Wackos in Idaho

As you may have seen, whenever submarine news is slow, I enjoy mocking idiots. Most of them seem to be found on the far left side of the political spectrum, but here in Idaho I've found that several of them are on the right. Today's Idaho Statesman has an article on a county commission from a small county near Boise who unsuccessfully asked the Governor to declare their county a disaster area. The reason?

"Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has denied a request by Canyon County commissioners to declare the county a disaster area because they feared an "imminent invasion" of illegal immigrants.
"Canyon County Commissioner Robert Vasquez asked his fellow commissioners in January to consider the request after he saw a guide, styled like a comic book, that provides safety advice for illegal immigrants planning to cross into the United States.
"Vasquez said the guide set the stage for an invasion of illegal aliens into the United States and Idaho."

A translation to the comic-book style guide is here, along with a link to the Mexican government website that has the guide itself. Note that nowhere in the guide does it mention Canyon County, or even any part of Idaho. Nevertheless two of the three members of the Canyon County Commission apparently decided that this was all an insidious plot by the Mexican government to target their fair county.

I admit I'm engaging in a little bit of hyperbole here, but still -- yes, illegal immigration is an issue that needs to be resolved, especially with respect to border security. However, the fact remains that we are a nation of immigrants, and the vast majority of workers who come here are only looking for more money to send home to support their families.

While Idaho has a number of far-right wackos, they also have their fair share of loonies on the left. Just check out these Letters to the Editor found in today's paper. Maybe I've been jaded by all the time I've spent on the coasts, and have forgotten that issues like people from different cultures and unfair government interference are real issues of concern for a large number of people in Middle America.

Going deep...