Letters From the Issue of Thursday, November 8, 2007

TOUGHEST BOUT

Its a shame about Michael: About “Brother’s Keeper” (Paul Rubin, November 1), I was a big big fan of Michael Carbajal’s and remember all of Rubin’s great stories on him and his family from way back when. I also read Rubin’s story a few years ago about the Sally Carbajal murder and couldn’t believe it (“Family Secrets,” June 23, 2005).

This is just so sad. I can see how Michael got taken for a ride because . . . if you can’t trust your brother, who can you trust? I hope Michael survives all this.
Roland Parks, via the Internet

Vindication for Sally?: Our band, Side Effects, did some fundraisers for Michael Carbajal in 1987. We thought they were a class act, the whole Carbajal family.

How sad this whole thing is! What I most hope for is that Sally [Danny Carbajal’s late wife] is vindicated. Michael will simply continue to live and may or may not get over it, but Sally, a victim of domestic violence, doesn’t even have that much.
Mary K. Croft, via the Internet

JOE, ANDY: XOXOX

Dont wanna be a part of it: No grand jury? Are you serious (“He Just Doesn’t Get It,” Michael Lacey, November 1)? If [Dennis Wilenchik] doesn’t get disbarred for this, then my Bar card is utterly worthless.

I’m not sure I’d want to be part of a profession that would let this sort of disgusting abuse of power go unchecked.
David Kephart, via the Internet

No respect for the rest of us: Andrew Thomas and Joe Arpaio demanded respect for their families, and they have no respect for the rest of the world (also see “Candy Andy,” The Bird, November 1; “Who’s Sorry Now?,” Stephen Lemons, October 25; and “Breathtaking Abuse of the Constitution,” Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin, October 18).

Thomas was scared for the safety of his children, because of an Arizona Republic blog item linking to his public disclosure document, but what about New Times CEO Jim Larkin’s kids feelings when they found out that the sheriff’s deputies were waiting for their dad?

But the worst thing is, Joe Arpaio has 70,000 warrants against criminals, and he is spending time of his crew arresting a few corn vendors. It’s ridiculous.
Erika Page, via the Internet

Re-elect them? Outrageous: Sheriff Joke and his “hi-ho-Silver” buddy, the Maricopa County attorney, need to be hauled before a grand jury in handcuffs, leg irons, pink underwear, and those black-and-white-striped prisoner suits and be grilled — over a slow fire — for what they have done!

This is outrageous! If the people of Maricopa County continue to re-elect these two thugs, they deserve what they get!
Marc V. Ridenour, via the Internet

The resemblance is striking: Joe Arpaio is in denial. He can’t accept the fact that he’s not going to be around much longer, so he’s becoming more demented every day; sort of like how Hitler was acting when he became aware it was almost over.
Melanie Bulseco, via the Internet

A witch hunt, indeed: The new Keystone Kops . . . I hope Sheriff Joe and County Attorney Andrew Thomas like their jail; it looks like they may be spending time there.

They seem bent on turning everyone in Maricopa County into criminals, including themselves.

This tough-on-crime witch hunt has to stop somewhere; we taxpayers simply can’t afford it. It is even cutting into our tourism industry. Out-of-town visitors routinely get thrown in jail and unjustly punished. Word spreads that this is the worst county in which to get in a brush with the law.

Sheriff Joe and Andrew Thomas are completely incognizant of what they are doing to people as they try to climb the political ladder
Tom Trottier, via the Internet

Free and unrestrained: After seeing what happened and thinking back to my own First Amendment battle as a whistleblower, I took refuge in the words of Hugo Black, the late U.S. Supreme Court justice:

“The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. The government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.”
Tom Burbank, via the Internet

No, we wont back down: It is incredibly hard for me to actually find the words to describe my feelings after reading [what you have written]. The degree of abuse from scumbags Joe Arpaio, Andrew Thomas, and Dennis Wilenchik, and their grand jury subpoenas, are beyond comprehension.

Then, to have read the articles, and woken up to the news of the arrests of the founders of the New Times further deepened my disgust of these men, and I use that term extremely lightly.

I thank New Times for its truth in reporting, and special thanks to the reporters who don’t back down from the asinine threats of Sheriff Joke Arpaio!
Joshua Friedman, via the Internet

On the doorstep of tyranny: Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin are American heroes! Thanks to them for sticking to their principles.

With the tremendously fast pace of our lives in this era, it is extremely difficult for the average person to risk one’s liberty to stand up for our principles. Unfortunately, our politicians know this and create policies and administer the business of law and government with disdain for the citizens who make up our community. When the business of government becomes more about budgets and personal profits than about humanity, then we are on the doorstep of tyranny.

The publishers of Phoenix New Times are among the last beacons of American liberty. It is irrelevant what one believed about Joe Arpaio prior to him sending his henchmen to arrest the publishers of New Times, because now he has tipped his hand for all of America to see: America’s so-called toughest sheriff is willing to abuse his office for personal and political gain.

Whether or not the sheriff was victimized by the alleged publication of his home address by New Times is irrelevant. Even my children know that two wrongs don’t make a right! I salute you!
David Hamu, via the Internet