Boycott Over Immigration Threatens Economy, Jobs: Welcome to Arizona, Amigo

What do Arizona's Real Estate Agents Think? Arizona, Get Ready to Take it in the Shorts!

(LOS ANGELES) - "Tear Down the Wall" is the chant being heard by increasing numbers of Americans, as the U.S./Mexico border comes increasingly into view as a modern day Berlin Wall.

But nothing, absolutely nothing, has stirred emotions like Arizona's new criminal profiling law. They say police in a state that borders a Hispanic nation can somehow distinguish between "illegal" immigrants, without relying on the color of their skin. I wasn't born yesterday, were you?

Arizona's Governor, Jan Brewer (R) said the charges that the law will lead to profiling are "just pure rhetoric".

Brewer added, "I find it really interesting that we have people out there that are attempting a boycott in favor of illegal actions in Arizona. That to me is just unbelievable."

There are issues in a supposedly free country when it comes to orchestrating laws like this; many see it as purely racist and say no law or wall or fence or gun will ever prevent the crossing of the U.S. border. I agree completely.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, said he would approve the Arizona business boycott that LA City Councilors passed 13 to 1 today.

Gee Gov. Brewer, seems your view of this as an "attempt" at a boycott may have been a great underestimation. Los Angeles states they will not conduct business or establish any new contracts with Arizona businesses, unless the highly contested immigration law is repealed.

Councilman Ed Reyes told the LA Times, "As an American I can not go to Arizona today without a passport. If I come across an officer who's having a bad day, and feels that the picture on my ID is not me, I can be... deported, no questions asked. That is not American."

This is a move that has the potential to affect at least $8 million in contracts with Arizona. One interesting twist, is that the Taser company, which Salem-News.com has seriously tangled with in the past over stories of wrongful death lawsuits, stands to take a big hit over this move. Talk about a win-win situation.

The quote of one particular statesman, Che Guevara, oddly, seems to underscore the notion of freedom in ways that are seldom seen in the USA. "If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade of mine."

Arizona is the closest thing the U.S. has to a police state as it is, I think every third person in Arizona is either in law enforcement or related to someone who is. I have seen them on the Interstate, very recently in fact, in droves!

No state needs as many police as Arizona. Police are a lost lot for the most part in America anyway; they enforce laws to raise government revenue, and to ensure that insurance companies are being paid. They arrest people who possess a plant that God placed on the earth, marijuana, and they beat the holy living sh*t out of preachers who won't bend over to their fascist will at Border Patrol checkpoints.

Americans are in general, a mixed lot. There are plenty of racists; to the point that the loser states in the south still emblazon the crappy confederate battle flag into their state symbols. When you think about it, that is exactly like former German Nazi states retaining the swastika as a "symbol of our history". Oh well, the Germans have their dark history, but seem to have some idea of what the word "recovery" means.

His idea of justice is making male inmates wear pink underwear. First, everyone in jail is not a convict, stupid! Second, we all know that hate and blame get people a long way. That is the story of Hitler and Limbaugh and Savage and Beck. They exploit the weakest aspects of their audience's psyche and go for blood, scaring weak, sheeplike people half to death with the crap their producers drum up.

But the worst thing about Arpaio and his jail in Phoenix that I knew about, was the series of sponsored Webcams that he had his people set up years ago throughout the cell areas, and in the women's bathroom areas. I worked for KVVU FOX-5 in Las Vegas (Henderson) Nevada until 2001, and it was right around that time that we pulled up those Webcams. Tent cities, pink underwear, bathroom jail Internet cameras. I don't think Arpaio could even spell the word dignity.

So this is the mindset of the folks we're talking about. I lived in Yuma, Arizona and worked for their NBC affiliate, KYMA, from 1995 to 1997. I saw plenty of Arizona, I was there when the Yuma County deputy, Jack Ray Hudson, out of his mind from being an undercover cop on meth, murdered two senior police officers who caught him in the act of stealing evidence. What a tragic mess!

What is to be expected by people who vote for the Bushes and McCains of the world? The big corporate business supporters, the oil families, etc.; they are the recipients of GOP kindness.

These people "only know what they know" and the danger is ever-present. The staunchest Republican supporters are the last we will ever reach. Of course in Arizona, they think John McCain "is a damned liberal" too.

There are good people in Arizona, bad people, and the middle ground; good people who are brainwashed into accepting racial profiling. This is sad.

Another huge aspect of what is taking place, is the United State's continual position of keeping the Mexican drug cartels in business. The U.S. is tired of the term 'Drug War' and maybe that is because a real drug war is taking place in Mexico that threatens places like... of course, Arizona. This new immigration law has greatly strained relations between the U.S. and Mexico, and some progress had been made.

Even Mexico decriminalized possession of small amounts of drugs, but the U.S., just yesterday, announced its new direction with regard to a national drug policy, and while it makes concessions for medical marijuana users and state control over its own laws, it keeps marijuana in a place where its illegality fuels crime, rather than letting this nation share in the billions and billions of dollars in annual revenue^[1].

I have been putting together plans for a television program that would go right to the heart of criminal and racial profiling. That may have to come off the drawing board soon.

Tim King is a former U.S. Marine with twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines.

Tim holds numerous awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), first place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Serving the community in very real terms, Salem-News.com is the nation's only truly independent high traffic news Website. You can send Tim an email at this address: newsroom@salem-news.com

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RTB May 19, 2010 11:18 pm (Pacific time)

It's time the American citizens stop having to support the citizens of Mexico who pay $1000's to get here to get on the gravy train of guarenteed government support with food stamps, government, charity givaways, and welfare as soon as the first anchor baby shows up. The LA Mayor is highly embarrassing to us California residents in his claim of representing us in his attempt at a future power grab with the backing of illegals that he will hope will be given the vote and naturally vote for another Hispanic who will offer expanded social services at the cost of the American citizen ACTUAL taxpayer. New amnesty recepients will never earn enough money to pay their share of taxes but will certainly reap all the benefits as this country declines further and further with a weakened American culture.

Sam Herr May 16, 2010 6:32 pm (Pacific time)

Union leadership and the rank and file are miles apart on the Arizona illegal legislation: The AFL-CIO and the nation’s largest civil rights coalition issued a strongly worded call for the Obama administration to sever its ties with law enforcement officials in Arizona or be complicit in the state’s racial-profiling anti-immigrant law, also known as S.B. 1070. And from the workers: "I fail to understand how the President of the AFL-CIO can possibly side with ILLEGALS entering our country and taking OUR JOBS. I have been out of work now for over FOUR MONTHS AND in my Local there are guys that have been out of work for OVER A YEAR! Not only are we here LEGALLY, but many of us are VETERANS as well. I myself am a MARINE CORPS VETERAN, and I find it reprehensible that our UNION PRESIDENT SIDES WITH ILLEGALS INSTEAD OF IT’S CITIZENS, AND OUR union brothers. ILLEGAL IS JUST THAT-ILLEGAL. NO RIGHTS TO OUR JOBS, HEALTHCARE AND SCHOOLING! OUR UNION BROTHERS ARE SUFFERING, MANY OF US LAID OFF WHERE ARE OUR JOBS??? AND WHERE ARE OUR LEADERS WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING OUR JOBS??? "This is a very disapointing position for leadership. Not only union, but also unprotected workers, across the nation are caught in a cross fire between illegal immigration and our “free for all” trade policies." Read hundreds more like this at the union blog: http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/05/14/afl-cio-federal-government-must-cut-ties-with-arizona-law-enforcement/

Sam Herr May 16, 2010 6:30 pm (Pacific time)

The AFL-CIO and the nation’s largest civil rights coalition issued a strongly worded call for the Obama administration to sever its ties with law enforcement officials in Arizona or be complicit in the state’s racial-profiling anti-immigrant law, also known as S.B. 1070.

Sam Herr May 16, 2010 6:57 am (Pacific time)

Editor: "I think some people, obviously, are very unable to see the bigger picture." The Arizona legislature, the Arizona citizens and the majority of Americans not only see the "big picture," we are living it. These illegals need to deal with their problems in their own countries and we need to come down hard on those who hire illegals and who aid and support them. We are a nation of laws, and to willy nilly enforce the ones we like just weakens us. Our citizens come first, we are in a severe economic slump, and cannot take care of the whole world. Does the editor support an open border policy? If so, then you come from a very tiny minority. Sure open the floodgates and we become the kind of place people want to get away from, or we have a bloody civil war, maybe even both. A lot of citizens died for this country and made tremendous sacrifices to form and maintain America. Does the editor have any idea what these scrifices have entailed? Has the editor ever wrapped his close friends in body bags, killed by people intent on destroying us? "Hiring, recruiting, and harboring illegal aliens are all federal felony offenses under United States Code. TITLE 8 , CHAPTER 12, SUBCHAPTER II, Part VIII. {Conspiracy to commit a Felony, is also a Felony}"

Dan Harvey May 15, 2010 6:53 pm (Pacific time)

Editor these problems with the border and anti-American acting out by illegals (and their supporters) was going on long before Bush, Clinton, Carter, Reagan were in office. It has been getting worse and the people have let the leaders in DC know how they feel about them not enforcing the laws. Have you seen the racial tension going on in our high schools? This is deteriorating quickly, but maybe this summer things will cool down? The situation has come to a head with the illegals, and with this incredibly high unemployment rate, I find it unlikely things will improve. Unfortunately the current DC power makes decisions based on politics, not the law, and not as per the will of the people. The Arizona leadership acted in what their people wanted, and it appears the overwhelming majority of Americans feel the same. Expect more of these types of laws mimicking federal laws to continue.

Editor: By 'illegals' he means people who cross the U.S. borders illegally, mostly due to the fact that only the wealthy Mexicans ever have a real chance of coming here legally. What kind of a dehumanizing name should I use for you Dan? I think some people, obviously, are very unable to see the bigger picture.

Dan Harvey May 15, 2010 12:42 pm (Pacific time)

Much of the American Southwest became part of the United States through the 1848 Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo after the Mexican war and the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. This February, a month before the new dual-nationality law, the Mexican consul general in Los Angeles spoke at a ceremony on the anniversary of the treaty. He said, as reported in the New York Times, "Even though I am saying this part serious and part joking, I think we are practicing la Reconquista in California."
Consider this: Also in February, the US. soccer team left the Los Angeles Coliseum after losing 1-0 to Mexico's team and, as the Americans left the field, they were pelted with water bombs, beer bottles and garbage; when our national anthem was played, it was drowned out with booing, whistles and hoofing, most of it from Hispanics who live in California. A Mexican government spokesman suggested that such boorishness (to say no more) could be avoided in the future simply by not playing The Star Spangled Banner at soccer games. Hmm. Past treaties gave the Mexican government a huge ammount of GOLD to give up all claim to the land north of the Rio Grand clear to the Pacific ocean, and the later Gadsen Purchase gave Mexico MORE GOLD to give up the claim the the lower Arizona, New Mexico and California areas, excluding Baha. MEXICO ACCEPTED THOSE TERMS! Do we give Alaska back? Should we give European land back to Mongolia that Khan conquered? Etc. Etc. Get real, all these area's Mexico wants back now were deserts before our ancestors came and developed this land for the benefit of all Americans, regardless of their race/ethnicity, but certainly not for illegal invaders whose intention is to overthrow our government. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_n22_v14/ai_n27539887/

Editor: Dan, with all respect, this is our result of eight years of Bush, a failed national policy that started two wars, and an American mindset that has always been as cocky as these Hispanics you describe. You guys should have spoken up sooner, but you let Bush and Limbaugh and the whole band of terrorist politicians run it like a tallgate party in Texas, and now we reap the rewards. No, I don't like to hear about this disrepect for America, but I am not blind as to why things have gone the way they have. Our rights disappeared under Bush, so did the respect that people held for Americans.

Vic May 15, 2010 9:22 am (Pacific time)

I read in the Wash Post today that GM's automobile factories in India are booming....America does need to have a protectionist economy. Companies that send their manufacturing jobs overseas should have to pay incredibly high taxes on those products...enough to make it not worth it. Entire factories are being moved across the border or simply closed because the business can get cheaper labor overseas. They can also avoid paying taxes. Look out for American jobs and workers...but do it entirely, the real problem is much bigger than just the illegal immigrant situation. I used to try to only purchase things made in the USA, but it is nearly impossible to do so now.

Stephen Mills May 14, 2010 2:12 pm (Pacific time)

Arizona's recently passed law is quite similar to another state illegal immigration law that was passed over two years ago that has actually improved that state's economic situation compared to other states. Oklahoma passed a strict immigration enforcement measure in May 2007, which went into effect six months later. "House Bill 1804" was passed by overwhelming majorities in both the House and Senate of the Oklahoma legislature. The measure’s sponsor, State Representative Randy Terrill, says the bill has four main topical areas: it deals with identity theft; it terminates public assistance benefits to illegals; it empowers state and local police to enforce federal immigration laws; and it punishes employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens. The official unemployment rate in March was 6.6%. The number of people either working or looking for work has actually grown during the past twelve months (in most states, the labor force has contracted significantly). The economy grew in 2008, and probably did so again in 2009. One thing for sure, things aren't looking good in California.

Anonymous May 13, 2010 2:10 pm (Pacific time)

exactly Vic. they could have made entry into this country easily. The visa system sucks. You know why? because the elite and the NAU/NWO want as many people here as possible that do not care about the Constitution. This is written in books by obama's mentor Kissinger, and the bankers..in fact, the new supreme court nominee that obama is approving has major ties with goldman sachs.. Wondering when people are going to wake up to this scam.

Larry May 13, 2010 2:00 pm (Pacific time)

Vic maybe it's time the Mexican citizens put their leader's feet to the fire to bring about change, rather than have us deplete our resources. So you live there and like it I assume, so for those coming here to live we have rules to follow, and when people break our rules there must be a consequence. I am real tired seeing my taxes being spent on programs for non-citizens and a growing majority is also feeling the same. When you have a government that ignores the will of the people, then you have tyranny. I expect that what is happening in Arizona is how most people in all the other states also feel needs to be done in their states. We see clear evidence of that feeling in literally all national polls. November will be a game changer that's for sure.

Vic May 13, 2010 1:37 pm (Pacific time)

Does anyone know how much it costs to apply for legal entry into the US...fees. paperwork and all ? Someone told me it was like $10,000 and he was from the UK.. That is like a million dollars for the average Mexican worker . So the "there is a legal way to do it" excuse is worthless if yu ask me. People in Mexico with that kind of money ( $50,000 for a family of five) probably are quite happy being there. Economic apartheid...Israel does this too...make doing things legally financially impossible then crush those who out of desperation try to do it anyways. Perhaps the inscription on the "Statue of Liberty" should be changed to say .."give me your tired huddled masses yerning to be free that have around ten thousand dollars each to gamble".

Vic May 13, 2010 1:28 pm (Pacific time)

Ken, I agree with you about the effects of a general boycott. Same goes for economic sanctions..the ruling class do not miss a meal or feel the effects, but the workers and small business owners sure do. As far as the "legal" way to do things...keep in mind that everything Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Mussolini and Hitler did was "legal". Everything they did was within the laws of their respective countries, so "legal" is a very relative term. My ancestors were dumped over here like feral cats from England (Thank God) when they got into too much trouble with the law...no locals wer asked their opinions on the matter and if they had known the ugly truth probably would have sent the boat on down the coast or sunk it before it could make land.

Larry May 13, 2010 10:56 am (Pacific time)

Editor: "The quote of one particular statesman, Che Guavera, oddly, seems to underscore the notion of freedom in ways that are seldom seen in the USA. 'If you tremble with indignation at every injustice, then you are a comrade of mine.' Do you mean Che' Chevara? This individual was a mass murderer who helped set up one of the world's most oppressive police states...Cuba. I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of Cubans still alive that could provide first hand info on this marxist monster.

Ken Grandlund May 13, 2010 10:53 am (Pacific time)

For a slightly different perspective, consider who is hurt most by such a boycott- not the big moneyed interests in Arizona, but rather all those lower income folks who rely on tourism and business contracts for their income. How does a boycott help those who could be considered to be a primary "target" of this law? In fact, it only helps drive them from Arizona as their wages are shut down due to the lost business of a boycott. Also consider recent polls showing majority approval across party and state lines for this "new" law in Arizona. (Let's not delve too deeply into the reality that there is nothing very new here at all- illegal immigrants have always been deportable and/or subject to local authorities turning them over to federal agents.)The problems of illegal immigration transcend "progressive" politics when the states are bankrupt and fiscal policies sometimes favor those not here legally over those who are legal citizens. (California college tuition rules are but one example.) America IS a nation of immigrants, but let us not forget that there is a legal way to become a citizen, and crossing the border in the back of a van on a lonely desert dirt road isn't it. I am as progressive and liberal as many on the "left" but can't just turn the other cheek to illegal immigration when there is a legal path open. True, it is all a failure of federal enforcement-but when the federal abdicates their role in the issue, someone else will eventually take hold of a "solution." Cries of "xenophobe", "racist", or "hater" are empty in this discussion when one objectively looks at the problem at hand and addresses the matter with rational thought. Is this law the best solution? Perhaps not. As one who has family in Arizona working int he public schools, the new "word on the street" is that many of those who fear targeting by the new law are simply planning to move to another US state. The quote I was given goes like this- "We're going to move up to Seattle. Don't like the rain much, but at least we won't worry about being deported." Arizona's "new" law seems to have the consequence of shifting the burden of illegal immigration to other states- which is fine to those in Arizona it seems.

Anonymous May 13, 2010 5:25 am (Pacific time)

The MIAC report, given to State Police all over the country, gives warning signs on who the police should look out for. On the list, is Ron Paul supporters, Chuck Baldwin supporters, Christians, and Constitutionalists. Illegal immigrants are not on the list. Ron Paul and Chuck Baldwin threatened a lawsuit, and DHS somewhat backed off, but the report is still in circulation. Nothing in the media or even salem-news about me being profiled because I may want to put a Ron Paul bumper sticker on my car, or because I choose Jesus Christ as my belief system, or that I receive newsletters from Chuck Baldwin. And, in my opinion, nobody should talk about immigration, whether it be legal or illegal, until they watch this short video. If the link does not work, go to youtube and search "immigration gumballs" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7WJeqxuOfQ

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