think these guys would have something to salute right now


Andrew Moore, Four Trees, Ferrapontou, Russia, 2004, Chromogenic print

* Murry Waas. excerpt:

"In the fall of 2003, as a federal criminal probe was just getting underway to determine who leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame to the media, I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, the then-chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, sought out Cheney to explain to his boss his side of the story.

"The explanation that Libby offered Cheney that day was virtually identical to one that Libby later told the FBI and testified to before a federal grand jury: Libby said he had only passed along to reporters unsubstantiated gossip about Plame that he had heard from NBC bureau chief Tim Russert."
...
"At the time that Libby offered his explanation to Cheney, the vice president already had reason to know that Libby's account to him was untrue, according to sources familiar with still-secret grand jury testimony and evidence in the CIA leak probe, as well as testimony made public during Libby's trial over the past three weeks in federal court.

"Yet, according to Libby's own grand jury testimony, which was made public during his trial in federal court, Cheney did nothing to discourage Libby from telling that story to the FBI and the federal grand jury. Moreover, Cheney encouraged then-White House press secretary Scott McClellan to publicly defend Libby, according to other testimony and evidence made public during Libby's trial."
...
"If Libby is found guilty, investigators are likely to probe further to determine if Libby devised what they consider a cover story in an effort to shield Cheney. They want to know whether Cheney might have known about the leaks ahead of time or had even encouraged Libby to provide information to reporters about Plame's CIA status, the same sources said.

"Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and defense attorneys for Libby are expected to begin their closing arguments in the case as early as Tuesday morning. Defense attorneys for Libby had said for months that they were going to call Cheney as a defense witness, but informed Federal District Court Judge Reggie Walton, who has presided over the Libby trial, at the last minute that they were not going to call him after all.

"Had Cheney testified, he would have been questioned about whether he encouraged, or had knowledge of, the leaking of Plame's CIA status. Sources close to the case say that Cheney would have also been sharply questioned as to why, when presented by Libby with what prosecutors regarded as a cover story to explain away Libby's role in the leak, Cheney did nothing to discourage him."

* From Harper's, March 2007:

-- Number of consecutive months that the American workforce has spent more than its take-home pay: 20

-- Number of previous months since the Depression that this had been the case: 0

-- Number of U.S. states where marijuana is the top cash crop: 12

-- Percentage change since 2002 in the number of U.S. teens using illegal drugs: -15

-- Percentage change in the number of adults in their fifties doing so: +63

-- Minimum hourly wage last year of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives: $203.95

-- Minimum wage this year, given new rules that require more hours in session: $139.97

-- Average number of Legos owned by each person worldwide: 75

-- Estimated percentage of U.S. household spending that is controlled or influenced by children under 14: 47

* The Caribbean will be performing music at The Black Cat [1811 14th Street NW] next Wednesday night, February 21 at around 10pm. Shortly thereafter, they head out for a brief trip through the southern US and wind up in Austin, Texas to play at South-By-Southwest. Opening at the Black Cat will be Little Brazil, rockers from beautiful Omaha, Nebraska.

subsequent dates:

March 10: Swanson Reed Contemporary, Louisville, KY
March 11: Ruby Green gallery, Nashville, TN
March 12: White Water Tavern, Little Rock, AR
March 14: The Mohawk, Austin, TX [SXSW - Hometapes Label Showcase]

the caribbean.