Boycott backlash.

• Position: Letters to the Editor - Letter to the editor

As an Arizona resident who has fought against the racist anti-immigrant SB 1070 before and since its passage in April, I take exception to the "Boycott Arizona" editorial in the June 2010 issue (by Matthew Rothschild).

As well as being a politically active progressive (a minority in this red state), I am the owner of a B&B catering to birdwatchers in the very area in which Matthew Rothschild's postponed trip to find the elusive elegant trogon would have taken place. My business, like so many others in the area, is already hurting from a combination of the recession, the drug wars, and the perception by the public of the dangers of undocumented immigration here.

Boycotting Arizona by canceling trips to our beautiful state in order to protest passage of this hateful and despicable law will not have any effect whatsoever on Governor Jan Brewer or others of her ilk, such as Joe Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County.

The solution lies not in "collective punishment" of businesses in the state, but in rallying to get progressive and fair-minded voters out en masse to defeat Jan Brewer in the elections later this year.

Mary Jo Ballator

Hereford, Arizona

As of today, four Arizona towns--Tucson, Flagstaff, Bisbee, and Douglas--have voted to oppose SB 1070. As I live just outside of Bisbee, here is our resolution: "Whereas the enactment of Senate Bill 1070 as amended led to immediate local, state, national, and international criticism as promoting racial profiling, violating existing federal law, infringing on constitutionally protected rights, and imposing unwarranted burdens on local law enforcement agencies ... be it resolved ... that the City of Bisbee opposes Arizona Senate Bill 1070 and House Bill 2162 and supports all local, state, and federal legislative, executive, and judicial action against such bills."

Bisbee is a small, quaint old mining town in the very southeast corner of the state. In general, it is a liberal town. When the mines shut down in the mid-'70s, the hippies moved in, and there is still a great deal of evidence of that. A boycott would definitely hurt Bisbee. So I would like to offer a proposal to liberals and progressives: Do not boycott us, or Flagstaff, Tucson, or Douglas. Vacation here, visit us, and spend money here. Demonstrate to the rest of Arizona and the nation that there is an effective progressive movement that can turn tides. Instead of punishing those of us who have stood against injustice, reward us.

Alice...