i L i n d . n e t

A reader made this request a few days ago: “If possible, please post a dog video on Monday morning. That last one of Alice Brown was such a nice way to start the week off.”

So, by popular demand, here’s your Monday morning link to Ms. Amedine’s video, unedited because I haven’t figured that process out yet. Warning–it’s a large file so think twice if you’ve got a dial-up connection.

Amedine is now our most regular morning beach dog. This title used to go to Mr. Axel, but he’s got health issues and no longer makes his long daily walks along the beach. Anyway, enjoy Ms. Amedine’s small repertoire of tricks.

KHON-2 (Fox News) had a rather uncritical report on the Republican State Convention last night. No mention of intra-party infighting started by a conservative faction critical of the more moderate party leadership. No mention of the dwindling number of GOP members in the legislature.

But KHON did emphasize the optimistic boast that the party has been adding new members.

“Well this is an important time for the republican party and for the state because it helps us to maintain a strong two party system,” Gov. Linda Lingle said.

And officials say their ranks are growing.

“1,005 new members just this year, since I last reported at the convention last year we’ve got new donors, we got new party members,” Republican party chair Willes Lee said.

But just a few months ago the Democrats registered 30,000 new members at party’s precinct caucuses. Perhaps adding that little factoid to KHON’s bubbly GOP convention report might have provided viewers some much needed perspective.

Wow. BlueOregon.com, another member of the State Blogger Corps, describes the Obama rally in Portland that drew 75,000 people. We walk this part of the city every morning when we visit Portland, and the video of the rally is mind blowing. The drawn out primary season certainly hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm, if this is any evidence.

I’ve gotten used to checking out the recorded arguments in cases before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. So when I saw a story about oral arguments in the case of former USA Today reporter Toni Locy, I went to check it out and was surprised to find this notice on the DC Circuit’s web site. Basically, in the DC Circuit, recordings of oral arguments are secret and not available to the public. Only those directly involved in a case, either an attorney or their client, may listen to the recordings any time before the case is finally resolved, including all appeals or other proceedings. Lucky you live in the 9th Circuit.

And thanks to Juliet Begley for her comments on a book by Murat Kurnaz, Five Years of My Life: An Innocent Man in Guantanamo.

We all know that intellectually the use of torture does not necessarily get one useful information - but with Mr. Kurnaz’s account you realize that this is not even about information, its about breaking people down…..and extracting revenge…..

Mr. Kurnaz describes the use of solitary confinement - the debasing of one’s religion - the food that never came - the lies that one would be told by the guards - the incessant beatings by the guards - the use of hot and cold - the small cages that they were put in - the grade levels of incarceration - the prisoners who would just disappear…….the drownings, the medical treatments…..or lack there of……

It is barbaric. Remember the public officials that swamped to Guantanamo just to let us know that they had visited and it was “fine” ? (In Hawaii they included such leading lights as Congressman Case and Jerry Coffey of MidWeek, and a POW.)