Hot Republican VP.....

Oh, and she's smart, capable and more qualified than the Democratic Presidential nominee. So color me surprised when a lefty friend of mine tried to pull the "lacks experience" card against her.

Baltimore Sun Strikes Again....

In a demonstration of its typical sense of good taste, the Baltimore Sun decided to run news of McCain's VP pick directly behind the obituaries and right before the celebrity entertainment section. Way to keep it classy guys. Not even fit to line a bird cage.

Oh Brother....

I'm watching The Messiah's acceptance speech tonight and reading the inevitable drunkblogging.

So three beers in at the end and if G.W. was running this election, there'd be a lot of relevance where there wasn't any.

Rockstar crowd.

Marxism, no surprise.

Raising teachers' salaries??? That's lower than state level. What function, exactly, does he think the president serve.

And this dude is a lying bastard of a politician. Well is from Chicago.

No how, but a lot of "what".

Lot's of olive branch to the PUMAs, using the old "good show, don't stop believing, I have daughters" route. Still, he did pretty much cockslap H.R.C. with his whole less than one month in office as senator decision to run for POTUS.

How do I come away? This is a guy who was compared to McGovern during the primaries, but this dude is Chicago through and through.

Check the drunkblogging and the comments.

I know I didn't have much to say, but neither did he.

Props to McCain for the classy ad.

See you folks for the RNC.

Ummm....

Sorry about last week's BSG post. Really. It's just that... I was a bit overwhelmed. Sorry.

So I watched last night's episode in a bit of an emotional fugue after Natalie died. I loved that particular Six from her first episode. Shooting star, baby. Shooting star. Damn. Then again, I love all the Sixes. And the Eights. And... well frak. I love everyone on that show. Even annoying ass Lee Adamma because idealists are a pain in the ass ,but/because they keep us honest about the shit we do.

Also: Athena. I understand that trip. But still. Frrraaaaaaak.

President Roslin. That is all.

Threes unboxed!!!! OMFG!

Bill Adamma... just... wow. Really.

New theory about the ending? Everyone dies.

After spending several seasons telling people this show wasn't like the bleakest existential trip ever.... No. I mean, it's not that. But frak, BSG.

On a lighter note, Doctor Who kicked ass last night. This season's been really quite spectacular so far. Yay.

Unadulterated Hero Worship....

*Bumped*
I've been gone for a while and what do I return with? This post, that's what. I'm starting a list of Rachel Lucas' "Jesus in a ___" statements. Gawd, is that woman a genius. Every time there's a new one, this post will be updated and bumped. In theory.

• "Jesus in a meadow"
• "Jesus in a frosted mug"
• "Christ with a cigarette"
• "Jesus in a green beret"
  

I know. This is beyond sad. Not like anyone's reading though, so I'm free to wallow in my freakish adulation.

Rundown....

You may be wondering what's up with all the BSG blogging seeing as how it's been the focus of my last four posts. So here's the deal. No, I did not just discover the awesomeness that is Battlestar Galactica. I've been a devoted follower since the mini-series that started it. But I used to feel weird blogging about TV so I didn't. Now I don't care, so I do.

Politics are on hold for a while. And by "for a while" I mean "until I want to again". Don't know how long that will be- not like there's anyone here who cares, neh?

Anyway, tis the season for baseball, ultimate frisbee, and the sort of drinks served in tiki bars that come with those little umbrellas. But we can ignore the umbrella part.

Having Climbed Down...

from the frakking ceiling after Friday's BSG, I'm going to have to rewatch it. Especially because, two weeks!? Nooooooooooooooooooo!

But then, yeah. We'll talk about it.

Doctor Who is awesome, but then it always is (like BSG) except for that episode in season two with the little girl who drew people and they became trapped in the drawing. That one was rubbish. (Like BSG's "Woman King" in season 3.)

Frak!

Frak! Frak! frak! Frak frak frak frak frak frak frak frak FRAK!!!

Frak Athena! Frak!

What the FRAK?!

Holy Frak....

So of all the unlikely events to occur this week, last night's episode of Doctor Who framed the heck out of BSG. And it's all about songs.

Last night Doctor Who was all songs of freedom and unification and self. Held captive, turned in on themselves, and truncated they became songs of mourning and loss and isolation. The Doctor broke the circle and through freedom and reunification the self was reclaimed and the song was both liberated and liberator.

Galactica opens with a song- or rather the chance of reclaiming a song- as Starbuck, after 58 days finds a chance to reconnect with the song/the sound of the universe that gave her Earth and brought her back from the dead (in more ways than one).

Opening credits and our weekly song/prayer for light and grace and peace.

We dive back in and Starbuck gets her chance and so does Athena and Sam and a member of the resistance on Caprica, Barolay, to seek out their respective songs. They jump away in the raptor and Starbuck hears it and it guides her to her comet, which is the basestar.

Disembarkation and Athena's song this week (and pretty much this entire show in iterations) is about re/unification and self reclamation. Here, it's first iteration comes from another eight and it's this: welcome, we missed you, you were right, help us be like you, war. And Athena Kendra Shaws/sings back: "Pick you side and stick with it". Athena's is cleaner, but only on one end (as we'll see later).

Anders' song (this entire frakking season) is acceptance and it's strained and hesitant as he almost tries to access the Cylon computer system. It's cut short by Kara, calling him to come with her. He should stay there because he's more familiar with the raptor's systems which, true. But also, does this place feel like home?

Next there's the Barolay and the six. And their songs are the same and they're both bound in circles of the past. Barolay killed the six on Caprica. Drowned her. And after shouldering by the six is informed of this. Barolay non-graces to repeat the performance and six kills her. And I don't think the six planned that. But Anders and Athena rush in, check for vitals, realize Barolay is dead, and draw their weapons. Anders' gun in the back of the six's head as she kneels on her hands and knees. Natalie, Starbuck, and an eight rush in, and the six's story breaks your frakking heart or you don't frakking have one. But the telling of it is redemption and then she graces that she's glad it's Natalie. Natalie kisses her goodbye, stands, places her hand over Anders' and pulls the trigger. I confess, I cried here.

Hybrid's room and Starbuck listens to the hybrid's god-song trying to discern the strains of her own. It's no good and she orders the plug pulled to allow the raptor to guide the basestar's jump back to the Demetrius. One of the eights who greeted Athena comes in. She's trying to sing Athena's song, but not really understanding it. The eight (and seriously, I really wish they all had names because I love them that frakking much) tries to unplug the hybrid. The hybrid screams like a homing beacon for doomsday and doom answers in the guise of a centurion, who shoots the eight. She falls and her blood runs into the hybrid's pool and the hybrid co-opts Kara's song and as Starbuck listens and tries to sing, it turns to ashes. There are really only two things you can do when your song turns to ash in you mouth: you can choose to be a demon dancing in the fires of destruction or you can choose to be a phoenix. Kara sits on the edge and Natalie gives her permission to become the pheonix. Gives her her song back. And now it's their song.

The eight who was shot by the centurion, rolls over and understands the song Athena sang. She sings it back it back too clear for Athena to hold, asking for recognition of her redemption. She finds it, not in the grasp of a sister who came back without returning, but in the arms of a lost brother who's face she doesn't know to recognize. And Sam's song of acceptance is clear hear, and it's born in mourning. Mourning for a girl who didn't know she was a girl and when she did the world ended/was reborn and she along with it. And I cried here too as Sam closes the eight's eyes. Circle broken. The eight joins the extremely short list of people on this show who managed to make redemption stick. They're all dead. What does that tell you?

Basestar jumps back to Helo and the rest of the crew of the Demetrius several seconds after the clock ran out and three seconds before Helo orders the jump. And it's re/unification songs all over the place.

I haven't said anything about President Roslin's story line this episode, but that's about songs too. I won't get into it right now because this post is big enough as it is.

Just a Thought....

I'm going to propose a completely insane hypothesis as to the identity of the final unknown Cylon model. Don't read any further if you're not interested.






Okay, so what if unboxed three, transformed by her vision of the faces of the final five is last of the final five?


That was it. I don't think that's the case at all, but fun thought experiment-y thing.

I Had to Wake Up for This....

Today in class we discuss conspiracy theories. To be fair, it was brought up by several classmates. However, after letting several people ramble on about how the U.S. government is controlling the drug trade (including one gentleman who thought Iran-Contra took place in Cuba) there was no effort to address the statements made. So.... 15 minutes of conspiracy theories and no effort at damage control.

And people question the value of higher education....

But the Question is....

Since assuming office the first thing on MD Governor, Martin O'Malley's agenda has been the ousting of the State Superintendent of Education, Dr. Nancy Grasmick. Mind you, Dr. Grasmick is the reason MD schools are ranked 3rd in the nation. Just what could be the motivation behind publicly and irrationally launching an offensive against the head of the state's education system?

Well, I could call O'Malley a partisan hack, but that would be too kind. It's no secret, here in the old line state, that our current Gov. has dreams of Pennsylvania Ave. So maybe that in conjunction with the success H.R.C.'s campaign explains why he suddenly seems to have had a change of heart.

Primaries and the Elections

This is my first and last primaries post (and possibly my first and lest elections post). I was a Fred Head. That dream is dead. I'll hold my nose and support McCain instead.

But seriously, folks. Am I thrilled with McCain? No. But he's a damn sight better than Clinton or Obama. Just because I haven't thrown my voice into the discussion until now, doesn't mean that I haven't been paying attention. Generally speaking, I hear two reasons for why we should pack up our toys and go home: McCain is the same as or worse than Cli-Bama; and that the lesser of two evils is still evil.

To the McCain = Clinton/Obama people: I do not understand the world you live in. Other, bloggers with bigger readership and more respect have posted the facts. Reposting them here isn't going to make a difference. But maybe if we're all very lucky, in time when emotions have settled you'll look back on yourselves in these moments with more than a little humility and maybe a little embarrassment.

To the less evil is still evil people: Stop making the perfect the enemy of the good.

Here's the deal, if we lose the war against the Islamicists it won't be because they were smarter or stronger. It will be because we lost focus. And just in case you've forgotten (and I suspect that some of you have) if we fail here, we won't have a country left to fix (or ruin). I know it's unpleasant. Yes, it sucks. It's a lousy set of options we have to choose between, but that's life, and the real world, and adult-hood. And if you're sick of being lectured like petulant children who didn't get their favorite cookie for desert then start acting like rational adults who are deciding the fate of the free world.

Reign it in, people.

Well...Duh....

Turns out the CIA report which cooled so many heels on the threat of Iran's nuclear weapons program was worded less than optimally.

It turns out that on Tuesday, as our Eli Lake reported on page one of yesterday's Sun, the director of national intelligence, Mr. McConnell says he now regrets the phrasing of the unclassified estimate that so stirred America's enthusiasts of diplomacy.

Of course the only people who are probably surprised by this are the people who gleefully proclaimed egg to be on the administration's face. Anyone with a wit of sense realized that any time France agrees with Israel you should pay attention.

Hat tip: Glenn Reynolds

It Took This....

....to get me back.

4 undersea internet cables cut in something like a week. Speculation has been ramping up. I don't know what to make of it, but it stretches the limits of coincidence.

Hat tip: Vodka Pundit

Lawhawk is trying to make heads or tales of it. There are more links at Slashdot.

I suspect primary buzz is a major damper on this story, but it bears keeping a close eye on.

Yeah... I Know

This is finals week. I'm still alive. I'll be spending Christmas in Paris. I'll try to post between now and then with some sort of serious update.

Shades of 2006 Already....

This time it's oil.

Europe’s oil supplies from Russia were being held to ransom last night as the Kremlin fell into bitter dispute with a former Soviet satellite state.

Kinda makes you wonder how long until the next nuclear assassination.

As Suspected....

Several months ago (not sure if I posted about it here or not) I went ahead and requested the free copy of the Qur'an that CAIR was sending out. Naturally it was part of a "understand Islam" thing that stemmed from some Muslim doing something that got Jihad watchers' attention.

I requested a copy for two reasons. One, it's the word from the horse's mouth. Two, I thought it might be a good idea to see what exactly CAIR was passing off to non-Muslims as the text of the Qur'an. Clearly, if they're passing off a sterilized version, then its usefulness is as a primary source is....well.... rubbish.

So it arrived sometime just after Thanksgiving and I put it on my book shelf. I had a some time today so I pulled it down to see if any editing had taken place and so far it looks.... thoroughly sterilized. I did a quick search to locate chapter and verse coordinates for some of the more questionable passages and upon flipping to them in the CAIR provided copy, nada.
The search I've done to point is in no way conclusive or thorough, but the preliminary findings point to CAIR having edited out every anti-semitic phrase in the book.

Even if there was no anti-semitism involved in the current practice of Islam it wouldn't justify editing it out of the book. There are numerous allusions to slavery in the Christian Bible and while slavery is universally condemned in Christian countries when missionaries hand out Bibles, they don't hand out books with all references to slavery omitted.

But anti-semitism is very much a part of current Islamic practice in much of the world so to remove the passages in the Qur'an which feed into that is damning evidence of the actual reasons behind CAIR's efforts. Clearly they are less interested in providing real information than they are in dispensing propaganda.

If my future findings continue along the lines of the ones I've already made then it will be further evidence of CAIR's malign intentions. For what purpose, if not profound, could drive a person or persons to so drastically edit their holy texts?

At any rate it looks like I'm actually going to have to go out and purchase a copy of the Qur'an in order to have my primary source, but I'm not sorry I requested this one from CAIR. It too will serve as a primary source, but not in the manner in which they intended.

Infidel One, signing off.

Of Batman and NATO....

As an old comic book fan I grew up with an understanding of certain things. There are good guys. There are bad guys. Sometimes the good guys have to kick the bad guys asses. And most importantly when people ask "Who are you to do this?" or "Why you?" The answer is "I can distinguish right from wrong and I have the will to act." The will to act is the fundamental super power. (It's really the only one that Batman has.)

Sometimes you'll have allies. Sometimes you won't. The reasons for your company or solitude may vary, but having company or not doesn't ever absolve you of your responsibility to act.
This is really my way of saying there's nothing wrong with unilateral action.

Our reliance on NATO in Afganistan is counter productive. When I say this, I'm not talking about specific member nations, but rather NATO as a whole. Specific member nations are allies, the NATO as a whole is an institution.

As an institution NATO hangs around in Afganistan so that we can say "multi-lateral". This is because multi-lateral is supposed to be the end all be all of all things swell. It's become the goal in itself. Having NATO in Afganistan has turned out to be alot like conveening the JLA for iced mocha lattes while the Legion of Doom is out looting.

But the JLA could always depend on Batman to pick up the slack. If there was a problem that no one wanted to think about or seemed to awful to imagine, Batman would think about it. Batman would imagine it.

(In case you're not following I'm about to compare the United States to Batman).

The U.S. is (for the most part) like Batman in this little construct. We're rich, well trained, smart, our hearts are in the right places, and we're willing to think of the things that other folks aren't. Additionally we are (sometimes) gifted with a will to act that exceeds anything this world has ever known.

We're using NATO in Afganistan to let some of that will slide. NATO isn't picking up the slack.
It's nice for batman when the JLA pulls their weight. A few more shoulders to share the weight of the world is groovy sometimes. But it's not necessary. NATO doesn't want to do the work? Fine. Time for them to take a backseat then.

We can't really afford to continue to stand around with our hands on our hips begging the JLA to actually join the fight. Batman and the few allies who are willing to fight have to step up and put the bad guys down. The JLA can push the broom when we're done.

Spot of Good News....

Now I know that I've been a sporadic blogger as of late, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been paying attention. And over the past week or so, I've watched people get their panties all up in a twist over President Bush talking to Iran and Syria. Well, here it is- the end of the world.

WASHINGTON — As pressure mounts for the United States to seek direct talks on Iraq with Iran and Syria, President Bush appeared Tuesday to rule out any change in his administration's policy toward those Iraqi neighbors.

Or not. Of course it is the LA Times and this is the same President who appeared to rule out firing Rumsfeld (just before he fired him), so who's to say....
Still, I know I'm not alone in hoping that this is one story we can take to the bank.