A rare bright note amidst the general pounding that Western civilization (and its future prospects) took on Election Day 2008 was the resounding defeat of Arizona's mendacious and cynical Proposition 202, the weasel-in-sheep's-clothing "Stop Illegal Hiring Act." (VDARE's Marcus Epstein provided a systematic explication of Prop. 202 well in advance of the election.)

About 2.06 million Arizonans voted on Prop. 202—not far below the 2.19 million participating in the Presidential sweepstakes—with 1.22 million (i.e. more than 59%) voting against.

(Each of the eight measures on the Arizona ballot attracted about 2 million votes, so the turnout on Prop. 202 wasn't extraordinary. But Prop. 202's purveyors won't be able to spin it that only a small fraction of the electorate participated.)

I've not come up with definitive figures for the money spent by the Prop. 202 shysters and that spent by our side. However, this page at the Arizona Secretary of State's website leads to mid-October numbers of about $15k by "us" and $900k [!!!] by the shysters. (At the linked page, use the drop-down menus to insert "2008" and "202 - Stop Illegal Hiring" in their respective slots and then click the "Compare" button.)

I'll guess that final figures were about $1 million by the greedheads and $100k by "us," as FAIR and TeamAmerica PAC stepped up with some significant late donations, shown here and here.

(And, yes, I, too, stepped up with $125 sent directly to the Arizona-based No on Prop 202 organization!)

That there was such a clean landslide against the nefarious 202 despite its sponsors' overwhelming monetary advantage speaks, I hope, to the salience of our cause and testifies, for sure, to the heroic efforts Arizonans on our side made to earn this (defensive) victory, a victory that's significant for the whole nation in the fight against illegal immigration.

(However, one of my Arizona sources thinks that, in writing a proposition intended to gull inattentive voters, the Prop. 202 sponsors may have shot themselves in the feet while their feet were in their mouths. My source told me of an encounter with a bleeding heart who voted against Prop. 202 because she believed the sponsors' smoke cloud about the measure's toughness on hiring illegal aliens! As my other Arizona insider remarked upon hearing this anecdote, "That's what happens when you lie!")

So who are the "Heroes of NO on Proposition 202"? Don Goldwater, Arizona Republican heavyweight and nephew of the late U.S. Senator, has put together a list. The individuals on his list are:

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas Senate Majority Leader Thayer Verschoor Representative Russell Pearce Representative Rick Murphy Representative Jerry Weiers Senator Elect Al Melvin Representative Elect David Gowan Representative Elect Frank Antenori Representative Elect Steve Montenegro Bruce Jacobs, KFYI talk show host JD Hayworth, KFYI talk show host Rob Robb, columnist for The Arizona Republic Laurie Roberts, columnist for The Arizona Republic Tim Rafferty Buffalo Rick Gaener Larry DeMarco Willa Key Don Goldwater Chris Simcox Gene Cafarelli Randy Pullen

Yes, the list includes Goldwater, himself!

He also names organizations that were important in the "NO" effort and concludes by noting that Prop.202 was defeated in each of Arizona's 15 counties, in most cases by large fractional margins.

My two Arizona contacts both told me that they thought the three leaders among our pantheon of heroes in the list above were Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Representative [now State Senator Elect] Russell Pearce, and Arizona Republican Party Chair Randy Pullen.

Of Pearce, one of my Arizona friends told me, "He's like Tom Tancredo: He'll go anywhere, anytime to support the cause." More particularly, Pearce was lead sponsor of HB2779, which, since becoming law, is known as the "Legal Arizona Workers Act.” It is this Act that passage of Prop. 202 would have gutted.

I know Randy Pullen in person. Based on this exposure, I'll guess that he has a very global concern about The National Question, far beyond a narrow focus on illegal immigration. But that's just an admirer's informed guess, not a commitment on Mr. Pullen's part!

"Sheriff Joe," of course, is famous.

So ... my "thanksgiving" proposal to VDARE readers: Let's flood Arpaio, Pearce, and Pullen with postcards expressing our appreciation for their leadership against Prop. 202.

Why postcards?

1.) They're tangible, unlike ephemeral email. (And one of my contacts tells me that Sheriff Arpaio reads every piece of mail he receives.)

2.) It takes more of a commitment to put a postcard in the mail than it does to dispatch a brief email note.

3.) The messages they can hold are short enough that reading a bunch of them won't be a burden.

I suggest signing such postcards with your name, city, and state. (Omission of your street address makes it clear that no reply is expected.)

Here are the mailing addresses for our esteemed triumvirate:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio 100 West Washington Suite 1900 Phoenix, AZ 85003

Representative Russell Pearce House of Representatives 1700 W. Washington Room 114 Phoenix, AZ 85007

Mr. Randy Pullen Arizona Republican Party 3501 North 24th Street Phoenix, Arizona 85016

My three Montana picture postcards, bearing brief messages of thanks, are in the mail. I hope lots of VDARE readers will do the same with postcards from their states.

Practical reminder: A postcard needs a 27-cent stamp.