War in ah Babylon Baghdad L. A.

On the domestic terrorism front a chunk of L. A. was "locked down" yesterday. (Why doesn't George Bush have a War on Domestic Terror? This crap affects many, many more people in This Great Nation of Ours™ than the activities of a few religious fanatics in a cave on the other side of the world.) From the front page of the local cage-liner:

The violence began around noon when a 37-year-old man police described as a bystander was shot more than a dozen times by suspected gang members as he held the hand of a 2-year-old girl. He later died. The toddler, apparently picked up by a passerby and carried to safety, was not wounded. As the gunmen drove off, witnesses told police, several pedestrians who apparently knew the victim opened fire on the car. Minutes later, police attempted to stop suspects driving in a white Nissan sedan about 10 blocks away. Three men jumped out of the car, and at least two of them fired weapons at officers. A man wielding an AK-47 rifle was killed by police as they returned fire, authorities said. Another suspect was wounded and later found hiding under a car, where he was still holding a semiautomatic handgun, law enforcement sources said. Police said he is expected to recover. But it was a massive manhunt for the two remaining suspects that shut down dozens of streets in Cypress Park until police arrested one of the men about 5:30 p.m. The other is believed to have driven out of the area, police said.

Click the link above to see the picture of the LAPD SWAT officers, sporting desert camo (very effective in the urban environment, doncha know) looking exactly like U. S. troops in Baghdad. The stop sign, police cruiser, & more lines on the power/'phone/cable tee vee pole in the background are the only appreciable differences between Cypress Park & any Iraqi city. In other acts of fascism around the city, traffic has been screwed up around the tourist trap intersection of Hollywood Blvd. & Highland Ave., in fear of terrorist activity at the Oscars™. Sounds like a good idea to Just Another Blog™. (The terrorist activity, stupid, not fucking up traffic for innocents who live nearby or must pass through the area to & from work & other necessary activities.)