Arthur Frommer is boycotting Arizona. Who cares, right? But the interesting aspect of this issue is why he is boycotting Arizona. From his blog:
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.
…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.
He referred to people who exercised their right to open carry as “extremists” and “thugs.”
I would feel as I do regardless of the political identity of the speaker whom these thugs attempted to intimidate. The continued tolerance of extremists carrying guns is a frightening development which strikes at the heart of the political process and endangers the ability to carry out a reasoned debate.
I buy some Frommer’s guides and a lot of Moon Handbooks guides. Now I am not a boycotting type of person, for every alternative to the one you boycott will surely have committed a more egregious act that goes against your freedom philosophy. However, considering the obnoxious nature of this man’s comments, and his absolute show of uneducated, sissified ignorance, I will never purchase this man’s product again.
There are over 1,100 comments on this post. Go over there and litter it with your best handiwork. Thanks to Charles Everett for the link.
