When Bad Things Happen To Bad People

Yesterday, in local news, Maricopa County Sheriff and full-time bad example Joe Arpaio, tripped and fell on a downtown sidewalk, breaking his arm and ending up in the hospital since.

Some online comments have implied (or flat-out stated) that he's a wuss for not manning up, gritting his teeth, and walking out of the hospital already.  And for having an oxygen cannula in his nose while laid up in the hospital.  And for speaking slowly in several videos released by the Sheriff's department.

I find myself in the distasteful position of having to defend Joe Arpaio, just a few days after signing a petition to recall him.

When my own arm got broken back in December, it was some of the most agonizing pain I've ever felt.  "Agony" gets used inappropriately a lot, but not this time.  I was very, very grateful for the existence of morphine.  I may have been "cognizant" while on morphine, but I certainly wasn't at my quickest or most perceptive.

I'm 20 years younger than Arpaio, and I was in hospital for four days.  Part of that was post-surgical recovery for the prosthetic joint that replaced the shattered upper humerus.  So far, it doesn't look like surgery is planned for Arpaio, but I'm not surprised they keep someone his age in a few extra days to make sure he won't have any complications.

I also had an oxygen cannula in my nose for most of those four days.  That's a safeguard against respiratory problems that might occur.

So I'm afraid I have to cut the old piece of crap some slack in this instance.

(Dammit, my innate humanity betrays me again!)

Ideally, one might hope that the injury, and the painful recovery ahead, leads to Arpaio deciding to resign and finally retire to his Fountain Hills home.

But I don't think that will happen.  I think that Arpaio has to stay in office until he dies, because when he dies I think enough evidence of deep corruption and abuse in the MCSO will finally come out that it will become clear Joe Arpaio was on the wrong side of his jail's fence for his entire career as Sheriff.

Update, 3/4/2013:  I posted a slightly different version of the above post as a comment to the Phoenix New Times article about Arpaio's hospitalization.  One self-styled "JoeArpaioFan" responded:

"If you have no love for Arpaio I hope next time you break your neck."

Well, that certainly teaches me a lesson about expressing any sympathy for an old man who's been seriously hurt.  I think this is the first comment I've ever written that made someone wish for my death.