IT’S A QUAGMIRE: U.S. out of D.C. now!

D.C. police will seal off entire neighborhoods, set up checkpoints and kick out strangers under a new program that D.C. officials hope will help them rescue the city from its out-of-control violence.

Under an executive order expected to be announced today, police Chief Cathy L. Lanier will have the authority to designate “Neighborhood Safety Zones.” At least six officers will man cordons around those zones and demand identification from people coming in and out of them. Anyone who doesn’t live there, work there or have “legitimate reason” to be there will be sent away or face arrest, documents obtained by The Examiner show.

Nothing we can do will stop these people from committing senseless acts of violence. It’s in their culture. The best thing we can do is to withdraw and leave them to each other. . . .

UPDATE: Related thoughts here. “Is this a fair application of the Anti-war argument that Iraqis are incapable of peaceful democracy? If not why?”

Plus this: “It’s worth noting that DC has banned handguns and the violence is so bad that the police are going to apply some rather extreme methods to control it.”