Give Us MORE of Sheriff Joe

Maricopa County (AZ) Sheriff Joe Arpaio is at it again -- doing the right thing for the right reason and pissing off those who don't feel America needs to obey its own laws:

PHOENIX - The mayor wants the FBI to investigate whether the local county sheriff has violated any civil rights laws with his recent high-profile crackdowns on illegal immigrants.

The "saturation patrols" have drawn protests from civil rights and immigrant-rights advocates, but they have drawn support from backers of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and from people who believe the government hasn't done enough against illegal immigration.

Remember Sheriff Joe? Open tent cities for inmates in 110-degree heat? Pink underwear? No TV for inmates? That Sheriff Joe?

He's also a believer in enforcing immigration laws:

I think the mayor is disconnected from the people he represents and he doesn't get the point," Arpaio said Saturday. "Now he's going to Washington to confuse the issue and try to get the public against me."

The mayor "is degrading my office and my deputies by insinuating that they're violating all these civil laws. We don't profile," the sheriff said.

In the past month, sheriff's deputies and trained volunteers have gone into neighborhoods with large Hispanic populations, stopping people for routine traffic violations and asking some of them about their immigration status. Dozens of illegal immigrants have been detained.

ICE officials say Arpaio is not violating the formal agreement he has with their office that allows sheriff's deputies to enforce immigration laws.

Here comes the whining and bleeding:

Last week, the Arizona Ecumenical Council and American Jewish Committee issued a joint letter saying the patrols "evoked a 'police state' atmosphere" and led to "detainment on the basis of a racial profile and dehumanization of innocent people."

They were joined Friday by the Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, which echoed calls for a Justice Department investigation.

Hey AJC and others: so I suppose it's acceptable for various groups and entities to decide which bodies of American law shall and shall not be enforced?

BZ