It does not 'acheive' a thing. It only demonstrates how completely ignorant the boycotters are about interstate commerce. They are kicking themselves in the teeth. California is particularly retarded. They would not even have major cities if it weren't for other states providing power and water. What happens when Arizona cuts off Californias electricity?

Boycotting only brings the issue to the front burner of media attention. Many city councils have actually placed themselves above the law by publicly denouncing another state's law and canceling contracts with businesses doing business with the city violating the interstat commerce regulations (the contract must have an escape clause agreed to by both sides). In order to placate the boycotters, the federal government is now going to challenge the state's right to enact legislation is violation of the 14th amendment. So far Arizona has shown restraint in dealing with boycotters and the negative press over the overlapping of an existing federal law. The boycotters are saying it is up to the federal government to regulate immigration, which Arizona is not doing. They are not stopping legal immigration under the federal law, they are enforcing illegal immigration, which the federal gvernment is also doing but doing very poorly. The boycotters are claiming racial profiling, which Arizona is not but since the boycotters know that being in this country illegal is a crime, they want to take everyone's attention off of the real issue and throw a red herring into the mix.Fact is, the boycotters have had their ideas backfire in their faces. Arizona has shown more resolve to fight for their right to enact laws and other states are following through by considering similar legislation. Most illegals don't want citizenship, they want to get on the gravy train of freebies. Just look at the numbers

Boycotting Arizona makes the people boycotting feel as if they have some control over the issue. It apparently also makes them seem as if they understand the issue, which clearly they don't. You are correct. The boycott only hurts average citizens.

I think the idea is that if the citizens see a decline in their livelihoods, they will petition the governor of Arizona to retract the law. The same logic that convinces countries to blockade a nation they disapprove of. Supposedly the citizens of that nation will rise up and overthrow the government. Of course it never works that way, and the only people harmed by the blockade are innocent civilians.

Boycotting is the simplest method to put pressure on a government; you simply stop purchasing things or supplying them with things they want, in the hopes that the government will change course. However, boycotting should be used with other means of pressure, or it does simply hurt the most vulnerable of that particular society.

This is also the same mentality that makes the neighborhood take all of his toys and go home, or makes your friend start ignoring you for a day or two, or your president make waterboarding a tool in his torture arsenal.

Unfortunately, if you take something away from someone, they're likely to get it somewhere else - in this case, maybe Mexico. I love irony.