trump pardons joe arpaio: racist sheriff targeted latinos in arizona

u.s. president donald trump continues to take controversial positions that thrill (excite) his supporters but feel like racism to almost everybody else.

trump & arpaio looking like buddies

sheriff joe arpaio with donald trump (associated press)

jacques billeaud and darlene superville at the associated press report that last friday trump

spared former arizona sheriff joe arpaio the prospect of serving jail time in granting the first pardon of his turbulent tenure, wiping away the lawman’s recent federal conviction stemming from his immigration patrols that focused on latinos.

grant means give.  pardon means his crimes are forgiven, he will not be punishedtenure is term or periodwipe away means get rid of, eliminate. stem from means caused byspare in this context means save. it can be heard in the lyrics to queen‘s classic rock song bohemian rhapsody. listen at 3:34

the white house referred to arpaio as a worthy (qualified, deserving) candidate for the pardon, but bill trott at reuters described him as

the self-proclaimedtoughest sheriff in america” [who] lost a bid for re-election in arizona’s maricopa county in november after 24 years in office. he is known for his crackdown on undocumented immigrants and investigating unfounded trump-supported claims questioning former president barack obama’s citizenship.

self-proclaimed means that’s what arapaio says about himself. tough means hard or strong. bid means attempt.crackdown indicates a more aggressive attitude.  unfounded means there is no evidence to support it.  a claim is an accusation.

toughest sherrif in america
sheriff arpaio supported donald trump’s unfounded claims that former president barack obama wasn’t born in the united states and thus couldn’t legally be president.

the 85-year-old arpaio tweeted his gratitude to president trump

although humble is the opposite of proud, humbled is often used to mean, in fact, proud. look fwd to is a shortened version of the phrasal verb look forward to, which means anticipate with excitement.  grateful means thankful. it is part of the name of one of the most recognized touring bands of the rock and roll era, the grateful dead.

the associated press article said this about the backlash (strong negative reaction) to trump’s pardon

the pardon drew a swift and harsh denunciation from an array of latinos and political leaders, who said it amounted to presidential approval of racism by eliminating the conviction of a law officer who the courts said had used immigration patrols to racially profile latinos. and it overturned what critics saw as a long-awaited comeuppance for a lawman who long escaped accountability for his use of headline-grabbing tactics as sheriff in phoenix.

draw means attract or receiveswift means fast. harsh is brutal, aggressive. array is variety; make sure to pronounce it uh-ray, NOT uh-rye. a spanglish pronunciation i have heard more than once in class.  amount to means the same as. racial profiling is accusing, suspecting or interrogating based on ethnicity.  latino is a label used in the united states to refer to people of latin american origin and/or who speak spanish as their native language. arpaio’s legal problems were because he continued to racially profile latinos after being ordered to stop in 2011.

cool english practice :) richyrocks on youtube

long-awaited means  expected for a long time. accountability is like responsibility.   headline-grabbing means the media gives it a lot of attention. comeuppance is punishment, payback. it sounds a little like but is different than the idea of a come up — a financial opportunity or a good deal that is an important part of this rap by macklemore

and this rap by az

the mayor of phoenix, greg stanton, was one of many frustrated with trump’s decision.

pardoning joe arpaio is a slap in the face to the people of maricopa county, especially the latino community and those he victimized as he systematically and illegally violated their civil rights.

a slap in the face is hitting somone across the face with the palm of the hand, but also an insult.

the famous meme of batman slapping robin in the face. the maga hashtag is the acronym of trump’s promise: Make America Great Again. 

what’s your opinion about trump’s pardon of the toughest sheriff in america?  share under leave a reply


 

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