The Range

Up the Wall

Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Bush administration has a plan to handle border security! The Department of Homeland Security gang--who dazzled us with a heck of a job during the recent Hurricane Katrina episode--is proposing to get the situation under control by hiring more Border Patrol officers, building more detention space and creating a new guest-worker program.

Meanwhile, Congressman Duncan Hunter of California offered a common-sense plan for securing the border: Build a 2,000-mile wall from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean! Why hasn't anyone thought of that before?

Congressman Jim Kolbe released a statement responding to this idea with a diplomatic opening--"I'm pleased to see many members are proposing solutions to our immigration problems"--followed by the usual outrageous pandering to the radical open-borders crowd with a call for, yes, a guest-worker program.

"We must address this in a comprehensive manner--enforcement alone will not work," Kolbe said. "We know this because we have 10 times as many Border Patrol agents today than a decade ago in Arizona, yet we have more illegal crossings today. Even within the constraints of an enforcement-only approach, a physical barrier alone will not deter illegal immigrants."

Silly Kolbe, talking about practicality rather than principle.

In other border news: Gov. Janet Napolitano continued to shore up her southern flank against conservative attacks with a tour of border counties as part of Strong Borders, Secure Arizona. Napolitano boasted that even though border control is a federal responsibility, she had doled out more than $1.5 million in emergency spending for law enforcement and other efforts.

Smack Down

The Counter Narcotic Alliance, working with local, state and federal law-enforcement agencies, swept up more than a dozen members of the Magana heroin-dealing ring last Wednesday, Nov. 2.

In other Busted! news: In a sting set up with the help of KVOA News, TPD busted William Corbett, 51, the son of Jim Corbett, the former Tucson mayor and clerk of the Superior Court. William Corbett thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl he'd been conversing with on the Internet. Instead, it was a TPD detective.

Corbett was socked with two counts of furnishing harmful items to minors and four counts of luring a minor for sexual exploitation.

Another One Bites the Dust

Just how powerful is our sister column, The Skinny? Well, last week, The Skinny included an item about how Republican gubernatorial candidate John Greene was challenging fellow GOP contender Mary Peters' eligibility to run for governor because she had lived in Virginia for the last couple of years. State law requires gubernatorial candidates to have been Arizona residents for the last five years.

Just hours after TW hit the streets, Peters announced she was not going to run for governor because of the legal cloud. Coincidence? You decide!

Peters' departure leaves Greene facing Don Goldwater, the nephew of the legendary Barry Goldwater; Jan Smith Flores, a former Santa Cruz County attorney; and a handful of hapless political novices for the GOP nomination. Recent polls have showed Napolitano with a better than 2-to-1 advantage over the potential challengers.

Bear Down, Arizona!

Wha-huh? Arizona 52, UCLA 14? For real? For real! Led by freshman QB Willie Tuitama, the Wildcats pulled off the upset of the season, clobbering a previously undefeated UCLA in the homecoming game last Saturday, Nov. 5. The win marks the first time the UA has won two consecutive Pac-10 games in five years.

The Cats next play Washington at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at Arizona Stadium.

Random Sightings

Sure, you've been delighted by his covers and other work for Tucson Weekly. But did you know Range artist Rand Carlson has recently starting creating super-cool tin sculpture? Rand will be showing off his work as part of the downtown Open Studio Tour Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12 and 13. Find him at his workshop, 211 E. Broadway Blvd., between noon and 5 p.m. both days.

Rand will also appear at the Tucson Museum of Art's Winter Art Fair the following weekend, Friday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.