Arpaio Condones Shaq's "Racial Conduct"

Back in June of this year Shaquille O'Neal decided to do some "freestyle" rapping and insult ex-teammate Kobe Bryant. Shaq's lyrics may have been brash and a little too filthy for this dear blog, but really the whole episode was much ado about nothing. The shelf life on the story was maybe 48 hours. That is, until Sheriff Arpaio decided to weigh in.

Upon hearing Shaq's rap, Arpaio declared, "I want his two badges back…because if anyone of my deputies did something like this, they're fired. I don’t condone this type of racial conduct." In about five minutes Arpaio was just where he wanted to be, splashed across the national media. Nightly news, print media, heck ESPN even put some time aside on Sportscenter. But here's the kicker. While O'Neal's rap was too offensive for MCSO "special deputy" status, it apparently isn't too offensive to be taken off the Sheriff's Re-Election Website celebrity wall of fame.

Earlier today I was checking in over at www.sheriffjoe.org only to wind up looking at pictures 27 and 28:

Picture 27: Arpaio with arm around O'Neal - Caption: "Shaquille O'Neal is a big fan of Sheriff Joe's and asked to become a special deputy which the Sheriff obliged. Here they are together at Tent City."

Picture 28: Arpaio and O'Neal shaking hands - Caption: "This is one of the Sheriff's favorite pictures."

So, one has to ask, if Shaq's lyrics were so racist and his conduct so deplorable, why is Arpaio still using the Big Cactus' image for the re-election campaign? Under Joe's logic, I guess this means the campaign condones "racial conduct?"

Look, If Arpaio was so insulted that he had to pull the badges, he should have ditched the pictures, but he didn’t. Why? Because, this is vintage Arpaio. He throws someone under the bus for quick, cheap, media glory. Patrick Haab, Sgt. Lovejoy, Shaq, and countless others all get the same treatment. Arpaio cares not about the people he hurts, the lives he destroys, or the damage he inflicts. It's all about the Sheriff, all the time. At this point, I just wonder, do you think Shaq knows about Arpaio using his image to run a political website that allows direct contributions?

Rgds,

APK