Guests – Besty Smith, Alex Kolodin, Joel Strabala

Memorial Day serves as more than just a long weekend—it's a solemn reminder of those who paid the ultimate price for American freedoms. While many confuse it with Veterans Day in November, Memorial Day specifically honors military personnel who died while serving their country.

The holiday originated during the American Civil War when citizens placed flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. Initially called Decoration Day, the first National Observance occurred in 1868. After World War I, it was renamed Memorial Day to honor all military personnel who died in service.

Small-town America still maintains this reverence. Rural communities across the Midwest display American flags and post the names of their deployed or lost military members. These towns understand sacrifice—in every war, they lose young people who never get to become fathers or have families. The cost of freedom remains visible in these communities.

The tradition continues through veterans who sell paper poppies and spend Memorial Day placing flags at local cemeteries. For many families, this day means teaching children and grandchildren what the holiday actually represents—that it's more than a three-day weekend, but a day to pay homage to those who didn't come home.

The George Floyd Anniversary: Five Years Later

Sunday marked the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's death in police custody, an event that sparked nationwide riots and fundamentally changed American policing. Understanding what actually happened requires examining the facts beyond the media narrative.

George Floyd died on May 25, 2020, at Cup Foods in Minneapolis while attempting to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. He had three times the lethal limit of fentanyl in his system, along with marijuana and other drugs. He also had COVID-19 and a 75% blockage in one of his arteries, making him extremely unhealthy.

When police arrived, Floyd was initially placed in a patrol car but began panicking and yelling "I can't breathe"—a tactic that had become common among criminals since Eric Garner's death years earlier. The goal was to get paramedics to respond, leading to uncuffing and release for misdemeanor crimes due to the Minneapolis Police Department's staffing shortages.

Derek Chauvin, a senior officer called to assist, was not the original arresting officer. When Floyd was removed from the vehicle and placed on the curb, Chauvin knelt on Floyd's shoulder blade—not his neck, as widely reported. This was standard academy training that Chauvin's police chief later lied about on the witness stand.

The citizen-recorded video created a visual illusion due to the camera angle, making it appear Chauvin was kneeling on Floyd's neck. In reality, Chauvin had his hand in his pocket and was performing a restraint technique used by police officers worldwide to secure compliance during handcuffing.

The aftermath was devastating. The incident sparked 574 violent riots across the country, resulting in injuries to over 2,000 police officers—many catastrophic and career-ending. More than 20 people died during the George Floyd riots, including retired police captain David Dorn, who was murdered protecting his friend's business.

Black Lives Matter capitalized on this tragedy despite being a Marxist, anti-family, anti-American organization whose stated goal was to eliminate fathers from households. The organization became a financial grift that has provided no tangible benefits to black communities.

The defund the police movement, which had largely died under the first Trump administration, experienced a resurgence. Democrat mayors across the country embraced this narrative, leading to catastrophic consequences for public safety.

Cities like Chicago saw their Magnificent Mile destroyed. Minneapolis has never recovered from the damage. Seattle suffered similar devastation. Crime skyrocketed in every major blue city, including Tucson, in the aftermath of Floyd's death.

Most tragically, in the year following George Floyd's death, 5,000 more young black men were murdered than would have been statistically expected. Black Lives Matter and the defund the police movement accomplished nothing positive for black communities—instead, they enabled more violence and death.

Kyle Rittenhouse became another casualty of this narrative. The then-17-year-old high school student from Illinois, whose father lived in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was forced to defend himself against two white rioters during the riots following the Jacob Blake shooting. Despite never harming any black individuals, Rittenhouse was falsely linked to white supremacy by Joe Biden and subjected to years of harassment and legal battles.

Congressional Investigation Needed

The National Police Association continues calling on Congress to investigate the 2020 BLM-Antifa riots with the same thoroughness applied to January 6th. Congressman Abe Hameday has heeded this call, understanding that these 574 violent riots have never been properly investigated despite their massive impact on American society.

This investigation matters because it would expose how these riots were coordinated, funded, and executed. It would also demonstrate the double standard in how political violence is prosecuted and investigated in America.

DOJ Patterns and Practice Investigations Under Scrutiny

The Biden administration's weaponization of the Department of Justice extended to numerous police departments through "patterns and practice" investigations, also known as consent decrees. These investigations represent federal overreach at its worst.

The process works like this: The DOJ targets a police department, claims wrongdoing, then forces the department to pay for its own investigation while hiring DOJ-approved consultants who earn around $1 million annually. These consultants are typically former Justice Department employees or police chiefs from major blue cities.

Phoenix Police Department fought back against this process through their union, demanding more proof of alleged wrongdoing. When the consultant Major Travis Yates reviewed the case, he found that 99.9% of the federal government's allegations were false.

Harmeet Dhillon, now leading the DOJ Civil Rights Division, has begun dismantling these Biden-era investigations. She's dropping consent decrees against Phoenix, Trenton (New Jersey), Memphis (Tennessee), Mount Vernon (New York), Oklahoma City (Oklahoma), and the Louisiana State Police.

These wrongful investigations accomplish nothing except keeping police officers from protecting citizens and investigating actual crimes. When departments are forced to focus on federal compliance rather than public safety, response times suffer and crime increases.

The impact is measurable: in Tucson, calling 911 results in only a 30% chance of getting a police response unless it's a violent crime in progress. The city simply lacks personnel due to recruitment and retention problems exacerbated by anti-police rhetoric and federal harassment.

Election Integrity Concerns in Arizona

Arizona's election system faces significant challenges heading into 2026, with Secretary of State Adrian Fontes implementing changes that raise transparency concerns among voters and election observers.

The recent court ruling against Attorney General Chris Mayes regarding the alternate electors case demonstrates a pattern of weaponizing the legal system. Mayes withheld crucial information from the grand jury about federal law—specifically the Electoral Count Act, which allowed for the submission of alternate electors as it existed in 2020.

This prosecutorial misconduct has created a chilling effect on free speech. Citizens now worry about criticizing government officials on social media, fearing potential indictment. This represents a fundamental threat to First Amendment rights and democratic participation.

The three-person "triumvirate" of Governor Katie Hobbs, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, and Attorney General Chris Mayes continues operating without transparency, implementing policies contrary to voter expectations and statutory requirements.

Drop Boxes and Election Security

Drop boxes represent a significant concern for election integrity advocates. The legislature never authorized their use—they were created unilaterally by secretaries of state without going through proper legislative processes.

Pima County plans to deploy drop boxes despite these statutory concerns. The county recorder purchased four boxes, planning to deploy two: one downtown on recorder property and another on the east side at Broadway and Kolb. These will be drive-up boxes with video monitoring, but the footage won't be available in real-time to the public.

Citizens can only access video through FOIA requests after elections conclude, and there are no procedures to check video for malfeasance before emptying the boxes. This lack of transparency undermines public trust in the election process.

Envelope Changes Raise Privacy Concerns

Effective with the CD7 special election, Pima County will mail single envelopes instead of the traditional double-envelope system. The single envelope combines the USPS mailer on front with the affidavit envelope on back, eliminating the privacy sleeve.

Anyone handling these envelopes can see the voter's name, address, voter ID number, signature, date signed, and phone number. While this may reduce processing complexity and time, it sacrifices voter privacy for administrative convenience.

Voters have expressed concerns about mailmen or other handlers seeing their political party affiliation and personal information. The time savings from processing single envelopes may not justify the loss of privacy protection that double envelopes provided.

Observer Access Issues

Republican election observers face ongoing challenges accessing early voting sites operated by the Pima County recorder. A 2022 policy memo claims insufficient staff to accommodate observers at early voting sites, despite the Election Procedures Manual explicitly allowing observers at these locations.

This creates accountability gaps in the election process. Without observers present, there's insufficient oversight of ballot collection, chain of custody documentation, and transport to the recorder's receiving station.

The solution involves providing volunteer staff to assist with election operations rather than simply observing. This would address staffing concerns while ensuring transparency and accountability in the election process.

Law Enforcement Under Siege

Police departments nationwide continue facing recruitment and retention crises stemming from the 2020 riots and ongoing anti-police rhetoric. In the past week alone, two police officers were murdered, bringing the year's total to approximately 200 officers shot in the line of duty, with 27 fatalities.

Baltimore City Police Department is 600 officers short—similar to Tucson's staffing deficit. These shortages directly correlate with increased crime rates and reduced response capabilities.

The weekend crime statistics in Tucson continue showing multiple shootings and homicides, demonstrating how officer shortages translate to public safety failures. When 70% of 911 calls don't receive police response unless involving violent crimes in progress, communities suffer.

Municipal Leadership Failures

Only seven mayors in cities over 250,000 population are Republicans, demonstrating how Democratic leadership has destroyed large American cities. This destruction includes dismantling police departments and enabling crime increases.

Local examples include Tucson's mayor traveling to Qatar during a city crisis when Proposition 414 failed and city services face scrutiny. Using police officers for security details while denying the same protection to regular citizens highlights the hypocrisy of current leadership.

Citizens must demand equal treatment: if mayors receive police protection, why should ordinary citizens face 70% non-response rates for 911 calls? This disparity reveals how political elites prioritize their safety over public safety.

Path Forward

Restoring order requires electing conservative leadership at every level—from mayors to governors to federal representatives. The 2024 election demonstrated that overwhelming turnout can overcome systemic issues when citizens engage actively.

Current voter registration trends favor Republicans, with Democrats experiencing their lowest registration percentages in a decade. This momentum must be maintained through 2026 to complete the restoration of Arizona's government.

The foundation of election integrity remains transparency. When governments hide information from citizens, they're hiding it from their bosses—the voters. Real reform means putting citizens at the table when designing election systems, not implementing changes in secret.

Success requires sustained citizen engagement beyond voting. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Citizens must register voters, ensure ballot submission, and hold elected officials accountable for delivering promised reforms.

The choice is clear: continue accepting dysfunction and declining public safety, or elect leaders committed to transparency, accountability, and constitutional governance. The tools exist to make this change—it requires only the will to use them.