Boycott Arizona until SB1070 is repealed

Boycott Arizona until SB1070 is repealed

Following the enactment of the racist and sinful anti-immigrant law SB1070 in Arizona a number of organizations, including the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ are calling for a boycott of that state. The cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles are also considering ending business relations with Arizona-based companies.  While the boycott call centers on tourism and conventions, it includes the call for a consumer boycott of Arizona businesses--especially those with a national presence. 

Dial soap products are made in Arizona, and there are plenty of alternatives made elsewhere. If you like ice cream, make sure you're not eating Cold Stone Creamery brand. If you travel, don't stay at Best Western hotels or Ramada hotels, and try to avoid flying on US Airways. Register your World Wide Web domain with a registrar other than GoDaddy. If you're a baseball fan don't go to the game when your team is playing against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Rent your car from Hertz, Avis or Zipcar, but not from U-Haul, and when you need to replace your tires don't buy new ones from the Discount Tire Company. Got milk? Just be sure it's not from Shamrock Farms. Need something from a late-night convenience store? Drive past Circle K to the nearest 7-11. Cats and dogs need to eat, but lets not get their food from PetSmart. Play games? Bow out if they're from Flying Buffalo or BeachWare. Play music? Find an alternative to Fender instruments and amps. Bored, horny and unloved? Watch porn flicks that aren't made by 21Sextury. And when you go out to buy the new dish antenna make sure it isn't made by Channel Master.

A consumer boycott sends the clear message to Arizona's wallets and pocketbooks that racism and xenophobia is not to be tolerated. A worldwide boycott of South Africa was a factor that contributed to the downfall of the apartheid system. The current BDS (boycott, divest, sanction) movement against Israeli apartheid is starting to take hold, particularly in Europe, and perhaps sooner, rather than
later, the Palestinian people will be able to see the call for Free Palestine become a reality.

Keep in mind that it's very important to be public about boycotting Arizona products and companies. Write to the public relations departments of such companies and explain that you will not buy their products or services because of the new immigration law, and you will continue to boycott the state and its businesses until it adopts fair and humane social policies that target or profile no one.

It's also important to gently pressure, cajole or convince your local store owners to stop carrying Arizona products (and they should also let the distributors of such products know why they are discontinuing them). This was an extremely effective tactic used by Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union when it called for a California grape boycott in the 1960s, and, a few year later, a boycott of California
iceberg lettuce.

And it's especially important to get your local governmental agencies to cease buying Arizona products or services; write to your City Council representative, town supervisor, etc.  Talk to your child's school principal and administrators and urge them to boycott. If you belong to a church, synagogue or mosque speak to both the clergy and the congregation about this, and if you're involved in a community
association, civic group, union or any other kind of organization think of doing the same.

I doubt if very many of us are in the market for tasers (how many tasers will be used in Arizona against immigrants?) and guided missiles (how many guided missiles will be aimed at countries from where many of Arizona's immigrants came?), so we need not be concerned with boycotting Taser International
or Raytheon Missile Systems, both proudly based in Arizona.

But refusing to buy other Arizona-made products or services will have an impact. Here is a short list of a few companies based in Arizona, and the products they make. Boycott them!

Arizona Diamondbacks; based in Phoenix, baseball team
http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/

BeachWare : based in Tucson, computer games: Turkey Hunter; Shell Whirl; Vegas Jackpot Gold; others
http://www.beachware.com/

Best Western International (hotel chain), based in Phoenix, 4000 hotels in 80 countries
http://www.bestwestern.com/newsroom/contactus.asp

Buffalo Exchange: based in Tucson, used, second-hand and recycled clothes
http://www.buffaloexchange.com/

Channel Master: based in Gilbert, television accessories
http://channelmaster.com/

Circle K: based in Tempe, international convenience store chain wholly-owned subsidiary of Alimentation Couche-Tard (Laval, Quebec)
http://www.circlek.com/
http://www.couchetard.com/accueil.html

Cold Stone Creamery: based in Scottsdale, ice cream parlor chain (1400 stores worldwide)subsidiary of Kahala Corporation, also based in Scottsdale (also runs Ranch1 and Taco Time fast food chains)
http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/

Dial Corporation (formerly Greyhound Dial Corporation): based in Scottsdale, subsidiary of Henkel North America (parent company HenkelInternational based in Dusseldorf, Germany) Dial soap and
anti-perspirant deodorant; AromaSense; Armour Star cannedmeats; Borateem; Boraxo; Coast soap; Combat insect control;Dry Idea deodorant; Fels-Naptha soap; Pure and Naturalbeauty products; Purex laundry detergent; Renuzit airfreshener; Right Guard deodorant; Twenty Mule Team Borax
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/28/business/company-news-a-new-name-greyhound-dial.html?pagewanted=1
http://www.dialsoap.com/
http://www.henkel.com/index.htm

Discount Tire Company: based in Scottsdale, nationwide tire chain
http://www.discounttire.com/

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation: based in Scottsdale, guitars, basses, amplifiers, etc.
http://www.fender.com/

Flying Buffalo, Inc.: based in Scottsdale, game company: board games, card games; Tunnels and Trolls,
Nuclear War card game, Death Dice, others
http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/

Go Daddy Group, Inc.: based in Scottsdale, domain registrar; web hosting
http://www.godaddy.com/

PetSmart, Inc.: based in Phoenix, pet supplies; pet grooming
http://www.petsmart.com/

Ramada Worldwide hotel chain: based in Phoenix, 900 hotels around the world - subsidiary of WyndhamWorldwide
http://www.ramada.com/Ramada/control/home
http://www.wyndhamworldwide.com/

Shamrock Farms: based in Phoenix, dairy products: various "Mmmmilk" products; Rockin' Refuel;
"Milk Essentials" for Kids; various frozen treats
http://www.shamrockfarms.net/

21Sextury: based in Scottsdale, pornography
http://21sextury.com/

U-Haul International, Inc.: based in Phoenix, car, truck and equipment rental company
http://www.uhaul.com/

US Airways Group: based in Tempe, US Airways; PSA Airlines, Piedmont Airlines
http://www.usairways.com/