The Arizona Republic reports a "tidal wave of opposition" to last week's religion-based antigay bill, including big business, the Super Bowl host committee, the local NFL team, 300 demonstrators outside the state house last night, both GOP US senators (McCain and Flake), the mayors of Phoenix, Tucson, Tempe, and Mesa, and three GOP state senators who voted for the bill and now regret their hate. (It passed 17-13.) All are calling on Gov. Jan Brewer to veto the bill. Brewer, a confirmed idiot, hasn't decided what she'll do. Her deadline is Saturday.
Among the 83 companies calling for a veto: AT&T, American Airlines, Apple, and Marriott.
Not sure how he's connected but Delaware Gov. Jack Markell said the 2015 Super Bowl needs to be moved out of Arizona if Brewer signs the law: "If they pass this law and if she signs it, it would seem to me that the NFL may be looking, or should be looking, to move the Super Bowl out of that state. Because, you know, there’s so many places around the country that are welcoming to everybody."
Closer to home, the business fatcats on the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee released this statement: "We share the NFL's core values which embrace tolerance, diversity, inclusiveness and prohibit discrimination. In addition, a key part of the mission for the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is to promote the economic vitality of Arizona. On that matter we have heard loud and clear from our various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation would not only run contrary to that goal but deal a significant blow to the state's economic growth potential. We do not support this legislation. Instead, we look forward to continuing to promote the NFL's values while focusing on the economic momentum apparent in Arizona and capturing the positive worldwide attention associated with hosting Super Bowl XLIX."
George Takei penned an open letter to Arizonans spelling out the obvious boycotts to come: "If Jan Brewer signs this repugnant bill into law, make no mistake. We will not come. We will not spend. And we will urge everyone we know – from large corporations to small families on vacation – to boycott. Because you don’t deserve our dollars."
(Sardonic, apostrophe-challenged photo via)
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