Interesting segue from the first item, "More Americans are self-identifying as LGBT," to the second, "Fire randomly ignites on middle of sidewalk in Gayville, USA."

Coincidence? Hardly.

PSE purchased the assets of the ancient Washington Natural Gas company about twenty years ago. I don't know that they completely understood what they were buying.

Sir Toby II @3, terrific comment. Neera Tanden was alway going to be the sacrificial lamb among Biden's cabinet nominees, and the controversial nominee who could draw heat away from the other potentially controversial nominees. Forgive the additional graphic term, but she was always going to be the scalp that Joe Manchin could take back to his constituents in WV to say, "Hey, see? I'm no rubber stamp for Joe Biden."

The fact that Manchin is ready to approve Deb Haaland for Interior is proof of that. Substantively, Haaland is more controversial. She's also more vital to the Biden agenda. I bet Tanden will admit in a private moment that, if that's what it took to got Haaland through, it was worth it to take that one for the team.

BTW, a trivial observation. Whenever I think about "vocal fry," I think of two individuals: Kim Kardashian and Neera Tanden.
https://time.com/5006345/what-is-vocal-fry/

Why is there always a double standard applied to Democrats though? What sacrificial lambs do the Republicans ever offer? Each agency pick from Trump was more reprehensible than the last. Why do Republicans need to be thrown a bone? What bones to they throw Democrats? It is always Democrats who are expected to meet in the middle and lean across the aisle, while the GOP gets to constantly redefine where the middle is. It's never the other way around. I'm tired of taking some imaginary high road. All its led to is the democratic party being a goddamn doormat.

@7 Agreed and seconded, Brent. Well said and summarized. I'm still eagerly waiting for the death of the GOP, now the Party of QAnon, if not Trump. I cannot be around anyone who worships these willful degenerates.

@7: Is the high road imaginary? The elevated path is always apparent, though often difficult to navigate for the cynical and uninspired.

@9: "I feel you........but..." You lost me at "but", Toby. But-but-but...but WHAT? The GOP and its enablers have got to go. Period.
Democrats are law-abiding and more willing to at least try to see across the aisle. RepubliKKKans are totally lawless, self-serving crooks who wrongfully view themselves as immune to the consequences of their willfully criminal actions, hypocrisy, misogyny, and racism. Now the GOP is guilty of inciting violent insurgence and disorder in addition to their corruption. Trump and its allies, along with every Proud Boy, Patriot Player, member of QAnon militia, additional participants who stormed the Capitol who marched, scaled the wall and broke into the Capitol Building, defacing government property and threatening the lives of elected officials, and every Capitol police officer who stood for selfies, allowing the attack on the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 that disrupted what should have been a peaceful transition of administrative power MUST be held accountable to the full extent of the law. I quote Rep Jamie Raskin, Maryland, fighting back tears at Trump's second impeachment trial: "This cannot be our future!"
RepublikKKans have proven that their party is unfit to govern. They cannot be trusted and do not represent the majority of the people of the United States. If we are truly to have a healthy democracy the GOP must cease to exist.

Of course we encourage young people and men whose intimate behavior is nobody else's damn business be generous with their blood. But I hope they aren't cherishing visions of that blood being flown on refrigerated airplanes to Haiti as they munch away at their powdered donuts. Their blood will be separated and sold to maximized profit-driven corporations, especially pharmaceuticals. (The same "your altruism = our bottom line applies to organ and cadaver donation too, without even the 15th C. Catholic Church's "As soon as a coin in the coffer rings / the soul from purgatory springs." pretext of reciprocating virtue). So I say we all just hand boxes of donuts over the counter when asked for our co-pay.

@11 For a heathy democracy we need a one party system? Maybe you mean no more Trumpism?

@11: "If we are truly to have a healthy democracy the GOP must cease to exist."

A democracy includes one's political adversaries. Please make a note of it.

@12,

Do you have a credible link to back up that assertion? I know the Red Cross has some damning blemishes on their record, but I've certainly never seen or heard anything to suggest that donated blood isn't going to those in dire need.

No-one (sane) is proposing a one-party state.

The notion that the GOP has got to go includes the idea that it's replaced by a right wing party that shares a consensus on reality with the rest of the country and isn't on a short path to straight-up fascism.

@17: Democracy and being choosy don't pair well.

@18 LOL - The entire point of democracy is to choose, you muppet.

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

H. L. Mencken

@19: Choosey in terms of who your opponents are, as opposed to who you vote for.

@7 - I think you are referring to Harriet Meyers.

@16 - Completely agree. There are for-profit plasma centers but the blood banks are different.

14, "A democracy includes one's political adversaries. Please make a note of it."

These adversaries are trying to destroy democracy. I am not opposed to political adversaries. I am opposed to enemies of democracy trying to run the show. We could have multiple parties. Progressives, moderates dems, moderate conservatives, conservatives, etc. There are plenty of adversarial relationships to be had among those groups. However it's completely unacceptable to dive head first into white supremacy and treason, and make those things the focal point of your political party. That is the antithesis of democracy.

@7,

The democrats are the only party with a lot of elected members who want a democratic government. There are some independents who also want democracy. The republicans, though, are fascists. They don't want democracy, so they do nothing but obstruct and cause damage. They aren't going to change either. They'll either continue this way in our current weakened democracy, or at some point they'll successfully overthrown the government and install their fascist dictatorship.

The democrats (and all other non-fascist politicians) should ignore the republicans. However, loads and loads of democrat voters are naïve, stupid, or in denial that the republicans are fascists and demand that the democrats work with the fascists or they won't vote for democrats anymore.

@25,

Yeah I'd agree with that. A cult of fascists.

@23: Nevertheless, Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy are not going to politely step aside.

@28,

Jesus fucking christ! McConnell is 79 and he's the 7th oldest?!

There's only 50 of them and one out of five were born when goddamn Pearl Harbor was bombed. They're OLDER than the fucking baby boomers. Those fossils need to retire, like, 10 years ago.

Clearly the fascist lunacy that is the GOP cuts across all generational lines.

I'm not even suggesting ONLY the elderly fascist cult party members should be out. The democrats have plenty of codgers in there as well who should be retired.

A few seniors in the group is fine, but when you've got about 20% of them in an age range that represents probably half or a third as much in the rest of the population, you've got an out of touch, unrepresentative senate. Of course, they're unrepresentative and out of touch in a lot more ways than age alone, but that's another story.

Republicans are horrible people.

This USA has clearly way too many white supremacist, fascist assholes which we have to contend with. A number of SPD were active at the capital on January 6 which underlines the need to DEFUND the POLICE to provide more social services for the needy people in this city.