Kathy McKee, founder and state chairman of Protect Arizona Now (PAN), is outraged that an outside immigration reform group is attempting to hijack an initiative movement intended to stop voting fraud and welfare fraud.  PAN's Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act would enforce laws that confine voting to citizens and limit welfare to legal residents of Arizona.
    This outside group is in possession of an unknown number of signatures needed to put the initiative on the November 2004 ballot -- signatures collected on behalf of PAN, with use of PAN's name, and with money largely donated on PAN's behalf.  PAN has not received a single cent or a single signed petition from this outside group.

     McKee declares PAN will continue its efforts to collect signatures as well as recover the hijacked signatures. "We're pursuing investigation of the activities of this outside group, as well as former PAN individuals' actions, including possible RICO violations," stated McKee.
    This outside group has used PAN's name in the announcement of a rally scheduled for Thursday, June 3 -- a rally about which McKee was not advised, consulted, or knew anything about until it was announced to the public.  She explains that it is not an official PAN event, and no outside group is authorized to call a meeting in PAN's name.  "Actually, in PAN's organization, no one except the chairman (me) does have the authority to consent to such activities," she states, "and everyone in any kind of PAN leadership position knows that."

    PAN was registered with the Arizona Secretary of State's office on July 7, 2003, and McKee immediately put in motion an organization and process for collecting the signatures needed to put the initiative on the November 2004 Arizona ballot.  A total of 122,612 validated signatures must be collected before a July 1 deadline. "PAN is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization, including me," states McKee.  "I can't tell you how sad it is to see well-intentioned people like some of our group leaders and volunteers get jerked off the high road by people who have lots to gain financially by trying to profit off our blood, sweat, and tears."
    "While PAN greatly appreciates genuine help given from a good heart, I don't see any honor in cannibalism.  Arizonans don't need an outside group coming here to try to run our politics.  We want these self-serving political games to stop, and Arizonans want our signatures NOW."