Migrants break our law and you want to throw book at Arpaio?

Let’s see if I understand this. The people, who knowingly and with malice aforethought, violated our federal laws by entering this country illegally did not commit a crime.

Joe Arpaio, by attempting to apprehend the illegal border crossers, did commit a crime.

That ruling came from a judge who’s ego would cast an overpowering shadow on Donald Trump’s self-esteem. Now the vindictive, miniscule souls who are outraged that Joe was not punished with jail time for stepping on the toes of a judge are wallowing in their anger and self pity.

And if we don’t agree with them then there is something wrong with us. That would make a great script for a TV sitcom. In real life, not so great.

— T.G. Fisher, Phoenix

Trump signals to his hate-group followers that profiling is OK

Joe Arpaio shelved hundreds of sexual abuse cases and deliberately profiled darkly complected people. The most common were persons of Mexican or Hispanic features. I never heard of him challenging any light-skinned blonde person.

Unless you have been stopped, as I have, and asked to prove your citizenship you don’t know what it feels like to be to be stopped, searched and terrified by a police officer.

I personally hold all first responders in the highest regard. Yes, there a few bad apples and hopefully they are systematically discovered and removed from service.

In contrast, instead of Sheriff Arpaio going after criminals who had committed various act of sexual abuse he shelved them so that he would have more time to seek out the ever popular TV camera.

I recall a famous elected official saying, “I will to do whatever it takes to get elected.” This apparently includes, in Arpaio’s case, selling his soul for the opportunity to abuse others for personal gain.

Trump disregarded the pardon process

The pardon of Joe Arpaio should terrify every American.

The fact that a president can grant a pardon to a criminal based upon nothing more than payback for political support, or worse, for helping that president to obstruct justice, is a travesty.

It is one of the most egregious abuses of power in our history.

Republicans are jumping with joy over the pardon of Arpaio, the elder statesman of hatred and racism. They forget that the system could work for a corrupt Democratic president as well.

— Gerald Kern, Scottsdale