Opinion: Page A1 open thread

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State’s budget no role model: California’s fiscal crisis is worse than most. Much of the fault lies not with the economy but with bad policies. By Evan Halper

ON CALIFORNIA: A workaday road that cuts through the state’s back story: Two-lane Highway 33 isn’t a fabled route, but it’s rugged and real. By Peter H. King

Zimbabwe sex slave confides her ordeal: The 21-year-old says she is forced to go to a militia base daily: ‘If I run away, my mother will be killed.’ From a Times Staff Writer

Not merely tennis, this was a match made in heaven By Bill Dwyre

Calling the shots on war movies: The Army, scathed by ‘the crazy Nam vet,’ tries to shape a new era of films by trading access for influence. By Julian E. Barnes

Backfire is right and wrong: Two brothers use the tactic to keep the Big Sur blaze from their compound. But one is arrested for doing so. By Eric Bailey and Deborah Schoch

Inside Today’s Times:

In the spotlight at the economic summit: Japan, host of this year’s G-8 talks, is in a strong position to talk about the environment. World, A4

An L.A. boxing legend dies: Mando Ramos won a title at 20 but lost his career to alcohol and drugs. He was 59. Obituaries, B7

Weather: Get ready for it to heat up this week. Downtown: 85/65. B8