It's being suggested that conventioneers, entertainers, even spring training for major league baseball boycott Arizona because of the unprecedented immigration law that just passed. Given the number of Latino players from Mexico, South America, Puerto Rico, etc., it should be interesting next spring, particularly if any of them are stopped at random. Any thoughts from writers? Should we avoid events, signings, etc., in Arizona as a protest? I recently blogged my thoughts about the law at: http://open.salon.com/blog/christopher_valen

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D.R. Here's a quote from the very learned Dan Coleman, "Nobody is going to see the problem like the folks who have to live with it every day."

Everyone is pointing an accusing finger at Arizona shouting, "It ain't right," and Monday morning quarterbacking the hell out of her. The job of an American politician is to keep it's citizen's safe from harm and not sending the state down the tubes. You spelled in out in your post D.R.

"...drug trade isn't big enough anymore to support the top gangsters in Mexico, so they're branching out and into the USA, into people smuggling, and then exploiting those same people once in America. Hundreds of thousands of these people, both victims and victimizers are in Arizona illegally.."

Arizona thought about it carefully and took an unpopular direction to save herself. Will it force action from the Feds? Will the illegals already here get Amnesty? Will Arizona emerge as the model state for the rest of the nation? STAY TUNED WRITERS (This might make a great story).
Excellent article by Eugene Robinson in today's WaPo, which will be my last contribution to this thread:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/03/AR2...
I don't like the WaPo article very much. It strikes me that he uses only statistics that bolster his case. Drug-gang-related violence spilling over into this country from Mexico has been covered extensively the last few months. Drug-gangs from Mexico settling in in national parks has also been covered. It's ridiculous to assume that the American drug habit can be changed, but that's no excuse to accept Mexican crime. And as for apprehension of illegals: clearly the border is too long and porous to patrol, and law enforcement in the border states cannot deal with this. As for there being fewer immigrants because of the poor economy: that's only been the case for a year or two, not for ten years.
As for stopping illegal immigrants from any part of the world: the only way to do that is by asking for their papers. This is done at airports and ports already. Now it should also be done on all roads crossing the borders.
Meanwhile, the government has one other weapon, and that is to penalize with a stiff fine and jail time any employer who hires a foreigner without a green card.
Yes, Mrs. Parker. The article does go against current news, as well as the information given to the press directly from the Governor herself regarding the serious rise in crime justifying why she did what she did.
I don't have any qualms with his research but I do have to question the validity of Robinson's source information. I guess it all boils down to whom you believe... STORY AT ELEVEN
Right on spot Dan.

To say that the greatest country on Earth should open their borders so that every man, woman and child from other nations can enter with no problems, no lines and no background check at all is extremely left of left wing. But I'll defend any citizen's right to say it.

But in the real world we know that we must weed these people out because some of them want to kill Americans and cause whatever collateral damage they can in the process. BTW today Fiasal Shadzad confessed to a Times Square Terror Plot.

It's easy to look at life through rose colored glasses. But to defend these rose colored spectacle wearers in war, arrest people who commit crimes against them, and even take a bullet for them, that takes leadership. Something I'd never expect from them.

A wise man once said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. I don't fault Arizona for trying to prevent it from becoming the journey to oblivion.
I think this is an excellent idea. Right wing politicians manipulate fear impulsively, and this legislation neither solves the problem of drug violence in the Southwest: in fact, it spreads law enforcement thin and creates a new layer of bureaucracy. While I agree something has to be done about the drug violence crossing the border, the governor's recent legislation is exactly the wrong thing to do.
I think this is an excellent idea. Right wing politicians manipulate fear impulsively, and this legislation neither solves the problem of drug violence in the Southwest: in fact, it spreads law enforcement thin and creates a new layer of bureaucracy. While I agree something has to be done about the drug violence crossing the border, the governor's recent legislation is exactly the wrong thing to do.
Why is this thread still running (not being related to mysteries)? Or perhaps more to the point, why was another thread with interesting potential shut down???
Well, crime fiction has made some really important observations about the illegal drug business, n'est ce-pas? It's a subject that concerns us. Also, true crime. I would recommend Down By the River,by Charles Bowden. Brilliant. What thread was shut down?
"Why do you read these books?"
I'm writing a novel that concerns human and arms trafficking. All of this stuff is woven together. Also, I enjoy contemporary crime fiction that deals with these subjects. The economics of contemporary crime are bound up with drugs. Gangs exist because of drugs. Also, addiction is a good metaphor for the state of the culture, which is obsessed with things, money and superficiality. It's the moral disease of our time. A serious one.
That thread's still here. I saw it a minute ago.

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