We cats have occasionally opined on how Republicans are turning the states they control into places nobody would want to live — passing laws hostile to unions, teachers, women, minorities, poor people, and anyone who wants to learn science, not fantasy, in their public schools.
Add "stand your ground" laws to that list. And now we're seeing the unhappy fruits of the havoc that Marion Hammer, the Koch brothers and Jeb! Bush have wrought: Stevie Wonder is boycotting Florida.
The music legend will refuse to set foot in the Sunshine State, or any state, in which "stand your ground" lets people shoot first and claim self-defense later. Unfortunately, that's a lot of states. But for obvious reasons, we don't blame Stevie for starting off with Florida.
In fact, we think a boycott of "stand your ground" states could be exactly the right response. After all, if liberal performers really cared, the only live acts you'd see in, say, Kansas would be Ted Nugent and Ozzie Osborne. (And they'd be arrested there for drug possession.)
So, we have a few suggestions for what should happen next: Let's see "The Book of Mormon" bow out of the Broward Center next season. NFL players tweet resentment about playing the Dophins, the Bucs and the Jaguars at home. Authors pulling out of the Miami Book Fair. And no sports champs ever celebrating at Walt Disney World.
But if that's not your cup of tea (or your bowl of milk), you can always support "Justice for Trayvon" by showing up at one of these.
(P.S. We cats couldn't help noticing that Wonder issued his boycott-Florida statement from Quebec City, where he was performing and where "stand your ground" does not exist. Lucky Canadians.)
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