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Response to J. Rick Normand comments on SB1070

Sedona AZ (May 13, 2010) – The following is a letter to the SedonaEye.com editor:

Sometimes, when a person surrounds himself with only like-minded people, he begins to think he speaks for “…the huge number of the national and Arizona supporters of SB1070 who are tourists and potential Sedona second-home buyers who will boycott Sedona once this City joins litigation against the state.” Sometimes, when such a person becomes so myopic that he cannot see the enormous out-pouring from citizens of this country and the world against such a heinous law as AZ 1070 (It, unfortunately, is no longer a Senate Bill), it’s time to open himself up to association with people different from himself and try to take a look through other eyes.

What possible reason would you, Mr. Normand, have to assert that “70% of the anti-SB1070 (sic) demonstrators [were] from outside Sedona on May 1”? I, a citizen of Sedona, was at the demonstration on May 1 as were many of the people that I helped to recruit (also from Sedona). Everyone I spoke to at the rally was either from Sedona or from nearby communities, some of whom I, myself, had invited to show solidarity with the hard-working members of the Sedona community who, because of the ill-conceived law, now have even more to fear from some members of the police than they had before. We all know that the law was introduced by a person with white supremacist views. I hope, Sir, that you are not of that ilk.

Oh, and try to keep up with the more recent polling. The law is no longer popular among Arizonans now that they know its source and the negative economic and reputation consequences for the state. It never was popular with a great majority of Americans.

As for the rallies, a huge majority of people who pass by — especially those tourists you mentioned in your letter to the mayor — loudly voice or honk their support for our cause. Some are so surprised to find enlightenment in this state that they park their cars for a few minutes just to join in.

Yuma Michaels, Sedona AZ

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4 Comments

  1. Dear Yuma Michaels,

    You said “We all know that the law was introduced by a person with white supremacist views. I hope, Sir, that you are not of that ilk.” This statement proves you to be, unequivocally, a prototypical “race-baiter” who uses as the cornerstone of every argument the race-card. You are obviously poorly educated because you don’t seem to comprehend that “Mexican” is not a race, its a nationality, and neither is “Hispanic” a race, its a cultural designation relating to peoples who have a distant heritage from Iberia…a term coined by the Roman emperor Trajan. And finally, the word “Latino” is not a race either, it’s another cultural designation signifying those whose cultural affinity is related to cultures south of our border. Undocumented workers come from over 20 different nations south of our border and they hail from several dozen indigenous native American tribes throughout the Americas. So, for you information which you so sorely lack, this is not a racial issue as your hysteria would suggest, its purely and economic issue. Furthermore, I never mentioned my own preferences about SB1070 in my letter, just that this City should stand aside. As to the 70% figure I quoted, that came from Bobbie Surber, not me! Did you recruit Mingus high-school tatooed toughs who were bigger than most the men in this town? Did you ask Dan Surber about any of the private communications that I sent to him which he refused to debate, thus necessitating my going public. You mentioned you recruited people from other communities in your letter. Then you deny it. What kind of a fool are you? Finally, the polls are rising in both this state and nationally in favor of SB1070. You have lied and I demand that you prove the law is falling in popularity.

    Economically, ACCCHS (AZ’s health care system) and the state penitentiary are going broke because of having to support non-citizens. I demand that you prove that statement wrong. I suggest you desist from your race-baiting hysterical response to issues you are not capable of researching, much less debating.

    J. Rick Normand

    P.S. I have both lived and had a career in Mexico (Pedregal district of Mexico “City). Have you?

  2. Michael Schroeder says:

    Dear Yuma Michaels,
    Down in southern Arizona there is a chair at the head of a dining table in a ranch where the head of the household used to sit that is now empty. For 20 years the federal government has failed to protect the LAW ABIDING citizens of this country from incursions along our southern border. On the outside chance that ONE illegal immigrant intent on doing something else is this country besides providing labor is deterred from coming to Arizona could have prevented this tragedy, is it not worth enforcing and OBEYING federal laws? There is a right way to come here and there is a wrong way. The majority of people in this country support immigrants who want to provide a better life for their families, however there is a right way to do it. The planet has 6 Billion people on it. Probably half that amount would love to come to this country and make their lives better. Do we just say “come on down”? Or do we continue to grow United States Exceptionalism which gives us the financial power and freedom to help these people in other countries model their lives and opportunities on what we have. I would rather help people in other countries build an opportunity there, which benefits us also, than tear down what we have built in our 200+ year history. You should also be aware of who else is filtering in through our porous southern border and as a US citizen should be very concerned about that. There are more things to this than standing on the corner and encouraging people to blow their horns.

    http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438021/index.html
    http://www.wsbtv.com/video/23438712/index.html

    Watch the 2 CBS news video, and then look at yourself in the mirror. If the actions of the state of Arizona stop ONE of these people, then it is worth, how many lives?

  3. Elizabeth says:

    Why should all Mexicans have to leave? What have they done thats caused so much harm to this Country? Yes there are some Mexicans that are bad people but that doesnt mean that every Mexican is like that. I have heard of many bad white people and African Americans and chinese and everyone. Many people make mistakes and others think they can judge there whole race because of one person. Thats not how things work. DONT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER! i disagree with all the people that want this law to stay. Its a dumb law that just crushing many people’s dreams and splitting alot of families apart. What if they didnt want your race to stay? if they just made white people and African Americans leave to? then you wouldnt be to happpy with this law would you. I hope everyone realizes how bad of a law this is and that when they do i hope its not to late.

  4. Sid Feldman says:

    Arizona ranks 25 out of 50 states ranked for Best to Worst Economies. Thank the Republicans for fiscal responsibility since Ducey who took a red ink economy and turned it into a surplus and the Democratic administration for unemployment problems caused by unchecked illegal immigration.

    Housing prices in Arizona rose 8.3% between Q3 2014 and Q3 2015, the seventh-highest growth rate in the country. However, the state’s 6.0% unemployment rate was the ninth highest among the states and D.C., and the 2014 GDP per capita of $38,743 was well below the national level of $54,299.

    Arizona’s state mammal is the ring-tailed cat. Some things are worth knowing.

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