I received this from a colleague. ASEH stand for American Society for Environmental History.

"Before bashing Arizonians, one should perhaps think about the cultural climate in which such extremism in jurisdiction grows. Protesting Arizona might not be enough."


From: "Verena Winiwarter"
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 6:37 PM
Subject: Arizona is part of the US


Dear colleagues,

Save the last, I attended every single ASEH conference since 1997, and it surely hurt I could not make it to Portland.

Since 2001, border and airport security procedures have become more and more rigorous. If I enter the US now, all my 10 fingerprints are taken, as well as a photograph, I need to know not just the name but the street address of my hotel, and I need to fill out the same form online and on paper. I must write numerals the Anglosaxon way (1 as a straight line and 7 without crossbar) and leave my e-mail address.

Immigration officers will ask me where I go and why, might (and have) asked the title of my paper, and, while generally friendly and polite, obviously need to make sure they know what I am up to.

I once attempted a border crossing into the US from Canada by automobile (with a Canadian colleague) which resulted in a one hour delay while we were kept waiting, were interrogated (as if the mere fact that one goes to a scholarly conference with a colleague makes one suspicious) and the vehicle was searched.

While security measures are the same for all (or largely, as I am sure it was no accident that after looking at our boarding passes we were "randomly" selected for thorough search each time we boarded an airplane while on family vacation), immigration is not. Canadians and US citizens can get into the US without having their fingerprints taken.

All in all, I find the procedures pretty humiliating. I cannot believe that all this is necessary to protect the United States which used to be a country of freedom, but now are a country of security. I still come to the ASEH conferences, and if not, then not for the reason of immigration procedures but because of other commitments. They are worth it.

What I am trying to say here is that Arizona does not look all that special for an outsider. Before bashing Arizonians, one should perhaps think about the cultural climate in which such extremism in jurisdiction grows. Protesting Arizona might not be enough.

Best wishes
Verena