PHOENIX, ARIZONA – In a surprising turn of events, the Arizona Legislature has failed to override Governor Katie Hobbs’ veto of the “Tamale Bill,” which would have made it legal for home cooks to sell their tamales to the public.

The bill, which had widespread support from both Democrats and Republicans in the state legislature, would have allowed for the sale of tamales made in home kitchens, which is currently illegal under Arizona’s food safety laws.

Supporters of the bill argued that it would have provided an economic opportunity for home cooks and small business owners, particularly those in Arizona’s Latino community, who have a rich tradition of making and selling tamales.

However, Governor Hobbs vetoed the bill, citing concerns about food safety and the potential for foodborne illness.

Despite efforts by lawmakers to override the veto, the bill ultimately fell short of the necessary two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate. The vote was 35-23.

Opponents of the bill, including some food safety advocates, praised Governor Hobbs’ decision to veto the bill.

The failure to override the veto of the Tamale Bill is sure to be a disappointment to many in Arizona’s Latino community, who have been pushing for the legalization of home-cooked tamales for years.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D–NY) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky) got into a shouting match over gun control this week. The fireworks started when Massie asserted that “there has never been a mass shooting in a school that allows teachers to carry.” Bowman called the statement “nonsense. More guns lead to more deaths.”

Statistics don’t support Bowman’s claim. Gun ownership in the US has risen such that there are now more guns than people. However, federal crime data show that homicides committed with firearms have declined from 7 per 100,000 people in 1993 to to 4.3 per 100,000 people in 2018 (the latest complete year information available). Nonfatal crimes involving guns during this period also declined by 71%.

Bowman dismissed this data as “irrelevant. I’m not going to be sidetracked by a slew of numbers. My concern is people. Those that I have talked to are afraid of guns and will feel safer if they are made illegal everywhere. If no one has guns, no one can be shot.”

Massie pointed out that “there is a difference between making gun-ownership illegal and making guns disappear. Persons determined to commit crimes will arm themselves regardless of whether doing so is illegal. Mr. Bowman’s approach amounts to unilateral disarmament of the innocent and law-abiding members of society. The ‘gun-free zones’ Democrats have established in schools become favored targets of homicidal maniacs. If we want to deter massacres we need to arm more of the personnel in these target areas.”

Bowman expressed confidence that “Massie’s argument is too complicated for the average voter to understand. Our simpler message wins more votes. In the long run, the only legal guns will be owned by the government. Anyone else possessing a firearm will be shot on sight by police or troops. China has successfully used this approach and has much lower homicide rates than the US. It is the only sane option.”

This week, FBI agents arrested 21-year-old Air National Guardsmen Jack Teixeira for his role in leaking classified military documents. While the Biden Administration has claimed that the billions in aid advanced to support Ukraine’s efforts in this war are succeeding, the classified military documents say otherwise.

According to General Mark Milley Russia has lost “well over 100,000 soldiers.” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Congress that “Ukraine is winning the war.” However, the classified documents belie these assertions. According to these documents there have been an estimated 16,000 to 17,500 Russian casualties and as many as 71,000 Ukrainian casualties.

John Kirby, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, has warned the media “to refrain from repeating the contents of the classified documents even though the content is accurate.” Kirby went on to clarify that further exposure of the truth would make them accessories to Teixeira’s treason. Lies are an integral strategy for winning a war. Deceit played a crucial role in the defeat of the Nazi war machine. The media’s assistance in propagating the perception that Ukraine is winning is vital to undermining Russian troops’ morale.”

Kirby dismissed Republican objections to being lied to as “unpatriotic. In times of crisis it is essential that all be united behind the strategy chosen by the nation’s Commander-in-Chief. They forget that it was their Party’s candidate for president in the 1944 election who patriotically opposed a Congressional investigation into the causes of the government’s failure to be prepared for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. We ask them to do the same now to put aside their partisan bickering over the corruption of our Ukrainian ally, the waste of tax dollars, and the risk of widening the conflict into a nuclear war and sign onto President Biden’s pledge to do whatever it takes to ensure Russia’s defeat.”

Kirby assured that “the US troops that the leaked documents acknowledged are stationed in Ukraine are not there to engage in the fighting at the present time, but to serve as a ‘trip wire’ for stimulating public support for sending a larger force should any of them be killed or injured by Russian missiles or artillery. A similar strategy was used in 1941 to gain public support for the United States to enter what became World War II. I don’t know of anyone today who thinks that was a mistake then. So why not replicate it in Ukraine now when the casualties will be far fewer than at Pearl Harbor?”

In other military news, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro conceded that “we are no match for China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy. Within the next two years they will have 400 ships. We currently have fewer than 300. They have 13 shipyards, one of which has more capacity than all of ours combined. That’s why I have made climate change my top priority since the first day I came into office. If we can moderate the predicted sea level rise due to global warming there will be fewer square miles of ocean for the Chinese navy to dominate.”

Recently, the Israel Heritage Foundation, an organization devoted to supporting sovereignty in Israel and combating bigotry and anti-Semitism, issued a call for Governor Katie Hobbs to remove a cabinet member due to his anti-Israel and anti-Semitic views.

The foundation’s concern is focused on Martin Quezada, a former member of both the Arizona State Senate and House of Representatives, who was recently appointed Registrar of Contractors by Governor Hobbs. Quezada has expressed support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to eliminate Israel as a Jewish state under the guise of ending its alleged oppression of Palestine. This movement has been identified as a hate group that demonizes Israel and aims to harm Jews, making it deeply concerning that a member of the Democratic Party would support it, particularly during a time when inclusiveness is a critical concern. The statement from the Israel Heritage Foundation is available below.

https://israelheritagefoundation.org/2023/04/03/israel-heritage-foundation-calls-on-arizona-gov-to-fire-cabinet-member-w-anti-israel-anti-semitic-views/

In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he does not abide by the Secure Fence Act’s definition of operational control of the border “because preventing all unlawful entries to the United States is not the policy of the Biden Administration.” He also dodged the issue of whether the drug cartels that do have operational control of the border should be designated as foreign terrorist organizations, saying “it’s not up to me to make that judgment.” The Secretary went on to boast that “we have increased the number of Border Patrol agents for the first time since 2011.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) summed up Mayorkas’ testimony, saying “you admit that your agency is not following the law, yet you insist that you have operational control over the border. Are you aware that over five million persons have illegally entered the country since the start of the Biden Administration? Are you aware that the fentanyl smuggled across this border has killed more than 100,000 Americans over this same time span? It doesn’t seem like the illegal policies of the Biden Administration are having good results.”

“Let me assure you that we are focused on securing the border,” Mayorkas insisted. “We are equally focused on enforcing our laws to achieve that result. The Border Patrol agents are doing heroic work.” Upon hearing this Sen. John Kennedy (R-La) observed “you may be focused, but you are not succeeding.” Mayorkas called Kennedy’s observation “premature. It could be years before we can tell. However, I do know that the vast majority of officers and leaders with whom I work greatly support an assault weapons ban.”