As a lifelong, third generation Arizonan, raised on a ranch in Southern Arizona, educated in a country school where I was very much a minority (my nickname varied between Blondie and Gringa) I have a great deal of first hand experience with the illegal immigration problem as well as many friendships with Mexican Americans.  I can tell you that all the citizens, Anglo or Hispanic, have grave concerns over the problems facing Arizona due to illegal immigration.  We all of us should have grave concerns about an Arizona congressman, Raul Grijalva, who calls for a boycott of Arizona businesses in these very difficult economic times.  Congressman Grijalva is fully aware of the lies and distortions concerning SB1070.  This nonsense of continually trying to quash reasonable debate of the facts and issues facing Arizona by immediately screaming RASCISM every time anyone in government tries to enforce immigration laws is just plain harrassment.  SB1070 does not require law enforcement to question anyone walking down the street about their citizenship nor does it institutionalize "racial profiling"  it simply allows law enforcement to ask people who have been stopped for violations of our laws to produce their identification and their papers, if they are not citizens, allowing them to be in this country legally.  Every nation in Europe requires visitors to carry their passports and visas with them when they are traveling in a country of which they are not a citizen.  If you are stopped by law enforcement in these countries you are required to produce these papers.  If you cannot,you are taken into custody and eventually asked to leave that country.  Mexico also follows these same rules.  Why can't we do the same thing in the U.S.?  What is the motivation of people like Raul Grijalva in telling his constituents that this is rascist and a violation of the rights of people with brown skin?  I have never violated anyone's rights nor have I ever taught my children to judge people on anything other than their behavior, but I do judge on behavior.  When I was growing up inSouthern Arizona I cannot tell you how many timeswehad illegal immigrants cross our property.  Most were merely passing through but they were still violating our laws of immigration and our private property laws.  Some were more sinister.  Two such individuals burglarized our home multiple times and then murdered the foreman and one of his ranch hands on the neighboring ranch.  Both men had families, the ranch hand was a citizen of Mexico, working legally in the U.S. on a Green Card and supporting not only his wife and children but his mother and siblings back in Mexico.  When the illegal immigrant who killed these two men was apprehended he was asked why he killed them.  He responded that it was the 'macho' way.  He recieved the death penalty.  That death penalty was commuted to life in prison when the psychiatrist who evaluatedhim retired, then on retainer from the Mexican government, recanted his origianl diagnosis of competence and then declared this man to be incompetant.  Now we have Rob Krentz and his family as the latest but certainly not the only victims of this constant stream of individuals who refuse to respect our laws.  Congressman Grijalva seems to feel that respecting U.S. laws is necessary only when he deems it necessary and everyone else can just tough it out.  Lucky him.  He dosen't have to deal with any of this where he lives because he spends most of his time in Washington and supports amnesty.  We did amnesty once, it didn't work.  The problem has grown, become more violent, vastly more expensive and will continue down this path until we make very clear that Arizona and the U.S. is hostile to ILLEGAL immigration.  I don't care what country they come from, I don't care what color their skin is.  I care that the people who want to come to the U.S. are people who will abide by our laws.  Period. End  of story.  If Congressman Grijalva cares only about encouraging anyone, regardless of their behavior, to pour into our nation in hope that someday they will get amnesty and vote for him then its time to vote the congressman out of his posh political office.

     Step up and send Russell Pearce an e-mail thanking him for his courage and putting this bill into the public arena. (rpearce@azleg.gov)  You can also contact other legislators at www.azleg.gov) and find out what is going on with your state government.  Get real, step up and do something to protect your state.