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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Arizona to feds: No más

I’ve lived in Tucson, Phoenix and Mesa. I grew up in Las Vegas. So I have a pretty good idea of the impact that illegal immigration has in the Southwest. Though this is a federal issue, it’s the border states that bear the brunt of inaction. It’s their jails and social safety net that are strained.

It’s easier to pass judgment from the Inland Northwest, where the issue is largely academic. But I do like to point out to my Arizona friends that if you were to remove illegal immigrants from just about any problem those problems would still persist. Spokane and Kootenai counties need new jails, and it isn’t because of “invasions” from Mexico or Canada. We still need social services.

But while I sympathize with the frustrations of Arizonans, the new immigration law is appalling. Late Thursday, Arizona lawmakers narrowed the portion of the law that allowed law enforcement officers to use race as one of the factors justifying a request for someone’s citizenship papers. Now law enforcement officers cannot use race at all.

So how will the law be enforced? Very carefully or the civil rights lawsuits will stack up. However, the law also allows for citizens to sue police agencies if they suspect the law isn’t being enforced. Then again, how can plaintiffs prove that?

This looks like it will lead to a legal quagmire that only lawyers could love. Arizona lawmakers ought to repeal the law, but if the feds continue to do nothing, they ought to send money to heavily affected states for cleaning up their mess.

Apocalypse Pretty Soon. I suppose it’s easy to make light of a Spokane County Assessor’s Office candidate who has authored such books as “America’s Hostile Takeover! The USA’s Soon-Coming Military Dictatorship” and “Food Armageddon 2012! Wake Up America! A Horrible Food Shortage and Famine Is Coming in 2012” and “Obama’s Nation! Obama’s Nation is Now a Communist Abomination!”

But I’m actually impressed with Terry L. Cook’s ability to compartmentalize his concerns. Because even in the midst of these calamities, this real estate professional wants to make sure property is properly assessed.

Can’t wait for his first post-apocalyptic book: “Location! Location! Location!”

‘D’ is for devil. In all seriousness, can someone explain to me the obsession with proving that the past two Democratic presidents are not just wrong on politics and policy, but that they are actually evil in the biblical sense?

Just place the terms “Obama” and “evil” into any search engine to get an idea of what I mean. After that, try “Clinton” and “murder.”

With the latter, you’ll see Bill Clinton “implicated” in the murders of more than 60 people and that Hillary Clinton was “involved” in the death of White House aide Vince Foster. Maybe you’ve seen or heard of “The Clinton Chronicles,” which was a video about the Clintons’ alleged links to dozens of deaths. It was peddled from the pulpit by the likes of the Rev. Pat Robertson and the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.

Sure, there were some crazy theories floated about President George W. Bush and his alleged involvement in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but they weren’t spread by people with the stature of Falwell and Robertson, who won the 1988 Republican presidential primary in Washington state.

Doesn’t playing the evil card automatically foreclose any rational discussions about health care, social issues, foreign policy, immigration, etc.? Isn’t all of this hand-wringing about the lack of civility and bipartisanship beside the point? After all, who wants to compromise with Satan? Why be polite when the end is nigh?

I don’t begrudge anyone their religious beliefs, but please help me understand how one gets from “Jesus is Love” to “Obamanations.” The president says he is a believer, so why not believe him?

President Ronald Reagan rarely attended church. He is the only president to have been divorced. As California governor, he signed a law legalizing abortion. His wife consulted an astrologist. He toiled in Hollywood! So why wasn’t he placed under biblical arrest?

Smart Bombs is written by Associate Editor Gary Crooks and appears Sundays on the Opinion page. Crooks can be reached at garyc@spokesman.com or at (509) 459-5026.