Joe,

happy friday to all! getting ready for the big weekend trip to atlantic city thanks to Sammy Hagar's Beach Bar and Bally's Casino and Hotel!! if anyone here lives in NJ and is going to Sammy's this weekend let me know and maybe we can meet up and have a Waborita or two!

good to see folks still debating the AZ law, bad to see people having hurt or angry feelings during the debate. even when you disagree with someone, you should respect their opinion. even if YOU think they are totally out of their minds, THEY think you are. the only way to change someone's mind about something is through intelligent and unbiased conversation. at the end of the day no matter who is right, it's the consequences of our actions that determine success or failure.

i put in my 2 cents before, none of this would be happening if we had a semi-competent government. change that and we can change the world!

That's the trouble with you Yanks, you only want a semi-competent government. What you need is a competent government!

Turbo, I am not trying to hurt AZ, just warn people about an unconstitutional political power grab at the state level that hurts all Americans. This may help explain the protest:

"The danger posed by laws such as Arizona's is not really that it will be used as a bludgeon against Arizona's Hispanic residents, whether citizens, legal immigrants, or illegal aliens. We can all recognize the issue there: aggressive harassment of non-white Arizonians. Some people find this unpleasant, some are enthusiastic about it. Some of the enthusiasts are racists and xenophobes, others honestly believe that illegal immigration is such a problem that the ends justify the means.

What is more alarming is the concept that in the name of fighting illegal immigration, a law like Arizona's is passed which infringes on the rights of every American. A law that provides law enforcement with a pretext to pull over anyone they find suspicious, and to detain them in the name of verifying their identity.

The Arizona law, for example, provides that law enforcement will verify the detainee's immigration status with federal authorities. However, it does not specify a time frame in which this verification process must take place. The seeming protection of rights actually becomes a mechanism of oppression itself.

Imagine this scenario: You are a 2nd generation German-American living outside Tucson. You moved there recently and don't know your neighbors particularly well. Your father immigrated to the United States about 30 years ago and, after years as a lawful permanent resident, became a citizen a few years ago. Your cousins from Frankfurt are visiting and they've been chatting loudly in your yard. A cruiser pulls up, lights flashing. The cop is friendly but stern. Apparently someone called in to report possible illegals. Your cousins produce their passports. When your father comes out of the house, the cop asks to see his id. In his still accented English, your father explains that his documents are still enroute from Texas, where you previously lived. More police cars arrive. The neighbors are staring. You wonder which one of them called the police. After a hasty huddle, the cops ask your father to come down to the station so they can verify his identity.

What happens next? Maybe your father remembers his social security number. Maybe that's not good enough. (Remember, the Arizona law doesn't specify how you can prove your identity.) Maybe the cops need a passport. Maybe they keep him in a holding cell for two days. Maybe he misses an important meeting. Maybe he gets out right away..."

It's up to us to keep America great, and the land of the free... Joe

Joe Satriani How is your cd project coming along?

...more:

"Within Arizona, opponents of the bill are making their voices heard. The sheriff of Pima, Az. has said he will refuse to enforce a law he calls "irresponsible." U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva of Arizona called for an economic boycott of his own state. The city councils of Tucson, Flagstaff, and San Luis voted to sue the state over the law; the mayor of Phoenix would like to do the same, but is being blocked by the city council. Police officers from Phoenix and Tucson have also filed suit, requesting that local police be exempt from enforcing what they consider an unconstitutional law."

...and from President Obama:

Artists Against Arizona List Your a fish out of water in this scenario, Joe. I read this list and you stick out like a sore thumb.

I get what your saying about the profiling, but it has to be done. You have to weed 'em out. Just like a filter. The good ones can pass, but the bad ones have to step aside.

It's always the bad people who ruin it for the good. It happens to everybody eventually. Because life isn't perfect.

Joe - Any chance Mike Keneally will play keyboards out on the road with you as well? And if so, what are your thoughts on playing some Engines Of Creation material again? It'd be great to hear something new like Flavor Crystal 7 or Champagne? :-)

OOOoooo I SO wish I was a fly on the wall in the studio on June 6th!!!

Joe,

I must say I'm very disappointed with your attitude on the new Arizona law, have you actually read the bill? It is exactly, word for word the same as the Federal law, that by the way is not being enforced. I work in law enforcement and I see first hand the criminal activity on the border. The poor illegals are the majority of the victims by the way, rape, murder, kidnapping. Were you aware that Phoenix has the 2nd highest kidnapping rate in the world? Arizona is trying to protect itself from the criminal activity that is increasing at the border and as a result in our cities.

There is a lot of misconceptions on how this law will be enforced and people just don't get it. There will not be situations as you described earlier about the German citizen. This is something Arizona law enforcement already does! There will be no change in how illegals will be identified and people are insane who think that Arizona cops will be walking up to Hispanics and asking for their papers.

I just wish American citizens would wake up and see the writing on the wall and support fellow Americans! It is a shame that people like yourselves would boycott a state and punish fellow Americans over illegal imigrants. I have been a fan of your for 25 years and now I feel the need to boycott you.

What a shame!!!!

Hi Joe. We hope you come to play in Spain in 2010. Will you? I'm looking everyday your tour dates... waiting for a new concert in Spain...

Please Respect Joe Satriani

I've only lay one request, not going to back n forth on this thing .....

Pima651: You say that there will be no situations as the one described by Joe in his post. That my friend is a very bold statement. How can you or anyone else within law enforcement be absolutely sure it won't happen?

And for the record, on this same page, in between your 2 posts look for a post from OXLEY11 with a link that says Artists Against Arizona page. Open it and on the third article, it describes a very similar, real-world scenario to the one Joe posted. So it is already happening. And it will happen again. And again, regardless of whether this law exists or not.

I think this has not been made clear enough.

Sound Strike is NOT supporting illegal inmigration.

Sound Strike IS supporting civil rights.

I applaud Joe for taking a public stance on something he believes in.

I applaud everyone here who has expressed its opinion, negative or positive, it's always good to see all the sides to every story.

In the end, we all have to live with our decisions. So we better be comfortable with them, at all times.

I personally don't agree with either camp, and knowing that Mike Portnoy will have an in-store appearance in Phoenix one day after I see DT in Albuquerque, I 'm quite tempted to take the drive. My decision whether I go or not will definitely NOT be made based on this law.

CHEERS!!!