The Arizona Boycott

Being in Arizona, we are hearing a lot about various boycotts being announced against our state. All of these are due to the recent signing into law, SB-1070, the new anti-illegal immigration law.

Here are just a few of the boycotts:
1. Al Sharpton has called for a boycott of the whole state, which would include coming to AZ or doing business with the state. He said he will also pressure the Major League Baseball (MLB) to cancel the 2011 All Star game planned for AZ.
2. The city council of West Hollywood voted to prohibit any city employees from traveling to AZ, to encourage city residents to not come to AZ, and to possibly impose future economic sanctions against the state.
3. Boston city council voted to boycott AZ. It is a city ban on doing business with the state of AZ, any cities in AZ, and any business in AZ who supports the bill.
From the Boston Globe website: "Ross said he was 'outraged when I heard about the Arizona law that requires anyone who looks ‘reasonably suspicious’ to be stopped and asked to prove that they’re a legal resident of the United States. The last time people were stopped and asked for papers in this country, it was during the era of slavery.'"
This is a typical example of the ignorance being openly demonstrated by those across the nation who have no idea what they are talking about. There is not one thing in that quote that is accurate.
4. Washington DC, New York City, and Los Angeles are also considering similar actions to that taken by Boston.
5. An online petition is calling for an AZ boycott. Here is one example of the comments left by the people who have signed the petition: "I am more afraid of the legal residents of Arizona than I am of the illegals ones. They are scary people - narrow minded and probably Republicans. Boycott Arizona"
6. Hispanic News which is from AZ has called for a boycott against the whole state. They are planning to protest any convention who comes to the state. They plan to protest at the entrance to the Grand Canyon. They will try to discourage any business from moving into AZ. Here are some quotes from their article:
" Hispanic News believes Arizona has become the new apartheid for America brought about by overt hatred of Hispanics."
"Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) providing sage advise said, “Our economic sanction is: Do not do business with a state that is propagating the idea separate but equal treatment under the law can be codified.”
"Arizona SB 1070, which will become Arizona law 90 days after the state legislature’s present session comes to an end, will bring havoc on Arizona directly turning Arizona into a Gestapo state violating the civil rights of Arizona Hispanics by significantly increasing police profiling of everyone with a brown face."
7. Mario Solis-Marich, a progressive (liberal) radio talk show host: "Arizona is the Alabama of the new century and Maricopa County is the new Selma. America and the world should boycott GOP Governor Jan Brewer's red state."
8. From article in the Washington Post newspaper: "San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome has directed city employees to avoid business travel to the state, and city officials are contemplating ending all contracts with Arizona-based companies. The Mexican state of Sonora canceled a cross-border meeting that was to be held in Phoenix in June. A group of independent truckers from California have launched a five-day boycott of the state and refused to transport goods in or out. The National Black Caucus of State Legislators and the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators said Thursday that they are pulling out of a conference they had planned to hold in Scottsdale."
Did you notice that the Mexicans in Sonora Mexico are boycotting coming to AZ. The law has not taken effect but is already accomplishing its goal.
9. People are boycotting games being played by the AZ Diamondback baseball team, even when they are in other cities.
10. Charles Barkley is protesting the new law as being racist. Clearly, he has not read the law or is intentionally misleading his blind followers.

The Google search "boycott Arizona" had 2,900,000 hits. I will not bore you with all of them.

You would believe, listening to the media, that the rest of the country, the majority of AZ residents and the rest of the world is all planning on boycotting AZ by not coming to our state or buying any products produced here. Early on, there was a call to boycott Arizona Ice Tea. That idiot failed to notice the tea is made in New York.

One good thing about the US, the people are free to make choices as to where to travel and what to buy (up until the Federal Government mandated buying health insurance), so each person can boycott AZ if they want. It seems that they have not realized that the people of AZ, who strongly support this law by a large majority, are also free to boycott the cities and states and businesses who boycott our state.

The state will lose some tourism and convention dollars but I believe we will gain other dollars from those who support the new law and from those who realize AZ should be safer with fewer illegal aliens around. This is in addition to the millions we will save by not having so many on social programs and in our schools.

There are other states who like what we just did and are considering something similar for their states: TX, UT, ID, OH...

Adios, Amigos!