The big debate: Joe Arpaio, piñata
by Paul Schwalbach on Jul. 16, 2008, under Opinion‘The answer to the immigration battle is somewhere in the middle.’
The story: Immigration rights protesters acted like “out-of-control, raving lunatics” when they destroyed a piñata bearing the likeness of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, “a bully with a badge” who was in Tucson last week to promote his book, says Citizen columnist Anne T. Denogean.
Your take: Sometimes, free speech isn’t pretty.
Many readers criticized Isabel Garcia, Pima County legal defender and head of the Coalición de Derechos Humanos. Garcia, whose Human Rights Coalition organized the protest, said breaking the piñata was “funny.”
No, it was “classless,” says Reyes F. and “treasonous,” (Chris F.). Garcia should make a public apology, Adam L. says. Bruce S. terms the protest “disgusting” and wonders how Pima County officials would distinguish between Garcia’s involvement in it and another employee’s participation in a Ku Klux Klan rally.
That said, many readers feel as does Connie L., who justifies the protest by paraphrasing French philosopher Voltaire’s aphorism: “I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Gayle C. doesn’t agree with the protest but allows that “it is protected.” Fred S., who made the comment atop this column, branded Arpaio and the protesters “extremists” and says “Hopefully, middle ground can be found.”
Some readers had no problem with the piñata-rending because it was of Arpaio, aka “the dungeon master,” Peter M. says. The bottom line? says Chris M., the protest boosts Arpaio because “he lives off such publicity.”
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