The Libby trial closing arguments were absolutely enthralling to follow. We will be forever indebted to Firedoglake for their live blogging of the proceedings. Will Libby be convicted? We don't know, but we find a strange and tiring irony to the argument that lying under oath isn't that important. How can that be? We just lived through the insane impeachment of a president for that very thing. "Please," they said at the time, "it's not about sex, it's about lying under oath." Oh, okay. This is about lying under oath, but they say it's about memory or something else. If justice prevails, Libby will be jailed and Cheney will be indicted.
We are utterly impressed by Dana Priest's reporting about the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed Hospital, Building 18. Did we ever tell you that we had an opportunity to hear Ms. Priest discuss journalism at her alma mater, UC Santa Cruz. In her college years, she was the editor for the UCSC campus newspaper City on a Hill Press. I was their adviser for 8 years, so when Ms. Priest came to campus (years before her Pulitzer) it was quite a moment to see how how much a motivated student can really achieve. She attended the university long before I was employed there, but the very fact of her was like a promise to all the students who came to listen in awe.
We had a crazy revelation the other day. We learned that the poet who started the "Poets Against the War" as a protest to Laura Bush's invitation to the White House in 2003, is a local poet and former editor of Copper Canyon Press. Not only that, but Sam Hamill is the partner of a woman we met recently, and who we are are getting to know. Oh what a small and beautiful world it is.
My back has been bothering me lately, and the pain shoots down my leg. All I can think is that it's my sciatica acting up. For some strange reason I want to say sciatica sciatica like Al Pacino shouting "Attica, Attica" in Dog Day Afternoon. Pain can do that to you.
So, how are you and what are you talking about at the dinner table?
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Susannah of Wanderin' Weeta is hosting Good Planets for the last time this Saturday. The final elemental theme is "fire." Please sent your fiery photos to susannah at dccnet dot com. The following edition after that will be March 10th at Bev's Burning Silo.
The above photo is the mated pair we photographed last week. We think the object they are perched on is the tsunami warning siren for Port Townsend.
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