Dear Readers: All together, now: ¡A LA CHINGADA WITH ARIZONA’S SB 1070!
For those of ustedes too occupied with the your Drinko por Cinco hangover, the initiative I mentioned (signed a couple of weeks ago into law by Arizona’s governor) gives immigration powers to Arizona’s police officers and sheriff’s deputies. Besides being the most blatant invitation to racially profile Mexicans since the sombrero, it’s also a civil-liberties disgrace that is making the Copper State’s greatest son, libertarian icon Barry Goldwater, no doubt wishing from the grave that he had been born in Utah.
A movement is underway to boycott the state and national companies based in Arizona such as U-Haul and US Airways.
A boycott of the state worked back in the 1990s, when Arizonans refused to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a state holiday, and it should work now—visit arizona-boycott.org for other companies to shun. (And if you’re a baseball fan, don’t forget to root for your team when they play the reprehensible Arizona Diamondbacks, whose owners shower millions on Arizona’s retrograde politicians.)
But I also want to urge a buycott—there are good people who have been fighting the Know Nothings in the state for decades, who constantly get threatened and who need our support. Below is a partial list of groups, organizations and people who deserve your attention—a monetary contribution, a kind note or physical support.
Now, some of the good people of Arizona:
• Phoenix New Times: Sure, the paper carries my column from time to time; it’s the sister paper of the Mexican’s hometown OC Weekly; and the paper is base for the two drunk micks who own the OC Weekly‘s parent company, Village Voice Media. But the New Times, more than any other news organization in the country, has exposed the terrifying reign of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the intellectual godfather of SB 1070. Their reporters past and present, especially John Dougherty, Paul Rubin and Stephen Lemons, have been the subject of intimidation, stonewalling and harassment by Arpayaso and his goons, solely because they’ve exposed Arpayaso for the corrupt, taxpayer-waste of a pendejo that he is.
Arpayaso knows how dangerous the New Times is—he once had my patrones Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin arrested on charges so spurious that he had to release them within a day. Click on phoenixnewtimes.com a million times a day to spur their readership numbers, which allows them to bring in more advertising and gives them more fuel against that pinche Arpayaso.
• Flagstaff Live! and the Tucson Weekly: They carry my column—enough said. The Weekly has also spoken out against SB 1070. Visit flaglive.com and tucsonweekly.com.
• Puente Movement: Not to be confused with the fine Puente Project, which helps California students advance to universities, the Puente Movement has been the primary organizer of protests in Phoenix against Arpayaso and must frequently suffer bona fide Nazis hurling invectives at kiddies and peaceful people. Visit puenteaz.org.
• Somos America: A coalition of Arizona groups united for immigration reform, now understandably focusing on dismantling SB 1070. Visit somosamerica.org.
• Derechos Humanos: Fighting the same fights as the other groups, but from Tucson. Know Nothings despise the group’s head, Isabel Garcia, which means we should anoint her the next Dolores Huerta. Visit derechoshumanosaz.net.
• Border Action Network: Exactly what it sounds like. Visit borderaction.org.
• Clarence Dupnik: The sheriff of Pima County, which includes Tucson. Has called SB 1070 a “national embarrassment.” The anti-Arpayaso.
Hopefully, I can soon return to this column’s usual obsession with little people and big-breasted women, but let’s help the good who fight evil in the belly of el Diablo. Again, people: ¡A LA CHINGADA WITH SB 1070!
Ask the Mexican at themexican@askamexican.net; be his fan on Facebook; follow him on Twitter; or ask him a video question at youtube.com/askamexicano!
This article appears in May 6-12, 2010.
howdy l can’t wait to on cops. but other hand what if the law works?
Why are the protesters holding signs saying “Immigration Reform” ? It’s total amnesty, no penalty, no nothin’ they want. They arn’t going to follow any reform program put forth by the government. Let’s not be stupid about this.
if you people would read the law before you open your mouth you would see that there is no mention about mexicans. it says illegal immigrants. there is no mention of any particular nationality. illegal means you were not born in that country. it doesn’t make any difference what country you come from .if you go from the U.S. and go into any other country without proper documentation then you are there illegally and they have laws there also.why don’t you try going to oh say canada and try crossing their border without a passport,or japan or any of the others, cross their borders without the required papers. you may or may not be heard from again. we aren’t saying that you are not welcome to come to our country we just ask that you don’t break our laws doing it. come here legally just like all of the others that come here. another reason that we need immigration laws will help to catch those that would love to come here to do us harm. the drug cartel are running rampent in mexico and we don’t want that type of people here and the others like the terrorist that want to kill anyone that DO NOT believe the way they do. so how about you get off of this profiling nonesence and think about the conditions here. now about you mexican-americans that are here when the illegals come here they take your jobs and live off of your tax dollars. that’s money taken out of your paycheck to pay for their welfare and medical care that is money you don’t have for your families.this is a just law and you should welcome it. this country is a nation of laws and everyone needs to live by them. If we break the law we go to jail just the same as you do. now all i hear is how unjust our laws are if they are so unjust then leave and go somewhere where you don’t have laws if you can find any.