Did it surprise anyone that Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio filed a lawsuit against Obama over the president's November immigration executive action?

I doubt it.

Last month, Obama relieved as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants, who are parents to U.S. citizen or legal resident children and have no criminal record, among other requirements, from deportation and gave them work permits. That's good for the next three years.

Earlier this month, Arizona joined a muli-state challenge, led by Texas (NO SURPRISE THERE EITHER) to the immigration action. Arpaio's lawsuit is separate.

He filed it almost immediately after Obama made the announcement Nov. 20, saying the temporary changes to the country's immigration system were unconstitutional.

Now, the self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America" has to convince a federal court judge that the suit should happen, as reported by The Associated Press today.

Arpaio argues the program is just going to trigger more people to come here illegally and "commit crimes."

Did he not read the qualifications? If the person has a criminal background, he or she is not getting the relief. Also, those applying have had to be in the U.S. for at least five years.

His buttons have been stuck on replay for a while now on the issue. I also feel he's trying to become relevant again...*sigh*

How much more STATE money are all of these people willing to spend to fight the feds on these moves? Arizona's already spent $1.5 million in legal fees over the licenses for Dreamers dilemma, according to the Arizona Republic.

The work permits will allow these people do just that - work, which equals paying taxes, which equals revenue for the state. Isn't the budget facing a $1 billion deficit in the next two years? Letting more people fuel the economy might be a good thing.

An update of where the Arpaio suit will end up is en route...

Zona Politics Eps.10 from Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel on Vimeo.

On this week's "Zona Politics with Jim Nintzel": Attorney Jeff Rogers and former state lawmaker Jonathan Paton talk about what Martha McSally's win will mean for Southern Arizona, unpack this week's Supreme Court rulings blocking the a state law limiting medication abortion and granting driver's licenses to DREAMers, discuss how a new state law led to a recent Ultimate Fighting Championship bout in Phoenix and more.

Tucson Electric Power has gotten the green light to install rooftop solar panels at customers' homes without installation or maintenance costs. In exchange, people would pay a fixed monthly fee for the next 25 years.

For instance, if energy prices go up, no worries, if you get panels you'll still pay the same amount every month thanks to the fixed rate deal. Also, if you break the things, TEP will fix them.

There would be a $250 administrative fee if you go for this new plan, though.

A press release from TEP says the "first of its kind program" will be available in the spring to between 500 to 600 customers. 

"The company will seek participants in areas where TEP's solar arrays would maximize benefits for the local electric grid that serves all customers," the release says. "TEP will also look for sites where solar panels can be positioned to maximize output that more closely coincides with peak demand."

The plan was approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission Thursday. TEP proposed it a few months ago.

At the time, I spoke with Joseph Barrios, a TEP spokesman, and he said this program is one of the many ways TEP is looking to expand options for renewable energy use.

For more info, click here. 

It's not a question of whether President Barack Obama was anxiously waiting to watch the new Seth Rogen and James Franco film, The Interview, or not. He's just disappointed Sony Pictures decided to pull the action/comedy over threats coming from North Korea. They let Kim Jong-un win without putting up a fight. 

In his end of the year address, Obama said Sony had made a mistake. "I wish they would have spoken to me first," he said. But the Sony execs were really peeing in their panties, and they defended the action saying they had no other choice but to cancel the premier and any other screenings. Also, some major cinematic chains had already said they weren't willing to show the flick, etc., etc.

So, these guys, with all their dick, weed and killing Kim Jong-un jokes, may unravel a North Korean NUCLEAR WARFARE on U.S. soil.

I'm not too paranoid about that. Still, the pair must be smoking a bowl, proud to see the shit show they've created.

Our lives are in danger because of these dudes:


Obviously, that guy has no sense of humor.

The Tucson Urban League's IMA Town Hall is asking locals to come participate at a Black Lives Matter stand tomorrow afternoon while the Downtown Parade of Lights is happening.

They hope to show solidarity for the police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. and Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y. Do I still need to explain what happened in those two places?

"Also, show solidarity about the injustices that take place probably every day that we don't know about," says Deborah Embry, political action domain leader at the Tucson Urban League. 

She says the gathering was planned for tomorrow because they knew there would be ton s of people in the area watching for the Parade of Lights. 

"No one is going to speak, people are just coming together to stand," Embry says.

The stand will go on for as long as the parade does.

People looking to participate should be in front of Prince Chapel AME Church, 602 S. Stone Ave., by 4 p.m., wearing a black t-shirt or one that reads "I can't breathe."

For more information, you can contact Emry at 520-202-5360, Ext. 2234

The 3000 Club is bringing back Market on the Move now that temperatures have reached produce-friendly levels. On Saturday, Dec. 20 you can head to MOM headquarters and grab up to 60 pounds of produce for just a $10 (cash only) donation.

This week’s event, which is rain or shine, will feature fresh Roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, cucumbers (regular, English, and Persian), yellow squash, Serrano chiles, honeydew melons, and green and yellow bell peppers.

The group is also looking for volunteers to assist in the event. If you’re interested in lending a hand, you can see Ray Jennings at the event beginning at 5:30 a.m. for setup. According to the 3000 Club, the organization and its volunteers are responsible for rescuing approximately 30 million pounds of produce that would otherwise go in landfills, which goes to helping over 460,000 families in need and 300 different food banks.

However, if you’re just looking to get some affordable, healthy food for your household, you can stop by Market on the Move at 250 S. Toole Avenue from 8 until 11 a.m. on Saturday. Be warned that produce goes fast, so they earlier you arrive, the better.

While there is no set schedule for future Market on the Move events at this time, you can keep up to date by checking out the 3000 Club website or connect with the group on Facebook.

Many congressional Republicans were quick to condemn the Obama administration’s move to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba and push to end the half-century of economic sanctions imposed on the tiny communist island. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, for example, wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Obama’s announcement “giving the Castro regime diplomatic legitimacy and access to American dollars isn’t just bad for the oppressed Cuban people, or for the millions who live in exile and lost everything at the hands of the dictatorship. Mr. Obama’s new Cuba policy is a victory for oppressive governments the world over and will have real, negative consequences for the American people.”

And Arizona Sen. John McCain, in a joint statement with his pal Lindsey Graham, said the move was "about the appeasement of autocratic dictators, thugs, and adversaries, diminishing America’s influence in the world."

“We agree with President Obama that he is writing new chapters in American foreign policy," the two senators said in a joint statement. "Unfortunately, today’s chapter, like the others before it, is one of America and the values we stand for in retreat and decline."

But Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who has long argued for better relations with Cuba, supported Obama’s decision.

“I don't often agree with President Obama, but he was right to begin the process of normalizing relations with Cuba,” Flake said in a prepared statement. “For over 50 years, the policy of isolating Cuba has failed to achieve any democratic reforms. It has, however, succeeded in giving the Castros a convenient excuse for the failures of socialism.”

Flake added that the decision was “about freedom. Engagement isn't going to turn Cuba into a model democracy overnight, but as we've seen around the world, it will certainly be an improvement over the status quo. Government control over the island will be lessened by increased American contact and commerce, and these changes will provide a boost to those who will actually make change in Cuba—the Cubans themselves.”

Speaking of Cuba: Tucson author Tom Miller this week found his book, Trading with the Enemy: A Yankee Travels Through Casto’s Cuba, named as one of the best books on Cuba by The New York Times and the Daily Beast.

“Miller’s fun and engaging story of his eight months on the island introduces readers to the country’s intellectual elite, criminals, and ordinary citizens,” wrote William O’Connor on the Beast website. “National jokes about Castro, food, and the embargo are shared as he tells the story of the people on receiving end of the U.S. and Cuba’s policies. It also focuses on some of the nation’s success, such as its health care.”

While many local music lovers will likely be at The Great Cover-Up this Saturday, it's certainly not the only option for live music that night. In fact, Courtney Robbins is playing a solo set at The Flycatcher too or you can head over to Che's Lounge for a free set courtesy of Saint Maybe.

The show itself is certainly a good Saturday night option, especially since there's no cover, but the poster that Pop Narkotic made for the event is noteworthy in itself. If the looks of that doesn't draw you in, here's some more auditory inspiration.


The local band will take the Che's stage located at 350 N. Fourth Avenue beginning at 10 p.m. The event is 21 and over. 

At the same time high profile killings of unarmed black men by police officers are making national news and bringing thousands of people into the streets to protest, TUSD is introducing police officers into some of its schools. When you combine people's justifiable concerns that too many police are arrest- and trigger-happy with the introduction of officers into Tucson schools with a high minority population, it's inevitable there will be concerns. And it's the job of TUSD and the Tucson Police Department to address and deal with the concerns directly.

Ideally, officers in the school should be community policing at its finest, bringing police into the halls and the classrooms to increase dialogue and understanding between young people and police at the same time the schools become safer places for students and staff. But officers in the schools can also result in more juveniles being brought into the criminal justice system, which can lead to all kinds of negative, life-altering consequences for the young people involved, and can give students and other community members another reason to fear and distrust police.

There are two positive aspects of the way police officers are being introduced. First, TUSD wisely refused to station police officers in its schools if they were allowed to ask students about their immigration status. Only after the agreement with the city read, “School Resource Officers shall refrain from asking about immigration status,” was the officers' presence OK'd.

Second, the legal agreement between TUSD and the City of Tucson on the use of police officers in the schools looks like a good document to my untrained eye. Attached to the agreement is the Arizona Department of Education's School Safety Program Guidance Manual which begins by saying the purpose of the program is "to contribute to safe school environments that are conducive to teaching and learning." It discusses the training officers go through and their educational duties in the schools. The emphasis of the manual is on safety and education, not arrest and incarceration.

But with a police officer easily at hand, it becomes easier to turn situations which should be handled in house into trips down to the police station. When there's a law enforcement hammer in the school, every infraction of the rules can look like a nail. The officers as well as the school administration need to be aware of the temptation to criminalize bad behavior by students which should be dealt with by in-school reprimands and, if necessary, disciplinary action. The only time the criminal justice system should be involved is when a situation is serious enough that a school without an on-campus officer would call in the police to deal with the problem.

Whether your literary tastes skew more toward the risqué or you're a staunch First Amendment supporter, Bookmans on Ina Road has a club for you. The store's Banned Book Club will bring people together to read and discuss books that were banned in the past for one reason or another.

The first six months of the club will feature The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie in January, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess in February, Stolen Children by Peg Kehret in March, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey in April, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote in May, and Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs in June.

The Banned Book Club kicks off on Sunday, Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m. and will continue on the third Sunday of each month at that same time. To join the free book club, e-mail [email protected].