POLO/POSY's True Colors Fly Again

As Ronald Reagan used to say, “Well…there you go again”. POLO/POSY has once again showed their true biased colors by calling the future placing of commemorative “Chumash Highway” signs along San Marcos Pass a ploy by our state politicians to transform our valley into a “Casino Company Town” This must be a HUGE conspiracy. It seems the entire state legislature is out to get us. The State Assembly voted 76 to 0 and the State Senate voted 38-0 in favor of Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 75. The bill is a public record, and like all other bills that go through the California Legislature, it could have been tracked on the California Legislature Web site. Seems like any political watchdog group worth their salt would and should have a pulse on what is happening in Sacramento. Perhaps they are just too wrapped up on planning their next attack on the Chumash. Is the Green Award next? Surely there must be some sinister evil plot behind that.

By the way, the road has NOT been “renamed”. Yes, it is still San Marcos Pass, AND Hwy 154, AND El Camino Cielo, AND “Old Stagecoach Road” and whatever else you want to call it. Maps will still designate it as Highway 154, and I will, as I have for the last 45 years, refer to it as “taking the pass” or “going over the pass” as will the majority of others in the valley. POLO says these signs will have “long reaching ramifications” on our community. Huh? This will not impact my life one iota. It is still “the pass” and always will be. The only impact these signs will have is the one they were intended to have. To commemorate the 13,000 year history the Chumash have along the central and south California coast.

POSY President Jon Bowen said the naming of the highway "is about hijacking a name for marketing purposes". So the Chumash hijacked their own name? Huh? Will these signs funnel more people to the casino? No. The Chumash Casino has virtually no competition. The nearest casino to it is 2-3 hours away and a few small signs along the pass will not have any effect what-so-ever on bringing more people to the casino. It also should be noted that Michael Glassow, a Professor of Anthropology at UCSB and Chumash expert John Johnson, curator of anthropology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History provided information for the legislature's designation discussion before they voted. Please tell me how these distinguished gentlemen’s testimony at the designation discussion has anything to do with marketing strategies for the Chumash Casino.

The ““Chumash Highway” commemorative signs are just that. Signs along the road to honor the thousands of years the Chumash have inhabited this land. These signs will add to the approximately 450 other highways, roads and freeways in the state that have some sort of geographical, historical, or memorial designation. I wonder what hidden agenda the politicians had in mind when they named all of those other ones? Hwy. 1 is called "Cabrillo Highway" between Gaviota Pass and Lompoc. I wonder what devious plot was behind that one? The freeway between Carpentaria and Ventura is called "Screaming Eagles" highway, to recognize the famous 101st Airborne Division of U.S. Army. It’s a huge sign with the bald eagle head icon of these soldiers. Darn those legislators! How dare they! State highway 46 extending between Paso Robles and Shandon is called the "Jack O'Connell Highway". Blatant!!!!!! Will the conspiracies never end!??!?!?.

Delusional paranoia or calculated prejudice. You decide.

A question for POLO/POSY - Where is the next bake sale? Perhaps you could have it at the $20 Milllion estate owned by one of your members...