Crime and the Sacking of America: The Roots of Chaos

xxv, [1] 365, [9] p. Notes. Selected Bibliography. Index. In his shocking and sophisticated Crime and the Sacking of America, Thomas argues that America's problems flow from a flawed intellectual framework. He exposes the real underpinnings of crime as the philosophical failings of both ultra-left liberals and ultra-right libertarians, and the diefication of individual rights over those of the community. From Wikipedia: "Andrew Peyton Thomas (born 1966) is an American politician, and author. He served as the county attorney for Maricopa County in Arizona until April 1, 2010, when he announced his resignation, as required by Arizona law, in order to run for the office of Arizona Attorney General. Thomas is the subject of an ongoing FBI investigation regarding abuse of power and unethical behavior. [ On April 10, 2012, a three-member panel of the Arizona State Supreme Court voted to disbar Thomas.Thomas was born in Long Beach, California in 1966 and spent most of his childhood in Missouri's Ozarks. He received a B.A. in political science from the University of Missouri in 1988 and a J.D. from Harvard University in 1991.Thomas moved to Arizona to join a law firm in Phoenix, where he practiced civil litigation, and left in 1994 to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Arizona, followed by posts as deputy counsel and criminal justice policy advisor to governor Fife Symington III. Thomas later became chief attorney at the Arizona Department of Corrections. Thomas joined the Maricopa County Attorney's Office as a Deputy County Attorney in 2003, and ran successfully for Maricopa County Attorney in 2004. He took office in January 2005. He also ran unsuccessfully in 2002 for Arizona Attorney General, which he lost to Terry Goddard. Maricopa County AttorneyPoliciesAs County Attorney, Andrew Thomas focused his agenda and policies towards the rights of crime victims, in addition to adopting tough policies on violent crime, child exploitation, identity theft and repeat offenders. During his term, Thomas also made considerable effort on prosecuting human smugglers and illegal immigrants. Thomas also helped draft and campaigned for Proposition 100, which sought to end the right to bail for illegal immigrants accused of serious felonies, and Proposition 301, which toughened sanctions for abuse of methamphetamines. In 2006, the voters of Arizona approved both measures. Under Thomas, the Maricopa County Attorney s Office expanded their community outreach programs by sponsoring informational Internet sites, including publishing DUI offenders' photographs and news roundups pertaining to regional crime and illegal immigration. In 2006, Thomas' office was in the national spotlight for the prosecution of Matt Bandy, a minor charged with distributing child pornography. Bandy, who initially faced 90 years in prison without parole, claimed the images on his computer were downloaded by a virus or Trojan horse. Bandy eventually accepted a plea bargain, pleading guilty to 3 felony counts of showing a Playboy magazine to three of his 16 year old school classmates. The case was featured on ABC News' 20/20. Thomas faced Democrat Tim Nelson in his 2008 re-election campaign. Nelson criticized Thomas' spending of federal RICO funds while Thomas made an issue of Nelson's acceptance of approximately $25, 000 in donations from criminal defense attorneys while Thomas made an issue of Nelson's acceptance of approximately $25, 000 in donations from criminal defense attorneys. Thomas' opponents also challenged his decision to spend $27 million on outside attorneys, including Thomas' former employer, Dennis Wilenchik. Thomas has engaged in a high-profile feud with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, who are responsible for allocating funds to his office. This feud, in which he has been joined by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, has resulted in a number of lawsuits, with legal costs to the county for recent disputes exceeding $2.6 million. The feud has also resulted in Arpaio.…