. . .

Former Bush Administration speechwriter Marc Thiessen used his space at the Washington Post to defend the McCarthyite smear campaign that Liz Cheney and Bill Kristol have launched against a group of Justice Department lawyers who did Guantánamo-related pro bono work: . . .

At Salon, Mark Benjamin reviews a cache of internal CIA documents giving directions on how to waterboard prisoners: . . .

From the Washington Post: . . .

Amid hundreds of rocket and mortar explosions that killed dozens of people throughout the country, Iraq held parliamentary elections. Large numbers of Sunnis, who had boycotted previous elections, voted. “We have experienced three wars before,” quipped one voter, “so it was just the play of children that we heard.” Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki's coalition failed to secure a majority of seats, leaving his political future uncertain; the U.S. military said its plans for withdrawal remained “on track.” New York Times A memoir by Karl Rove said that the Bush Administration would not have started the Iraq war without the threat of weapons of mass destruction. New York Times Rampaging Nigerian Muslims slaughtered 500 Christians with machetes, New York Times and a Nigerian member of the Vatican choir admitted to having procured male prostitutes for an Italian government official working as a papal usher. CNN Defense Secretary Robert Gates traveled to Afghanistan to meet with President Hamid Karzai as U.S.-led forces prepared for an offensive in Kandahar. “There won't be a D-Day that is climactic,” Gates said. “It will be a rising tide of security as it comes.” New York Times Hamas banned male hairdressers from styling women's hair in Gaza. BBC News . . .

Back in 2008, Michael Goldfarb and others on the right tried a typically McCarthyite tactic against candidate Barack Obama. Obama was assailed for a supposed relationship with Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi, described in the National Review as “a former mouthpiece for master terrorist Yasser Arafat” and the “founder” of the Arab-American Action Network. Most of their essential claims about Khalidi were false. In fact, Khalidi is well known as a critic of human rights abuses within the Palestinian community; he had nothing to do with AAAN, an organization that provides English language lessons to immigrants and other social services to the indigent; and Khalidi was more closely tied to John McCain than to Obama. Under McCain’s guidance, the International Republican Institute supported Khalidi’s Palestinian Center, an operation geared to raising civil consciousness and engagement among West Bank Palestinians. In short, the effort blew up in their faces. . . .

From ABC News: . . .

From the Washington Post: . . .

From the Washington Post: . . .

Che fai tu, vita mia, che fai tu lontan da me? Che fai tu, chi ti desvia? Torna, ahi, volgi il piè, Toma mia com’eri pria! Che fai tu, vita mia? . . .

μ παθς μηδ ναισθτως χειν πρς τ κοινν, ν σφαλε θμενον τ οκεα κα τ μ συναλγεν μηδ συννοσεν τ πατρδι καλλωπιζμενον, λλ ατθεν τος τ βελτω κα δικαιτερα πρττουσι προσθμενον, συγκινδυνεειν κα βοηθεν, μλλον περιμνειν κινδνως τ τν κρατοντων. . . .

From Taxpayers for Common Sense: . . .

Meet Barack Obama’s new attorney general: Rahm Emanuel. The Associated Press reports: . . .

Nice story in the Washington Post: . . .

TPM ran an item yesterday in which American Bar Association President Carolyn Lamm made an emotional plea on behalf of the principle of legal representation for all. In response “to the Liz Cheney Web ad that questions the loyalty of lawyers who have represented Guantanamo detainees,” Lamm, reported TPM, said that lawyers have an ethical obligation to “provide representation to people who otherwise would stand alone against the power and resources of the government–even to those accused of heinous crimes against this nation in the name of causes that evoke our contempt.” . . .

James Palmer, a British writer who lives in Beijing and has a fascination for all things Mongolian, has produced a captivating biography of Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, a Baltic nobleman who fought in the service of the Russian tsar in World War I. Following the Bolshevik Revolution, Ungern led a ragtag White army to capture Mongolia, where he styled himself the human manifestation of a Buddhist god of war. Mongolia would never be the same again. I put six questions to James Palmer. . . .

From Wired: . . .

I noted here recently that two former Pentagon officials had pitched their services to the government of Guinea, which is accused of the massacre of over 100 civilians last September. The pitch from the two ex-officials — David Crane and Alan White, key figures in the 2003 indictment of former Liberian warlord Charles Taylor — included a Powerpoint presentation on “how to convert a repressive military force into a defender of the people that obeys the laws of armed conflict.” . . .

How exactly did Dick Cheney’s speechwriter Marc Thiessen come to write a book justifying waterboarding and other torture techniques–and insisting, moreover, that President Obama is putting the country at risk by stopping the use of these techniques? How does a speechwriter get access to highly classified materials so that he can present what he calls a “behind-the-scenes” look at a program that the CIA has labeled one of its biggest secrets ever? Many of Thiessen’s informants, including the former vice president, are those most likely to be charged and tried in war crimes proceedings if any are ever convened. And that makes Thiessen’s purpose transparent: to defend them. With few well-defined ideas of his own but long aspirations to sit close to power, Thiessen was an odd choice for this role, and his efforts are not having the impact his sponsors had hoped for. . . .

The developments in the last several weeks in Turkey strike me as extremely significant. They could have lasting consequences for the nation’s self-understanding and its role in the Western Alliance, both of which are clearly undergoing some sort of transformation. . . .

Not long after the tiresome bootlicking recently furnished by Dana Milbank, Jason Horowitz steps in to report that a “contrarian narrative is emerging” about the heroic Rahm Emanuel: . . .

Peter Hessler is a staff writer at the New Yorker, where he served as Beijing correspondent from 2000 to 2007. Harper Collins just released his latest book, Country Driving, which chronicles the past nine years of his experience living, writing and, most of all, driving in China. My colleague Spencer Woodman recently asked him six questions about his new book. This interview was edited for length and clarity. . . .

In the torture memos, medical professionals pop up repeatedly. They define and refine torture techniques, and sometimes they are even in the room to be sure that torture procedures are applied to maximum effect. This conduct clearly violates the law and professional ethics standards. Yet while an ethics review of lawyers is now underway—and the process has now been passed from the Justice Department to bar ethics bodies—the doctors and psychologists who helped create and run the Bush-era torture system continue to escape responsibility. Leonard Rubenstein and Stephen Xenakis write in the New York Times: . . .

On the Daily Show last night (video below), Jon Stewart highlighted Rick Sanchez’s coverage of the earthquake in Chile, saying that the CNN newsman reminded him of “a guy at a party who’s doing a lot of coke and traps you in a corner and explains really intensely how an ant is the strongest animal on earth.” . . .

An 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Chile, killing at least 700 people and displacing more than 2 million. At least 100 aftershocks followed, including one that measured 6.1 on the Richter scale, and a Pacific-wide tsunami alert was issued for the first 24 hours after the quake. A four-inch wave struck Japan. New York Times Heavy downpours (beginning several weeks before Haiti's traditional rainy season) triggered floods that killed at least eight Haitians; storm system Xynthia killed more than 45 people in Portugal, Spain, Germany, and France; and following a blizzard that left New York City covered with more than 2 feet of snow, a 46-year-old busboy was killed when a snow-laden tree branch snapped and fell on his head. BBC BBC New York Times The five-story-tall Taylor Glacier in Antarctica was spewing a blood-red waterfall. Good Blog Democrats and Republicans met for the first-ever health-care summit, a televised event that ran well past its scheduled six hours and in which lawmakers, led by President Barack Obama, debated the merits of health-care legislation. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) complained that Democrats were being given more time to speak, a point Obama conceded. “You're right,” he said, “there was an imbalance on the opening statements because I'm the president.” Washington Post Senator John Barrasso (R., Wyo.), an orthopedic surgeon, argued that the public would make better health-care decisions if citizens had catastrophic coverage that required them to pay for most health services out of pocket. “Would you feel the same way if you were making $40,000?” asked President Obama. Talking Points Memo California's state assembly passed a resolution to make the first week of March a “cuss-free” week. Mercury News . . .

www.freemeninstitute.com Rush Limbaugh still holding on to a false Left paradigm. Listen to a true conservative Ron Paul talk.

I am pleased to recommend this book to anyone who cares about the direction of this country and wants to understand how we got where we are, and what we need to do to regain our liberties. See the Ron Paul File ...

"The bad news is : that the economy is in shambles , our liberties are being destroyed routinely and we are in a state of perpetual war " says Congressman Ron Paul "The good news is that we have answers to that we literally have answers ...

if the big it happens and you know what i mean and we have to hold re elections after 90 days after the big “it” then lets not fuck it up ppl let elect ron paul and do this this right this time for our and our kids future. ...

Last night, Ron Paul addressed a packed auditorium of nearly 1700 students at the Ohio State University. The evening began with musical enter.

In an interview with Newsmax, Mitt Romney was asked about a growing libertarian movement within the GOP, and Ron Paul's victory in the CPAC straw poll. Romney managed to dismiss the defeat and also claim that, “I don't think there is a ...

Who are the Ron Paul people, asks "Southern Avenger" Jack Hunter? They are the heart of the conservative movement!

Census: A Little Too Personal by Ron Paul Last week Congress voted to encourage participation in the 2010 census. I voted No on this resolution for.

Rep. Ron Paul said the census has no business collecting personal information such as ethnicity, income and religious affiliation and categorizing people into groups -- and that's why he was the sole “no” vote on a House resolution last ...

Ron Paul spoke with Bob Schieffer of CBS News about his primary victory and his allegations against the Federal Reserve. Channel: CBS News Date:

Sheriff's deputies are investigating an officer involved shooting in the South Hill community of Puyallup. The suspect suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound and injuries from a police dog.

Suspected Islamist militants attacked the offices of Federal Way-based World Vision near Islamabad, Pakistan on Wednesday killing at least 5 people.

Aberdeen Police has released surveillance video showing a van plowing into the Seven-11 convenience store, injuring a young mother and her toddler.

A runaway Toyota Prius sent a New York woman to the hospital Tuesday.

The 21-year-old murder suspect failed to appear at a Superior Court hearing Tuesday. He is accused in the death of a toddler.

Northrop Grumman Corp. announced Monday that it won't compete against Boeing Co. for a $35 billion contract to build refueling tankers for the Air Force because Northrop doesn't think it can win.

In the days since KING 5 News broke the story about Eastside investment guru Rhonda Breard, teams of lawyers have been racing to file suit to try to get the money back.

A woman, nine-months pregnant, is one of five people injured in a multi-vehicle crash in Seattle this afternoon.

KING 5 meets another family fighting to get someone else out of their foreclosed home, as the attorney general takes notice of this growing problem.

TheThe San Juan Island Community Calendar serves San Juan Island as a comprehensive review of what's happening on the island and in Friday Harbor .

This entry was posted by Quilly on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 5:30 pm and is filed under Friday Harbor . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. ...

A visit from Mark Burgess, a member of the Scalloway Community Council in the Shetland Islands, sparked a correspondence between Friday Harbor Mayor Carrie Lacher and Alexander J. Cluness, convener of the Shetland Islands Council ...

Port Townsend Daily Photo. notes and images. Friday, March 5, 2010. Day's End at Friday Harbor . A member of the Skywatch community. Posted by raf at 12:31 AM. Labels: Reflections, San Juan Islands, Sky Watch Friday, Sunsets, Travels ...

Top photo: Absorbent pads capture fuel that has leaked from the El Dorado, which sank at the Friday Harbor Marina breakwater dock. Second photo: Julie Knight of IOSA discusses the cleanup plan with volunteers. ...

In a letter from the Xerces Society to Friday Harbor Land Use Administrator Michael Bertrand, those involved with the development of Sunrise are urged to "work with the Department of Fish and Wildlife to identify the (IMB) habitat and ...

If you want to watch orcas in the wild, head to the village of Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands - the best place for viewing orcas.

Friday Harbor Island encompasses all of the beauty of the Pacific Northwest in one small island.

Friday Harbor is one of the preferred travel destinations in the state of Washington, because it has a wide range of attractions to offer.

Trying to get a business off of the ground is hard work, even a pet product business in this dog-hap

After an outstanding prep career at Friday Harbor , Vynne — Class of 2003 — went on to play for the University of British Columbia, helping the team win its first-ever NAIA World Series in 2006. He was a four-time All-Academic Award ...

Chris Mundus – Portrait Photography Friday Harbor Washington

Chris Mundus – Portrait Photography Friday Harbor Washington

Chris Mundus – Portrait Photography Friday Harbor Washington

Field Trip to Friday Harbor and Lopez Island This week, I drove and ferried up to Friday Harbor to p

It is a fact that the San Juan Islands bear a passing resemblance to the landscapes of Ireland. There is both a negative and a positive to this. On the one side, the Irish fiddle player is forced to go through the boredom and discomfort ...

What Platnum+ chip for San Juan Islands ...? (Washington State) I have a friend with an E Series Raymarine that wants the BEST data for his trip...

Problems with derelict vessels and the county's new search for solid waste funding are the top stories in the March 10 Journal of the San Juan Islands , available on newsstands late Tuesday and in subscribers' mailboxes Wednesday. ...

San Juan Islands,Washington Most Americans,during the month of July, are looking for a cool shade tr

With her March 4 letter to Cluness, Lacher sent the book "Images of the San Juan Islands " by local photographer Mark Gardner and other materials which showcase the natural beauty of Friday Harbor and the San Juan archipelago. ...

San Juan Islands . Colton Harris-Moore possibly strikes again in Eastsound · Boat sinks at Friday Harbor Marina with 100 gallons of diesel onboard · What's best for Tillikum now, and what have we learned? | Guest Column · Felony assault; ...

San Juan is the largest city in Puerto Rico and the oldest city in the United States.  Some of the t

Henning Sehmsdorf has been a supervisor of the San Juan Islands Conservation District for the last 10 years, and during that period has helped shape educational and resource planning programs focused on the role of agriculture in ...

If you want to watch orcas in the wild, head to the village of Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands - the best place for viewing orcas.

San Juan Islands . Colton Harris-Moore possibly strikes again in Eastsound · Gov. Gregoire appoints Eaton San Juan County Superior Court judge · What's best for Tillikum now, and what have we learned? | Guest Column · Chilean quake: No ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Super Suckers: Giant Octopus & Other Cephalopods

San Juan Islands . Colton Harris-Moore possibly strikes again in Eastsound · Boat sinks at Friday Harbor Marina with 100 gallons of diesel onboard · The reason the Eldorado sank: 'It's just a weird one. It doesn't normally do that' ...

Trying to get a business off of the ground is hard work, even a pet product business in this dog-hap

San Juan Islands . Colton Harris-Moore possibly strikes again in Eastsound · Without a local coordinator, derelict boats are often not removed from the water until it's too late · San Juans reportedly on list of proposed national ...

Hi, friends.  I’m so sorry I disappeared this weekend with no notice!  My plans for the weeken

    We awoke to be able to see the Olympic Mountains through our cabin window. What a beautiful sigh

Colton Harris Moore Colton Harris-Moore, the Whidbey Island teen who married car theft with MySpace

Before I explain my Christmas gift(s) from Greg, here is the back-story, and the explanation to why

For anyone who has children, you know that adults still have homework–well, at least they stil

See? I can do pretty for pretty’s sake once in a while. # # # Sailing, Near Brown Island, 2009

Well, this is a fine juxtaposition:  the lonely little lighthouse yearning for a hint of recognition

“Oooo, that’ll be a pretty one.  The color on those flowers is so beautiful!”

Black Friday is gone and Cyber Monday is here. Retailers, myself included, are hoping and praying fo

Sharks of the San Juan Islands 5:30 pm | Tuesday December 8, 2009 Camp Orkila Larry Norman Lodge Orc

The anonymity of mass transit.  I passed this couple as I looked for a seat.  They glanced up from t

  Nature draws us into its embrace, helping us to remember how to live in the now, loving, nurturing

    On Tuesday Bernie and I took our guests, Lyndsay and Jordan out to San Juan Island. I had not be

Maria and Chris were married last month up on Orcas Island at the Inn at Ship Bay, and I came up the

My earliest memories of hip-hop in the 206 begin with Sir-Mix-A-Lot and Kid Sensation. It’s sa

The Bellingham Bay Marathon is happening right outside our doors this Sunday! We’ll have the b

I like it here.  My home. In California, ‘though I’ve been gone for four years, yet as s