NBC12 in Phoenix Broadcasts Anti-SB 1070 Attacks on Republicans as Nazis

This is really distasteful, almost sickening actually.

Local NBC12 coverage of the Phoenix reconquista march on Saturday.

Watch the full video at Newsbusters.

Especially loathsome is the comments toward the end of the clip, where reporter Rachel Stockman indicates that the reconquistas were "concerned" that some SB 1070 supporters "were going to show up here at the march." Look at the impression NBC 12 is sending. Thousands of raving socialist revolutionaries and reconquistas, frequently advocating violence and spewing hate-filled Nazi attacks on everyday Americans, are "concerned" that actual citizens would show up for a city-wide public march. From the Arizona Republic to CNN to the New York Times, MSM outlets simply refused to report the facts on the ground. Americans are not getting real journalism anymore, and the consequences of the loss of an independent press working to protect liberty and security in this nation, are yet fully to be felt. The silver lining is that more and more everyday Americans are getting active and getting the word out: They're fed up with the left's socialist-media-industrial-complex and they're taking the country back.

My earlier reporting was widely aggregated across the right-blogosphere. I particularly liked the commentary at The Lonely Conservative:

Don’t believe what you read in the paper. This isn’t about immigration reform. This is about socialism, reconquista and revolution. But the mainstream media won’t tell you that. You won’t hear them talking about the angry extremists who descended on Arizona. No, that sort of talk is reserved for those who love this country and wish to preserve our sovereignty and freedom.

Plus, more reactions at Dana Loesch, Getting Paid to Watch, Gold-Plated Witch on Wheels, The Gulag Blog, Hyscience, Irons in the Fire, Logistics Monster, Munz Place, Paco Enterprises, Puma By Design 001, Saberpoint, and Welcome to Trigger.

Dramatic Video Captures Israeli Commandos Beaten with Pipes and Rods

The top video's got the best images available so far. At Gateway Pundit, "Video Proof: Israeli Soldiers Attacked By Pro-Gaza Demonstrators With Live Fire, Knives and Clubs." And from the IDF, "Close-Up Footage of Mavi Marmara Passengers Attacking IDF Soldiers, 31 May 2010" (via Memeorandum):

Earlier video:

Plus, the weapons cache:

Putting on my political scientist's cap, did Israeli officials really think through the international public relations backlash of a commando raid on a "humanitarian" mission to Gaza? Of course we know the flotilla was essentially an enemy landing party and Jerusalem is right in wanting to protect Israelis from hostile elements entering the country. But c'mon. As many as 19 killed? And who's going to get the black eye in public opinion? Noah Pollack argues that Israel anticipated a hostile international reaction, and therefore deployed the commandos without sufficient firepower to establish control:

Instead of proving Israel’s good intentions, the commandos found themselves unable to take control of the terrorist blockade runners, who knew, of course, that any bloodshed and violence that followed the Israeli boarding party would be laid at the feet of the Israelis. Armed with the proper equipment, the naval commandos could have done precisely what they are trained to do — take command of a ship decisively and with great speed. This can only be done when the men boarding the ship are able to immediately neutralize their opponents and establish complete control.

But the Israeli commandos obviously could not establish complete control. They fast-roped into an ambush and were beaten and stabbed. Would this have happened if they had real guns in their hands? Probably not.

Those who sent an elite unit into a hostile confrontation armed with toy weapons made an incredibly stupid decision. And a uniquely Israeli one.

And see Debkafile, "Why was Israeli raider force unprepared for violent resistance?"Also, from Blake Hounshell:

Israeli officials appear to be circling the wagons; the question now becomes what the White House will say and do. So far the Obama administration has said little, but with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu currently in Canada and scheduled to visit Washington Tuesday, it can't stay silent for long. There is talk in Israel that Netanyahu will cancel his trip, which would probably be the smart thing to do. There will be heavy international pressure on Obama to condemn the incident, and he will probably make some kind of mild statement. But a White House visit would quickly make the United States the focal point of world attention in a way that is, as White House officials like to put it, "not helpful."

It already has the makings of a huge international fracas that will make the Goldstone Report look like small potatoes by comparison. But to what end? Israelis on the right end of the political spectrum -- and that is most of them these days -- are convinced there is a "propaganda war" against their country, that most if not all of the criticism is unfair, and that the real issue is the radicalism of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, which openly call for Israel's destruction. That's certainly the perspective of hard-line government officials like Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon, who has already called the ships an "armada of hate and violence" and accused the activists of links to al Qaeda.

In other words, there's a huge unwillingness on the Israeli right to face reality -- that Israel is fast losing friends and allies in the world, and that this government in Jerusalem has only accelerated the shift. It's not hard to imagine boycott campaigns gaining momentum, damaging the Israeli economy and isolating the country diplomatically, especially in Europe.

Daniel Drezner puts things a bit more succinctly:

How badly has Israel f**ked up in its response to a flotilla intending to deliver aid to Hamas-controlled Gaza? Pretty f**king badly.

And no need to quote him. Just go over and read Jeffrey Goldberg in full, "On the Disappearance of Jewish Wisdom, Far Out at Sea." (Via Memeorandum.)

President Reagan's Memorial Day Commemoration, May 28, 1984

Hat tip to MAinfo: "In the absence of Washington leadership this Memorial Day weekend, I look to Reagan for guidance in remembering the fallen. May 28, 1984."

What a great man:

Plus, bonus Memorial Day video:

RELATED: At Frontpage Magazine, "The Last Full Measure of Devotion."

CUPE Member Ali Mallah Attacks BlazingCatFur at Anti-Netanyahu Rally!

I exchanged e-mails with Blazing Cat Fur before leaving for the Phoenix illegal immigration protest. He mentioned he'd covering an event as well, a leftist demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Well, the pro-Palestinian "peace" network was out protesting, and Blazing had a little run-in.

Five Feet of Fury has all the details and a roundup of reactions, "My husband-blogger assaulted by union executive at anti-Israel rally, Toronto (scroll down for updates)." And Blazing Cat Fur has an update, "Video of Assault by CUPE Representative Ali Mallah to Be Featured on Michael Coren Show Tonight."

But seriously, you have to see to believe it:

CUPE is the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Atlas Shrugs has more, "Muslim Union Thug Assaults Blogger at Jihadist Anti-Jew Anti-Netanyahu Rally."

Gaza Flotilla Activists Launched Pre-Planned Attack on Israeli Commandos

Not a lot of time to get on top of this story (I'm still recovering from my weekend reporting in Arizona), but check Doug Ross, "IDF: Flotilla refused security inspection; film shows humanitarians knifing Israeli soldier; other Israelis were shot by terror-linked IHH members." Also, at The Other McCain, "Flotilla of Fools vs. Israeli Navy."

Any action by Israel in defense of its national interests is always condemned by the "international community." But the IDF video below is pretty conclusive. See, "Video Update: Demonstrators Use Violence Against Navy Soldiers Boarding Ship." (Via Memeorandum.) And at Haaretz, "Israeli commandos: Gaza flotilla crew tried to lynch us."

A second IDF video shows Israeli forces communicating with the flotilla:

Further, the "peace activists" invoked the killing of Jews:

And breaking at Jerusalum Post, "Netanyahu cancels upcoming Obama meeting, returns to Israel."

Background reporting is at Wall Street Journal, "Israeli Clash at Sea Inflames Tension."

Californians Split on Arizona's SB 1070? Well, No Actually

Well, here comes this morning's Los Angeles Times to confirm --- once again --- the main point I raised in my coverage of this weekend's reconquista protest in Phoenix. See, the Times' poll, "Californians Split on Arizona's Illegal Immigration Crackdown":

California voters are closely divided over the crackdown on illegal immigration in Arizona, with sharp splits along lines of ethnicity and age, according to a new Los Angeles Times/USC poll.

Overall, 50% of registered voters surveyed said they support the law, which compels police to check the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally, while 43% oppose it. That level of support is lower than polls have indicated nationwide.

But attitudes among the state's voters are not uniform. Strong majorities of white voters and those over 50 support the Arizona law, while Latinos and those under 30 are heavily opposed.

Arizona's adoption of the law in April stirred passions and protests across the nation, with cities including Los Angeles voting to boycott the state. The matter has turned into a pressure point in electoral battles, including the Republican gubernatorial primary in California. But the poll shows that most voters, even those with ardent feelings about the measure, said they were unlikely to reject candidates based solely on their immigration stances.

Read the examples at the link.

Actually, this is a large survey sample of 1,506 registered voters, and the poll's got a sampling error of 2.6 percent. In other words, Californians are not "closely divided" on the Arizona law. Exactly half of the respondents support the law, amazing for California, which if it not for the tea parties would have long ago gone the way of San Franciscoistan. And remember, we'd have a way larger difference than 7 percentage-points if the mainstream press was accurately reporting the news.

For more on that, plus photos, see "Immigrants and Socialists March Against SB 1070 in Phoenix."

And more on Arizona at American Freedom, Astute Bloggers, Carol's Closet, Gateway Pundit, Left Coast Rebel, NewsReal, Nice Deb, Snooper's Report, The Other McCain, and Theo Spark.

Plus, check Memeorandum for the latest in media malfeasance.

As of this posting, the New York Times is reporting that "Tina Loudon, a Tea Party member from St. Louis," helped organize the Stand With Arizona event at Tempe's Diablo Stadium. Actually, that'd be Gina Loudon, but let's not be too hard on the nation's "unofficial newspaper of record."

NOTE: I have pics from the Stand With Arizona rally, and will update later ...

Added: MAinfo also linked. Thanks!

Immigrants and Socialists March Against SB 1070 in Phoenix

This is why I covered it. Reading the morning newspapers on yesterday's illegal immigrant march in Phoenix, you'd think it was just a nice outing for families to stand up against Arizona's SB 1070. But this was no weekend picnic. The event was more about revolution and reconquista than about "immigration reform." The Arizona Republic, CNN, and the New York Times all publised blasé reports, riddled with inaccuracies and omissions. And check the screencap at yesterday's Los Angeles Times below. It's hard to find a better image that captures the media's pro-illegal immigration reporting: "A girl waits to join the march through downtown Phoenix." See how seemingly normal things appear. The editorial choices made by MSM functionaries are staggering sometimes:

To put it mildly, the press didn't report the whole story. Here's the scene as the crowd gathered at 8:00am at Indian School Park in Phoenix. This image better captures the tone of the day's events. Behold Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio as KKK terrorist:

Or as the state's "Abuser #1":

Here's the message from the "Mexica Movement," with some of the group's signs below:

We the Nican Tlaca, the Indigenous people of this continent, demand that you (white people on our continent) stop your pretense that we are foreigners on our own continent. Stop pretending that your borders that separate our people have any legitimacy. Stop pretending that you are moral or just in the genocide you perpetrate against us. Remember that all of the evil laws that Hitler and the Nazis made against Jews and Gypsies were totally legal and within the framework of their government’s democracy. Remember that all of the evil of Hitler was supported by the majority of the German people, including all of the discrimination and ethnic cleansing, including the holocaust.

Claiming to be "non-profit," the group sold smaller placards. The minature version of this one, with Arizona flag and Swastika, was popular among marchers:

Throughout the day chants and exhortations decried European colonialism, for example, "WE DIDN'T CROSS THE BORDER ... THE BORDER CROSSED US!!"

Everywhere you looked you found Nazi excoriations:

L.A's neo-communist International ANSWER contingents were on the ground ...

... putting the pressure on for mass amnesty:

That "WE DIDN'T CROSS THE BORDER" slogan wasn't just found among the obvious extremist groups. Lots of everyday folks were spouting this nonsense. But the mainstream press isn't giving you these images, which were too numerous to photograph:

Marchers routinely carry the Mexican flag above the American flag:

Like a bee to honey, this lady swarmed right over to the reconquista table, hanging out there for a while:

And none of the MSM reports indicate that Ron Gochez was a leading organizer of the day's events. Remember Gochez from the viral YouTube last month? I spoke to him personally. I told him I'd seen him on television (with Griff Jenkins on Fox) and he gladly posed for photos:

His comrades proudly marched with Aztlan-style banners and Mexican flags:

The "indigenous" people were all around, but the media's not reporting their call to expropriate the "colonialists." Nice people --- with a radical message:

The Big Labor/Open Borders lobby was well-represented:

The unions bused in scores of Latino families:

They hung back in the shadows while their organizers spouted attacks on "racism" and "white supremacy":

As the procession begins ...

... marchers are met by revolutionary socialist organizers:

Temperatures reached the mid-90s. Mexican businessmen ignored the class-struggle rhetoric and went about selling their products. Folks like ice cream when it's hot out:

Some protesters joined the march as the procession made its way south down 3rd Street. See what I mean about Sheriff Joe Arpaio? The media malpractice is stunning. Where's the reporting? This kind of signage was ubiquitous along the route:

Moving along, I spotted this ominous banner:

Turns out that a band of anarchists had infiltrated the march. This woman was paranoid, obviously alarmed I was taking her picture:

It's understandable, considering the group's strong message on no borders:

One of their thugs threatened me with violence, getting in my face next to the sidewalk. Still, I wanted to get another shot of their biggest banner, only partially readable here: "INDIGENOUS PEOPLE FOR MIGRANT RIGHTS." And "SOLIDARIDAD," with the anarchist's "A":

Continuing along, some of the most potent signs were carried by immigrant families themselves:

I'd be surprised if a majority of those protesting weren't illegal immigrants, and even in Arizona I guess folks aren't too worried about deportation. Will President Obama deliver on amnesty? Marchers are betting on it. (Recall that the press is now calling illegal aliens "unauthorized migrants.") You can't make this stuff up, although the MSM refuses to report the big picture:

I fault the organizers of the march for planning a 5-mile protest route in extremely hot weather. Things got scary for some families. And I felt bad for the mothers I saw (with swaddled babies or fully-clothed toddlers) who obviously weren't educated on the dangers of heat stroke for infants and young children. Many families were stopping, caring for kids who were clearly overcome by the heat. I'm serious about this. A 2-mile march starting 9:00am would have been an improvement, with just as much media coverage. As it was, at 2:00pm people were still marching downtown to the government seat. The fire department was responding to heat-related emergencies all day. Not even the availability of ice-cold water along the route can excuse putting families at risk for political gain:

Seen here, again, regular folks hoisting extremist signs. The "Nazi" message is getting out there:

Campaign signs along the protest route. Governor Jan Brewer's running for another term. She's attacked as Hitler (see below), but of course the Nazi dictator suspended the electoral process after coming to totalitarian power in 1933. Facts weren't relevant to the marchers:

Latin American revolutionary iconography is everywhere along the march:

Immigration, naturalization, and passport services are widely available in downtown Phoenix:

But open-borders activists want you to believe it's all a nightmare:

Passing the Arizona Republic's building downtown. They had reporters on the ground, but I don't think they wanted to actually walk in the shoes of the migrants (like I did) --- or if they did, they ain't saying what's really going down:

Passing the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. District Court in downtown Phoenix. Illegals could face deportation hearings here, but the migrants marched past without even noticing. The day's incommensurabilities were simply mind-boggling:

And it's not like Arizona authorities weren't concerned with unlawful activity, violence, or unrest. The Arizona Republic's report was sure to indicate the "heavy police presence," which apparently included police detachments on the roofs (on top here, at the state supreme court building toward the end of the protest). And you can see why. The crowd was massive, perhaps even in the tens of thousands:

People are descending at the Capitol Building, just in time for the hate-fest:

I didn't stay long. As I took this photo the speaker was denouncing the theft of Mexican lands, in both English and Spanish. (In fact, most of the speeches and protest chants were in Spanish --- I didn't feel at home in my own country.)

Protesters weren't allowed on the grounds of the state legislature. I did come all this way, so nice tourist pic, in any case:

Yet another attack on Governor Jan Brewer:

The Spartacist League was on hand once again:

Demonstrators put on a flourishing conclusion for the press:

More Nazi demonology as the marchers turn the corner. I almost missed getting a shot of this one:

Walking back to the Hyatt Hotel downtown (to catch a cab back to the Indian School Park), here's a sign advertising English lessons in Spanish. Hey, maybe pretty soon folks won't need 'em:

Stay tuned for an additional report on the Stand With Arizona event at Diablo Stadium. The media's getting that one wrong as well.

Arizona Update

Well, as I predicted, it was a really big day. Thanks to Grizzly Mama, Lew Waters, and Miss Tammy for checking in on me.

Anyway, I'm beat. I posted a few pics to my Twitter page, so check that (and follow me while you're there, and I'll follow you back).

In addition to the Phoenix protest, I have some decent pics from the Stand With Arizona event, and I'll get all of that stuff posted ASAP (probably one big post in the morning, and more later Sunday and Monday).

Thanks again and keep checking back. I'm doing fine.

SB 1070 Immigration Rallies Planned for Saturday in Phoenix, Tempe

I'm heading to bed. I'll be on the road early in time to make for the big immigration rallies scheduled in Phoenix and Tempe. The Arizona Daily Star's reporting, "SB 1070 Opponents, Supporters Planning Rallies on Saturday":

Opponents of Arizona's new immigration law hope to attract 50,000 people for a protest march on Saturday - an estimate former state Sen. Alfredo Gutierrez said is justified despite the nominal turnouts at prior protests against the law.

Gutierrez said passage of a string of tough laws targeting immigrants over recent years and heavy-handed enforcement by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio have tempered people's willingness to speak out publicly.

But he said the threat of SB 1070 "changes all that."

March organizers also announced the first four Arizona companies that will be targeted for boycotts, selected, Gutierrez said, because officers from all four have a record of contributing to Republicans who backed SB 1070.

The march from midtown Phoenix to the Capitol isn't the only event in the valley Saturday centered on the new law.

Backers of the legislation, operating under the banner of Stand With Arizona, plan their own rally Saturday evening at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Speakers include Arpaio, Mark Spencer of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association and supporters of a "buy-cott" urging people to come to Arizona to show support for the law.

"The purpose is just to show that we stand solidly in the corner of Arizona's right to stand as an independent state and enforce the laws that are already on the books," said Gina Louden, founder of the national buy-cott campaign.

She said SB 1070 simply clarifies that state and local police have the same power to check someone's immigration status as do federal officers.

Carole Bartholomeaux, spokeswoman for Stand With Arizona, said they expect 10,000 to attend. She said there are no plans by supporters of SB 1070 to counter-demonstrate against foes during their march.

The Stand With Arizona page is here. It's going to be a long day. The morning protest in downtown Phoenix features a 5-mile route, so I could be pretty well tuckered out by the time I get to my hotel and cleaned up. Nevertheless, I'll try to post some pictures in the afternoon, and hopefully earlier if I get a chance to sneak into a Starbucks for some coffee-break blogging.

Thanks for reading!

At the video, from KEYT Santa Barbara, "Immigration Rights Protesters Arrested."

RELATED: At Verum Serum last month, "Some Pics of Sunday’s Immigration Protest in AZ You Won’t Be Seeing on MSNBC."

Santa Ana College Offers Scholarships to Illegal Immigrants

I saw this previously at the Orange County Register. But check Gustavo Arellano's completely over the top take on this, "Five OC Illegal Immigrants Who Did More to Better Humanity than Dana Rohrabacher."

Arellano spoke at my college as part of the Puente program in April (gotta build that ethnic solidarity, I guess).

The Santa Ana scholarship program sends the completely wrong message, but considering that the population of Santa Ana is about 90 percent Latino/Mexican, this kind of stuff obviously goes down well in the community.

What kind of country are we going to have folks? Open borders are a fact of life, and we're seeing the erosion of any respect in practice or in spirit for the rule of law. It's unreal sometimes.

RELATED: "Rohrabacher blasts illegal immigrant scholarship‎":

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is incensed that Santa Ana College is establishing a scholarship for illegal immigrants . He has written a letter to the school’s president saying if they proceed with this ,their federal funding could be in jeopardy.

The $2,500 matching scholarship is being created in honor of Tan Ngoc Tran of Garden Grove, a former Santa Ana College student and immigration activist who was killed in Maine on May 15 by a drunk driver.

In his letter to college president Erlina Martinez, Rohrabacher said while Tran’s death is tragic, “channeling our scarce resources to illegal immigrants, even if they are students, is unforgivable at a time when so many of our citizens and legal residents are struggling to meet their own education needs.’’ ....

Tran was a crusader for passage of the DREAM ACT, which would allow illegal immigrant students to get legal status.

Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, also said the scholarship dedicated to illegal immigrants is “an affront to law abiding citizens who tax dollars will pay the bill.’’

Rohrabacher tells Martinez that giving such money “to law breakers by rewarding them with scholarships exhibits a misguided set of priorities for Santa Ana College.”

Tanker Truck Explodes on Eastbound 91 Freeway!

This is one news story at affected me personally, and in a big way. See, LAT, "Tanker Explodes in Flames on 91 Fwy." And KABC-7 Los Angeles, "Tanker explodes on 91, shuts down freeway":

Firefighters let the tanker rig burn out its 9,000 gallon fuel load. Some drivers were stuck for up to 6 hours. And check the spectacular picture at LAist.

I left my house at about 11:45am. I'm travelling with my two sons. We're staying at my mom's house in Yucca Valley, which is about 40 minutes north of Palm Springs. I'm getting up at 3:00 in the morning to get on the road for Phoenix.

I rarely if ever check traffic reports unless it's been raining. So when we got just past Anaheim Hills heading east on the 91 Freeway a blinking road sign warned drivers to be prepared to stop. Next thing I know I see the Highway Patrol closing down the freeway. I think we got off around Weir Canyon Road and I followed a Highway Patrol cruiser further east until I could see ahead down the freeway. I turned around to get back on the 91 westbound, over to the 57 Freeway north to Interstate 10 east.

Of course, I was really excited to get to my destination, so the thought of being held up for hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic was depressing. That said, the detour wasn't too bad, and I feel a lot better knowing we didn't sit on the 91 for 6 hours.

Thank God no one was hurt.

Rand Paul Takes On the 14th Amendment!

For a guy who says he's an unequivocal backer of equal protection of the laws, you'd think Rand Paul might be a bit more, let's say, careful in avoiding another big fight on civil rights issues. The 14th Amendment is the Holy Grail of the U.S. civil rights regime, and within a week of suggesting that federal law overreaches when regulating private business decisions and freedom of association, here he comes again with more. See CNN, "TRENDING: Paul: No citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants."

Allahpundit has an interesting post on this, and he points us to a George Will essay from March, "A Birthright? Maybe Not." It turns out that the authors of the 14th Amendment never intended U.S. born children of foreign parents to gain citizenship. The logic is impeccable, but as with the public accomodations debate we just had, I'm betting this is another argument conservatives won't win (for the moment, at least ... check back with me after we get "comprehensive" immigration reform).

More at Memeorandum.

Cross-posted from American Power.

Alto Arizona! Zack de la Rocha Rages Against SB 1070

I wrote about Alto Arizona previously: "Ron Gochez, LA RAZA, and National Day of Action Against SB 1070, May 29."

At the viddy, socialist rocker Zack de la Rocha calls for "sensible" immigration reform in this ad for the weekend's events:

Turns out the dude's been getting involved quite a bit, for example, "Zack de la Rocha Leads a March of Thousands to Joe Arpaio's Jails, Neo-Nazis and Nativists Back Arpaio":