arizona.

Hernandez rushed to help the congresswoman and tried to stop the blood loss with his hands and some frocks provided by butchers.

He went with Giffords in an ambulance to the hospital, where she is in critical condition but expected to survive.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer asked lawmakers to recognize Hernandez, who was in the chamber.

Joe Zamudio

In the aftermath of Saturday’s tragedy, a retired colonel and an older woman were being hailed as heroes for overpowering the gunman. So was Joe Zamudio, who was buying cigarettes nearby and raced toward the hail of bullets, his own weapon at the ready, eventually pinning Loughner to the ground until police arrived.

Patricia Maisch

Pima Co. Sheriff Clarence Dupnik says Patricia Maisch (MAYSH) was waiting in line with her husband to get a photo with Giffords. When the shooting started, she ran up to the suspect and grabbed the empty magazine, then grabbed a full magazine as he was loading it into the gun.

Bill Badger

Badger is 74-year-old retired Army colonel who was grazed in the head by a bullet when he tackled Jared Lee.

On the White House South Lawn, Obama was joined by first lady Michelle Obama and White House staff members on a cold morning.

The moment was marked at the U.S. Capitol and elsewhere around a nation still coming to grips with the tragedy.

Giffords is in intensive care at a Tuscon hospital after being shot in the head at close range. Among the five others killed were Arizona’s chief federal judge, a 9-year-old girl and one of Giffords’ aides.

Prosecutors have charged a 22-year-old Jared Loughner on a series of counts, including attempted assassination of a member of Congress.

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PHOENIX — Rapper DMX, real name Earl Simmons has been placed in a mental health unit in Phoenix, Arizona.

Earl Simmons was transferred to an Arizona State Prison Complex facility called Alhambra near 25th Street and Van Buren. He was admitted on Dec. 20.

He is not allowed to have visitors for 30 days.

Earlier this month, when a judge sentenced Earl Simmons to jail, she said she believes he has an undiagnosed mental condition like bipolar disorder.

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Pima County prosecutors say 28-year-old Kumari Fulbright was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison and six years’ probation.

She pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to commit kidnapping and aggravated assault as part of a plea agreement that stipulated the prison sentence. The Arizona Daily Star says it was up to a judge to decide how long Fulbright would be on probation after she’s released

Fulbright and three men were arrested in December 2007 after the ex-boyfriend told police he’d been tied up and kept captive for eight to 10 hours, robbed and tortured.

Fulbright competed in the Miss Arizona contest and was named Miss Pima County in 2005 and Miss Desert Sun in 2006.

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The outcome in this case also could signal how the court would handle the controversial and more expansive Arizona immigration enforcement law, known as SB1070, that the administration challenged and a federal judge blocked key components this summer.

“It could take this less visible case and do something that impacts substantially on the SB1070 litigation by making some broader observations,” said Peter Spiro, who teaches immigration law at Temple University’s law school.

The employer sanctions law was intended to diminish Arizona’s role as the nation’s hub for immigrant smuggling by requiring employers to verify the eligibility of new workers through a federal database. Employers convicted of violating the law can have their business licenses suspended or revoked.

A survey by The Associated Press of all county prosecutor offices in Arizona found that out of the 101 employer sanctions complaints lodged since the law took effect in January 2008, three have led to civil cases being filed against employers.

But dozens of business raids in metropolitan Phoenix during employer sanctions investigations have led to the arrests of 131 workers who are illegal immigrants on criminal charges, such as using forged documents or stolen identities to get jobs. The law intended to target employers has been used more often against workers.

Supporters said the law was needed because the federal government has done a lousy job of enforcing a similar federal law. They also say the state rules have discouraged countless employers from hiring illegal immigrants.

Business and civil rights groups challenged the law as a clear and unconstitutional attempt to preempt federal authority.

Lawyers for the state argued that while a similar federal hiring law prevents states from imposing civil or criminal penalties against businesses for illegal hirings, the federal law allows states to take licensing actions against violators.

A federal judge in Phoenix and the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law. The Obama administration urged the Supreme Court in May to take up employer sanctions. About a month later, the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit asking a judge to invalidate Arizona’s latest immigration law.

A judge put on hold the law’s most controversial sections. The blocked sections include requirements that immigrants carry immigration registration papers and that local police, while enforcing other laws, question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally.

The Supreme Court hasn’t taken up the question of whether states and communities can participate in immigration enforcement since 1976, and observers have expected it to enter the fray.

Steven Shapiro, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the outcome of the employer sanctions case could signal how the court would deal with the broader Arizona immigration law. “If the Arizona statute is struck down on pre-emption grounds, it’s very hard to imagine SB1070 surviving,” said Shapiro, whose group challenged both laws in court.

State Sen. Russell Pearce, who authored both laws, predicted the statutes, in the end, will be upheld. “It’s about states’ rights: Arizona’s right to enforce the law, the right to protect American jobs, the right to protect Arizona’s borders, the right to protect Arizona’s neighborhoods,” Pearce said.

Supporters say the employer sanctions law is a success because more businesses are running checks on prospective workers. They argue that it has led an unknown number of illegal immigrants to leave the state.

Two of the three civil cases against employers have been settled. A now-defunct amusement park that acknowledged violating the law will have its business license suspended for 10 days if it reopens. A sandwich shop that admitted to a violation agreed to close its doors for two days.

A case is pending against a custom furniture business that’s accused of using a subcontractor who was an illegal immigrant to get around the law’s ban on illegal hirings. The furniture maker denies the allegations.

One difficulty cited by prosecutors in bringing cases against employers is the law’s failure to give them civil subpoena power to make suspected violators hand over records and give testimony. Another barrier is the standard of proof: Prosecutors must prove that businesses knew they were hiring illegal workers.

“Most of them were unfounded on their faces without proper evidence of illegal hiring, and some of them had some merit but with a lack of subpoena power to get employer records, we couldn’t do the follow-up,” said Jace Zack, chief deputy for the Mohave County Attorney’s Office, of the 33 complaints his office has received since the law took effect.

Glenn Hamer, chief executive of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which challenged the employer sanctions law in court, believes the law has been enforced in a reasonable manner and hasn’t discouraged out-of-state businesses from locating here, though he acknowledged it’s not exactly a selling point.

“I wouldn’t say that it has appeared on the front of the brochure of any economic development organization in the state,” Hamer said.

Arizona voters on Tuesday approved Proposition 107 to ban the consideration of race, ethnicity or gender by units of state government, including public colleges and universities. With 2,075 of 2,239 precincts reporting as of early Wednesday morning, unofficial results from the state had the measure passing with just under 60 percent support.

California, Michigan, Nebraska and Washington State have already imposed such bans. Only one state — Colorado — has rejected in a statewide vote a proposed ban on the consideration of race and ethnicity.

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Rep. Raul Grijalva says white powder in an envelope delivered to his office is a toxic substance. Manuel Johnson with the FBI confirms to News 4 Tucson the powder needs to be tested in Phoenix before any determination can be made.

Grijalva says his staff opened the envelope and found two pieces of paper with swastikas on them along with a baggy of white powder.

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KGUN-TV says the lawsuit filed Monday names outgoing Arizona schools superintendent Tom Horne and the State Board of Education as defendants.

The Tucson Unified School District program offers specialized courses in African-American, Mexican-American and Native-American studies.

Horne, who is running for attorney general, says the district’s Mexican-American studies program teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people.

Horne pushed for the law that was signed by Gov. Jan Brewer in May. The measure prohibits classes that advocate ethnic solidarity or that promote resentment toward a certain ethnic group.

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The New York Times are reporting about a new GOP scheme to hut Democrats in the upcoming election.

Mr. Pearcy and other drifters and homeless people were recruited onto the Green Party ballot by a Republican political operative who freely admits that their candidacies may siphon some support from the Democrats. Arizona’s Democratic Party has filed a formal complaint with local, state and federal prosecutors in an effort to have the candidates removed from the ballot, and the Green Party has urged its supporters to steer clear of the rogue candidates.

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Now, I suppose it is conceivable that white supremacists and the private prison industry could join forces in support of a good piece of legislation. After all, anything is possible.

But it sure isn’t likely.

This is the situation we are seeing in Arizona with the passage of S.B. 1070, the anti-immigrant law that allows police to stop and arrest suspected undocumented aliens. Essentially, this law makes it a crime under state law to be in the U.S. illegally. The law allows police to stop anyone with a “reasonable suspicion” of being undocumented, and demand proof of citizenship. Those who cannot produce the documentation face arrest, a $2,500 fine, and 6 months in jail.

One must ask, where do they find these laws? Better yet, where do they find the people to write such laws? In searching for an answer, I turn to a colleague, the late Al Lewis. Yes, Grandpa from the Munsters. I knew him as a political activist and a radio show host when I worked at Pacifica Radio station WBAI ten years ago as a producer for Democracy Now! Al defined a law as “that which is bought and paid for.” It was one of the most simple, yet profound statements I had heard. And it definitely applies to Arizona’s S.B. 1070.

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It is now no secret that two top level staffers in Gov. Jan Brewer’s administration — Paul Senseman and Chuck Coughlin — have financial ties to the private prison industry, and stand to benefit personally from S.B. 1070. After all, private prisons lock up the immigration detainees in that state — and they would like to run all of the prisons in Arizona, including death row — so the new law is good for business. Senseman, the governor’s deputy chief of staff, is a former lobbyist for Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA. And his wife presently is a lobbyist for the company. Meanwhile, Chuck Coughlin is one of the governor’s policy advisers and her campaign chairman. Coughlin’s firm, HighGround Public Affairs Consultants, currently lobbies for CCA. CCA and rival prison company Geo Group are members of the American Legislative Exchange Council, where they ensured passage of the insidious bill.

But it gets better, or worse depending on your point of view. State Senator Russell Pearce, who introduced S.B. 1070, has extensive financial ties to the private prison industry. He also has friendships with neo-Nazis such as J.T. Ready of the National Alliance, who calls Jews parasites, and hunts and kidnaps people on the border with Mexico. Ready once said “The truth is that negroids screw monkeys and rape babies in afreaka [sic]. Then stupid white man who licks kosher jew rear lets negroids in.” And he once told a neo-Nazi rally that “This is a white, European homeland. That’s how it should be preserved if we want to keep it clean, safe, and pure.”

Senator Pearce has built his career on the backs of the Latino immigrant communities he has so fervently scapegoated. He has supported Nuremberg-style legislation that would prohibit hospitals from issuing birth certificates to children born of undocumented immigrants, and a law that would not allow people to marry without providing proof of U.S. citizenship and social security numbers. That would make it illegal for citizens to marry non-citizens! Pearce wants to eliminate the Fourteenth Amendment. And he supported the bill that has eliminated ethnic studies in Arizona public schools and colleges and universities.

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And Senator Pearce has ties to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). S.B. 1070 was written by Kris Kobach, a former Bush administration lawyer who now works for FAIR’s legal arm. The organization has been designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. FAIR was founded by the nativist trailblazer John Tanton, who warned of the dangers of the “Latin onslaught” in America, and declared “for European-American society and culture to persist requires a European-American majority, and a clear one at that.” And the group received $1.2 million from the Pioneer Fund, a racist eugenics foundation that funds studies linking race, genetics and intelligence.

For all of you conspiracy theorists out there, this is raw meat to be sure. But there’s nothing theoretical about this conspiratorial scenario. Klannish hate groups and prison companies worked together to pass an atrocious, twisted and unconstitutional law. The former hates Latinos and thinks they are inferior, and would love nothing more than to throw them all behind bars for good. Meanwhile, the latter wants to profit from locking up as many immigrant detainees as possible. Just to top it off, both groups collaborated with their tools in the Arizona legislature and that horrid governor’s office to make it all happen. This is Juan Crow in action. And sadly, it smells all too much like American history.

In fact, this reminds me of the days of Jim Crow, after slavery, when segregationist state and local governments enacted laws to maintain blacks in a state of virtual bondage. Laws targeted African-Americans specifically by going after offenses for which freedmen were presumed more likely to be charged, such as petty theft, vagrancy, burglary and bigamy. Under the convict lease system, an overwhelmingly black prison population provided free labor to the plantations, railroads and mining companies. “These companies assume charge of the convicts, work them as cheap labor and pay the states a handsome revenue for their labor…. The details of vice, cruelty and death thus fostered by the states whose treasuries are enriched thereby, equals anything from Siberia,” said Frederick Douglass. “Every Negro so sentenced not only means able-bodied men to swell the state’s number of slaves, but every Negro so convicted is thereby disfranchised.” Of course, the ideological justification for the Jim Crow legal regime was that black people were inferior, and posed a racial, sexual, criminal, political and economic threat to whites.

And today, there is profit in prisons, with whole industries that make their bread and butter over the warehousing of warm bodies -including some of the prisons themselves. Roughly 70 percent of America’s prisoners are black and brown because laws target communities of color. Yet, America’s legal profession is among the nation’s least diverse: Over 90 percent of the judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys are white. And law enforcement wages a racially-motivated war on drugs in poor black and Latino neighborhoods, with a financial incentive to maximize the arrests and convictions they win.

When racial scapegoats are conjured up–whether the black “crack babies” and “welfare queens” of the 1980s, or the Mexican “illegal aliens” and “anchor babies” of today–laws are created to legitimize the crimes that the state is about to commit against these groups, ostensibly in the name of the public good, but really for private profit. Sadly, in the land of the jobless and the hopeless, boogeymen are in great demand these days. And in Arizona, a group of greedy, unscrupulous folks got together with professional racists to criminalize the Latino community and make a buck at the same time.

BlackCommentator.com Executive Editor David A. Love, JD is a writer based in Philadelphia, and a contributor to the Huffington Post, theGrio, the Progressive Media Project and McClatchy-Tribune News Service, among others. He contributed to the book, States of Confinement: Policing, Detention, and Prisons (St. Martin’

s Press, 2000). Love is a former Amnesty International UK spokesperson. His blog is davidalove.com.

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An escaped convict and his fiancee, suspected of murdering at least two people, were captured at an Arizona campsite after a three-week manhunt that crisscrossed the American west, US marshals said Friday.

“The nightmare that started on July 30 is finally over,” David Gonzales told a press conference broadcast on CNN.

He said the pair, 45-year-old John McCluskey, and his fiancee Casslyn Welch, 44, were discovered Thursday night by an alert forest ranger who noticed their campfire and then discovered their stolen vehicle partially hidden by trees.

The ranger called in police and SWAT officers who surrounded the pair, who have been compared in US media to the duo known as Bonnie and Clyde, American bank robbers who went on a killing spree in the 1930s before being gunned down in a shootout with law officers.

Their folklore reputation was immortalized in the Oscar-winning 1967 film “Bonnie and Clyde,” starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as the title characters who cut a far more glamorous figure than the modern-day couple, who US media report are cousins.

Interpol issued an alert for the pair earlier this month at the request of the United States, saying Welch was suspected of aiding her fiance escape from an Arizona jail along with two other convicts, who were arrested on August 1 and 9 in the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado and Wyoming.

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Sightings of McCluskey and Welch were also reported in New Mexico in the US southwest, and in Montana near the Canadian border.

The jail break has been linked to the murder of an elderly couple at a camp ground in Santa Rosa, New Mexico in early August, the US Marshals Service said earlier this month.

Marshals had described the two as “armed and extremely dangerous.”

Authorities checked the license plate of the vehicle discovered at the campsite, and found it to be a Nissan Sentra stolen from near Santa Rosa where the two murder victims were found, the Arizona Republic reported Friday.

Officials said McCluskey and Welch appeared ready to use deadly force if given an opportunity to escape, but that they were overwhelmed by authorities in a dramatic end to their three weeks on the run.

“At the time of the arrest, Casslyn Welch had a firearm in the small of her back, she attempted to go for the firearm but as she pulled it out, SWAT officers obviously had their guns trained on her and she laid it down on the ground,” Gonzales said.

McCluskey was laying down at the site and was taken into custody before he could reach his nearby tent.

“He made a statement… that if he had gotten back to the tent, there was a gun there and that he would have killed the officers involved,” Gonzales said.

US Marshals Service photographs showed McCluskey, in dirty jeans and the word “ARIZONA” tattooed across his bare torso, handcuffed at the campground.

Gonzales said authorities were just beginning their investigations into potential crimes committed by the couple.

“If there were any other crimes committed while they were out we want to make sure that we tie those to them,” he said.

McCluskey was serving a 15-year sentence for attempted murder, while the convicts who escaped with him had been convicted of murder and second-degree murder, Interpol said.

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South Carolina Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R) says America faces a new and growing foreign threat: illegal immigrants and tourists who come to here for the express purpose of giving birth so their children obtain citizenship.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and other top Republicans quickly jumped on the issue and called for hearings.

Read more at WashingtonPost

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