All this effort to run the sheriff out of town by those who would prefer to continue and encourage illegal and unlawful activities reminds me of the old westerns. Sheriff Joe has been standing for the rule of law and against unlawful activities in the East Valley and all other parts of Maricopa County. I can see how he would anger all who are not staunch defenders of the law and the U.S. Constitution. Remember the principle: "A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men." We have a glimpse of what governed by the whims of men is like in Mexico. Do we want that sort of chaos, corruption and disrespect for that law here? Our actions to push for the sheriff's resignation because of his willingness to enforce the law or our apathy to not support the sheriff in his elected duty, proves just that.
Know that living by the whims of men will lead to a less prosperous and a less secure and safe society. Be careful what side you take, because that will be your legacy.
Rusdon Ray
Gilbert
Arizona Willie posted at 4:29 pm on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
Very true, the sad thing is so many people have been swayed by the articles in the paper and on TV telling how hard it is on people when they get deported or their family members get deported.
Strange, isn't it, that we don't see stories like that about the family of some poor African - American who grabs some cash out of the register at the local store and gets 5 years in prison. No one cares about the hardship on his family.
We all feel sorry for the plight of people south of the border.
But we can't take care of all the world's poor.
Especially those who break our laws and invade the country illegally and use stolen or false social security numbers to work illegally thereby taking jobs from someone who used to do the job.
Yes, folks, it used to be that Caucasians did roofing and dug ditches and mowed lawns. And they still do in many parts of the country that haven't been infested yet.
Dale Whiting posted at 5:47 pm on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
Rusdon,
Please define for all of us precisely what you mean by "standing for the rule of law and against unlawful activities in the East Valley and all other parts of Maricopa County." Would that include obeying court orders? Are they not also the rule of law?
Having seen Sheriff Joe in action long before he became the "toughest Sheriff in the West" I know that Joe is selective in what he obeys. He will encourage his subbordinates to spurn what laws he does not like, rather than obeying them while he appeals those orders. In doing so, isn't Sheriff Joe engaging in some of those "unlawful activities in the East Valley and all other parts of Maricopa County" that you decry? Sure it is!
No Rusdon, Sheriff Joe is not my idea of a man who obeys the law. Rather he's my idea of a highly successful and artful politician. None of his predecessors were as accomplished at politics as has Sheriff Joe been!
But let's keep it real!
Leon Ceniceros posted at 7:19 pm on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
I can just see all the East Valley Liberals, Progressives, Democrats, Socialists and Commie Wanna-Be's choking on their herbal tea this morning when they read this Letter to the Editor.
What is going on at the EVT.....how can a "positive" Letter about Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio be printed in their newspaper. This would never happen at the Phoenix New Times.....no way, Joe (have to be politically correct now.....lol).
And to think that this is the impression that the World News Organizations that are here in Mesa to cover the Debate will be reading and taking back home with them.........LOL.
TeaPartyPatriot posted at 8:22 pm on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
Psychobabble to the rescue! "Having seen Sheriff Joe in action long before he became the "toughest Sheriff in the West" I know that Joe is selective in what he obeys." Kinda like what the Obamanation is doing right now eh Psychobabble Dale?
No Psychobabble Dale, the Obamanation is destroying this nation by turning his back on the constitution and you say nothing about that? Joe is artful politician? Joe is a saint compared to the Obamanation but you say nothing about that Psychobabble Dale? There is nothing an open border reconquesta like Psychobabble Dale could say that doesn't fly in the face of logic.
Dale Whiting posted at 7:28 am on Thu, Feb 23, 2012.
TeaPartyPatriot,
It's now your turn to define what you mean by "obeying the law." Judging from your having avoided that issue entirely, you have no de-fense! But perhaps you do have a de[fective] fense! [wink]
Dale Whiting posted at 7:30 am on Thu, Feb 23, 2012.
PS Mr Tea
The ends Sheriff Arpaio seek do not justify the means he routinely uses. He's an outlaw wearing a badge!
Masterrogue666 posted at 8:45 am on Thu, Feb 23, 2012.
Gee, Dale, I could provide links to SEVERAL questions (in several articles) you have yet to answer, if you wish.....
Rodini posted at 9:58 am on Thu, Feb 23, 2012.
Right On Dale..thanks for telling these "Repugnants" the truth.
Arpaio is nothing more than a thug with a badge and the sooner he's gone, the better off AZ will be!
Dale Whiting posted at 12:46 pm on Thu, Feb 23, 2012.
Mr. 666,
Go for it. I seldom look back for more than a day or two.
Rodini,
Arpaio is the consumate Arizona politician. He has played the game flawlessly. So for heaven's sake, don't hold your breath. You'll suffocate!
samkat posted at 6:26 pm on Thu, Feb 23, 2012.
Go Joe despite what these libs say. :-)
chatmandu002 posted at 10:23 pm on Thu, Feb 23, 2012.
Go Sheriff Joe, Enforce all the laws all the time.
Masterrogue666 posted at 6:14 am on Fri, Feb 24, 2012.
Here's one. Note that my reply was within 2 hours of yours:
posted at 8:35 am on Tue, Feb 21, 2012.
http://eastvalleytribune.com/local/mesa/article_ffbb40c0-5bff-11e1-bc04-0019bb2963f4.html
This was some time ago, but I did answer you the same day:
http://eastvalleytribune.com/opinion/article_7f659b7a-4dc0-11e1-a86d-001871e3ce6c.html
Accuracy posted at 7:24 am on Fri, Feb 24, 2012.
Right on Rusdon Ray: “All this effort to run the sheriff out of town by those who would prefer to continue and encourage illegal and unlawful activities reminds me of the old westerns.”
“Open Border” advocates are the only ones behind running Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio out of town.
The voters of Maricopa County re-elected Sheriff Joe Arpaio in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. And they will re-elect him again in November for sure.
Masterrogue666 posted at 8:04 am on Sun, Feb 26, 2012.
Well, Dale, I did "Go for it".
Check my statement posted at 6:14 am on Fri, Feb 24, 2012.
It has two articles that you have yet to answer, as well as this one. I've checked for several days, and you haven't answered.
So, there you have it! Dale can't seem to back up his claims....
bobunf posted at 1:17 am on Mon, Feb 27, 2012.
Master, I didn't see a definition of "rule of law" in any of the links you posted. Nonetheless, here's my take on the Sheriff not obeying the law as all of us, I hope, understand it:
First of all, the Sheriff has been enjoined with respect to immigration issues. To quote the judge: "MCSO and all of its officers are hereby enjoined from detaining any person based only on knowledge or reasonable belief, without more, that the person is unlawfully present within the United States."
This a federal injunction. There's no defense for violating an injunction. You can only claim that you didn't do it. The Sheriff's hands are rather hobbled in regard to removing illegal immigrants. You may not like it, but it is bright line law.
This injunction came about, in part, because, the judge (G Murry Snow, appointed by George W Bush, recommended by both Kyle and McCain and confirmed by a voice vote - essentially unanimously) found that the Sheriff had illegally destroyed evidence in the case. He awarded the plaintiffs $94,000 to pay for reconstructing the destroyed evidence to the extent possible. Maricopa County taxpayers, of course, to get to pay this amount on the Sheriff's behalf.
Another judge, David Campbell (also appointed by George W Bush, recommended by both Kyle and McCain and confirmed by a voice vote) held that: "The undisputed evidence shows that when the John Doe Deputies stopped Plaintiffs, they had no suspicion, reasonable or otherwise, that Plaintiffs were in violation of the traffic laws or engaged in criminal activity...The Court therefore finds that the stop of Plaintiffs violated their Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable seizure. The Court will grant Plaintiffs’ summary judgment motion with respect to the County’s liability."
They were “John Doe Deputies” because the Sheriff, in an all too typical display of incompetence, couldn’t figure out which of his deputies arrested the plaintiffs. The judgment was for $200,000.
Brian Crenshaw was serving a short sentence for shoplifting. He was legally blind. Crenshaw refused to show his ID in a lunch line and Sheriff’s deputies pushed him to the wall, punched and kicked him, and placed him in lockdown. For the next six days, nobody entered or left his cell.
Crenshaw was found unconscious with a broken neck, several broken toes, and extensive internal injuries. He was comatose, his intestines had ruptured, and his vertebrae needed to be straightened with a halo. Doctors told Crenshaw's mother that his internal injuries were so severe they had to surgically open his stomach to relieve swelling. He died as a result of injuries that had been untreated for six days.
The family sued and the lawsuit against Arpaio and his office resulted in an award of $2 million. In an all too typical pattern, Arpaio's office again destroyed evidence in the case, making it more difficult to prosecute.
There are literally thousands of such cases (thankfully most not as egregious) that have or are slowly working their way through the courts - for the payouts that will ultimately approach a Billion dollars. These cases come from a plethora of causes: mistreatment, injury and death in the jails, unlawful prosecutions of political enemies, other types of false arrests, and, of course, racial and ethnic discrimination.
There are many other issues:
The Maricopa County Jails do not provide interpreters for deaf inmates in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Sheriff routinely uses the barbaric practice of shackling inmates during labor and delivery. Nutrition provided to pregnant Maricopa County jail inmates is grossly inadequate. Here’s one lawsuit about these matters filed in Federal District Court: http://www.courthousenews.com/2011/12/22/Arpaio.pdf
In none of the numerous death cases in which the County paid out significant settlements or awards was any detention officer ever investigated or disciplined by the Sheriff. But all of the detention officers involved have received promotions after the deaths.
Then there are the numerous occurrences of behavior on the part of the Sheriff that can only be described as nutty or absurdly incompetent. Such as
The Sheriff's renowned prostitution sting in which 45 suspected hookers and 27 customers were nabbed after 400 deputies and volunteer pose members participated in the popular sting over a six month period. The cases were all dropped because the cops videotaped themselves having sex with the hookers.
In 2009 convicted child rapist Adrian Cruz walked out of a Superior Court trial while in Sheriff Arpaio’s custody. Cruz was already serving 120 years in prison for raping a 9-year-old girl and was standing trial for attacks on two more children. Cruz has yet to be captured. Or the recent escape in a laundry cart!
Then there was the time that the Sheriff's SWAT team, accompanied by the Sheriff’s personal tank, fired five tear gas canisters into a house in a gated upscale community in Ahwatukee setting the house on fire. The neighbors hadn’t been alerted to stay indoors or to evacuate. The fire department hadn’t been alerted and was not on scene.
The house burned to the ground threatening other houses in the neighborhood. The brakes failed and the tank careened into a parked car, totaling it.
The Sheriff did arrest Eric Kush on a misdemeanor warrant for failing to appear in Court on two traffic citations. He posted bond and was released the same day. Of course, he didn’t have a house to return to.
Less than a year ago Sheriff Arpaio sent out the entire SWAT team in full gear to bust one guy on suspicion of raising birds for cockfighting. He also included a TV crew, the old actor Steven Seagal, a bomb robot and the Sheriff’s own personal tank.
The suspect was previously convicted of a misdemeanor for attending a cockfight, but has no history of felony crimes or even owning a weapon. 115 chicken and one dog were killed in the assault. The suspect, now victim, is, of course, suing.
There are other issues of performing his duties:
The Sheriff clears 79% of his cases by exception, without the arrest of a bad guy.
Even the Goldwater Institute in 2008 issued a report about Arpaio titled, "Mission Unaccom-plished."
In September, 2010, the Maricopa County Office of Management and Budget found Arpaio had misspent almost $100 million in taxpayer dollars over the previous 5 years. Arpaio used the money for, among other unauthorized operations, investigations of political rivals and trips to Disneyland.
Many agencies in Maricopa County rely on the MCSO for air support and other specialized responses. The radio systems the Sheriff’s office uses is antiquated and not equipped to work with other agencies, producing delays while communications are relayed through two communi-cation centers.
Law enforcement has been working on improving the communications between agencies for many years and most of the agencies have compatible communications technology. Arpaio has neglected even the most basic technology needs of his agency.
There are still many, many other issues - but this is already far too long.
VofReason posted at 2:45 pm on Mon, Feb 27, 2012.
Lets make it easy. Is protecting the borders of the United States from illegal entry a "law"? When the feds turn their head on this duty, shouldn't someone do something about it. Especially when It costs real money from the state, county and cities? Who is not enforcing the law then?
Masterrogue666 posted at 6:25 pm on Mon, Feb 27, 2012.
bobunf: My comments were not directed towards "rule of law". It was directed at Dale's comment:
"Judging from your having avoided that issue entirely, you have no de-fense! But perhaps you do have a de[fective] fense!"
He even said to "Go for it", which I did. He still has yet to answer at either location I provided. THAT was the POINT that I wanted, and have proved.
Masterrogue666 posted at 6:35 pm on Mon, Feb 27, 2012.
Tea Party's last comment was on the 22nd. Dale's comment was made on the 23rd. Dale's excuse for not answering my comments was:
"I seldom look back for more than a day or two." Isn't that was Tea Party could be "guilty" of?
Also, Dale's comment "Doesn't hold water". One of my comments was WITHIN 2 HRS, and the other was the same day.
So, that's a SECOND POINT I wanted to make. In this case, since he was ADVISED, and he ENCOURAGED IT, he's proven to me that he's not willing to grant others what he grants himself. That's a major character flaw, in my book.
Slabside posted at 8:12 pm on Mon, Feb 27, 2012.
Master, this is exactly why I don't give ol' Captain Neo-Con a free pass on his eccentric and usually wrong diatribes. I do my best to hold his feet to fire! [beam]
Masterrogue666 posted at 8:29 pm on Mon, Feb 27, 2012.
And you do it so well. I actually considered wanting to discuss I idea I thought of long ago, where perhaps both sides could reach an agreement. However, Pro supporters are inflexible, even when the law is on our side. [wink]
Slabside posted at 12:21 am on Tue, Feb 28, 2012.
Master, did the meeting at the east valley Jack in the Box ever happen? I never heard.
bobunf posted at 12:29 am on Tue, Feb 28, 2012.
In response to reason: protecting the borders is not the Sheriff's job. They are not permitted to do it. To once again quote the judge: " "MCSO and all of its officers are hereby enjoined from detaining any person based only on knowledge or reasonable belief, without more, that the person is unlawfully present within the United States."
If the Sheriff knows (let alone only suspects) somebody is illegally in the country, he would be in contempt of court if he detained such a person only for that reason. Who is not enforcing the law is the federal government. Nobody else can legally do it, most especially not the Sheriff of Maricopa County.
Whether there is a NET cost to states, counties, cities and the nation can be debated. I think the conclusion would be that there is a positive benefit to having young, healthy, energetic, very motivated, risk taking, people with a very strong work ethic in our country. The overriding impact has been, and is, to strengthen and enrich American culture, increase the total output of the economy, and raise the standard of living of American citizens.
I disagree with Reason that
bobunf posted at 12:30 am on Tue, Feb 28, 2012.
Master, you may be trying to have a conversation with Dale, but your posts are sufficiently jumbled and confusing that I have no idea what you are talking about. I suspect Dale doesn't respond on those grounds.
Masterrogue666 posted at 8:07 am on Thu, Mar 1, 2012.
Slab: I've asked in the articles, but haven't receive any answer....
Masterrogue666 posted at 8:08 am on Thu, Mar 1, 2012.
I would have been there, but I had a double "Wake" to attend.
Masterrogue666 posted at 9:45 am on Thu, Mar 1, 2012.
bobunf: No, Dale is ducking me. I've included dates, times, and links. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Dale doesn't wish to answer.
TwistedTrack posted at 1:16 am on Wed, Apr 10, 2013.
Just couldn't leave this page without making a comment, as Sherriff Joe has a good side and a bad side. When it comes to illegal immigrants this is his WORST side. If it were just the bad immigrants, drug smugglers, cop killers, thieves, then I am 100% behind that.
No that is not enough for him, likely due to the years he spent fighting the drug cartels in his early years in law enforcement, inhaling to many fumes, etc..... No, he feels that he has a right to take on the job of the federal government and go after anyone who's skin color is not white. In some places he would be likened to a White Supremacist but because 70 percent of his supporters are from a time when the KKK was a group everyone wanted to join he remains in office.
I have watched his posse invade towns and stop every vehicle that has someone with dark hair and brown skin, and a broken down car, a family man or woman, mostly older citizens, he knows they speak little English and are easier to harass. He gets away with how these officers step over the line due to the fact that they are "Posse" members, many of which are volunteers.
The sad part of all of this is the real officers that also make up the MCSO that are doing the real jobs, the dog handlers seeking out drug smugglers, the air patrol, the counter terrorism units, these are the real MCSO and many are unhappy working under Sherriff Joe because he does not hold these officers in the same high regard as he does his hand picked posse members.
I left Arizona in 2010 a time many officers in the local police departments were losing their lives to illegal immigrants who needed to be deported but somehow were missed by Sherriff Joe's posse, guess they weren't running around in the east side of the valley driving beatup cars, they were driving nicer cars, making sure they weren't illegal so as not to draw attention to themselves, oh, and most were under 40. If only for the sake of the families of those officers one of which lived just down the street from me do I wish his posse had found these individuals first.
This man has needed to be removed from office for many years, but it is going to take someone who can speak to the ever growing Sun City population and make them realize the bull he is feeding them, until that happens he will continue to hold office. That is unless the feds finally get him, which is what I pray for.
Good Luck to all who I side with for the ouster of Sherriff Joe!! I will pray as always that you will win!!!! Thanks for letting me get my two cents in, as I do still have family in the valley, and though I look white, I am of Spanish decent and this subject really strikes home with me.