Time for the Speech

I love David E Kelly's Boston Legal. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to sit back with a glass of whiskey and a cigar and laugh my ass off for an hour. And before Boston Legal, there was The Practice. Not as funny and occasionally it took itself way too seriously, but when it hit, you remember it. My favorite speech of all time was given by ADA Richard Bay (the little nebbishy guy who was killed so startlingly at the end of season five) to Helen Gamble, man-eater:

Helen Gamble: I need it, Richard. Give it to me.
Richard Bay: What?
Helen Gamble: The speech. Why we do what we do.
Richard Bay: Oh, I am not really in the mood after...
Helen Gamble: PLEASE, Richard. I NEED it. Please give it to me. And don't just phone it in. Richard Bay: Helen...
Helen Gamble: Please! Can't you see how demoralized I am?
Richard Bay: OK. (takes a deep breath) There are heroes in this world. They're called District Attorneys. They don't get to have clients, people who smile at them at the end of the trial, who look them in the eye and say, "thank you." Nobody is there to appreciate the District Attorney, because we work for the state. And our gratitude comes only from knowing there's a tide out there. A tide the size of a tsunami coming out of a bottomless cesspool. A tide called crime, which, if left unchecked will rob every American of his freedom. A tide which strips individuals of the privilege of being able to, to walk down a dark street or take twenty dollars out of an ATM machine without fear of being mugged. All Congress does is talk, but it's the District Attorney who grabs his sword, who digs into the trenches and fights the fight. Who dogs justice day, after day, after day without thanks, without so much as a simple pat on the back. But we do it. We do it, we do it because we are the crusaders, the last frontier of American justice. Knowing that if a man cannot feel safe, he can never, never feel free.
Helen Gamble: Thank you.

In comments after my last post bubba pointed out the futility of contacting our senators in bright red Texas, like a few voices from the left would sway the opinions of KBH or Cornyn. Hell, given the view from here, in the Belly of the Beast, it feels futile to blog or even vote anymore. What would be the point? Given the amount of hypocrisy in America today, what is the point of even giving a damn about any of it?

Yet, it is in this dark blue hour of need that I think of Helen Gamble, demoralized because her opponents are better funded, have better publicity, and therefore have public opinion (though curiously not the law) on their side. And I think about how sometimes, we all need someone to give us the speech. So here goes:

bubba: I need it, stc. Give it to me.
stc: What?
bubba: The speech. Why we do what we do.
stc: Oh, I am not really in the mood after...
bubba: PLEASE, stc. I NEED it. Please give it to me. And don't just phone it in.
stc: bubba...
bubba: Please! Can't you see how demoralized I am?
stc: OK. (takes a deep breath) There are heroes in this world. They're called Progressives. They don't get to be Pundits, people who smile on Faux News and have others listen to them and say, " Ditto." Nobody is there to appreciate the Progressives, because we speak the truth and for what ever reason, they can't handle the truth. Our gratitude comes only from knowing there's a tide out there. A tide the size of a tsunami coming out of a bottomless cesspool. A tide called incompetence, fear and corruption, which, if left unchecked will rob every American of his freedom. A tide which strips individuals of the rights and privileges provided by our forefathers to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. All Congress does is talk, but it's the Progressive who grabs his pen and his sword, who digs into the muckracking and the talking points, the illegal acts and the cronyism, and fights the fight. Who cries for justice day, after day, after day without thanks, without so much as a simple congressional hearing. But we do it. We do it, we do it because we are the crusaders, the last frontier of American justice. Knowing that if a man does not hear the truth, he may never again be free.
bubba: Thank you.