He would know: Sheriff Joe calls troops at the border election year gimmick

ORO VALLEY (KOLD) – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says when the Obama Administration talks about 1,200 troops along the border, they really mean 400.

According to Arpaio’s math, if each soldier works 8 hours a day, there can be no more than 400 of them on the border at once.

“What took so long to do it now?” Arpaio asks, during a campaign event for republican congressional candidate Jesse Kelly. “Is it an election year? You think 400 troops are going to solve that problem.”

“You solve the problem like I’m solving it,” he adds. “You go after all aspects of illegal immigration. You arrest anybody that violates the law.”

Arpaio says he supports Kelly, because the two think alike on border and immigration issues.

Kelly is running against State Senator Jonathan Paton. The winner of the republican primary faces Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the November general election.


RIP Gary Coleman.

Child actor Gary Coleman died at approximately 12:05 p.m. Mountain. Standard Time at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated.

Mr. Coleman suffered an intracranial hemorrhage at his home in Utah on the evening of May 26, 2010. As of mid morning on May 27, Mr. Coleman was conscious and lucid, but by early afternoon that same day, Mr. Coleman was slipping in and out of consciousness and his condition worsened.

Family members express their appreciation and gratitude for the support and prayers that have been expressed for Gary and for them.

—-Information from: Utah Valley Hospital.


The NYT has an overview article today on the reactions of Hispanics in Arizona to SB 1070, which delves into the problems that already existed between Hispanics and some police:

Judge Jose Padilla of Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix, says that twice since he became a judge in 2006, the police have pulled him over, alleging minor traffic infractions. Even though Judge Padilla, 60, did not disclose his occupation, he ended up not receiving a ticket. He said his complaints to the police department led to sensitivity training for the officers.

Judge Padilla believes the stops were based on his Hispanic ancestry and the fact that his 1988 pickup truck has large wheels and resembles a low rider, a customized car popular in Mexican-American culture but also favored by some street gangs.

“This has been lifelong, these stops,” he said, “and it is not just me.”

There’s a sidebar as well, detailing a campaign by some musicians against the state since the law’s passage:

The campaign, called the Sound Strike, has been organized by Zack de la Rocha, the lead singer of the rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, and is endorsed by English-language rock and rap performers like Massive Attack, Kanye West, Conor Oberst, Sonic Youth and Joe Satriani. But the signatories also include Spanish-speaking reggaetón artists and Los Tigres del Norte, perhaps the most popular and influential exponent of Mexican regional music in the United States.


An article in Slate argues that the constitutional approach to looking for illegal immigrants is checkpoints:

If Arizona truly wants to identify undocumented aliens in a way that does not undermine legitimacy, it should try randomized checkpoints. Checkpoints are widely used by police to enforce drunk-driving laws and other routine safety checks—such as seat belt laws—that save lives. Police can do a good job finding offenders without having to play their hunches. Policing agencies are required to have a good reason to set up a checkpoint, of course. But once a checkpoint is set up, individual officers don’t need to exercise their discretion. In fact, they can’t under constitutional law.


The Arizona Republic says that schools are reporting anecdotally but consistently that immigrant families are leaving in the wake of the passage of SB 1070:

Teachers and principals at Alhambra elementary schools in west Phoenix, for example, are saying goodbye to core volunteer parents, who tell them that the new migration law threatens their family stability and that they must leave. The district expects the new law to drive out an extra 200 to 300 students over the summer.

Balsz Elementary District in east Phoenix lost 70 families in the past 30 days, an unprecedented number, officials said.