Posted on 08/09/2017 11:06:56 AM PDT by Kaslin
While most Americans do not know the name of their local sheriff, they do know the name of Maricopa County, Arizona’s former sheriff – Joseph “Joe” Arpaio. He is known to millions across the country as “America’s toughest sheriff.”
To be sure, “Sheriff Joe” is a controversial figure. In his 24 years as Sheriff, he implemented many unconventional, often punitive measures for making sure inmates knew they were serving “hard time.” For example, in 1993 he established a “Tent City” outside the prison to house inmates convicted of crimes, and would remind them when the hot Arizona sun bore down on them that “it’s 120-degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths!” Sheriff Joe also forced his inmates to wear pink underwear after theft of underwear was costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.
Sheriff Joe earned a reputation for taking a hard-nosed approach to illegal immigration as well – a major problem in his county being so close to the border with Mexico – by favoring the strategy to find illegals and arrest them before other crimes were committed.
Arpaio’s iron-willed approach to keeping his community safe made criminals fear him, conservatives love him, and liberals detest the very ground on which he walked. While those in his community respected a lawman who put the safety of citizens above the comfort of criminals, Leftist politicians viewed him as a threat to their special interests and bleeding-heart philosophy. To the surprise of no one, Sheriff Joe soon found himself in the gunsights of former President Obama’s Department of Justice.
As the old Stalinist adage goes, “Show me the man and I’ll find you the crime;” and that is exactly what the Obama Administration did to finally put a stop to the Sheriff from Arizona in a way they could not do through the democratic process.
Last week, Obama’s hold-over lawyers finally got the pound of flesh they had sought for years. Arpaio was convicted on a misdemeanor contempt of court charge, for ignoring one federal judge’s declaration that his police patrols looking for illegal immigrants amounted to “racial profiling.” The 85-year-old former Sheriff now faces six months in prison; but more importantly, liberals finally could use a criminal charge, no matter how petty, to tarnish the reputation of a man they were obsessed with bringing down. Of course, we know Sheriff Joe’s real crime was not buying into their politically correct, Kumbaya approach to criminal justice; and that is why he is now paying the price.
Liberals love to point to Arpaio as the poster child for racism and police brutality, but they miss the very point he was attempting to prove – that decades of touchy-feely attitudes towards crime, in addition to a complete abdication of the federal government’s duty to enforce immigration laws, created the vacuum he filled with his special brand of law enforcement. It was not brutality. It was simply making sure jails are not country clubs. It was not racism. It was proactive policing to stop drunk driving, violent crimes, and gang activity before innocent Americans became victims.
In a nutshell, if Barack Obama and Eric Holder were not going to support police and citizens, Sheriff Joe would. And, conditions at the border over the last few months prove he was on the right track.
President Donald Trump’s hardline rhetoric on illegal immigration can no doubt be traced in some measure back to Sheriff Joe, who was an early and public supporter of Trump. By winning the election, Trump was able to carry on this no-nonsense attitude, and the results are already showing. Last month, National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd described the drop in illegal immigrants flooding America’s border with Mexico as “nothing short of miraculous,” citing Trump’s strong comments on illegal immigration and plans for addressing it as the reason for the unprecedented decline. It also had the effect of increasing morale among border patrol agents for the first time in nearly a decade. No one more than Sheriff Joe knows that it does not take a giant wall to make a difference; just the promise and the honest commitment that the law will be enforced.
Sheriff Joe will appeal this politically-motivated ruling, and this time demand that a jury of peers rather than a lone judge decide his fate. Hopefully a jury will see through the fog of political persecution that tainted the just-concluded trial of a man who had the audacity to shine a bright light on the Left’s weak-kneed approach to crime. All law-abiding citizens – including President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions – should support such a move; and if an appeal does not result in justice for Arpaio, America’s Toughest President should seriously consider a pardon for America’s Toughest Sheriff.
A couple of threads from a few days ago which discuss the event when it hit the news:
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3573528/posts
Sheriff Joe Found Guilty by Clinton-Appointed Judge in Jury-less Trial
https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3573495/posts
Judge rules Sheriff Joe Arpaio guilty in criminal contempt case
This was a case where Sheriff Joe didn’t follow the instructions of the original
court case after it was decided. The Judge told him to cease and he didn’t. She
sentenced him to six months for not following court orders. He requested a jury
trial for this but was denied under AZ law.
I posted a couple links up thread which have some info on the event.
Among other things, the U.S. Supreme Court. The court has ruled on a number of occasions, most recently in a 1989 case Blanton v. City of North Las Vegas, that any criminal offense for which the maximum penalty is less than six months in prison is presumed to be a petty offense and the right of trial by jury guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment does not apply. Arizona has modified that slightly, in Derendal v. Phoenix City Prosecutors Office for example, so that misdemeanor charges that would have warranted a jury trial before Arizona became a state would still require a jury. All other misdemeanor cases would be handled as bench trials. Arpiao's charges were misdemeanors with a maximum penalty of less than six months. Under those circumstances he was not entitled to a jury trial.
“Trump should have pardoned him on inauguration day instead of letting Joe twist in the wind at the mercy of Obama filth.”
I believe Trump will pardon Joe if necessary, but Joe may win on appeal. If that’s the case a pardon won’t be needed. Best to wait for the appeals process to complete.
What the hell is President Trump waiting for? Just takes a few seconds. Just like we know the current Mueller is a communists Democrat and will do everything to get Trump impeached and Trump will not shut him down.
The real reason Joe got railroaded was because Joe went after Obama’s fake birth certificate- I don’t care what anyone says, if you research it, Obama is not a natural born citizen. Social Security card was a fake proven by e-verify, his draft card application was a proven fake. Obama is a phony and should never have been President. He should be in prison for all the shit he pulled on the American people. The media succeeded in covering for this criminal for these things and a boat-load more. That lying asshole is the most treasonous bastard to ever occupy the White House.
“Abuse of power by activist judges...”
Nah.
Just a bunch of stalinist scu&bags going about their business.
IMHO
Possibly waiting for the outcome of the appeal.
From the minute Scooter was railroaded I thought the act of not pardoning him was Bush II's most heinous act of cowardice.
I think Bush II made a deal with the Dems/Devil to sacrifice an innocent Libby to stop what would have become a never-ending witch hunt for non-existent crimes. Bush railroaded an innocent man because he had no backbone for fighting, even the outright lies of the Left.
aka George Washington The Sequel
Please have a Rally & Parade for Sheriff Joe Arpaio,
preferably in the Judge's town or Arizona,
on the afternoon before Joe's Pardon.
Go Trump Go!
I always thought that Bush brothers’ (Jeb & W) most heinous act of cowardice was letting Terri Schiavo die. One of them could have, and should have, saved her. The Bushes are political cowards, and you are right, Scotter Libby’s conviction was indeed a heinous act of cowardice, so heinous in fact it is only overshadowed by the legal murder of that innocent young woman.
“Trump should have pardoned him on inauguration day instead of letting Joe twist in the wind at the mercy of Obama filth.”
I really expected Trump to show more balls than he has. He has been very weak on firing those who need to go, and not as aggressive as I hoped in wiping out Obama holdovers and stopping Obamas prosecutorial abuse.
And last... there was an often repeated line I heard once or twice. “lock her up”. And “Because you’d be in jail”.
Well...you’re in charge now, and we’re waiting.
Mr. President, please PARDON Sheriff Joe NOW!
“Best to wait for the appeals process to complete”
For some arcane bragging rights reason? Saving a man like Joe, at his age, from devastating legal expenses means you do it right now.
This is Obama political prosecution on behalf of the Mexican invaders, PERIOD. Trump needs to stop this farce right away.
Way many more people ahead of Scooter Libby. Ramos and Campion, Sgt Wuterich for another where Mattis put his thumb on the scale. The Blackwater guys in Tahir Square.
Scooter is just another swamp rat.
You are correct. There are no Juries in appeals Court. The point of Sheriff Joe’s appeal is that he demanded a jury trial in the first place and the Judge refused. I know a person has a right to a jury trial unless the defendant waives same. In this case the Judge decided to only charge a misdemeanor for which a jury is not required. Sheriff Joe was basically given a reverse Judge shopping case.
That's not correct. In most misdemeanor cases, which the Supreme Court has identified as petty infractions with a maximum penalty of less than six months in jail, a jury trial is not required and the defendant can't request one.
Trump won’t do it. As horrible and disloyal as that is.
Your #Never Trumpism shoes right trough, anyone has to be blind not to see this
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