Today I’m talking about the Arpaio pardon – how awful Arpaio is as a human, what he did that was so egregious, what he was found guilty of, and how he compares to some other historically bad pardons. Isn’t it true that Obama pardoned some people who were WAY WORSE??? I investigate. Also, some great voicemails allow me the chance to talk about my appearance on wethepeoplelive – Josh Zepps’ show – and the whitelash that resulted. Additionally, I need to correct some statistic related mistakes I made on Monday’s episode.
Master Tweet Thread of Arpaio Shittiness; 538 Article on the Pardon; WaPo Article on the Pardon; Slate Piece on Manning Commutation; Obama’s Clemency Initiative; Forbes on Tech Job Deficit
Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point!
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Thanks for drawing attention to the lethal public sham that is Joe Arpaio. The New Times is one of the papers here (not the largest by any means…that’s the Arizona Tribune) in the Phoenix area, and they typically are one of the best, if not the best, traditional news outlets for reading about important local items. They’ve been following Arpaio for a very long time. In addition to his rap sheet filled with the crimes you talk about in the podcast, he’s been caught NUMEROUS times using public vehicles for personal use, and until recently had a legal stooge harassing other politicos at the capital. I’m certain there’s plenty more I’m not even aware of.
Speaking as a white person, he is everything wrong with not only institutional law enforcement in this country, but American Western Frontier mythology, and the white and very privileged view of crime and punishment and how it is conducted. I still run into people that think Tent City is just great and laugh about his childish pink underwear for inmates.
Arpaio is a straight-up criminal, and yet again we are shown just how little white angry America cares not only about what other people think, but of their political casuistry and view of the law as only being applicable to the poor and non-white. A future president that is not Drumpf should re-prosecute, but in a tragedy of law it probably will never happen, and even if it could, it would be seen as retribution by fiat at the highest levels, and probably worsen the political divide further, turning Arpaio into a martyr.
‘Speaking as a white person’
What do you crackers not get? Lol
No need for the racial disclaimer.