Interesting pattern to the sounds emanating from the state Attorney General's office

Tom Horne, Arizona's Republican Attorney General (and a likely candidate for governor in 2014) has established a rather interesting pattern when determining what matters are worthy of his office's attention -

- In response to Republican AZ Senate president Russell Pearce creating a "blacklist" barring certain political dissenters from the Capitol, infringing upon the rights of those individuals to express their opinions or even to meet with their own elected representatives - silence.

- In response proposed EPA rules regarding the emission of greenhouse gases, he ordered Arizona's withdrawal from a lawsuit supporting the new rules - “I am passionate about protecting the rights of individual states under the 10th Amendment. And I am equally passionate about limiting government intrusion into the ability of employers to reasonably operate their businesses."

- In response to Republican state senator Scott Bundgaard beating up his girlfriend by the side of a freeway in Phoenix, and using his position in the state senate to block his arrest by the police, instead watching as the now ex-girlfriend is hauled off in handcuffs (she was later released with no charges as more facts came to light) - the sound of crickets chirping.

- In response to public criticism of his own jihad against the ethnic studies program in Tucson - outrage.  He called his critics "thugs."

- In response to the growing evidence that his political ally Russell Pearce was heavily involved in the Fiesta Bowl ticket/gifts to legislators scandal - the sound of snakes slithering across the desert.

- In response to the widening criticisms of his non-investigation into the scandal - feigned outraged, calling the criticisms "partisan" (as if the fact that he is trying to make the scandal go away isn't rooted in partisanship), and passing the buck...errr..."investigation"... to someone else to not investigate the matter.

- In response to Republican John Huppenthal, Arizona's nativist Superintendent of Public Instruction, finding that Tucson's ethnic studies program violates state law in direct contradiction to an independent study commissioned by Huppenthal himself (possibly a violation of ARS 38-423 - no link due to the fact that the lege's website is unavailable for some reason) - nada.

- In response to Republican senator Lori Klein pointing a pistol at Arizona Republic writer Richard Ruelas in the members lounge of the State Senate building - the sound of cacti growing.

Even if Horne (and the rest of us) accept Klein's excuse/story that the incident was Ruelas' fault - she has claimed that she was just harmlessly pointing the weapon at a wall and Ruelas sat in front of her - the Republic article linked above was accompanied by a picture taken by Mark Henle of the Republic.

The pic clearly shows Klein possessing the weapon in a public building, specifically the building housing the Arizona State Senate.  That's a violation of state law, and no self-serving press releases (or combination of winks and nods) change that.

- In response to an elected official hiring an unqualified female "friend" to a highly paid position for which she is apparently utterly unqualified - bupkes.

To be fair to Horne, the elected official in question is Horne himself and the woman is a long-time "associate."  Nobody expects him to investigate himself; when there are questions about the integrity of a high-ranking law enforcement official, it usually falls upon someone further up the law enforcement org chart to handle those duties.

- In response to complaints from Republicans and their tea party associates that the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission might actually be "independent" - an investigation is immediately launched, looking for possible criminal activity. 

Hmmm...what's the pattern?  Oh yeah -

Apparently, in Tom Horne's Arizona anyway, everyone has to follow the law...except for him and his friends and allies...or when not following the law benefits him and his friends and allies.