Will Grigg?s Liberty Minute

March 23, 2011

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has cost taxpayers in Arizona?s Maricopa County millions of dollars in legal settlements arising from instances in which prisoners have been abused ? sometimes with lethal consequences ?at the county jail. The Sheriff, who has been described by his own publicist as a ?media whore,? never misses an opportunity to preen for the cameras, producing his own cable TV ?reality? show even as tens of thousands of felony warrants are left unenforced.

Recently Arpaio and another bloated prima donna, over-age action star Steven Segal, a member of Arpaio?s posse, mounted a high-publicity SWAT raid ? complete with a tank ? in order to arrest a single, unarmed man suspected of running a cockfighting operation. According to Arpaio?s spokesman, the immensely expensive deployment of a small army to arrest one unarmed man suspected of a non-violent offense was ?an appropriate amount of force.?

Arpaio is a hero to conservatives who can countenance any act of official profligacy and corruption as long as it?s committed in the name of law and order.

Let us take back the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free.