Posted by AzBlueMeanie: After spearheading the first successful recall of a state legislator in the history of Arizona and the first legislative leader in the history of the United States, what will Randy Parraz and Citizens for a Better Arizona do for an encore? Advertisement The Arizona Republic's Political Insider gossip column reports today: The next … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The Quaker prison-watchdog group American Friends Service Committee, whose lawsuit seeking to block any private prison contract until the Department of Corrections actually complies with state law and produces a cost-benefit analysis (expected in January) was dismissed in Maricopa County Superior Court last month, on Friday filed an appeal and a fresh … Read more

by David Safier I've posted some horrific photos and videos from Occupy protests involving police using pepper spray on participants. But I don't want to get all 60s about it and turn the police officers, as a group, into the enemy. That seems counterproductive to me. And I don't think it makes sense, especially when … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Occasionally the Arizona Daily Star shows signs of its former greatness in an editorial opinion. Such was the case on Saturday in this editorial opinion. Brewer's meddling in commission a detriment to state: The Arizona Supreme Court reinstated Colleen Mathis as chair of the Independent Redistricting Commission, overturning Gov. Jan Brewer's presumptuous … Read more

Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The corporate media is failing us.The Arizona Republic is part of the problem, not the solution. The Republic has an editorial opinion today on Arizona redistricting which bears the imprimatur of Laurie Roberts because it repeats the GOP talking points and is still whining about "the ugly lobster shape that hooks up … Read more

by David Safier According to TPM, The U.C. David chancellor has announced that a investigative task force will be formed in the wake of a disturbing pepper-spray incident at Occupy Davis, a protest on the university campus. In a video, police are seen pepper-spraying students even after they had been subdued. Watch the video:   … Read more

by David Safier Here's a photo from the UC Davis campus. The "crime" which provoked the spraying was blocking a walkway in the university's quad. I learned from the same story that protesters who link arms and "actively resist," whatever that means, are engaged in an act of violence. Here's a quote from the original … Read more