by David Safier
I posted Saturday about Utah's conservative Sutherland Institute creating a website, notaz.org: "Utah is Not Arizona." The subject of the website is Utah's more enlightened attitude toward immigration.
Now it's Illinois using Arizona as a symbol of anti-immigrant hysteria. When the state assembly defeated 10 anti-immigrant bills, the way they defined the victory was to say Illinois is "definitely not Arizona."
"By blocking these hate bills we are affirming that Illinois is home," [Rep. Greg Harris, chair of the Human Services Committee] said. "We are showing that our state is more welcoming than our neighboring states and is definitely not Arizona."
"Arizona" has become synonymous with setting the bar at the lowest rung. Every time I see the state's name used as The "A" Word, it makes the idea of Baja Arizona sound more and more attractive.