A Litte FISA For Ya

There is never any shortage of super-sophisticated cynics to come along and say how none of this matters, how it's so pitifully naive to think that any difference can ever be made, how the System is so Corrupted and the Deck So Stacked Against Us that everything is doomed and defeat is the inevitable option. And there is an element of truth to the premises of that defeatist mindset. The principal reason blogs exist, after all, is precisely because all other institutions intended to provide some adversarial check on what our government does -- the establishment media, the "opposition party," the Congress -- typically do the opposite: they serve as enablers of it rather than checks on it. That's all true enough.

True enough. Precisely why I started blogging.

But what incidents such as this one conclusively demonstrate is that it is always possible, if enough citizen intensity is mustered and the right strategy is formulated, for citizens to disrupt and defeat the best-laid plans of our corrupt political establishment. There's a comfort and temptation in denying that truth. Those who insist that defeat is inevitable and All is Lost are relieved of the burdensome task of trying. But defeat occurs because the right strategy isn't found, not because it is inevitable.

As always, the significance of what has occurred here shouldn't be overstated. The only reason Senate Democrats became angry on Thursday is because Republicans actually refused to allow Democrats to capitulate, as they were ready and eager to do. Senate Republicans blocked Democrats from caving in completely to Bush because they didn't want this issue resolved. They want to ensure that Bush, in Monday's State of the Union address, can accuse Senate Democrats of failing to act on FISA, and thus attack and mock them as being weak on national security and causing the Terrorists to be able to Slaughter Us All.

Glenn Greenwald's take.

Fire At My Place

I was at work when one of the attorneys came in from having his car worked on at the dealership on La Brea Ave. near 6th St. He says there is a four alarm fire at 6th and Detroit, and I just about lost it! I live on the corner of 6th and Detroit, and started freaking out. I got a ride home (since I take public transit) and by the time I got near the area (the streets were blocked off), all I could see were about 30 fire trucks and ambulances and assorted fire vehicles all going up to my building. I started running, but as I crossed La Brea, I could see that it was not my building, but the one next door. The fire department was using my building to pull the hoses up and over.

Man, what an afternoon.

UPDATE: I saw the news, and I am still totally amazed the fire was contained as fast as it was and my building did not catch on fire. It was a 4 alarm fire, 30 fire units, and about 200 firefighters. I'm going to tape it off the news tonight and see if I can capture some video off the TV so I can post it.

UPDATE II: L.A. Times has a video up, shot from the air. Damn.

Welcome To The Hall, Goose

An interesting article about today's steroid use in baseball from newly elected Hall of Famer, Goose Gossage, with these quotes:

"I've been in that situation, trying to prolong my career with the money that was out there to be made at this time in baseball. I can't sit here and say that I would not have done it," he said. "But had I done it, I'm going to face the consequences. And the consequences are, that whether they belong in the Hall of Fame or not, the records can't stand.

I know most that read my blog are aware that I am a sports pig (definition = someone who's into all sports to the point of nauseum to others) and that I occasionally post about teams I like.

Of course, I'm a San Diego Charger fan, but I am also a San Diego Padres fan. I lived in North County (north of San Diego, includes communites that were known as Leucadia, Cardiff, Encinitas, and Solana Beach) from 1975 through 1982, with a brief stint in Hawaii and Los Angeles. It ws during that time that I became a Charger and Padres fan.

As for baseball, though, that was a different story. Having family that hailed from Brooklyn, I was raised as a Dodger fan. I know exactly where I was when listening on the radio when Don Drysdale set a record with 58 consecutive scoreless innings, and I know where I was when listening to Orel "Bulldog" Hershiser break it 20 years later. But, living in San Diego, when Dick Williams took over the Padres, who were a hapless throwaway team before Mr. Williams came along, I would get all the Padres information on the nightly news, hence the interest. I can't remember exactly what year it was, but the team had gone 8 games in a row with wins, so I started paying attention. Next game, they win, making it 9 games. Then there was the 10th game, and the 11th game was at home (and if memory serves me well, it was against the Dodgers, whom later became known as the L.A. Crybabies after that game) which I went to, being the sports pig that I am/was!

What was very interesting was the fact that the stadium was not very full in the late 1970's and early 1980's, so you could just show up at a game, buy any seat available, and sit down in the expensive seats. I still prefer the upper deck in most stadiums, because I like to see the whole field in play when the ball is pitched and hit. Anyway, the point I am getting to is that as a San Diego Padres fan, I got to see a lot of Goose Gossage, who was voted into the Hall of Fame yesterday, along with Dick Williams, who was the coach of the Padres, and the one responsible for getting them to the World Series in 1984.

Goose was a relief pitcher, and at the Padre games, they would give out a pin with Goose's face on it whenever he would save a game.

I know he will have a Yankee jersey represented in the Hall, but I will always remember him as a Padre, and the best relief pitcher I ever saw.

"Are the primaries over yet?"

UPDATE II: To respond to multiple comments and emails, this post critiquing press attitudes towards Hillary doesn't mean I'm a Hillary supporter, just as my previous posts saying good things about Ron Paul didn't mean I was a Paul supporter; just like my posts criticizing Hillary didn't mean I was an Obama supporter; just like my posts criticizing the media's dislike of Edwards and Huckabee didn't mean I was supporting them; just like my posts praising Dodd didn't mean I was a Dodd supporter, etc.

Are the primaries over yet?

Ha, ha, ha. Greenwald's wit made me laugh.