Boycotting Arizona
In 1987 the Coen Brothers released a hilariously quirky motion picture called Raising Arizona. It wasn’t a blockbuster but has since become a cult favorite. These days it appears a sequel of sorts is in the works, courtesy of Arthur Frommer - who is not a cinematographer, but the author of Frommer’s Vacation Guides. It appears that Mr. Frommer is bent out of shape over Arizona’s gun laws.
I am not yet certain whether I would advocate a travel boycott by others of the state of Arizona; I want to learn more about Arizona’s gun laws and how they compare with those of other states. But I am shocked beyond measure by reports that earlier this week, nearly a dozen persons, including one with an assault rifle strapped about his shoulders and others with pistols in their hands or holsters, were openly congregating outside a hall at which President Obama was speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
For myself, without yet suggesting that others follow me in an open boycott, I will not personally travel in a state where civilians carry loaded weapons onto the sidewalks and as a means of political protest. I not only believe such practices are a threat to the future of our democracy, but I am firmly convinced that they would also endanger my own personal safety there. And therefore I will cancel any plans to vacation or otherwise visit in Arizona until I learn more. And I will begin thinking about whether tourists should safeguard themselves by avoiding stays in Arizona. [emphasis added]
Disingenuous little liberal weasel, isn’t he? Frommer is THE authority for vacationers traveling throughout the U.S. By way of analogy, it would be like the late Julia Child announcing that while she is unsure if she would recommend others to do so, she will personally boycott a certain restaurant.
Here’s the effect it will have: liberals and other bed-wetters will dutifully avoid Arizona while conservatives and other manly Americans will make it a point to vacation there.
This is an example of what I call the “Blue-Red Wedge” phenomenon that appears to be occurring all over the country. We observed this recently with the White House-directed boycott of the Glenn Beck Show and the astonishing Blue State liberal boycott of the Whole Foods market chain because of critical comments made by its CEO John Mackey regarding the administration’s efforts to nationalize health care.
In both cases, the void created by departing liberals will only be filled by conservatives. The ratings for Beck’s show are now through the roof and any new sponsors will benefit from the manifold increase in viewers. Likewise, Whole Foods will only see a brief dip in sales before recovering robustly.
All the while, the chasm between the Red states and the Blue states, conservatives and liberals, republicans and statists will continue yawn wider and deeper; Frommer’s comments perfectly frame the disconnect between the two, especially the sentence in bold font above.
How a fully armed citizenry can be a threat to democracy (or our republic, for that matter) is beyond my comprehension and obviously beyond his understanding of our own history. It’s painfully clear that Frommer labors under the Useful Idiot delusion that a disarmed citizenry would enjoy the dual benefits of civil peace and big government benevolence. Experience both past and present tells us otherwise in narratives written with a mixture of blood and tears.
All Frommer has succeeded in doing is encourage liberals to stay put in their Blue States and conservatives to more strongly consider migrating to Red States. The Great Divide continues as the future of the republic unfolds before our eyes.
I only wish that Frommer would tackle the Common Wealth of Virginia. We’re an open carry state here… and I would be overjoyed at the prospect of flocks of liberals leaving my resident state.
Ridding the red states of liberals, one pussified whack job at a time.
I heard him being interviewed on National Palestinian Radio (NPR), where he garnered much sympathy, of course.
Idiot. I hadn’t been thinking of visiting Arizona, but gee - road trip, anyone?
Oh, and BTW Mr. Frommer, I’m starting my own little boycott of your info empire. (Lonely Planet & Moon Guides are so much better, anyway.)
Keep me informed. I’m the resident Rashhead Desert Rat.
And worst comes to worst, if you can’t stand the Phoenix heat (which’ll be coming to an end in two or three months as Monsoon fades and autumn finally begins), there’s always Tuscon and Flagstaff. A little bluer than the rest of the state but not by much, and the weather’s more what you Green Grass type folk are probably used to.
*eats*
Other than Grue and his attic, what’s in AZ anyhow besides a big hole in the ground? Maybe
somelots of sand, eggs cooking on the sidewalk…Frommer sounds like he’s reached the doddering old man stage of his life…
Not really. It’s mostly rock.
We do have very lenient firearms laws though, he is right about that, and weapons laws in general… I’ve seen a few people walking about with swords a few times. As long as it’s properly holstered/sheathed and not carried concealed without a permit, you’re usually good to go and people generally do.
And any change to gun laws in AZ is going to rile a LOT of the silent majority. Two close friends alone have enough firearms each to equip a small third-world country…
Missed this a moment ago. There’s a few of those out here. They don’t seem to be bad off at all.
*eats*
To answer this more directly: Flagstaff is a pretty nice vacation spot, especially during the winter. Apparently they get snow up there, and have not just trees but actual forests, and all that. Phoenix is a common nesting ground for Snowbirds from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho who don’t want California for one reason or another (and who could blame them?). Ditto for Yuma and Tucson.
*eats*
I’d like to see all the Libs move to….Venezuela!
I think the state of the country would be more to their liking.
Gohawgs, you need to visit Arizona sometime.
It has some beautiful landscape once you get out of the metropolitan areas down south. Grue is right about Flagstaff, and it is even more scenic in the spring and summer with the pines etc.
Don’t forget Sedona. Put aside the earthy types who go there to find peace in their crystals, and it is magical.
There’s something about the rock formations in the area.
Folks,
I keed, I keed…
I’ve been to AZ. I’ve camped on both the South and North Rims of the Canyon. I’ve driven through Monument Valley, the Petrified Forest (what’s left of it) and on the undulating roads of the Navajo Reservation. I don’t carry any magical rocks with me so I didn’t go to Sedona…
The only states west of the Mississippi that I have not been to are the 3 left coast states, North Dakota and Minnesota…As soon as ORrighty and Miles get their acts together I’ll head out to Oregon for some top notch end of life counseling from the State health system…
Heh. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve had someone tell me “Arizona? Why do you wanna go to Arizona? There’s nothin’ there but rocks, rattlesnakes, and roadrunners.” Course, I was in Texas or Tennessee at the time….
So sometimes hard to tell the sarcastic from the truly baffled
*eats*
I love Arizona- it think it’s a beautiful state.
I won’t be buying a Frommer’s guide the next time I go somewhere I haven’t been. What a tool.
I do like the idea of every liberal leaving the Red states. Then we can secede and lock the bastards out.
We lived in Arizona for a year and loved it. They do not follow Daylight Savings Time, but unlike Indiana, confidently maintain there is something wrong with the rest of the world. When Clinton closed down the government, they decided to utilize their state militia to open the Grand Canyon up so it can continue to operate, and their drivers licenses do not expire for 3 DECADES.
The people are at a place where they still stand up for their rights and make their living out of a brutal environment, even in robust cities. They know how to fight and stand for what they want.
Considering Whatsisface from there is the third member of their Trifecta, along with Gore and Obama…
*eats*
I’ve never been out west, but from what I’ve seen on Google Earth, I could spend a very enjoyable month in Arizona. The Lake Powell area looks particularly interesting.
I worked on a project for the Starwood Hotel chain in Phoenix in 1998.
During free time I got to hike on weekends.
I also later camped at the South rim of the Grand Canyon in 2000.
I hiked from the top: I believe it was the Angel something trail all the way down to the Colorado River, scooped up some mud for souvenir and crossed to the island to refill all my water bottles and then hiked all the way out on the trail to the east and then up. I figured out I went approximately 20 miles in one day AND down 4k feet and up 4k back.
My legs were shot when I got to the top and stumbled back to my tent. I never could have pulled that trip off without the water refill at the bottom from the tap (they had a phone line down there).
On the trip out in the afternoon the first third was hot, the second third I was under a lightning storm, and the last towards the top had vicious winds.
Awesome trip, and now with Frommer’s boycott, I’ll be certainly taking my son there some day…although I’ll pass on the hike to the bottom and out in one day.
From the looks of this thread, Arizona will remain as popular as ever. Rash Heads dig the big A!
Take that Frommer.
bc, you would love it.
Angel’s Landing!!
My preacher hikes there regularly. He even fell off one of the lower parts once, as he likes to mention. Repeatedly.
*eats*
I guess he will also not be visiting Alaska, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Kentucky, Virginia or Vermont all of which are similar to AZ regarding open carry of firearms. I guess he may also want to steer clear of WA, NH, PA and MI which generally allow open carry without a license. He may also want to avoid most rural and some urban areas in WI, CO, MO, LA, OH and AL which generally allow the unlicensed carry of firearms. That makes at least 19 states he would want to avoid, and considering that only 7 states and DC essentially or actually ban open carry all together, 43 states he would probably want to avoid and that certainly will limit his US travel itinerary.
Hopefully he is also concerned about the loaded guns he cannot see and will therefore confine his activities to WI, IL and DC.