Feedback from the issue of Thursday, July 10, 2008

Detractors of Sheriff Joe may skew ratings and poll results. They may skew news stories to make Joe look like the victimizer.

Nick Tarr, what was his real motive for wearing pink underwear and a sheriff's shirt to a Halloween party? Joe's posse was not out of line by incarcerating this individual, if only temporarily, to prevent him from doing the evil deeds he had planned for that night. Deeds that cannot be substantiated because the evidence was scant — disappearing as fast as it appeared.

Tarr had schemed with the local casino-owning tribal leaders to spread casino-style toys to children across the Valley on Halloween. This Nick Tarr (a.k.a. "Joe Arizona"; curious that he was "Joe" Arizona, and not, say, Fred Arizona, or, better yet, Nick Arizona) is a real joker who only a superhero like Sheriff Joe could stop. And stop him he did.

Just like he stopped the French Connection and the Mexican-Minutemen false-flag assassination attempt. No assassin acts alone, whether it's Lee Harvey Oswald or Elias Bermudez. It takes two asses to spell assassination.

And speaking of asses, that brings me to another supervillain, Dan Saban. Not only did he rape his stepmother and lie about it, he blamed a poor, defenseless woman who suffers from a serious mental illness called "figmentia." And his real motive for running for sheriff is to gain access to the file and destroy, once and for all, the ugly truth of his past.

No, you Sheriff Joe haters, I am not going to chastise you for not knowing the truth, but I encourage everyone to read Joe's Law from an unbiased perspective. Then, you will see how great a man Joe really is.

This book is right up there with the best of them: My Life, Mein Kampf, Garlic Wars, Little Red Book.
Mike Blatter, Phoenix

Come and listen to a story 'bout . . . : Your rag reeks of homo-loving, beaner-loving liberalism, and if it were up to me (you'd better be glad it isn't!), I'd come right over and force you punks to pack your bags and walk you to the border! Then, I'd throw your commie, faggot, shit-eating asses out of America!

You are fucking traitors, and your fat-ass, crust-ridden mothers should be damned to Hell for not aborting your miserable asses, you fucking scumbag pieces of shit! Go fuck yourselves!
Jed Browman, Phoenix

Leave "white" out of it next time: I'm writing in response to your May 29 article "Brown Out" (Stephen Lemons) about Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his sweep for illegal immigrants in Guadalupe.

While the article was very well written, informative, and did a good job of conveying the reprehensible and most likely illegal way this sweep was deployed, I feel a strong sense of urgency to point out that, on more than one occasion in the article, you refer to Sheriff Arpaio's hometown of Fountain Hills (which is a very nice community with just as many law abiding, legal citizens as Guadalupe) as "lily white" and "white bread."

Are you not doing exactly what Joe Arpaio and his forces did in Guadalupe by racially profiling and making disparaging remarks in reference to white people?

I am a realist and believe that, while Sheriff Arpaio's actions were unethical and incorrigible, you have tainted an otherwise well-written and concise story with unnecessary racial remarks. It's unfortunate that racism is alive and well in America today, and using remarks such as yours only helps to separate the gap even more. Racism is a learned behavior, and you have only helped to fuel the fire.

The fact that I'm white has nothing at all to do with my feelings on this. Racism will never stop unless we all work together to teach our children that it's wrong. Whether it's against whites, Hispanics, blacks, or Indians, it's wrong. Perhaps, in the future, you could refrain from spreading the problem.

I agree that Joe Arpaio must go.
Joe Saulen, Queen Creek

GOOD "HEAD"

360 degrees?: Thanks for the wonderfully written story on newcomer to Phoenix and Jesus Christ, Brian "Head" Welch ("Korn Free," John Dickerson, June 19). When a person makes a 360-degree change in their life and backs it up with action (off drugs, the orphanage in India), it's very refreshing and inspiring. Stay with the Lord always!
Sasha Michaels, Tempe

Well, almost everything: According to Brian Welch, "I don't look to this world's system as my source of provision anymore," and God "was telling me to give up everything, sell everything."

Apparently, God meant everything but the late-model 750i BMW and the 2,400-square-foot custom-built mountainside house with the pool. Not exactly the life of poverty that Jesus exalted.
Peter Hines, Phoenix