Smith: More than one for the record
by Dylan Smith on Dec. 08, 2007, under Local
Clockwise: Charlie the greyhound, counting ballots, Lute and Christine Olson
Doesn’t matter whether they’re public, sports, voting or even Guinness, the news is always filled with records.
Records are at the heart of a lawsuit filed by Pima County Democrats, who want to find out if the 2006 RTA election results may have been altered by computer manipulation.
They say that the county’s use of a Diebold-GEMS voting system and Microsoft Access database leaves elections with a “back door” that could be used to alter vote counts.
So the Dems want to examine all the records of the election to see if there were any irregularities in the data.
Turns out the computer tape containing that database has gone missing.
Other tapes and discs were taken home by an elections employee, potentially compromising their security.
You can get your opinion on the record at public meetings on election security to be held Dec. 10, 11 and 14.
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Plenty of voices have been raised on a proposal to deny birth certificates to the children of illegal immigrants born in Arizona.
Papers were filed last week for a 2008 ballot initiative that would deny birthright citizenship to the babies of illegal immigrants by preventing them from receiving birth certificates.
State Rep. Russell Pearce says he plans to get a similar measure on the ballot by legislative referendum.
This despite the U.S. Constitution’s grant of citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” in the 14th Amendment.
Proponents of the measure say that illegal immigrants, and their children, being citizens of another nation, aren’t subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
If they’re not subject to our laws, how exactly are they illegal?
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Another move in the courts was Lute Olson’s filing of divorce papers, pointing to an end of both his four-year marriage and the nation’s longest active streak of 23 straight years coaching in the NCAA tourney.
Make that a move off the courts. Is there hard wood in the plaintiff’s seat in divorce court?
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Setting some sort of record, for audacity if not clichéd behavior, was the Irishman who loaded his truck with 450 kegs of beer straight from the Guinness brewery’s loading dock.
Two men were arrested in the heist plot, and the Garda Siochana police suspect that others were involved in the theft of 39,600 pints of beer.
According to the company, it was the biggest robbery in the 248-year history of the brewery.
There’s no word on whether the caper will make the record books.
Going to the dogs
The cases of two brutalized pets showed just how low some criminals can get.
Charlie, a 7-year-old rescued greyhound, was found dead, lying on the side of the road with a gunshot wound. Earlier, he’d gotten away as his owner walked him in the rain.
Tucson police are treating the case as an animal cruelty felony.
A wounded miniature Pinscher was euthanized in Phoenix on Sunday. The dog was found with multiple stab wounds and a cut deep enough to reach the animal’s spine.
Better pet news had Chicken the cat flying back to the Midwest. He stowed away on a moving van for a 1,490-mile trek across country with Dan McIntosh. Thanks for Northwest Airlines, he’s on his way to Iowa to owner Sarah Sutton, McIntosh’s sister.
Also keeping pets and families together was the Pima County Board of Supervisors. Cherub the potbellied pig will remain with his owner after the Supes ruled in favor of Cherub and other hogs similarly situated. No longer livestock, they’re now pets in the eyes of the law.
Dept. of the Obvious
Proving the necessity of codifying common courtesy, the state Department of Transportation announced that it will publicize the little-known “Move Over” law.
The law requires motorists to move over and slow down when emergency vehicles are stopped along the road.
The department will place 22 large signs around the state to inform drivers of the requirements of the 2005 law.
If you have ever changed a tire on I-10 in Eloy, you realize the importance of elbow room for those working next to hurtling traffic.
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Related
Judge: RTA election lawsuit can proceed
Record of votes in ’06 RTA election missing
Our Opinion: Clear, secure vote counts critical here, nationwide
Denogean: Proposal defies courts, citizens, Constitution
Marital issues contributed to Olson’s leave, attorney says
Irish police bust beer bandits, continue hunt for missing Guinness
