Unfortunately, the news cycle is being dominated by those who specialize in fake news Since the media lost their desire to do actual reporting during the past eight years, we are stuck with what is delivered.

Every cable and news show has lies and inaccurate reporting that never gets challenged, by anyone. "There were only three, only three" yet I here nothing about the scores of tortured prisoners who were raped or ended up dead.

The media went along with the Bush regime in perpetrating the lies that led to the war. They were willing cheerleaders.

Even Woodward was more interested in writing his trilogy on Bush than exposing the lies. He was too busy reading his own press clippings.

We are in trouble when we are relying on the same White House Press Corps that allowed questioning by a male prostitute without anyone caring. Democracy is not going to be saved by these lazy, self absorbed media clowns.

Instead of Walter Cronkite, we have Sean Hannity. Nuff Said.

If the folks of the USA don't wake up shortly....they'll be living in the USSA.

She gives good evidence that America is going from a 3 class system with a huge middle class into a 2 class system with some rich and then the rest (and no middle class). The rich don't see problems and the poor feel helpless.

This is why when Obama got elected the jubilation was palpable. The masses though he was THIER guy who would stop the trend and re-grow the middle class. Unfortunately the dream is fading fast and some now see Obama not being able to bring back the past.

Sirotas article doesn't do enough to define why the public is apathetic so far. Maybe they still hope Obama's term is young and he needs a chance. Hope isn't faded enough. Reality and potential denial are still a step away. The public knows it only gets to vote every couple of years and anger at Obama doesn't have a groundswell yet. This article is written too early so may be either prescient or laughably wrong.

Of course, David Sirota is right! We are far past the day when it was necessary to dig up the worms. The corpse is long dead and fetid. The worms have crawled out of the belly-button, mouth and anus of our government of, by and for the people, and you can fill your bait-can by the handful by just grabbing.

There are no remedies for the toxins that laid our Constitution and republic low, because the self-perpetuating two major parties serve the same corporate and imperial constituency. The word is out: the problems this country faces are not solvable within an economic framework of capitalism. It's no longer a question of regulation v. unbridled laissez-faire. Even under the most equitable regulatory conditions and unprecedented efforts to redistribute wealth from the excessive haves to the populous have-nots, the tolls of climate change and assorted miseries that will come from it will impoverish billions of us on every continent. These miseries are a decade or two away. In the meantime, the struggles for control of what is left of natural resources will generate severe threats in terrorism and mass warfare. Get what you can while you can for the end is near!

In the White House, we have replaced our failed oil executive with a preacher who thinks he can make the lions lie down with the lambs. It is the politics he knows, and it displaces principles. It displaces past promises. It displaces constitutional rights. It has only one defect: it does not work!

...and salivating over the latest revelations from Case de Goselin and John Edwards' purported love child than they are educating themselves about complicated policy issues which involve trade-offs.

Our soundbite-driven media culture doesn't help. And politicians don't want to acknowledge the extent of out problems for fear of being labeled "defeatist" by their adversaries. The best is yet to come, right?

Mr. Sirota what are you saying? That 75% of the American public should smash all 4 television sets in their homes and, you know, like read books, and learn to ferret out and be able to discern relevant facts from bogus talking points and then engage their family, friends, and neighbors on topics more important and less banal than the weather or little Johnnie or Julie's soccer game or beauty pagent results.

Never, gonna, happen. This is America. People like to be braindead and think and believe precisely what they choose to think and believe. It is the very essence of American liberty--to be as misinformed and irrational as one chooses. Reality and an "I am my brother's keeper" worldview is anathema to everything our rugged individualistic meritocracy is all about dontchyaknow. To believe or conduct ourselves otherwise would make us "teh evil socialists" just like all our mamby pamby cheese eating surrender monkey allies that have national health care and safety nets and stuff like higher infant mortality rate and quality affordable schools. But then again we've got really fast shiny planes and highly explosive missles which are really good for killing anybody who doesn't think or pray like we do.

Our national motto shouldn't be E Pluribus Unum it should be "Ego Fui Mei, Suckas" or "Cruciamentum Is Incolumitus" i.e. I Got Mine, Suckas or Torture Equals Safety.

Americans are awesome. Shit if it wasn't for Americans the 80% of the world's population that isn't American might actually get to make up their own governments and rules and stuff. But I know for a fact that were it not for Americans there wouldn't be McDonald's hamburgers available almost everywhere around the globe with the exception of Antarctica probably.

it must be passive, how can it be active?

in a democracy, it pays to read news, it pays to join citizen action groups, because citizens can control politicians.

in an oligarchy, not so. when you can't vote, why waste your time following politics?

"but i can vote" you say...

for what? only for which of two groups of bandits will run the nation for the wealthy.

a nation without citizen initiative is a nation of serfs and grandees. the serfs only need to know which bandit might hurt them less, and they can only know if they are better or worse off than before the last election.

if you want citizenship- you must have democracy. sirota, and greenwald, and conason just want readers. it's how they make a living. the people who read their protests are serfs, for they never translate outrage into action.