# Time to Boycott Massachusetts? Must Pierce & Garnett become "Los Celtics"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 28, 2010, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050 "2010-05-28T07:12:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/1 "2010-05-28T07:12:30Z")
Just wondering… [http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking\_news/2010/05/mass\_senate\_pas.html](http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/05/mass_senate_pas.html) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/2 "2010-05-28T11:08:18Z")
Um, no, because they actually did what we said the Arizona law should have done if illegal immigration was really their primary concern. If anything, they’re proving to Arizona that there really is a way to tackle this without crafting _de facto_ racist laws. Not that I think it will work out, as cheap labor is the backbone of our economy. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/3 "2010-05-28T11:40:32Z")
If you can’t be bothered to quote the relevant passage from your cite, I can’t be bothered to click offsite to figure out what the hell you are talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/4 "2010-05-28T12:45:18Z")
The OP links to a news story about the Massachusetts Senate passing a bill that targets illegal immigration; it: [ul] [li]Bars the state from doing business with any company that breaks federal laws concerning the hiring of illegal immigrant [/li][li]Increases penalties for using fake ID documents[/li][li]Forbids the granting of in-state college tuition rates to illegal immigrants[/li][li]Requite the Massachusetts public health insurance program to verify legal residency before providing benefits[/li][li]Mandates priority for subsidized housing be given to legal residents [/li][/ul] > [@](#): > > Democrats had resisted such a sweeping proposal, but spent last evening negotiating today’s measure, shortly after a new polled showed 84 percent of the liberal-leaning state’s voters supported tough immigration rules barring state services to illegal immigrants. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/5 "2010-05-28T12:53:01Z")
I don’t think you should boycott MA because I live here. Do you care to offer any argument as to why we should boycott MA or were you hoping posters would take it upon themselves to create a debate? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/6 "2010-05-28T13:05:22Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Just wondering… > > [http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking\_news/2010/05/mass\_senate\_pas.html](http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/05/mass_senate_pas.html) When starting a thread here in the future, please do a little more than “just wondering.” I don’t much care if an OP just asks questions instead of taking one side or the other, but at least have the courtesy to summarize your link and givean idea of the issues are. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/7 "2010-05-28T13:20:16Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > When starting a thread here in the future, please do a little more than “just wondering.” I don’t much care if an OP just asks questions instead of taking one side or the other, but at least have the courtesy to summarize your link and givean idea of the issues are. In fairness to the OP, while his post is not a model of clarity, his post and title, taken together, lay out a reasonably deductible topic for debate, _viz_: People called for boycotts against Arizona after the state passed its new, harsh anti-illegal-immigrant law. Even the Phoenix Suns, the local NBA team, expressed disdain for the measure by wearing jerseys that said “Los Suns,” a translation of the team name into Spanish. Now one house of the Massachusetts legislature has passed an arguably harsh anti-illegal-immigrant bill. Will we see a similar backlash against Massachusetts? Will the Boston Celtics, Massachusetts’ NBA team, don “Los Celtics” jerseys? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/8 "2010-05-28T13:42:50Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > In fairness to the OP, while his post is not a model of clarity, his post and title, taken together, lay out a reasonably deductible topic for debate, _viz_: I understood the topic before I clicked on the link, but I’m not sure how intelligible it is to non-basketball fans. And he left out a lot of details, or your other post would not have been necessary. It’s not a big deal but providing a little more explanation would be helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/9 "2010-05-28T14:08:17Z")
I’m still trying to figure out what not to like. They’re doing what should be done. What’s the problem? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/10 "2010-05-28T14:13:35Z")
Exactly. And they are doing it in a way that isn’t so overtly racist as the “Arizona Solution.” I’m not seeing a problem here. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/11 "2010-05-28T14:22:27Z")
This is anti-illegal immigrant legislation as it should be done by a state. The law addresses the issue at state levels rather then trying to supersede the Federal Government’s jurisdiction and does it in a way that is fair and does not open itself to abuses by targeting immigrants and citizens alike in a blatantly racist way like the AZ law does. Remember, the left is not _for_ illegal immigration, we are _for_ treating those people like human beings. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/12 "2010-05-28T14:58:47Z")
It’s simply wrong to conflate umbrage with the (perceived) racial profiling/papers please aspects of the Arizona law with all measures to curb illegal immigration’s tax on limited state resources. It’s ignorant–taking un-inspected cues from the Right Wing Marketing Machine–or disingenuous. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/13 "2010-05-28T15:01:39Z")
Gee…Massachusetts didn’t make it practically mandatory for Hispanic and/or “foreign” looking American citizens to start carrying their “papers” around at all times. They didn’t authorize the police to start harassing people who aren’t white enough. They haven’t elected the biggest fascist in the US to a county office repeatedly. On the other hand, they DID make it legal to go after the employers who hire undocumented aliens. Which is one of the main alternative solutions the left has been offering as a real way to stop illegal immigration since well before SB 1070 was approved and signed. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/14 "2010-05-28T15:01:42Z")
> [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > This is anti-illegal immigrant legislation as it should be done by a state. The law addresses the issue at state levels rather then trying to supersede the Federal Government’s jurisdiction and does it in a way that is fair and does not open itself to abuses by targeting immigrants and citizens alike in a blatantly racist way like the AZ law does. > > Remember, the left is not _for_ illegal immigration, we are _for_ treating those people like human beings. Except that “Democrats had resisted such a sweeping proposal, but spent last evening negotiating today’s measure, shortly after a new polled showed 84 percent of the liberal-leaning state’s voters supported tough immigration rules barring state services to illegal immigrants.” ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/15 "2010-05-28T15:05:00Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Except that “Democrats had resisted such a sweeping proposal, but spent last evening negotiating today’s measure, shortly after a new polled showed 84 percent of the liberal-leaning state’s voters supported tough immigration rules barring state services to illegal immigrants.” As you so frequently like to remind others, correlation does not equal causation. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/16 "2010-05-28T15:44:43Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > As you so frequently like to remind others, correlation does not equal causation. True. But the quote is not offered to suggest that there is a _reason_ Democrats caved on the bill… merely to prove that Democrats initially opposed the bill. The reader can speculate on what led to the Democrats’ about-face, I suppose, but that’s not the point. **Death of Rats** said that this is legislation as it “should be done,” contrasting the left’s support of this bill with their rejection of the Arizona bill. My quote points out that the left did not, in fact, embrace this bill or see it as how “it should be done.” Undoubtedly the overwhelming poll results played no part in this decision. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/17 "2010-05-28T16:03:54Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > My quote points out that the left did not, in fact, embrace this bill or see it as how “it should be done.” Not before negotiations at least. The article does not reveal what points were negotiated, and what parties yielded on what points. It could just as easily be pointed out that Republicans compromised their priniciples and caved to Democrats following negotiation. I’m surprised you didn’t know that is how sausage is made. ---
**Author:** ![UTejas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UTejas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UTejas)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/18 "2010-05-28T16:11:46Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > My quote points out that the left did not, in fact, embrace this bill or see it as how “it should be done.” > > Undoubtedly the overwhelming poll results played no part in this decision. Nice switcheroo on your terms there. It seems that if 84% of a quite liberal state approved of the bill that “The Left” already approved of it. Who knows why the Democrats in the legislature were holding out, but it presumably has to do with getting as much as they want in negotiations. Once again, why WOULDN’T the left approve? It’s cracking down on the employers who create the problem, and it doesn’t effectively mandate that citizens carry their papers with them at all times. The Arizona law is unfair to CITIZENS. This law avoids that and actually does something about the problem. What is not to like? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/19 "2010-05-28T16:37:51Z")
How do citizens prove their legal residency in the circumstances required under this law? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050/20 "2010-05-28T16:41:43Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > How do citizens prove their legal residency in the circumstances required under this law? From the OP’s link: > [@](#): > > The amendment would also require the state’s public health insurance program to verify residency through the Department of Homeland Security… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-boycott-massachusetts-must-pierce-garnett-become-los-celtics/541050.md?page=2)