Democrats are calling for a boycott of Arizona over their racist GOP immigration law.
Calls grew across the US today for a boycott of Arizona over its new law giving the police the most draconian powers in the country to deal with illegal immigration.
Democratic members of Congress, religious leaders and leftwing activists urged a boycott of hotels, convention centres and other economic targets in the state. At least one nationwide group has responded by cancelling a convention planned for the autumn. Scores of lorry drivers were reported in the US media to have threatened to stop carrying loads to and from the state.
The calls are being made spontaneously by individuals and an array of groups, but leftwing activists predict they will soon coalesce into a single campaign.
The bill, signed into law on Friday, gives police the right to stop anyone "if reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the US". It has polarised opinion across the US, creating a clear divide between Democrats and Republicans.
In a sign of the passions aroused, cleaning crews were called to the state legislative building this morning to clear swastikas daubed on it overnight.
Opponents of the legislation say it will lead to victimisation of anyone who looks or sounds Latino. Supporters say the legislation is needed because the state can no longer cope with an estimated 450,000 illegal immigrants.
Among those calling for a sweeping boycott was the San Francisco city attorney, Dennis Herrera, who urged city departments to look at contracts with Arizona that could be terminated.
Herrera said: "Arizona has charted an ominous legal course that puts extremist politics before public safety, and betrays our most deeply held American values."
He noted that a similar boycott 20 years ago, which included the National Football League’s decision to move the Super Bowl from the state, led to Arizona finally dropping its refusal to recognise to Martin Luther King Day.
A Democratic congressman from Arizona, Raúl Grijalva, is also calling for an economic boycott against what he described as "unjust and racist" legislation that will damage Arizona’s prestige and credibility. He was forced to close his office at the weekend after receiving two death threats… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Common Dreams>
On the news, I’ve seen Republican after Republican claiming that this law will not institute racial profiling and that there is nothing racist about the bill. If you have the slightest doubt that these GOP hypocrites are lying through their teeth, you will not after watching Rachel Maddow expose the people behind the bill and the positions they represent.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
That makes it crystal clear. The GOP racists will stop at nothing to maintain a white majority.
12 Responses to “Boycott Arizona!”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Those swasticas were in refried beans – bwahahahaha. Anyone who’s left those in the sick overnight without soaking the pan, know that those things turn into concrete when dried. Now that’s funny.
I know! I’ve soaked a few of those pans. 🙂
Oh, and I still say that the governor needs a facelift and a new wig stat!
I think she needs a rectal craniectomy.
This law ia all about profiling and white America fearing non white America.
Exactly!
“…who is unlawfully present in the US.” Tom, I am having a difficult time understanding this. Isn’t there a difference between “legal” immigrants, and “illegal” immigrants? For instance, if I were to move to the United States illegally, and take a job and an income and a way of life away from a legal American citizen, doesn’t that make me the bad guy?
I am not being facetious, I really don’t understand what the problem is. What am I missing here? Doesn’t a State Legislation have a right to protect its legal citizens, and to use any means it can to do so? I don’t see how racism enters into it. Arizona does have a huge problem with people who are there illegally, and who are working illegally.
It seems that as soon as anything happens in the U.S., it becomes polarized as either a “Republican” initative, or a “Democrat” initative. It should be about people in general, and I think American citizens should come first. Perhaps the draconian sense of this law is for the purpose of discouraging any more illegal immigrants from entering — illegally. And, wouldn’t it be ironic if there were legal Mexican immigrants who are not able to find jobs because the jobs are being taken by illegal Mexican immigrants?
Again, I may sound naive, but from where I sit over here in Canada, opposition to this doesn’t make sense to me.
Cheers,
Josie
Josie, the problem is that US companies lure them across the border and exploit them when they get here, at the same time exploiting US workers by using illegals to depress wages. We have so many illegals now that deporting them would cost billions. We need to secure the border, and provide a way that foreign nationals can work here legally, because we do need their labor. We need to establish a path to legal residence for those already here. We need to severely punish corporations who hire illegals to exploit them.
This bill does none of these things. It was written by the white-power eugenics movement. Its intent is to target brown citizens, not illegals. Wach the video.
How did you manage to find an avatar that looks EXACTLY like meeeee?????? *heh, heh*
Awwww…. you’re MUCH hotter than that avatar. 😉
Arizona can pass race base laws, pass Birthers laws, pass no permit conceal weapons laws and the state boycotted Martin Luther King Day, well the rest of the Country can boycott the state of Arizona and spank them where it hurts them the most their pocket book. Their phony patriotism is sickening, they are just racists going by another name. We all know you are just itching to put a sheet on their head? Let’s face it the Republicans had eight years to deal with health care, immigration, climate change and financial oversight and governance and they failed. It appears that the Republican Party is only good at starting wars (two in eight years, with fat contracts to friends of Cheney/Bush) but not at winning wars as seen by the continuing line of body bags that keep coming home. The Republicans party will continue turned inward to their old fashion obstructionist party (and their Confederacy appreciation roots) because they continue to allow a small portions (but very loud portion) of their party of “birthers, baggers and blowhards” to rule their party. I will admit that this fringe is very good at playing “Follow the Leader” by listening to their dullard leaders, Beck, Hedgecock, Hannity, O’Reilly, Rush, Savage, Sarah Bailin, Orly Taitz, Victoria Jackson, Michele Bachmann and the rest of the Blowhards and acting as ill programmed robots (they have already acted against doctors that perform abortions). The Birthers and the Tea party crowd think they can scare, intimidate and force others to go along with them by comments like “This time we came unarmed”, let me tell you something not all ex-military join the fringe militia crazies who don’t pay taxes and run around with face paint in the parks playing commando, the majority are mature and understand that the world is more complicated and grey than the black and white that these simpleton make it out to be and that my friend is the point. The world is complicated and people like Hamilton, Lincoln, and Roosevelt believed that we should use government a little to increase social mobility, now it’s about dancing around the claim of government is the problem. The sainted Reagan passed the biggest tax increase in American history and as a result federal employment increased, but facts are lost when mired in mysticism and superstition. For a party that gave us Abraham Lincoln, it is tragic that the ranks are filled with too many empty suits and the crazy Birthers who have not learned that the way our courts work is that you get a competent lawyer, verifiable facts and present them to a judge, if the facts are real and not half baked internet lies, then, and only then, do you proceed to trial. The Birthers seem to be having a problem with their so called “facts”. Let’s face it no one will take the Birthers seriously until they win a case, but until then, you will continue to appear dumb, crazy or racist, or maybe all three. I heard that Orly Taitz now wants to investigate the “Republican 2009 Summer of Love” list: Assemblyman, Michael D. Duvall (CA), Senator John Ensign (NV), Senator Paul Stanley (TN), Governor Mark Stanford (SC), Board of Ed Chair, and Kristin Maguire AKA Bridget Keeney (SC), she wants to re-establish a family values party, that’s like saying that the Catholic Church cares about the welling being of children in their care, too late for that.
Welcome Montana. Great job of wrapping the insanity into a single package.