Happy New Year, Maricopa

While most of us are tipping glasses of champagne and watching as the ball drops, Lydia Guzman had her eye on her cellphone, waiting for the next message that Sheriff Joe Arpaio, with his deputies and his volunteer posse, are sweeping up people with dark skin and black hair to get a taste of his special brew. 

Guzman, the director of the non-profit immigrant advocacy group Respect/Respeto, and sends out a text message alert to let people know when Crazy Joe is at it again.  Arpaio says he doesn’t mind, “it isn’t interfering with our operations because every time we do it, we still arrest a good number of people, including illegal aliens.” But he does think that she may be committing a crime rather than exercising free speech.

Mark Bennett received an email that explains things in much greater detail than does Arpaio to the Arizona Republic newspaper.

Dear Atty. Bennett: I live in Arizona. Why don’t we do something about Sheriff Joe? We do – we have re-elected him 5 times and every time he runs we RE-ELECT HIM AND WILL KEEP RE-ELECTING HIM AND IF HE WANTS TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., WE WILL ELECT HIM FOR THAT, TOO!!! HE IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE WHO IS OBEYING OUR LAWS, WHO IS PROTECTING THE PEOPLE OF THIS STATE AND COUNTRY. What are you – a globalist or just  what Lenin called liberals “useful idiots”? Our state is now the murder capitol of the nation, the kidnapping capitol of the nation, the car theft capitol of the nation!  If an American goes to a meeting and objects everything being given to Mexico or Mexican illegals, he or she gets arrested. But MECHISTAS can come and yell, “Death to the U.S.A.”, “We will push the U.S. into the sea!”, “Kill the gringos”, and lots more terrorist chants and the police are not allowed to tell them anything or even so much as ask their name (despite the fact the Patriot Act is in force!).

His emailer calls herself a “Patriot”, and no doubt she is.  In her own mind.  She goes on to list heinous crimes committed by these marauding illegals, the standard murder, rape and pillage stuff, that would make one furious with anger and fear.  She talks about how she knows all these things to be true.


I have two girlfriends whose children have all been murdered by illegals. I have spoken to a 15 y.o. who was shot at by Mexicans in his school because they tore down the U.S. flag and put up the Mexican flag and he said he was going home to get his flag. I spoke to the mother of a little 11 y.o. who was almost beaten blind by Mexicans. And many others and in all cases the schools refused to do anything. We h ave been infiltrated by Mexico in this state. They are teaching “hate” and “revolution” in our schools and when someone takes the proof down to the capitol, every time – it gets stolen (excuse me “it disappears”). 
Of course, if you try to find any evidence of these terrible crimes, you won’t.  I didn’t, and I tried.  It’s impossible to argue with a person who claims to have spoken with the victims, but there isn’t a new story anywhere to be found.  Amongst the conspiracy community, this can be explained by the liberal media concealing these horrible crimes.  Amongst real people, Bennett’s “Patriot” is another frightened person who has been sucked in by fear-mongerers who fabricate tales of terrible crimes that exist only in their minds, but serve well to keep those who are inclined to fear in line.

There is no doubt that some of the people in Maricopa County of Mexican heritage are not here lawfully.  There is no doubt that some commit crimes.  So too do nice white boys.  And black boys.  And brown boys.  But there is no grand conspiracy.  Oddly, if Crazy Joe was so effective, and if this conspiracy existed, they would leave Maricopa County for greener pastures like Texas, where there was no Crazy Joe and the vast conspiracy of illegals could run rampant.  Yet there’s no cry for Crazy Joe to move to Houston and take up arms there. 

But people like Bennett’s “Patriot” don’t question the reports that spread fear and hatred.  That would be unpatriotic.

Bennett distinguished his “Patriot” from a real one, the type that honors our laws and our people, from the Constitution on down.  This fear of illegals fuels a state of war in Maricopa.  Fear of terrorists fuels a state of war elsewhere. Fear makes people see and hear and believe the darnedest things, and believe them with all their heart.  Fear is primitive.  Fear is fundamental to our nature, our need to protect ourselves so we survive.  Fear always trumps reason.  Survive first and think later.

It doesn’t take a brilliant demagogue to use fear to manipulate people. It only takes a few scared people, unwilling to stop and think before allowing fear to take over.   Once you’ve got them afraid, they will do pretty much anything to protect themselves.  It doesn’t matter that their fear exists mainly in their own, aluminum-foil covered heads.

If anybody has a reason to be afraid in Maricopa County, it’s Lydia Guzman.  Yet she continues to keep her eye on her cellphone, ready to send out a text message warning others of Crazy Joe’s next sweep.

One thought on “Happy New Year, Maricopa

  1. haha

    Scott, thank you for shining a light on Maricopa County. I have spent the last several years of my life working with others in Maricopa County – including the inimitable Lydia Guzman, whose courage I cannot overstate – to bring justice to the people living under Sheriff Joe’s reign of terror. Aside from Steve Lemons at the Phoenix New Times (who have found themselves in Joe’s crosshairs because of their unwillingness to bow down to him), very few bloggers (much less the mainstream media) have been willing to take a stand and call Joe’s antics what they are – racist, xenophobic, racial profiling. Thanks for your coverage, I hope it allows a wider audience to see what is happening in Arizona and gives others the courage to speak out.

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