Smoke & Mirrors

Surfing through various news sources at various times of the day, I now take note that a big chunk of the 24-hour news cycle is devoted to the non-story of the boy who was not in the balloon. The father, it seems, was hungry to have his face on television screens around the world. His wish has been more than generously fulfilled by the networks and the cable channels.

Ah, well. I suppose there's really not much else of importance to be talking about. Health care, the economy, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran... trivial stuff when compared with a six-year old boy who just might have been in a balloon as it drifted photogenically through the Colorado skies--but turned out to to have been.

No wonder the rest of the world looks at us funny. We've lost our minds. The insurance companies, at least, must be breathing a long sigh of relief, with whatever attention span we once had now distracted from their grand rip-off scheme. I wonder, could they have financed this gift from the media gods?

Talk about smoke and mirrors, friends! Before we know it, our pockets will have been thoroughly picked--again!--by the wealthiest among us.

(This morning's news suggests that support for the public option seems to be gaining a bit of ground. I'll keep my fingers crossed.)