Carter should have figured it out? Bwa?

Oh my. The expectations of SG-1 fans when a favorite from that show is shown on the final episode of its spin-off, Atlantis.

Carter was *there*! Why did she not use her stupendous, brilliant brain to solve the problem and get right to it? Huh? Huh?

Now, think about it for a moment. Is she the current star of Atlantis? Is she the resident brain or even ONE of its resident brains? Is it called "Stargate: Atlantis: Carter"?  WHO and WHAT is that show all about? Now, think on this for a few minutes. That's right.

Now, what is your conclusion?

Think on this, then: virtually every base commander has huge responsibilities...usually to give commands and make command decisions. That means that base commanders can't futz around in laboratories, nor spend time diddling around with the problem when they have a larger view to take--that of EVERY one under their command. And yes, that means even temporary base commanders.

Now, think on this. Had Carter used her Commander Cojones to ORDER Sheppard to the Ancient's Chair at Area 51 right off the bat, no wasting time on stupid heroics, the chair would have not been destroyed, and the entire final section of the battle would have been avoided. In effect, it's CARTER'S fault that the earth is now defenseless!

Of course, none of this is the *character's" faults. They're only as stupid as the writers who write them, and man, everyone (except Zelenka) shared in massive stupidity in the final episode of Atlantis.

So, dear SG-1 fans who love Carter...no, of course she wasn't going to Save the Day (tm). That was not her job. Too bad her many scenes eliminated so many from Teyla. I would have appreciated more lines and scenes with her.

(no subject)

I've got a confession to make. I'm an advice column junky. I love them. I read Ann Lander, Ask Beth, Carolyn Hax, Miss Manners, and another one on Slate than I'm mind-wiping on the name of, and even some of the less main-stream ones when I find them (and remember to book mark them).  I could spend hours reading back-logged columns. And I have.

This letter to Dear Margo (you can currently read it in today's Yahoo page) goes like this:

DEAR MARGO: My middle son as a child and teenager was warm, loving and well-mannered. I adored him then and still do. The problem is that when he married (16 years ago), his wife seemed to make it her mission in life to keep our son out of our lives. We no longer hear from him on Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, or any day, for that matter. If we call him, he always seems happy to talk to us, and we make it a point to also spend 20-30 minutes chatting with our daughter-in-law. We have two other sons who are extremely close to us. I don't understand what happened, and although we have tried many times to bring him closer to his family again, it isn't happening. I'm now 62 years old and fear that I will leave this earth with only two of my sons beside me. It's tearing me up emotionally. I love my children and I miss my son indescribably. What can I do?

 

--- DISTRESSED MOTHER

 

Now, this letter has all kinds of odd working in it. You can read Margo's answer here. I don't know how much this letter was edited, but I can tell you right now, my answer to this insecure woman would be, "DM, sit and listen. Not every child of yours is going to want to be as close to you as your other children. He's a MIDDLE child. Does that tell you something? What other family dynamics are going on there, dearie? And why are you jumping on your poor son's wife? It's her responsibility that he's backed away? It's been 16 years. Is she an abuser? Do you have proof? Are there grandchildren involved that you're not talking about? Perhaps he simply does not want to be in your pocket. That's often why sons and daughters move away in all senses of the word. They need *space* to be themselves. You don't know: he could be living a polyamorous lifestyle and be bisexual, but knows you wouldn't ever accept that. Maybe he's a swinger. Maybe, he's even a white vanilla type of guy who simply wants to cleave unto his wife and not his over-reliant mother."

I dunno. There's a lot I could say to a mother like this. And here's a woman who's an example to all mothers everywhere: Let Your People Go. You raised 'em. Trust 'em. If they loved you, they'll come back.

And she's 62. That's not exactly over the hill these days. She's got plenty of years ahead of her. Has she even tried to visit her darling sweet middle child son? No indication of that. Mom needs a hobby other than her close sons.

this is scary stuff.

Fascinating article about how the ICU treatments may actually be harming the patients they're supposed to helping by over medicating narcotics and sedatives and not allowing the patients contact with reality, for weeks at a time. Even a short stay of a few days can devastate a person years later.