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Arizona Tag

A series of unsolved shootings in Phoenix, Arizona has led local authorities to believe they're dealing with a serial killer. Few things capture the eerie side of the American imagination like a a person who hunts and kills other humans. Countless books and films have been based on the subject. Still, it's a horrifying thing when it's actually happening. CNN reports:
Phoenix police: Suspected serial killer linked to 9 shootings, 7 deaths This time, the target was a car with a 4-year-old boy and his young father inside. The same man who has killed seven people has struck again, Phoenix police said Wednesday.

While Americans are justifiably focused on the fascinating presidential campaign, there is a U.S. Senate primary in Arizona coming up on August 30th that could use a bit of attention. Republican Senate primary voters are currently split between several candidates. One of the better positioned hopefuls, Alex Meluskey, has just dropped out of the primary. The biggest beneficiary of this development is a vibrant challenger, Dr. Kelli Ward.
A Public Policy Polling survey of the Republican Primary showed former State Senator Ward tied with McCain 41-41 head-to-head but trailing 39-26 when three other candidates were included in the poll. One of those three candidates, Scott McBean, failed to turn in enough signatures to make the ballot. With Meluskey’s campaign suspension, only perennial candidate Clair Van Steenwyk remains. Van Steenwyk polled last in the PPP survey with just 2 percent compared to Meluskey’s 4 percent and McBean’s 3 percent. Van Steenwyk isn’t expected to rise above low single digits.

It has been a roller-coaster few weeks for famed Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  On May 2, the 9th Circuit vacated an injunction prohibiting Arpaio and fellow Maricopa County, Arizona police officers from raiding workplaces to enforce anti-identity theft laws.  Then on Friday, Arizona District Court Judge G. Murray Snow held Arpaio and three deputies in civil contempt in connection for racially profiling in traffic stops, contrary to a prior order.

Workplace Raids

The May 2 decision revolves around Arizona laws H.B. 2779 (2007) and H.B. 2715 (2008), which prohibit the use of a stolen or fake identity to obtain or in connection with employment.   According to the 9th Circuit's decision in Puente Arizona v. Arpaio:
These bills were passed, at least in part, in an effort to solve some of Arizona’s problems stemming from illegal immigration.  The titles of the legislation and the legislative history show an intent on the part of Arizona legislators to prevent unauthorized aliens from coming to and remaining in the state. But these bills were also aimed at curbing the growing and well-documented problem of identity theft in Arizona. Between 2006 and 2008, Arizona had the highest per-capita identity theft rates in the nation, and one third of all identity theft complaints in the state involved employment-related fraud.

Shutting down major highways as a protest tactic is extremely dangerous. Not only does it create the possibility of car accidents, it also traps motorists behind the road blockage, making it impossible for emergency vehicles or vehicles with people in distress to pass. This tactic was used by anti-Israel protesters who hijacked a Martin Luther King Day protest on the San Mateo Bridge and blocked the span at its highest point, trapping hundreds of motorists. [caption id="attachment_113857" align="alignnone" width="600"]https://twitter.com/farah_salazar/status/558214869648814080 (via Farah Salazar Twitter)[/caption] In that instance, there were in fact motor vehicle accidents and at least one report of a vehicle with a child in medical distress who could not pass.