Nice to see somebody reacting to this lunacy in Arizona...

Travel icon Arthur Frommer says he won't be spending his tourism
dollars at the Grand Canyon, or anywhere else in Arizona, because the
state's laws allow people he described as "thugs" and "extremists" to
openly carry firearms.

The pioneering author of budget-travel guides said on his blog
Wednesday that he was "shocked beyond measure" by reports that a dozen
protesters openly carried guns and rifles outside a Phoenix building
where President Barack Obama spoke on Monday.

Frommer says he won't travel in a state where civilians carry loaded
weapons as a means of political protest.

On his blog (www.frommers.com/blog), Frommer wrote:

"For myself, without yet suggesting that others follow me in an open
boycott, I will not personally travel in a state where civilians carry
loaded weapons onto the sidewalks and as a means of political protest.
I not only believe such practices are a threat to the future of our
democracy, but I am firmly convinced that they would also endanger my
own personal safety there. And therefore I will cancel any plans to
vacation or otherwise visit in Arizona until I learn more. And I will
begin thinking about whether tourists should safeguard themselves by
avoiding stays in Arizona."

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon says he spoke with Frommer on Thursday and
invited him to visit the city to clear up any possible misconceptions
about safety.