I attended a debate on water policy in the San Joaquin Valley last night (more in a later posting). The latest agricultural idea from the irrigated salt flats of the west side of the Valley is to declare the area a National Security Zone, presumably policed by Homeland Security forces. This, the growers seem to believe, would guarantee continuing supplies of water conveyed through the Delta pumps. This pumping, if not the only cause, has been the major cause of catastrophic damage to several species of fish in the Delta and courts have ruled that the pumping must be cut back by law.

One argument that seemed to be suggested by a west side nut grower was that it was a patriotic act in the War Against Terror to compete in the world pistachio market with Iran. If he could only get some water this year, a Nobel Peace Prize is next.

If the growers got their National Security status, any criticism of water policy could presumably be legally declared an act of treason and the Zone would probably be an obstacle to union organizing.

Officially establishing such a "republic" within the boundaries of the nation's largest water district seems an excessive response to one of Calfornia's periodic droughts, but west side growers are famous for their agricultural innovation.