Posted by Maureen Robertson on Jul 23 2014

An overflowing crowd is expected when the man known as America’s toughest sheriff, Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona, comes to Ramona as guest speaker at the Ramona Tea’d forum on Saturday.

The free public forum will be in Ramona Mainstage, 626 Main St. Doors will open at 11 a.m. and the program will begin at noon.

“Please come early because we expect a full house and we may need to turn back latecomers,” said Darrell Beck, Ramona Tea’d member.

Arpaio has been elected sheriff of Maricopa County six times and has a reputation for believing in old-fashioned punishment. As head of the nation’s third largest sheriff’s office, he is known for his tent city, chain gangs and pink underwear provided to inmates. Years ago, when Arpaio learned that inmates were stealing jailhouse white boxers, he had all inmates’ underwear dyed pink for better inventory control.

At 11 a.m. on Saturday, Arpaio will be signing pink underwear souvenirs for $15 each with donated proceeds going to the Youth Assistance Foundation in Arizona.

Arpaio has been criticized by liberals and politically-correct progressives, said Beck.

“He’s been soundly condemned by Attorney General Eric Holder, who accuses Arpaio of racial profiling in Arpaio’s attempt to do the job Holder refuses to do, by trying to control crime coming across the open border,” Beck said.

Arpaio, who served in the U.S. Army from 1950-53, worked for years as a federal narcotics agent, infiltrating drug organizations in Turkey and the Middle East, Mexico, Central and South America and cities around the United States, and served as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Arizona. He was elected sheriff of Maricopa County in 1992.

For more information about Saturday’s forum, see www.ramonatead.com.

http://www.ramonasentinel.com/2014/0...ff-joe-arpaio/