“So the Republican governor of Arizona has decided that she is the arbiter of all things moral. Whatever happened to Republicans believing that government should have less and less impact on the lives of people? The governor proves everyday that she is the true Queen of Looney Land.”

Officials who have complained for years about high legal costs tied to the internal power struggle in Arizona's most populous county have filed legal notices asking for millions in damages, citing emotional stress caused by the political warfare.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and that state's legislature have unconscionably meddled in the case of a severely brain-damaged woman, in a hopeless vegetative state for 13 years, whose husband had finally won the right for her to die peacefully.

A state legislator wants to allow more people to practice law.

SAN FRANCISCO — A Las Vegas developer has been bounced between tribal and federal court in an effort to protect his financial interest in the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a popular glass bridge that extends from the canyon's edge on tribal land in western Arizona.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi apparently has decided there won’t be a vote this year to permanently prevent the government from imposing the so-called Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters. In fact, Pelosi favors re-establishing the doctrine, which would elevate government as the final arbiter of what’s fair in public discourse.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi apparently has decided there won't be a vote this year to permanently prevent the government from imposing the so-called Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters. In fact, Pelosi favors re-establishing the doctrine, which would elevate government as the final arbiter of what's fair in public discourse.

Short takes from the Tribune Editorial Board:

A public officeholder’s attorneys may give the legal green light to certain behaviors, but conduct that is legal often doesn’t pass the “smell test,” the more common-sense approach applied by the ultimate arbiters who are voters, not lawyers.

Sen. Jim Waring, R-Phoenix, has decided to continue a reckless vendetta against drunken driving and he seems willing to sacrifice our civil liberties and every bit of common sense in his rush to save just one more life.

Over the past two seasons, left wing Ladislav Nagy has been the Coyotes’ most potent offensive force, averaging a point per game.

Sometimes decisions on what to say publicly are a matter of realizing that it may not always be right to say something even though you have the right to say it. Even so, someone with a badge shouldn’t be standing over you to force that realization.

Let’s get this straight. The White House Office of Management and Budget, the final arbiter of these matters, says the holiday is Washington’s Birthday, not Presidents’ Day, and it says so right there in section 6103(a) of Title 5 of the United States Code.

To frame the current local discussion over how much of Christmas’ religious aspects should flow into everything from individual holiday greetings to what activities government should fund, it would be easy to say the debate is not over the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth, how large a role Santa Claus has come to play and how much it all means to the fourth-quarter economy.

WASHINGTON - Housing construction in June climbed to the highest level since the beginning of the year and fewer American workers filed claims for unemployment benefits, more hopeful signs that the economy may be gaining traction.

Ignoring warnings of illegality from their own secretary of state, most House Republicans voted Wednesday to require him to verify that presidential candidates on the Arizona ballot are, in fact, born in the U.S.A.

The operators of Snowbowl are entitled to use recycled sewage to make snow on the San Francisco Peaks despite objections from several Native American tribes, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

We’ve all had it occur to us that there “oughta be a law” about something. But you’d think that beyond a solid gut feeling, another requirement for “oughta” laws is that they should apply to situations that might come up fairly often.

WASHINGTON - It's been almost an article of faith: Any recession this year will be mild and brief.

“Sen. Karen Johnson has the right idea, because those that would get a license to carry a gun (in schools) would be checked out, and those who want to kill would not have a chance of doing that because they would be shot on the spot.”

A decision to force developers to help transform Chandler’s image could put the city council in the position of deciding a centuries old question: what is art?

We frequently make fun of the ill-conceived and sometimes zany measures cooked up at the Arizona Legislature. But there are times when these same state lawmakers take a serious look at an emotionally charged but critically important issue and withstand verbal slingshots and arrows to propose the right changes.

TUNIS, Tunisia - A summit focusing on narrowing the digital divide between rich and poor residents and countries opened Wednesday with an agreement of sorts on who will maintain ultimate oversight of the Internet and the flow of information, commerce and dissent.

January 25, 2005