Fajitagate

No matter how many times I encounter this term I can't help but break into a stupid little grin. At times I am amazed on the English language's ability to create new terms. This case in particular is the addition of the suffix -gate to denote a type of scandal, a la Watergate. An example would have been the fraudulent Bush National Guard documents and the Dan Rather report called "Rathergate." I think the whole Prince Harry with the Nazi armband thing has been called "Nazigate."

Hence Fajitagate, a scandal caused by Fajitas. The story is rather unassuming; a group of three guys get into a fight with two other guys over a bag of steak fajitas. It was at Union St. in San Francisco, a place of many fine drinking establishments (especially Bar None). So a story of drunken shenanigans should be common in a place like that. However the group of three guys were off-duty San Francisco cops, one of which was Alex Fagan Jr., the son of the Assistant Chief of Police.

The DA later indicted almost all of the SFPD command staff saying that they were in on a coverup of the incident, it was a huge news story in the Bay Area. I'm sorry San Jose, but San Francisco will always be "the City" and it's scandals and dramas will dominate the collective mind of the Bay Area.

Suffice it to say the charges against the command staff were thrown out, the Chief was forced into retirement, the Assistant Chief Fagan Sr. was forced into a civilian job in the city's Homeland security office and all we are waiting for was the actual criminal case of the Fajita incident. The other cops were acquitted and Fagan's trial is about to begin, in a different venue because of the massive media coverage in the Bay Area, of course.

Since the actual incident, almost three years ago, Fagan got into some additional alcohol-fueled trouble. He got into a fight with hotel staff in Scottsdale, AZ, I believe this was during spring training because the Barry Bonds BALCO coverage in the Bay Area stopped for a split second. Somebody sued him because he violated their civil rights when he was still a cop (Fagan has been dismissed from the force). I don't know if Fagan will be acquitted or not in the fajita case, but the incident in Arizona looks pretty bad for him. This guy needs AA, and bad.

I just can't believe this incredible chain of events were caused by an altercation over a bag of steak fajitas.

A bag of steak fajitas!