By Sylvia Gurinsky
With apologies to the memory of Charles Dickens, it was the best of times, it was a remembrance of the worst of times......
South Floridians rejoiced last week at the news that Andre Dawson, Miami-born and raised, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
A terrific fielder and hitter, Dawson, nicknamed "Hawk," played the second half of his career for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins on badly damaged knees from the first half of his career with the Montreal Expos and the artificial turf in Olympic Stadium. That makes his achievement all the more extraordinary.
Speaking of artificial, the issue of steroids was raised yet again by the confessions of Mark McGwire Monday that he had, indeed, used them. It wasn't a perfect confession by any means, but it's further than previous confessed steroid users have gone.
Evidently, too, judging by the comments of former U.S. Rep. Tom Davis Monday, McGwire would have gone that far in the 2005 Congressional hearings that Davis chaired, except that then-U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would not agree to immunity for McGwire. One has to wonder if anything would have changed in baseball if Gonzales, who showed a tendency to make the wrong decision on most issues, had agreed to immunity for Big Mac.
McGwire likely won't be prosecuted. But he likely will never go into the Hall of Fame, either.
McGwire's comments illustrate the problems Major League Baseball still faces in handling the complete truth about steroids, human growth hormone and whatever else has been used by players.
The only good thing about the so-called Steroid Era is that it has definitely put more focus on players like Dawson, who played before baseball's ugliest chapter since the Black Sox Scandal began. Thanks to that focus, Dawson is where he belongs - in Cooperstown. The Hawk soars anew.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Jan. 12: Say No To FPL - Again
By Sylvia Gurinsky
This week, the Florida Public Service Commission will decide whether Florida Power & Light should get that large rate increase they've been going after.
If 10,000 angry Broward County residents who lost their power earlier this week don't give PSC the answer, then all the other news about FPL during the last few weeks and months should:
*The problems at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant;
*The tendency of FPL executives to try to get cushy with PSC commissioners, to the point where a couple of those commissioners had to be replaced;
*The luxury living of a few of those FPL executives, and their reluctance to disclose their full salaries and benefits;
And:
*The continued bad economy in Florida.
With those reasons, obviously, PSC's answer to FPL should be the same one it gave Progress Energy yesterday: NO.
This week, the Florida Public Service Commission will decide whether Florida Power & Light should get that large rate increase they've been going after.
If 10,000 angry Broward County residents who lost their power earlier this week don't give PSC the answer, then all the other news about FPL during the last few weeks and months should:
*The problems at the Turkey Point nuclear power plant;
*The tendency of FPL executives to try to get cushy with PSC commissioners, to the point where a couple of those commissioners had to be replaced;
*The luxury living of a few of those FPL executives, and their reluctance to disclose their full salaries and benefits;
And:
*The continued bad economy in Florida.
With those reasons, obviously, PSC's answer to FPL should be the same one it gave Progress Energy yesterday: NO.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Jan. 11: Was Reid Quote Leak Meant To Sabotage Health Care Bill?
By Sylvia Gurinsky
While seemingly everyone is jumping on U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for his statements about then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, the furor generates a couple of questions in this corner.
*Who leaked Reid's comments, published in the book "Game Change," written by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann about the 2008 presidential campaign? They weren't in the press releases from the publishers, according to Politico.com.
*Why, in a book that has interesting revelations about everyone from Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin and John Edwards (no, not together), are Reid's comments drawing the most scrutiny - especially when he's already apologized to Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder has defended him?
Many will say the discussion is about race; Republicans who drop-kicked former Majority Leader Trent Lott after his comments praising "Dixiecrat" Strom Thurmond's presidential campaign of 1948 claim hypocrisy.
Perhaps there's another reason: Health care.
A lot of people don't like the versions of the health care legislation the two houses of Congress passed - particularly the Senate's version, which completely dropped any semblance of a public option.
Unquestionably, Reid goofed in his statements. But did someone want revenge against Reid over health care, and thus used this quote to do it? It's worth thinking about.
While seemingly everyone is jumping on U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for his statements about then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, the furor generates a couple of questions in this corner.
*Who leaked Reid's comments, published in the book "Game Change," written by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann about the 2008 presidential campaign? They weren't in the press releases from the publishers, according to Politico.com.
*Why, in a book that has interesting revelations about everyone from Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin and John Edwards (no, not together), are Reid's comments drawing the most scrutiny - especially when he's already apologized to Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder has defended him?
Many will say the discussion is about race; Republicans who drop-kicked former Majority Leader Trent Lott after his comments praising "Dixiecrat" Strom Thurmond's presidential campaign of 1948 claim hypocrisy.
Perhaps there's another reason: Health care.
A lot of people don't like the versions of the health care legislation the two houses of Congress passed - particularly the Senate's version, which completely dropped any semblance of a public option.
Unquestionably, Reid goofed in his statements. But did someone want revenge against Reid over health care, and thus used this quote to do it? It's worth thinking about.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Jan. 7: Look At the Evidence, Dr. Casson
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Evidently, Dr. Ira Casson isn't a fan of the television show "Hawaii Five-O."
On "Journey Out of Limbo," a 1972 episode of the long-running police program, Dr. Bergman (played by Al Eben), the Five-O physician/coroner, compared the bout of amnesia by Five-O detective Dan Williams (played by James MacArthur) to the temporary amnesia suffered by National Football League players with concussions. That's almost 40 years ago.
But Casson, who recently stepped down as co-chair of the NFL's committee on concussions, has decried any link between concussions and brain injuries, and did so again Monday during a U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing in Detroit. He complains that it's politics, or maybe steroid use.
Never mind that a number of former football players who are personal evidence to the contrary also testified Monday. Never mind the recent firing of Texas Tech University Coach Mike Leach over his treatment of a player who had received a concussion.
And never mind the decades of details, not just on fictional television shows, but in hundreds of news reports and university studies.
That's not politics, Dr. Casson. That's evidence.
Evidently, Dr. Ira Casson isn't a fan of the television show "Hawaii Five-O."
On "Journey Out of Limbo," a 1972 episode of the long-running police program, Dr. Bergman (played by Al Eben), the Five-O physician/coroner, compared the bout of amnesia by Five-O detective Dan Williams (played by James MacArthur) to the temporary amnesia suffered by National Football League players with concussions. That's almost 40 years ago.
But Casson, who recently stepped down as co-chair of the NFL's committee on concussions, has decried any link between concussions and brain injuries, and did so again Monday during a U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing in Detroit. He complains that it's politics, or maybe steroid use.
Never mind that a number of former football players who are personal evidence to the contrary also testified Monday. Never mind the recent firing of Texas Tech University Coach Mike Leach over his treatment of a player who had received a concussion.
And never mind the decades of details, not just on fictional television shows, but in hundreds of news reports and university studies.
That's not politics, Dr. Casson. That's evidence.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Jan. 6: Save Anderson's Corner
By Sylvia Gurinsky
Miami-Dade County is doing the right thing with its $500-a-day fine to the owners of the historic Anderson's Corner in the Redland:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1398661.html
So-called "demolition by neglect" has already damaged or destroyed other historic structures across Dade. Some of those structures are acknowledged as old, but not protected with historical classification. On the other hand, Anderson's Corner is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There is no excuse for its current condition.
The State of Florida also sees the structure as historic. As the non-profit Florida Trust For Historic Preservation receives nominations for the Most Endangered Historic Sites for 2010, Anderson's Corner should go at the top of that list.
And if the building owners don't clean up, Dade officials should also turn to the state - whose government has the power of eminent domain. If need be, that power can be used to preserve this literal corner of South Dade's history.
Miami-Dade County is doing the right thing with its $500-a-day fine to the owners of the historic Anderson's Corner in the Redland:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1398661.html
So-called "demolition by neglect" has already damaged or destroyed other historic structures across Dade. Some of those structures are acknowledged as old, but not protected with historical classification. On the other hand, Anderson's Corner is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There is no excuse for its current condition.
The State of Florida also sees the structure as historic. As the non-profit Florida Trust For Historic Preservation receives nominations for the Most Endangered Historic Sites for 2010, Anderson's Corner should go at the top of that list.
And if the building owners don't clean up, Dade officials should also turn to the state - whose government has the power of eminent domain. If need be, that power can be used to preserve this literal corner of South Dade's history.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Jan. 5: More Should Investigate Turkey Point
By Sylvia Gurinsky
John Dorschner's excellent story yesterday about the Turkey Point nuclear power plant should have been on The Miami Herald's front page, period, not just the front page of the paper's "Business Monday" section:
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/business-monday/story/1407423.html
The story illustrates fears many South Floridians have about nuclear power, Florida Power & Light and a combination of the two.
If FPL is busy cleaning up, remember that the company is in the middle of a major public relations campaign to try to get Florida's Public Service Commission to approve a large rate hike on consumers.
Dorschner's story shines a light on the true FPL. So should the Florida Legislature and the United States Congress, with hearings. South Florida's largest public utility needs to have all the ways it operates Turkey Point made exactly that - public.
John Dorschner's excellent story yesterday about the Turkey Point nuclear power plant should have been on The Miami Herald's front page, period, not just the front page of the paper's "Business Monday" section:
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/business-monday/story/1407423.html
The story illustrates fears many South Floridians have about nuclear power, Florida Power & Light and a combination of the two.
If FPL is busy cleaning up, remember that the company is in the middle of a major public relations campaign to try to get Florida's Public Service Commission to approve a large rate hike on consumers.
Dorschner's story shines a light on the true FPL. So should the Florida Legislature and the United States Congress, with hearings. South Florida's largest public utility needs to have all the ways it operates Turkey Point made exactly that - public.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Jan. 4: TSA Appointment Needs More Scrutiny (But Not For DeMint's Reason)
By Sylvia Gurinsky
The issue of whether Erroll Southers would allow unionization and collective bargaining by Transportation Security Administration employees is no reason to disqualify him from becoming director of the agency.
The issue of whether Southers has told the truth about what he did with an FBI computer more than 20 years ago is another story.
Going into the weekend, the primary issue was the holdup of Southers' nomination by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina. DeMint has been putting up a stop sign over Southers' refusal to suggest he would stop TSA employees from unionizing.
Since unions have played a strong role in improving work conditions in this country, one wonders what DeMint has against them. The assumption here is that his primary opposition is that unions tend to favor Democratic candidates for political office. Tsk, tsk, Senator.
A bigger matter - which DeMint and his Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle should look more closely at - is what Southers has said about what he did when he was an FBI agent two decades ago. Separated from his wife, Southers did two computer searches to access records of her boyfriend.
However, Southers recently seems to have suffered from that Iran-Contra-style amnesia that afflicted members of the Reagan Administration two decades ago. In Southers' case, he didn't come clean from the beginning when he testified to Congress in his TSA confirmation hearings. He said he didn't remember. Tsk, tsk, Mr. Southers.
Especially after the Christmas Day scare on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, the issue of who heads the TSA needs to be resolved quickly. But the Senate also needs to ensure that person is above reproach. How about calling Southers back for one more hearing before the vote?
The issue of whether Erroll Southers would allow unionization and collective bargaining by Transportation Security Administration employees is no reason to disqualify him from becoming director of the agency.
The issue of whether Southers has told the truth about what he did with an FBI computer more than 20 years ago is another story.
Going into the weekend, the primary issue was the holdup of Southers' nomination by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina. DeMint has been putting up a stop sign over Southers' refusal to suggest he would stop TSA employees from unionizing.
Since unions have played a strong role in improving work conditions in this country, one wonders what DeMint has against them. The assumption here is that his primary opposition is that unions tend to favor Democratic candidates for political office. Tsk, tsk, Senator.
A bigger matter - which DeMint and his Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle should look more closely at - is what Southers has said about what he did when he was an FBI agent two decades ago. Separated from his wife, Southers did two computer searches to access records of her boyfriend.
However, Southers recently seems to have suffered from that Iran-Contra-style amnesia that afflicted members of the Reagan Administration two decades ago. In Southers' case, he didn't come clean from the beginning when he testified to Congress in his TSA confirmation hearings. He said he didn't remember. Tsk, tsk, Mr. Southers.
Especially after the Christmas Day scare on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, the issue of who heads the TSA needs to be resolved quickly. But the Senate also needs to ensure that person is above reproach. How about calling Southers back for one more hearing before the vote?
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