America’s most controversial law enforcer will soon prove himself worthy of his title.
In his latest attempt to smear Arizona’s reputation, Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County, has stated he intends to punish prisoners who deface the American flag.
The flag will appear in jail cells and the national anthem will be played as part of Arpaio’s ongoing publicity campaign.
The sheriff’s futile attempts at patriotism aren’t the most disturbing aspect of this campaign, however.
Arpaio has stated that those who deface the flag will be subject to a strict diet of bread and water.
The sheriff went on to boast that 10 people are already being denied anything but bread and water.
His recent ideas for punishment are nothing new.
He made his obsession with food public when he declared inmates would now have to pay for their meals earlier this year.
However, Arpaio’s tendencies are by no means limited to dietary restrictions, as he has been the subject of a number of scandals.
Known for making prisoners in his jurisdiction wear pink underwear, Arpaio has repeatedly clashed with the government over highly politicized issues.
For instance, he launched an investigation of the president.
He questioned whether President Barack Obama was born in the United States.
He argued the certificate produced by Obama was a “computer-generated forgery.”
Such statements have become synonymous with a dissatisfied Republican party, but this behavior is dangerous when adopted by a public officer.
As a bureaucrat, the sheriff has an obligation to be impartial to politics.
Arpaio has instead embraced his partisan instincts.
He’s also pursued a political agenda.
Manifesting in the most hideous form, Arpaio’s most infamous campaign has been to consistently target Hispanic people.
A judge ruled earlier this year that Arpaio’s self-appointed fight against undocumented immigrants led to racial profiling.
According to ABC News, the Arizona sheriff’s methods permitted his deputies to pull over and search the vehicles of anyone they thought was an illegal immigrant.
Luckily, his powers to implement immigration laws were suspended by the government.
Yet the pink-underwear-loving 81-year-old has continued to get re-elected.
He is now serving his sixth term as sheriff-elect.
The only difference this time is the sheriff’s re-election means someone will only be able to eat bread and water every day.
Being incarcerated shouldn’t mean being starved, especially in the United States, regardless of what inmates do to a flag.
Similarly, being elected as the sheriff of a certain county doesn’t grant one the right to breach the neutrality the bureaucracy requires.
The agenda used by the sheriff to humiliate, harass and even starve people is nothing more than un-American.
If government has any sense, it will provoke legal action against Arpaio and challenge the legality of depriving people of certain foods in a prison environment.
Richard Vieira is a UF political science senior. His column runs on Fridays. A version of this column ran on page 6 on 11/15/2013 under the headline "Sheriff imposes Draconian punishments"
