Rock Art or Smoke Signals? ...

A new post up at Rillito River Park Photos: Rock Art or Smoke Signals? ...

Another failure by corporate-owned and character-deficient Democrats ...

Working to get Democrats a majority was an absolute waste of time and money.

Democrats have retreated from adding new privacy protections to the primary U.S counterterrorism law ...

Rockefeller, smuckafeller ...

In other words, Rockefeller was willing to be a righteous champion for the public option as long as it had no chance of passing (sadly, we just can't do it, because although it has 50 votes in favor, it doesn't have 60). But now that Democrats are strongly considering the reconciliation process -- which will allow passage with only 50 rather than 60 votes and thus enable them to enact a public option -- Rockefeller is suddenly "inclined to oppose it" because he doesn't "think the timing of it is very good" and it's "too partisan." What strange excuses for someone to make with regard to a provision that he claimed, a mere five months ago (when he knew it couldn't pass), was such a moral and policy imperative that he "would not relent" in ensuring its enactment.

Except for, maybe Grijalva, 99.9% of those who have supported the Public Option appear to have been deliberately deceiving their supporters. I wish I believed these people would get their just desserts like getting soundly trounced in an election; having their entire constituency calling up and telling them to start doing their job instead of being a paid corporate pasty; or some other miraculous intervention to turn these turds into decent people instead of public paid conmen.

The goal of journalists ...

... the prime function of establishment journalism in the U.S.: to uncritically amplify the views of those who wield political power. And it is also perfectly consistent with their first mandate: the U.S. is incapable of acts of evil (and certainly incapable of "Terrorism"), which is reserved only for those foreigners who dislike and "protest" the United States.

I wonder, is this mind set taught in journalism class?

In my opinion, journalists as government, or ruling class, propagandists is not limited to the US. I listen to BBC News podcasts and most follow the same style of putting words into their subjects mouths and unquestioningly or deliberately accepting mostly propaganda from those they interview. The BBC and other foreign news organizations may report on topics that American news deliberately ignores but that does not mean that they are any more open minded, logical, thorough or inquisitive than their American counterparts.

"Did Obama just kill the public option?" ...

Well, why not? It was obvious that he was lying every time he sorta, maybe, perhaps supported the Public Option:

Curious

I have to agree that Marshmallow Man Obama is not as bad as Bush The Lesser, but that is so far from a compliment or recommendation that it is embarrassing.

Today's quote ...

Jon Walker, firedoglake.com: “What a strange ‘Democracy’ we live in that an idea is too popular for any to stand against yet it might bring down the whole party and health care reform because many so deeply hate their supporters.”

Information, and more, about Mesothelioma ...

There are an untold number of people who have been exposed to asbestos in varying degrees.

For information about the disease caused by asbestos inhalation visit

Mesothelioma Cancer

NOTE: Linked changed.

Obama, the Marshmallow Man ...

Clueless