So, to understand the idea put forth by the Phoenix New Times' Ray Stern, by trying to clamp down on medicinal marijuana in Arizona, it's possible that Jan Brewer and Tom Horne might have created a total "Hey, I tried to apply!" free-for-all. Well played, you two. Well played.

Arizona law requires that:

If the department fails to issue a registry identification card within forty-five days of the submission of a valid application or renewal, the registry identification card shall be deemed issued, and a copy of the registry identification card application or renewal is deemed a valid registry identification card.

Matt Benson, Brewer's spokesman, confirmed that the governor understands this self-enacting part of the law. Though Brewer and Horne have indicated they'll likely direct the Arizona Department of Health Services to put the dispensary program on hold until a federal court rules on the legality of Arizona's program, DHS "will continue issuing those cards as they have been until further notice."

Failing to do that, Benson acknowledges, would create a bit of chaos. Anyone with a copy of a registration card application could legally possess weed, but the state would have no record of them.

Without going into all the hypotheticals of the situation, suffice to say that Arizonans who want to qualify to legally possess marijuana under state law can do so. They can keep appying for and receiving state-approved cards, or, if the state stops taking registration card applications, they can just keep their unapproved applications handy. Prosecutors will still be prohibited from convicting legal medical marijuana patients.

Or small-time growers. Qualified patients could still raise up to five plants each at home, as long as no dispensary opens within 25 miles. Thanks to the way Brewer and Horne are sticking it to voters, no dispensary will open anytime soon.

Robert Jackson has a Masters degree from Harvard and is a retired school superintendent. For some reason, he offers instructions on how to play the piano, take a shower, and use a toilet on YouTube. This is all very confusing. Also, I think videographer Vivian might want to pursue a new line of work.

[Videogum]

The UA Lunar and Planetary Lab has scored a huge win with OSIRIS-REx, an astonishing space mission that aims to drop a spacecraft onto an asteroid, gather samples and photographs, and then return home to earth. The $800 million grant is largest in UA history.

Here's the release from UA:

NASA has selected the University of Arizona to lead a sample-return mission to an asteroid. The team is led by Michael Drake, director of the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. will manage the mission for NASA. Lockheed Martin will build the spacecraft.

The OSIRIS-REx mission is budgeted for approximately $800 million, excluding the launch vehicle.

The target asteroid — named 1999 RQ36 after the year it was discovered — measures 575 meters (one-third of a mile) in diameter. 1999 RQ36 is a time capsule from the early solar system rich with organic compounds that may have seeded life on Earth.

"OSIRIS-REx will explore our past and help determine our destiny," said Drake. "It will return samples of pristine organic material that scientists think might have seeded the sterile early Earth with the building blocks that led to life. Such samples do not currently exist on Earth. OSIRIS-REx will also provide the knowledge that will guide humanity in deflecting any future asteroid that could collide with Earth, allowing humanity to avoid the fate of the dinosaurs."

I enjoy political swagger and bravado probably more than anyone, but Ward 4 candidate Tyler Vogt might want to dial it down just a little. I live in Ward 4 and haven't had the best personal constituent experience with Shirley Scott, but when you're going to judge someone's job performance, it might be helpful if your own website gave some indication of what you do for a living other than a super vague reference to the "private sector":

Dear Mrs. Scott:

I am writing to inform you that I have officially submitted my paperwork to run for City Council, Ward 4 in the 2011 Tucson City Election.

I offer you the opportunity to resign from this race with your dignity and your reputation intact. If you choose to remain in the race, you will be opting for a complete exhibition of your performance as a city council member. This information will be presented to the public without personal attacks. It is, after all, your record.

Our city’s future is at stake and the citizens of Tucson cannot afford to have the city continue in decline as we are currently witnessing. The citizens of Tucson deserve to have a knowledgeable, motivated individual seeking to change our city’s course from the sunset of past failures to the dawn of Tucson’s prosperous future.

I am that motivated individual and I take this election and our city’s future as an imperative “must win” situation, both for my family’s future and our city’s longevity. I believe the citizens of Tucson will agree.

Respectfully,
Tyler Vogt

State Senate President Russell Pearce reacts to the Supreme Court decision upholding Arizona's employer-sanctions law:

The U.S. Supreme Court this morning upheld an Arizona law that penalizes companies for knowingly hiring illegal aliens and requires firms to use the E-verify system.

The law came out of HB 2779, the Fair and Legal Employment Act, sponsored in 2007 by then-Rep. Russell Pearce, now Senate President.

“Arizona was the first state in the country to enact legislation to prevent illegal aliens from working. Now, the highest court in the land has given its legal authority to this law. Arizonans should be proud,” says Pres. Pearce.

Then-Gov. Janet Napolitano signed the bill into law, but that was only because of the threat of a tougher initiative going to the ballot. “Make no mistake, Gov. Napolitano did NOT support this legislation, and serving in the Obama administration, she has been fighting us all along the way. Now that a huge majority of Arizonans are behind this, she is trying to rewrite history, and suggest she is a strong supporter. We know the truth,” says Pres. Pearce.

In his ruling for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said the employer sanctions law “falls well within the confines of the authority Congress chose to leave to the states.”

“That is an important statement. That sends a pretty clear signal to me that we are headed for U.S. Supreme Court support for SB 1070, as well,” says Pearce. “This is a huge victory for America and the American worker. It is a defeat for the open-borders, profits-over-patriotism crowd. It is a death penalty for employers who continue to hire illegals and displace American workers.”

Tucson food truck people, I love what you're doing, we've dedicated a whole series on the blog to the mobile food phenomenon, but until I can get a sandwich from a truck decorated with the theme of a popular science fiction franchise, the score is Fayetteville, Arkansas: 1, Tucson: 0.

A big win for state Sen. Russell Pearce today at the U.S. Supreme Court:

The Supreme Court, giving states more authority to crack down on illegal immigrants, upholds an Arizona law that punishes employers who hire illegal workers.

In a 5-3 decision, the court said federal law permits states to take away the business licenses of companies that knowingly hire illegal workers.

Arizona also won the authority to require employers to use the federal E-Verify system to check on the immigration status of new workers.

The ruling is a defeat for both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Obama administration which opposed the Arizona law.

It could signal that the Supreme Court will be supportive of SB 1070...

[Los Angeles Times]

This week's cover story is film critic James DiGiovanna's Summer Movie Preview, a look at what will be hitting screens this season, the good, the bad, and the latest Transformers film. However, James is nice enough to go beyond previewing what movies actually exist and extends into what movies won't be coming out this summer. Here's his list of what you won't be seeing this year:

• Milk II: Harvey's Revenge

• An Inconvenient True Grit

• Water for Heffalumps

• Fasixt and Furiousix Six: Part Six

Finally, a show where celebrities get their revenge on average worker drone types! In the clip below, Kim Kardashian, who initially rose to fame from her appearance in a sex tape, finally has an opportunity to leave her mansion to confront a woman who doesn't like her very much (on camera, of course). Can you feel the excitement?

Over/under on the number of episodes this show airs pre-cancellation: 2 1/2.

“Thank you for the freak show!” shouted Loughner, who is facing 49 charges related to the Tucson shooting spree on Jan. 8 that killed six and wounded 13, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head. “She died right in front of me. You’re treasonous!”*

After Loughner was removed from the courtroom, Burns completed his ruling regarding the release of records related to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s investigation into the shooting. He determined that the records would remain sealed for now.

Burns then called a brief recess, after which he asked Loughner if he wished to return to the courtroom for the discussion of whether the accused murderer was competent to stand trial. Loughner chose to watch the proceedings on television in a nearby room.

Burns ruled that after reviewing the reports from doctors who had examined Loughner, he had concluded that the defendant was not competent to stand trial and ordered him to be placed in the custody of the U.S. Attorney General and sent to a federal facility for psychiatric treatment so he can be restored to competency.

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed with reports from a psychologist and psychiatrist who examined Loughner concluding that he is not competent to assist in his defense against the 49 counts stemming from the failed assassination attempt on Giffords, who is still recovering in a Houston rehabilitation facility after being shot in the head.

The doctors concluded that Loughner suffers from schizophrenia that results in delusions, bizarre thinking and hallucinations, according to Burns. They also concluded that Loughner is not malingering.

The next court hearing is slated for Sept. 21.

Burns’ decision to send Loughner to a federal medical center for psychiatric treatment does not mean that he won’t face trial, says Kurt Altman, a former prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office who now works as a criminal defense attorney in Phoenix.

“There’s a misconception out there that this is a blow to the prosecution’s case,” Altman says. “It’s really not. The Constitution guarantees a trial for competent individuals, and because there were certainly issues in regards to his mental capacity or mental deficiencies or whatever, the prosecution certainly wants to get that out into the open right away. … He has to understand the nature and the consequences against him, and he also has to be able to assist his counsel in his defense.”