Sheriff Joe Arpaio says hi to his neo-Nazi supporters, poses for pix
By David Neiwert Saturday May 09, 2009 12:00pm
I've been reporting for a long time on the many ways that the immigration debate has served as a critical nexus in the intersection between right-wing extremism and mainstream conservatism.
Last weekend, Sheriff Joe Arpaio -- the quasi-fascist chief law-enforcement officer of Arizona's Maricopa County, currently under DOJ investigation for his refusal to abide by court orders and his rampant racial profiling -- provided us with a crystalline example.
Because we got to see a classic case of someone in a position of real power lending the authority of his office to the empowerment of far-right radicals -- unintentionally, perhaps (though not likely), but with the same result regardless.
On Saturday, May 2, several thousand people came out to march in protest of Arpaio's increasingly thuggish tactics.
And as is often the case with such events, there was a little knot of neo-Nazis out there to counter-protest. This meant they were out there to support Arpaio.
The first part of the above video is taken from footage shot by one of these counter-protesters. A little ways in, you'll see a black Cadillac pull up containing none other than Sheriff Joe himself, who has decided to stop by and say hello to his supporters. He lets one of them pose for a picture.
As it happens, the young man posing for him is none other than Thomas Coletto, aka "Vito Lombardi" -- who, as Stephen Lemons reports, is not only the local leader of a neo-Nazi outfit, but was also busted for burglary in a supposed "Columbine"-type plot two years ago.
After posing with Arpaio, Coletto posted the shot on the neo-Nazi forum Stormfront.
And it's not as if Arpaio recoiled and hurried on when he figured out who he was talking to. You can see in the video he pulls over and shakes hands with someone in group standing with a Confederate flag.
The rest of the video is compiled from other footage available on YouTube, particularly the work of 287gGots2go, who let us see what this little clutch of white nationalists was like from the other side of the camera.
I think it tells everything we need to know about who Sheriff Arpaio counts on for his support. It also tells us everything we need to know about how these people feel empowered enough to come crawling out from under the rocks beneath which they usually hide.
Dan Weiss at Imagine 2050 has more.
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How appropriate though his choice of color and sleeve length don't strike me as particularly smart considering how warm it probably is there. Sheesh, he's even got the shirt buttoned up to his neck.
he's just soo-o-oo-o Kewww-ellll!
"Proto" is more like it.
There's no reason the think Murkin fascism will look like any previous kind.
Joe's the proto-type...
I thought liberals were the fascists? Or is it communist? Wait, their the socialists, thats right.
Thats must be why all the neo-nazi's support democrats?
Don't ya think?
Crappy video, hideous editing and Neanderthal rantings. Typical dumbasses. Totally outnumbered and out smarted.
It is getting soooo confusing.
BTW Nice screename.
does anything intentionally after seeing interviews with him
unless your comment is humor,
which end of the jackass are you sucking on?
everything this bastard joe does is intentional.
The meathead doesn't know WTF he is doing. Did you ever see him on an interview? He is as dumb as a post.
i agree
I bet the Sherrif and his buddies are republicani bushies. Dead enders. Hold outs. republicani insurgents. The Sherrif is a low ranking spiritual leader. It's not like they can just drop a predator drone bomb on them, is it? Even if they could, it would be immoral to do so, just as it is to do so in Afganistan.
I really wish there were a deserted island where we could deport these blatant racists and rightwing nuts, along with their enablers and supporters, like FoxNews anchors. I think they're very dangerous to America, and people, sometime, somewhere, are going to be killed and injured by their actions. Tim McVeigh did not erupt out of a vacuum, nor did he erupt out of an easy-going liberal environment. These folks don't reside anyplace different than what gave birth to him.
Like we should be surprised?
Shit attracts flies.
Maricopa County already and come back to California or Texas. I don't want this creep representing my loved ones...
This must be the new qualifications for hiring persons for all police jobs.. Have you ever seem some of the videos of the police beating , shooting and taser citizens which has done nothing...
They look as if they enjoy doing
Now I know why they don't believe in evolution, admission would mean coming to grips with being the missing links.
Ya. While Republicanis have been denying evolution, the majority of Americans have been evolving along quite nicely indeed.
One minute the wingnuts and teabaggers are chanting USA! USA! USA! The next minute they want to succeed.
They seem to be having an identity problem. Why don't they simply identify themselves as the minority in a democracy and get used to it. Babies.
Because when Crybaby Conservatives can't win or steal an election they want to take their ball home.
Was that recent or old footage from a McCain / Palin rally?
The car the sheriff pulled up in is NOT a Cadillac, it is in fact a Chrysler 300, the automobile of choice for thugs far and wide.
the new limo with tinted glass?
chauffeured in a desoto
You calling Obama a thug?
Watching from here, and this stuff gets around, it makes my patriotic heart go pitter patter. Educated Chinese, and educated people everywhere, see this and wonder what makes us Americans think we are so sophisticated and praiseworthy. Here are people standing on ground the US Army STOLE from Mexico yelling at people of Mexican descent, "go home!." Idiots.
Stole? We took it fair and square.
Let's say arguing about who historically has the better claim to this region is dubious for either side.
that occupied this territory before the mexicans and white americans
i would say stole is appropriate followed by a stiff shot of genocide
how about we just say that this territory was built upon the blood and misery of others, including the chinese.
In fact it was the Chinese who were there first, having walked there from what is now Mongolia 14,000 years ago. They took it by force from the Big Toothed Cats, Mammoths, Mastodons and Sloths. Some of the remaining Sloths were waving flags in the video.
not chinese as china did not exist 14,000 years ago, and
what you say did not happen within several generations of you and i under the guise of freedom and liberty.
even your grandparents can remember a time when there were not 50 states, actually the same for your parents if they were born in the 30's, 40's, and 50's.
the way i view the southwest is the same as switzerland, in that depending on the country it borders, that region is mixed in language and culture: swiss/french, swiss/german, and swiss/italian (also lichtenstein, but who the f cares about lictenstein). too bad these guys in arizona can't appreciate the rich mexican tradition and influence on the region, nor that the mexicans were there before these funny ingrates waving the confederate flag--real americans! ha
i mean, come on, the funny does not get any better than this; especially the big whip sheriff being chauffeured in a chrysler--priceless.
Sure I can laugh and thumb my nose at them in some ways, but in others they're a serious concern for me as a woman of color.
but shouting back at them only reinforces their delusion.
unless they are waving guns or causing physical harm, i will only fight them by laughing at their shenanigans. i hate to say it, but i believe most people have a little bigot in them, and most rationalize it. the most common form i hear is that "i don't hate mexicans, some of my friends are mexicans, i just don't like the illegals (which also includes the legals that are dirt poor)". arguing with them does not change their attitude, but laughing at the stupidity has impact, especially if it can be done without causing embarrassment.
For showing the fascist scumbags.
I wouldn't be surprised if Arpaio is a fucking nazi fuck!
He runs internment style camps, nothing else could describe Sheriff Joe's open air jails.
And a Sheriff being chauffeured around to meet and greet the local neonazis...
I think he's a neo-Nazi himself.
A couple of weeks ago a guy was tazed at a music festival because he wouldn't get his clothes back on. But swear allegiance to the leader of the Nazi's and you get your photo with Joe the Sheriff.
I'm so glad I don't live in Arizona anymore. Although, the vermin is spreading, thanks to Bill and Glen and the rest of the violence inducing Faux News white boys.
So how freakin stupid do you have to be to imagine being a neo-nazi asshole is the future of the nation?
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