Hell Is Over

Michael J. Totten – one of the extraordinary independent journalists in the Middle East – has filed a new report on his blog, full of excellent photos like the one at right, detailing his recent observations in Anbar province, Iraq. It is one of the most compelling pieces I have read about the current situation in Iraq – if you have any interest at all in events over there, you should read this post. Here's a tiny teaser for you:

I saw so many pictures of crazed Iraqis wearing ski masks and carrying rocket launchers and Kalashnikovs before I went to Baghdad and Ramadi that I slowly started to think, against my better judgment, that such people are typical. I never once saw anyone like that. They are around, obviously, but they are not in any way typical.

These are the typical faces I saw in Iraq.

They are the ones I now think of when trying to figure out what the United States should do in Iraq. They are the ones who will have to suffer the consequences the longest.

Don't miss reading the whole thing – and while you're there, please hit his tip jar; he depends on contributions to keep up his fine work…

Quote of the Day

By Karen Toggery:

“They say we're supposed to have fair and equal justice,” she said. “Where is it?”

Karen is one of the Jamul Indians evicted from her own reservation on March 10. Protesters at that incident were roughly treated, and had asked for criminal charges against the tribe and their security people. Yesterday District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis finally issued her decision about those charges: she declined to file any, saying that it was a civil matter, not a criminal matter. From the San Diego Union report:

“Tribal governments are recognized as sovereign nations,” she said. “Our office is authorized by Congress to prosecute state crimes committed on Indian reservations, but we have no jurisdiction over civil matters. An eviction process is a civil matter.

“Based upon this unique and unusual set of circumstances, our office has declined to file criminal charges against any of the persons involved in the events of March 10, 2007 on the Jamul Indian Reservation.”

Dumanis won't answer questions about her decision, spokesman Paul Levikow said.

I'm no lawyer, and I don't know what the “right” thing to do here is, from a legal perspective. Speaking as an American citizen, though, I can't see any way to claim justice has been served through this decision. Basically our District Attorney has just endorsed all manners of behavior in such “civil” matters. Now that the tribe has learned they can act with impunity, protesters on the reservation can expect to be treated violently. If the casino is ever actually built, protesters will be taking their lives in their hands to protest on the site…

Does that sound like America to you?

Route 94 Improvement Plans

In this morning's San Diego Union:

People concerned about the condition of state Route 94 will have a chance to tell Caltrans planners what they think of a plan for improvements on an 18-mile stretch from Jamul to Tecate.

Officials with the California Department of Transportation will be available to explain the proposal and take comments in a meeting scheduled from 4:30 to 8 p.m. today at Jamul Primary School, 14567 Lyons Valley Road in Jamul.

The proposed improvements include passing lanes, widening the road and realigning curves, said project manager Sam Amen, who estimated they would cost $90 million to $100 million to build.

There isn't enough money for the project in state and federal budgets right now, he said, but the planning is important for any eventual improvements. More information is available online at www.rural94.com.

I checked out the web site above; there's a bit of information, but nearly all of it is included on the map I've linked to above (click on it for a full-sized view). All of the improvements listed are for the section of 94 that lies between Jamul and Tecate, so for all of us who commute from Jamul toward San Diego, these have no benefit at all. It's another story altogether for those folks who travel between San Diego and Tecate, Campo, or points beyond – this stretch of 94 is (and has been for years) a notoriously dangerous route. Adding large numbers of trucks from Mexico isn't going to make it any safer, either…