There has been a lot of interest in our Republican Party activities as to why Sheriff Joe Arpaio will speak at the St. Louis County Lincoln/Reagan Day Dinner.
Retired Sheriff Joe Arpaio – famously known as “America’s Toughest Sheriff” – represents the values and principles of St. Louis County Republicans.
He does for obvious, and not so obvious reasons. To illustrate, here is a glimpse of Joe Arpaio’s past – a remarkable one of which most are unaware.
We all know Joe Arpaio as the Sheriff who cracked down on illegal migration decades before it was in vogue; and a man who made headlines for his staunch position on law enforcement and his revolutionary prison reform programs. But consider Joe Arpaio’s lesser known background and why he is rightfully a conservative legend, hero, icon and importantly, a relevant voice to represent the Republicans of St. Louis County this year.
Joe Arpaio was the youngest Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Regional Director in the history of the institution. At 35, Joe was placed in charge of every DEA office in Latin America from Mexico to Argentina. While developing revolutionary DEA programs, Joe met with US and foreign presidents. As the Regional Director, operating in South America, Joe attended meetings with Panamanian President Noriega at the time when the United States rightfully maintained control of the Panama Canal and it is believed to be the only American invited to visit with Chilean President Augusto Pinochet. Arpaio also served as the head of the DEA offices in Turkey and other middle-eastern countries.
This background alone makes Joe Arpaio a relevant voice to the controversial issues raging in 2019, illegal drugs, law enforcement, border wars, Latin America, diplomatic relations with nation states teetering on economic and physical collapse.
These are issues that affect us here in St. Louis County, as well as Missouri and the United States.
Joe Arpaio famously went on to become “America’s Toughest Sheriff”. It is a name he lived up to and was re-elected six times for a total of 24 years in the state of Arizona. A champion for ICE, Arpaio’s Sheriff’s office became famous for helping deport and report illegal migrants flooding the southern border. Arpaio’s revolutionary prison reform programs reduced prison recidivism rates and was praised nationwide for his “out of the box” solutions for prison reforms.
Arpaio has been a staunch advocate for sealing our southern border. His sheriff’s office was on the front lines of this issue for decades. His record speaks for itself.
These are all issues that are incredibly relevant for St. Louis County and our Nation as a whole.
Joe Arpaio has drawn strong criticism from Republicans and the Democratic Party apparatchiks for decades and for exactly the reason we conservatives celebrate him – he is a defender of our Constitution, and he enforces the law.
When John McCain, knowingly mislead the American people in his book, “The Restless Wave”, that Joe Arpaio was a “felon-to-be”, it established the line between Republicans who sold out for Obama’s agenda and those Republicans who maintained their integrity and examined facts.
The Left and Big Media want us to ignore the fact that President Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio for a contempt of court Misdemeanor, NOT as urban legend has it, a “felony”. Why? Because Arpaio’s particular brand of conservatism did not agree with a liberal Federal 9th Circuit Judge.
Any American duped into this “Arpaio is a Felon” hogwash, is a textbook victim of the Open Borders Globalist agenda; one that has been trying to destroy Joe Arpaio for decades.
In December, Arpaio, together with the founder of Freedom Watch, filed a $300 million lawsuit against CNN and what most of us call the “Fake News” conglomerate for propagating this “Arpaio is a Felon” lie. Arpaio’s case has real standing and could well make a difference in today’s war against a corrupted news machine that has for too long, been using the 1963 “Times v. Sullivan” case as justification to abuse their powers of the press in an effort to infect the American public with lies for political purposes.
The Republican war against Globalism, Leftist Big Media and Obama’s disastrous legacy are all issues that we Republicans here in St. Louis County discuss and fight against daily. Arpaio has been in the thick of this fight all of his life.
If our Republican Party strives to represent integrity, honesty, and dignity, then I can think of no one better than Sheriff Joe Arpaio to speak at our Lincoln/Reagan Day Dinner. Joe dedicated himself to the service of this nation and we are honored to have him. Let us take this opportunity to learn from someone who represents the values we hold dear, while never compromising his service to this nation, even under the heat of character assassination.
Joe Arpaio is a conservative icon for many reasons, but Joe Arpaio’s leadership and survival under a ceaseless barrage of political persecution is a testament that you and I have a voice; that we all have a vote; and that you and I are the rightful captains of our destiny.
Rene Artman
Chair of the Republican Central Committee of St. Louis County Missouri
St. Louis County GOP 
I have a nephew who spent some time in sheriff Joe’s facility. He hated it – but said afterwards that it was one of the best things that ever happened to him. He said he was so averse to going back in their that he straightened his life out and got off drugs! He now is a mainline citizen – and a big fan of sheriff Joe, who he credits with straightening out his life – and even has his own construction company! What a turnaround. This is what common sense laws, and their enforcement, produce! That’s why I am also a fan of sheriff Joe. AND president Trump and our newly installed representative who also supports our legally elected president.