So long Galactica, we hardly frakkin' knew ya!

Battlestar Galactica ended Friday night. I know I'm sad about it. And I just can't figure out why beyond its over. The ending was done in a style that is very much like MASH's final episode. Everyone got their 5 minute send off, even the smaller parts, and not in the way you expected either.

The saddest has to be Lee's. He wants to go off exploring, about to invite Kara, and she vanishes. Equally sad 2 weeks after the fact is just how alone he is. He's no friend of the Tighs. His father is mourning Rosalyn and all the opurtunity and living he lost by not acting sooner (and probably taking relief from the burdens of the Fleet). Helo and Athena have a kid to raise, he despises Baltar, and with Dee killing herself just weeks before he's all alone.

Sadder still that I just remembered Dee. That's what losing all hope comes to, but also a cold warning to not place too high expectations on anything. But will we repeat the mistakes? Who knows. We'll soon find out about the Plan and Caprica soon enough.

CSM, my guilty pleasure paper

I read the Christian Science Montitor and probably brought about its demise as a daily paper. That's because I only read the online version. IT has decent reporting, good guest columns and from time to time, interesting blogs.

I'll take 2 that appeared on my iGoogle page today:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0312/p09s01-coop.html
Is why can't we teach critical thinking if it is the most essential skill. I think I've said a lot on that the past few weeks, but agree that I've been sloppy, incomplete and maybe prejudiced. But I realize that, so does that make it any less critical?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0310/p09s01-coop.html
This is some critical thinking by an Evangelical, the irony there. I could've told him most of that. But than you took a 1600+ old heresy of the Gnostics, used it to justify slavery, and have pushed everything from Temperance/Prohibition to faux-science and even religion without even having a theology. Bad ideas die for one simple reason, they're bad ideas.

Worst Senate Leaders Ever?

This idea actually first came from Charles Krauthiemer of all people, Harry Reid is the most inefectual Senate leader ever. I'd also add that Mitch McConnel should be added to that list. Both these guys deserve each other. They're afraid to bring any debate or policy fights to the floor of the Senate.

Reid is constantly out maneuvered by both the House leadership (on both sides), the White House (Da Chimp Shrub 43, and Big Ears Big Ideas 44).

McConnel has been made impotent because now only 1 person needs to break ranks on a party line vote, and there will always be between 3-6 who will break ranks because they're not as kooky as the base of his party.

Both fail to grasp that there is a coalittion of about a dozen (Gang of 14 anyone?) who really run the Senate. It is bipartisian, most of them fairly popular outside of their states and not with the bases of their parties. These are the Democrats favorite Republicans and the Republicans favorite Democrats. I'll ignore Republicans dropping the "ic" when referring to the Democratic Party where as the person of the party is a registered Democrat for now.

So Mr Inept leader, and Mr Impotent leader, enjoy each other. You're the only Senate leaders we go. God save the country.