December 18, 2010
Way to go Joe. Hardly there, and already an embarrassment....
April 27, 2010
If you think you might not make it to the polls on May 11th, go out and vote early. In Mon County there are important primaries for the US House on both the Democratic and Republican ballots, as well as...
March 02, 2010
Apparently the governor was in town last weekend. Speaking of receptions, Manchin will be the guest of honor this Sunday when he receives the 2010 Milan Puskar award for public service at the Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown. What can...
February 01, 2010
What a difference a day makes. Big things are brewing as filing closes. State Sen. Mike Oliverio will challenge long-time incumbent Alan Mollohan in the Democratic primary in District 1. And former Supreme Court Justice (and Don Blankenship's Riviera buddy)...
January 13, 2010
Well, at least he apologized. But to say something like that, and in a professional setting? Can't say I'm surprised though....
December 09, 2009
News that Judiciary Chair Carrie Webster would be nominated to a judgeship shook progressives in West Virginia who feared that her successor atop the influential panel might be open to moving West Virginia farther to the right. This news will...
November 21, 2009
Congressman Rahall is the Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee in the US House. You'd think that the coal industry would be happy to have such a plum position held by the congressman from what's arguably the most coal-centric House...
October 23, 2009
Our state senator and the House Majority Leader were apparently getting important information from the most active anti-gay organization in the state (if they do anything else, I've missed those news stories) at Stonewall. Boggs is well-known as an ally...
September 08, 2009
Well, I was busy actually having fun this weekend, and I missed the political highlight of the fall season here in West-by-God-Virginia. A concert! HOLDEN, W.Va. -- Thousands showed up to a free Labor Day rally at a reclaimed mine...
August 19, 2009
Today while on I68 headed towards my favorite local mountain biking spot, I passed a pickup hauling a trailer with one bumper sticker on it: Don't blame me, I voted for Palin! Well, now, of course you did....
July 21, 2009
Most of the political blogs noted that the nation's longest serving senator returned to work today, after a prolonged absence due to illness. What most of them failed to note though was why Byrd returned. From an e-mail from the...
April 27, 2009
Just a reminder - tomorrow is the vote for city council. Typically turnout is under 20% (it hasn't been that high in years), so if there's someone you like, your vote can make a difference. So, any of you hearing...
April 18, 2009
It's spring in West Virginia, and I've got three words to describe my delight: Ramp mashed potatoes If you don't know, you haven't lived....
April 09, 2009
And those who put in endless hours fighting the good fight on her behalf. It took years, but they finally won.The 7.2 million jury verdict was handed down this afternoon in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of West...
April 08, 2009
Sure the election isn't until 2012, but it takes a long time to build statewide name recognition. The chairman of the State Senate's Judiciary Committee is running to succeed Joe Manchin, even though he can't officially file papers until 2011....
March 23, 2009
March 21, 2009
One of the 5 members of West Virginia's Supreme Court has died. Joseph Albright was a long-time legislator from Wood County who rose to be Speaker of the House of Delegates before he joined the state's highest court....
March 19, 2009
March 13, 2009
In West Virginia you can be fired or kicked out of your home, simply for being gay. Heck, you might not be hired simply for being gay. There is legislation to protect gay West Virginians presently before the West Virginia...
March 09, 2009
A new statewide, nonpartisan group dedicated to protecting the rights of the LGBT community in West Virginia has launched its website. If you are a Mountaineer who supports ending discriminatory practices in employment and housing in our fair state, go...
March 07, 2009
You know the WV Quarter? Nice mountain... be a shame if something happened to it....
March 06, 2009
I find this a bizarre selection. He's only been a provost for less than 2 years, and he's spent his entire career at Towson. Now he comes to Morgantown where he needs to fill in a multitude of administrative jobs...
February 23, 2009
Other states have done this, and I think it would be a good thing in our state - especially given the health of its citizens, and the costs of their ill health....
February 16, 2009
Hopefully they will go the fuck back to whatever rock they crawled out from under with this nonsense. These are not West Virginia values. More here, here, here and here....
February 08, 2009
Today is a lovely day. This morning I woke to the sounds of birds chirping and neighbor children laughing. For the last, oh, hourish? I have been hearing the neighbor blowing something with his gas blower. First of all, it's...
Not sure what the exact methodology behind this was, but it purports to be based on similar wealth. Likewise, I don't remember where I saw it. Hat tip to whomever....
January 19, 2009
January 17, 2009
WVU's hiring of Bob Huggins stunk of the hire-my-college-roomie syndrome you see too much at the top level in West Virginia, and that's before one gets into the ethical iffyness of some of his teams over the years. So I'm...
December 11, 2008
The state Supreme Court will take the case, after a lower-court judge ordered the baby removed from the couple's home....
November 28, 2008
This one is going to sting, as the Panthers went ahead in the game's final minute....
November 20, 2008
Since I was just commenting on the student government president, I suppose I should link to this....
November 17, 2008
It's the fattest, unhealthiest city in America. Undoubtedly it faced stiff competition from certain locales in Louisiana and Mississippi.(Ryan, no doubt Ben is deeply displeased.)...
If there's an award out there for SGA president who is the quickest to kiss ass in the service of his own future, Parsons should run away with it. First he was the loving toadie of Mike Garrison and Steve...
October 30, 2008
And they are spending about $700,000 to do it. They are also spending $400,000 to try to get Republican Beth Walker elected to the Supreme Court. These are the statewide races I'm going to be watching the most closely in...
October 13, 2008
As some of you may know, the august institution that most of the Bloodless Krew work at has had some recent problems. The old President left (normally). The search process to replace him looked and smelled funny, and resulted in...
October 09, 2008
These numbers are stunning....
October 01, 2008
Per the norm, Big Coal was acting in a contemptible way - but the miners stood up to them....
September 26, 2008
I mean really, why be bound like a little thing like a specific constitutional provision? The governor, DuPont, and apparently Hoppy get the appeal they think is merited. Only Justice Davis voted against granting the appeal (keep in mind Justice...
September 24, 2008
That's where things stand according to the latest Time poll....
September 20, 2008
Get yours Here. A 50 state plus PR and DC project. Via Boing Boing...
September 15, 2008
Someone might want to introduce these people to the world of logic. If the purpose of their endeavor is to promote a certain agenda, I'm curious to know how they plan to cover that and other matters in an "unbiased"...
September 14, 2008
Umm, why did our university just do this? 6 years? Look, last year's bowl win was nice and everything. Hey, it was great. But in his last outing he lost to East Carolina by 3 touchdowns. Yes, East Carolina by...
August 27, 2008
So I just got a note from the convention on where the campaign is headed in West Virginia. The Obama team will staff 3-5 offices in the state. That'll include a big one in Charleston, one in Morgantown, one in...
July 26, 2008
There are lot of reasons that anyone in the administration who praises us as a first-rate university should be mocked at length (or hey, if it's a Godwin toadie, let the rotten fruit fly). But really our library is a...
July 17, 2008
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. And even NPR is finally complaining about it: Mr. Goodwin told a couple of reporters that Mr. Garrison would no longer be employed by WVU after Sept. 1st, but would continue...
July 08, 2008
There's a small article that says Garrison will LEAVE WVU when he steps down as President. And now an Interim President has been chosen. I wonder if the first was a condition of the second. HT...
July 01, 2008
Like we didn't know this already, but now it's confirmed: Mr. Garrison testified that although he stepped down from his post, he did not resign, a distinction apparently designed to give him the option of remaining at the university for...
I live in the most socially conservative state in the country. Goody for me....
June 27, 2008
Earlier this week Charles Vest, President Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was named to the BOG. The new member announced today is a former WVU and Houston Oilers' QB, Oliver Luck. He's currently President/General Manager of the Houston...
June 17, 2008
I noted earlier that the biggest bit of drama at the state's Democratic convention last week was the defeat of the state party's treasurer. That fight (which the incumbent treasurer lost decisively at in the state party's executive committee, though...
June 08, 2008
She read about it in the local paper in Florida yesterday. I explained the broad outline and her response was: "Well, it's a shame when one person can horse-ass up the reputation of the entire place." Indeed it is, mom,...
June 06, 2008
At the Board of Governors meeting this morning, President Garrison announced he would stay in his position through September 1. Now It's time to clean up the mess, and move forward to rehabilitate WVU's reputation....
His resignation will take effect on Sept. 1....
June 05, 2008
The other day I was talking to a neighbor about the Garrison/Bresch scandal, and I said that this whole thing made me feel like we were having the George Bush/he's either corrupt or incompetent discussion all over again. Turns out...
May 22, 2008
People always move on from college towns. And in my years here, several of my close friends, some of whom were otherwise very happy with life in Morgantown, have left because of their dissatisfaction with the management of the university...
May 15, 2008
Interesting.Gov. Joe Manchin's daughter, Heather Bresch, was being considered for at least two posts on advisory boards for West Virginia University about the time her academic credentials came into question. Last fall Bresch was being considered as a potential member...
May 13, 2008
Miles Layton buried the lead in his story in today's Dominion-Post on the climate of fear that's come to exist at WVU. It's well known that those friendly to the Goodwin/Garrison side of things have been putting pressure on certain...
May 12, 2008
Clueless barely begins to describe it. Faculty wanting to voice their frustrations with our clueless monarch are strongly encouraged to come to the special Faculty Assembly being held at 1:30 on Wed. at the Creative Arts Center. I fear turnout...
May 09, 2008
And 45% of likely Democratic primary voters in WV say there's no way they'd vote for Obama in the fall....
May 07, 2008
A bold move, no? Love this picture. Accompanying story here....
May 05, 2008
Some of these are repeating from comments, but these are the relevant stories covering the WVU Faculty Senate vote that recommended that WVU President Garrison resign: The basic news blurb from our local AM talk radio station. Commentary from one...
Or thereabouts. Either he writes quickly or he had this prepared before the faculty vote. Since my appointment as President of WVU, I have worked with hundreds of students, faculty members, and staff who have stepped forward to address the...
"The WVU Faculty Senate has voted to call on WVU President Mike Garrison to resign "for the good of the institution" as a result of the Heather Bresch scandal. The motion passed 77 to 19 with one abstention during a...
Pardon me while I bang my head against the wall. Mike Garrison still says he has no way of knowing if Bresch earned her degree or not? Was I imagining it when he said he accepted the Bresch report -...
May 02, 2008
Now picked up in the Economist. HT...
April 29, 2008
Courtesy of the commentariat at The Fifth Column... this has been the best chatter anywhere on the Garrison dealio. Matt Vester is the anti-Kevin Leyden. Hey, it's not just faculty, students and alumni getting the shaft. Independent voters are...
A proposed new slogan for West Virginia University I just overheard in the coffee shop....
April 27, 2008
Provost Lang has submitted his resignation in response to the report on the Bresch scandal. Interesting wording ("privilege" twice in the first paragraph) and replay (all he's done for WVU). Doesn't sound very penitent. I wonder if this will be...
April 26, 2008
This fine alum posts on the intemperance of "radical" professors (emphasis mine): As I read the host of negative comments toward President Garrison I was reminded why, as West Virginians we are constantly defending our position in society. Some West...
April 25, 2008
The report investigating the controversial awarding of an advanced degree to Gov. Manchin's (D-WV) daughter is out - and it is scathing. The response so far? Well, among other things the usual critics of President Garrison are promising to propose...
April 13, 2008
That's the way things look according to the reports at West Virginia Blue. And that was certainly the case here in Mon county. As West Virginia's delegates are alotted according to the outcome of the primary election it's not clear...
April 11, 2008
Fyi, the Spring movie I've most been wanting to see has finally made it to town....
April 09, 2008
Here's a primer. It's complicated.Key dates to keep in mind in the near term are this coming Saturday, when the counties are holding their conventions to choose delegates for the state convention in June, and April 22, which is the...
April 03, 2008
I won't be able to go as I have other plans, but it looks like there's a fun collection of bloggers in Morgantown for a panel tonight....
April 01, 2008
So I got an update from Project Vote Smart about what the legislature was up to in its last meeting. Among the highlights (or lowlights) - it made the driving privileges of teens dependent on their school attendance and grades....
March 21, 2008
Interesting. Today through my office building copies of a sheet of paper have been taped up and posted. The paper details Obama's supposed flip-flops on NAFTA (with a reference to the debunked AP/Canada story), supposed flip-flops on troop withdrawals (with...
Not that I am opposed to catching criminals, but I find it awfully interesting that suddenly Morgantown is a hotbed of federal investigation into two criminal rings, one for drugs and another for prostitution....
There really does need to be better signage there that shows that both lanes can turn left. I've thought that for a long time, and the screech and ca-chunk I heard behind me there this morning reminded me of the...
March 16, 2008
Everyone else has heard about Rep. Kern, but we've got ugly in our backyard too. Makes me want to break out the brokeback mountaineer shirts I had ready to go when Fr*d Ph%lps was planning a protest here....
March 13, 2008
How the hell did that happen? Well, Joe Alexander scored a career-high 34 points, but still ... that was unexpected. I presume Georgetown will crush the Mountaineers tomorrow. But then I expected the Huskies to win today, so maybe I...
March 08, 2008
" At age 107, there's not much the war veteran, POW and West Virginia farmer hasn't seen..."...
March 06, 2008
The congressman from coal country, the chairman of the House Resources Committee, has come out in support of Sen. Obama. He becomes, after Sen. Rockefeller, the second member of West Virginia's congressional delegation to endorse the senator from Illinois....
February 26, 2008
Moon passed this along to me. What's Julianne Moore's next movie going to be about? Why in-bred West Virginians of course. A movie about to be filmed in Pittsburgh is casting Gothic characters - including an albino-like girl and deformed...
February 21, 2008
So that RSX that got flipped on Cornell Ave. yesterday - guess where it was registered? Now I should note that it wasn't the car's owner who was driving it, and perhaps the driver wasn't from New Jersey. But it...
February 20, 2008
For anyone in town who likes political commentary, fyi, Arianna Huffington will be speaking in the Mountainlair Ballroom on the 29th....
February 14, 2008
It was a horrible day at Northern Illinois. And it brings to mind something that annoys me no end about West Virginia University. WVU is currently spending who knows how much money on a building spree, building new buildings and...
January 31, 2008
And they are: Marion G. Crain of the University of North Carolina School of Law; Mary J. Davis of the University of Kentucky College of Law; H. Marshall Jarrett of the U.S. Department of Justice; Joyce E. McConnell of the...
January 27, 2008
It's fairly late to be jumping into a congressional race, but with John Unger suddenly dropping out the race the Democrats needed a new candidate in WV-2, and they now have one with excellent political connections. Whether those will be...
January 26, 2008
Looks like West Virginia won't have a single interesting congressional race this year, now that state senator John Unger (D) has dropped his challenge to Rep. Shelley Capito (R)....
January 24, 2008
Two legislators from Raleigh County have filed to run against Joe Manchin. Sen. Russ Weeks (R) and Del. Mel Kessler will both face very long odds given that Manchin is one of the most popular governors in the country....
January 03, 2008
And yes, it's exactly who you'd think we'd hire the day after humiliating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl....
December 17, 2007
While our current coach packs his bags to begin a career that'll hopefully involve many losses to the Buckeyes, talk is building about who'll replace him. The Daily Mail describes likely candidates here. Out of those I'd say Doc Holliday...
December 06, 2007
Given our state's history it seems appropriate to note the anniversary of the worst mining disaster in our country's history. The next time you hear an argument about how bad unions, regulations, and limiting big business are, keep in mind...
November 24, 2007
From the AP: Pat White has No. 4 West Virginia on the brink of playing for a national championship.White rushed for 186 yards and accounted for three touchdowns to lead the Mountaineers to a 66-21 win over No. 20 Connecticut...
November 07, 2007
But I prefer to think happy thoughts... Confetti, right? Nature's confetti?...
October 25, 2007
David Kirkpatrick took to the pages of the school paper today to press for faculty to be more responsive to students. Next up he'll no doubt argue on behalf of puppies, mothers and America. But even in the midst of...
October 20, 2007
Something to add to the list of things I've recently learned about West Virginia: If you are convicted of involuntary manslaughter the maximum sentence you can receive is one year in jail....
October 10, 2007
So I am not an expert on the practices and ethics of judges recusing themselves. But this story on a major case before the West Virginia Supreme Court did make me wonder - Should judges hear cases involving close friends?...
October 06, 2007
I'm betting you already knew the answer was no....
October 03, 2007
Because I can't be the only person who's rather bored with the milieu of my current place, and I am all too often reminded of Cartman's dream when I go there. Only three more hours, sea people. Only three more...
September 27, 2007
In the mail today I received a notice that my "voter registration will be marked as inactive and cancelled" if I don't send in an enclosed postcard with my name, address, phone, date of birth and driver's license number. Identity...
September 18, 2007
The cover of the DA is today emblazoned with the kind of story that'll get our law school mocked throughout the country. The building is being remodeled/redecorated, and the new rule is you can't take any drink into the redone...
September 16, 2007
While we here know about "mountain top removal" (ah, the euphimism), seeing it is something else entirely. I found this set of videos via Dark Daughta. Episode One, Mountain Top Removal: All of the episodes here (in the right hand...
September 12, 2007
The case of Megan Williams, who was found after being tortured and raped for a week by six people (some of whom had been her "friends") has reached the national press. This horrific crime was committed by six white people...
September 11, 2007
That abomination of "Open for Business" has sparked enough controversy to get Governor Manchin to run a survey for a new state slogan for signs. CAST YOUR VOTE HERE For the record, I submitted "Wild and Wonderful." And stay tuned,...
August 20, 2007
West Virginia University, number one party school....
July 24, 2007
Part One and Part Two of Senate President Pro Tempore Robert Byrd's speech about dog fighting. Fourth in line....
July 09, 2007
Interesting. And Obama is in dead heats with the two Republicans in the Mountaineer state. For a little perspective on these numbers, Bush beat Kerry here by about 13 points. If the Republicans are at risk in a state like...
June 22, 2007
Right now one of the most contentious issues in the state is a plan to build a new set of gigantic transmission lines that will run through West Virginia on their way to carry electricity to the East Coast. This...
June 20, 2007
...but West Virginia sure has the failure part going on. Hat tip to Alabama Ass Whuppin....
June 17, 2007
The New Yorker has a depressing profile of the man behind the Taguba report. It's worth a look.By the way, the article also mentions Gen. Bantz Craddock a few times. As he is a WVU graduate it seems entirely possible...
June 14, 2007
Did any of the rest of you know that there's a guy in B&E who writes on political economy issues dealing with pirates?...
May 16, 2007
In the mail today arrived the health newsletter sent to all those on the state insurance plan. Generally it is full of useless tidbits and bland advice about various healthy living items. Presumably, the prevention advice will save the subscribers...
May 15, 2007
As some of you may be aware Allegheny Power is trying to get more power to the East Coast, not by building power plants there, but by building a gigantic set line of huge power lines that will cut across...
April 22, 2007
If I was ruling the world those things would be banned. If only we still had some Cold War conservatives around to remind their right-wing brethern that the whole concept smacks of Soviet all-powerful state tactics. But you know if...
April 18, 2007
I asked because apparently there's no chapter of Drinking Liberally in the state of West Virginia....
April 14, 2007
While in DC this week, the free Washington Post the hotel delivered to my room brought me this gem: But best-in-show honors went to Byrd, who, in a statement notable for its breadth, explained why his eyes had been closed...
April 13, 2007
The WVU Board of Governors moved today (April 13) that Michael S. "Mike" Garrison, managing member of the Morgantown office of Spilman Thomas & Battle PLLC, be the next president of WVU following consent of the West Virginia Higher...
April 06, 2007
Later this month the residents of our little town can go to the polls to vote for the city council. If the feel like it. But they shouldn't feel any pressure to. After all, there is only one candidate in...
Turns out the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys may have been affected by a rare genetic disorder: The most infamous feud in American folklore, the long-running battle between the Hatfields and McCoys, may be partly explained by a rare,...
April 01, 2007
Am I the only one who finds it kind of funny that the federal appeals court court judge (Judge King) who's leading the anti-Mike Garrison forces - discussing the possibility of inside deals and an old (and young) boys network...
March 07, 2007
Not only did I arrive at the office today looking like I'd just spent 5 months in a 1960's freezer, I lost track of how many times I almost fell down, and I don't think I've ever seen cars downtown...
March 02, 2007
We just recently passed the 35th anniversary of the disaster. Do you think there are some people in Logan County who might not be thrilled with the "Friends of Coal" Bowl?...
December 15, 2006
So we are now hitting the end of the year, the period when a lot of the best movies are released. Now we have a good little 3-screen theater in town that shows critical favorites, and one of the 12-screen...
November 21, 2006
OK, it's far to much "the sticks" for him and his wife - but it was the only county in the state to vote for him.Still, he could have done worse. After all this was the first election since 1988...
November 01, 2006
I highly recommend voting early. I did it this morning, didn't have to wait behind anyone (they've got four machines running), and the lady who explained the machines did a thorough, professional job. I was in and out of there...
October 31, 2006
You know sometimes I think criticism of the WVU campus paper goes a wee bit too far. It's not necessarily a fine paper, but it's no worse that many other campus dailies, and is better than some. But today they...
August 23, 2006
The anti-Mollohan brigade is out in force. I wonder if they'll be able to code my answer to "do you consider yourself to be a Republican?"...
August 22, 2006
And WVU comes in at number 3! You just know President Hardesty is thrilled. Oh, and Texas is number 1. Hmmm - do you think there's some sort of Elizabeth E effect going on here?...
August 17, 2006
And I didn't even know this town had an airport....
August 03, 2006
Byrd's voting record leaves a lot to be desired, and his actions that would annoy many Democrats extend far beyond his votes for Justice Alito, Chief Justice Roberts and former Attorney General Ashcroft. He's made lots of unfortunate calls on...
August 02, 2006
The White House has prioritized taking down our veteran, middle-of-the-road congressman, Alan Mollohan (D-WV). To accomplish this task they are strongly backing state legislator Chris Wakim. Wakim has indeeded served in the state legislature, but it appears that some of...
July 16, 2006
The Morgantown Dominion-Post continues to set the bar quite high in this year's race to see which paper in the US can engage in the most innuendo aimed at taking down a member of the US Congress. In the Sunday...
July 12, 2006
The Warner Theatre is considering making some major changes. Help them decide what to do by completing this survery....
June 26, 2006
I realize no one outside of West Virginia will care about this, but WVU and Marshall (the two major universities in WV) have recently agreed to play football once a year against each other. This hasn't happened in a very...
June 15, 2006
June 01, 2006
It looks like the Majority Whip of the House of Delegates is going to succeed long-time Speaker Bob Kiss. Varner, from Marshall County, would be the first Speaker from the Northern Panhandle in 80 years....
There's a new rule for life in Morgantown - don't try to drive on High St. above Walnut on weekday afternoons, for any reason, ever. Additional and supporting rule - don't try to drive on streets (like Willey or Fayette...
May 31, 2006
Much like I think it's still too early to suggest there's much to the story behind Alan Mollohan's supposed wrong-doing, I think it's too early to make much of this either. But it's worth keeping an eye on. Down the...
May 07, 2006
As some of you know, I occasionally attend meetings of WV for Democracy, a group of people who got to know each other during the 2004 campaign season, and who work on various political projects. One thing that a lot...
May 06, 2006
Charleston's Republican newspaper enthusiatically lauds Charleston's Republican congresswoman, and in the Democratic primary endorses the man who was until recently a Republican.I'm shocked, just shocked.What I find particularly amusing though is their description of Mark Hunt, and why they apparently...
April 30, 2006
Bob Geiger picks up Ben Sargent's editorial cartoon about the "vote Republican, or else..." mentality. It's funny, unless you live in West Virginia and you get to hear the political ads on local radio in which both John Raese and...
April 25, 2006
There are still more questions than answers in the allegations being made about the congressman from WV-1, but the Wall Street Journal (and does anyone else find it interesting that so many of the stories about Mollohan are starting in...
April 09, 2006
The AFT has endorsed state delegate Mark Hunt in the race to take on Congresswoman Capito. That should be a big boost for his campaign. The also made endorsements in the state senate races. As you will see, they apparently...
April 08, 2006
Talk about a bolt out of the blue - the Wall Street Journal had a story out Friday morning saying that the feds are investigating the finances of Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV). This surprises me. But since I don't have...
April 01, 2006
Armand has blogged about West Virginia politics recently (here and here most recently). Curious about why the Red Burqua campaign listed West Virginia on its list of the most reactionary (my word) states, I did a little searching. As I've...
March 29, 2006
So this morning I was treated to an interview (sort of - think of it as a softball extravaganva) on the local NPR affiliate with John Raese, the likely Republican nominee against Sen. Robert C. Byrd this fall. When I...
March 28, 2006
On May 9th voters around here have two important decisions to make in local elections. First, they'll need to pick their party's nominees for the state legislature. Second, they'll pick their party's nominee to fill one of the 3 seats...
In case you hadn't heard, there is a US Senate election in West Virginia this year. The incumbent, Byrd (D-Arbitrarily Coherent), is running against John Raese (R-Completely Unknown Now, Will Lose In November, Footnote For History). The election will almost...
March 06, 2006
However given the current consideration of legislation in West Virginia: For all the passions they generate, laws that require minors to notify their parents or get permission to have an abortion do not appear to have produced the sharp drop...
March 02, 2006
Via Pam Spaulding. A federal discrimination lawsuit was filed Thursday by the surviving family members of a man who died of a heart attack after the police chief allegedly prevented his friend from performing CPR. The suit, filed by the...
Will anyone say "we told you so?" In its drive to foster a more cooperative relationship with mining companies, the Bush administration has decreased major fines for safety violations since 2001, and in nearly half the cases, it has not...
February 26, 2006
Right to life activists are claiming that clinics encourage pedopiles, and put up audio to "prove" it. Unfortunately, taping a receptionist telling a caller that her birth control is "strictly confidential" doesn't prove anything except that Planned Parenthood is obeying...
February 25, 2006
Don Knotts died yesterday. He was too ill to make it back for Don Knotts day here last year, and I don't know if he ever got to see Don Knotts Boulevard along the Monongahela River. When I was a...
February 01, 2006
Count me in favor of mine safety, but unconvinced by political posturing....
January 29, 2006
The evils of the nanny state! Excess regulation! However Canadian miners trapped by fires have access to safe rooms with food, supplies, and 36 hours of oxygen. Fire broke out Sunday in a mine in central Canada, forcing some 70...
January 09, 2006
One of four pieces of draft egislation (PDF, see p. 19) to be considered in the 2006 session of the West Virginia State House proposes to expand the definition of child abuse to include prenatal abuse related to drugs and...
December 20, 2005
The hand-written message (PDF) from Rockefeller to Cheney gives some context to the inscrutable behavior. Note the mention of Poindexter. Also note the last paragraph, which shows his suspicion that his protest would be buried or denied. From the Democratic...
November 15, 2005
No, I'm not talking about myself and John Cole (though I could) but rather Joe Manchin, the Democratic Governor of West Virginia and the Schindler family. Bobbi Schindler, Terry Schiavo's brother, and Manchin spoke at the West Virginians for Life...
October 30, 2005
October 03, 2005
US Representative Shelley Moore Capito has announced she will not challenge Robert C. Byrd in his quest to win a ninth term in the US Senate next year. While in the short term this may be good news for Byrd,...
August 06, 2005
Peggy Noonan has a piece on West Virginia. Oh how quaint those poor people are! I love how she goes on about the mountains and trees. It reads like a real estate promo, which it more than likely is. She...
July 25, 2005
Gosh golly gee whiz. We can't think of anything original to say, so we'll just kick West Virginia some more! It's 'cause we're all stupid Republicans (forgetting about Byrd and Rockefeller, no doubt) who don't brush, not that our rural...
June 30, 2005
Ah yes, the Senate election season has begun. Even though our senior senator says he has not committed to running for re-election, the level of new spam email messages from his organization tells me he is. And likewise, the news...
May 22, 2005
Good news for Republicans, bad news for Democrats. Capehart is serious, smart and knows how to throw effective political punches. I thought he was clearly the most threatening conservative in last year's gubenatorial primary (not that that anything short of...
April 01, 2005
There have been rumors flying for weeks (months?) that Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito will challenge incumbent US Senator Robert C. Byrd who appears inclined to run for a 9th term in the Senate next year. And beyond that, it's been...
March 20, 2005
If you are a resident of Southwestern Pennsylvania or North-Central West Virginia and are looking for an out of the ordinary excursion one day, I recommend you visit Friendship Hill. Friendship Hill was for a time the home of Albert...
March 09, 2005
Great. Just great. The new governor of West Virginia has, I'll admit deservedly, been winning a great deal of positive press, and support generally, for the moves he's taken to change state government since taking office a few months ago....
February 17, 2005
These are names that we all clearly associate with each other, no? Like bread and butter, cheese and macaroni, Joanie and Chachi. I mean, I know when I think of my senior senator, automatically his close associates come to mind....
Posted by binky at
01:45 PM
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