I love you, that’s why I’m doing this
Sep17
A recent case helps illustrate how the term “hate crimes” creates more problems than solutions.
It was impossible to escape last week’s news of a woman’s terrible ordeal of abduction, rape, abuse, and torture in Logan County. One can only imagine, and doesn’t want to, the fear and agony she endured.
WVU vs. Governor Joe Manchin
Sep10
West Virginia University has plenty of reasons to be ticked off at Governor Joe Manchin. Not only does he force them to play a sub par team at a field that holds half of the capacity needed, now WVU’s football team has dropped in rank.
Senator Vic Sprouse says 14 years is enough
Apr5
Most know by now that Senator Vic Sprouse has made his decision public that he will not be running again in 2008. After a 14-year career, Sprouse steps out of the ring just 5 years short of being in office for half of his life. That is quite an accomplishment for a 38-year-old.
After working for him for nearly three years I have nothing but the greatest respect for Senator Sprouse.
Guess which lawsuits are true
Apr3
The West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse issued an April Fools Day press release asking West Virginians to guess which cases are bogus and which are real. The answers are below (no peeking!).
The top 5 things Phil Kabler should be writing about
Apr2
It seems as though there is absolutely nothing going on in West Virginia — at least nothing that peaks the interest of the Gazette�s liberal columnist, Phil Kabler. So he turns to the well-worn subject of Senator Vic Sprouse and his multiple divorces.
Now on his second week of discussing it, Phil Kabler makes it sound as though he and Sprouse would be the best of pals if it were not for all the divorces. We all know he is philosophically opposed to most of what conservatives stand for, but with sanctimoniousness that would put Dr. Jerry Falwell to shame, Kabler declares Sprouse �damaged goods� who cannot win in the next election. His proof? Kabler turns to a qualified and completely unbiased source…
Table games: brought to you courtesy of the religious right
Mar27
Whenever the issue of table games came up there were always two groups: Ted Arnault and his handful of cronies supporting the expansion of gambling and hordes of conservative Christians opposing the measure.
Like clockwork, the bill would come up, the activists would fight, and the bill would die.
This year however was an entirely different matter.
What we can learn from West Virginia’s first ATV death of 2007
Mar25
Once the session ended, Karen Coria, lobbyist for the ATV manufacturers and vocal proponent for the All Terrain Vehicles bill, circulated a Charleston Gazette article about West Virginia�s first ATV death of the year. I can only assume she was trying to shame the legislators after refusing to further restrict ATV operators. But she inadvertently undermined her point.
Of roaming oppossums and brothers
Mar20
There�s a saying in the West Virginia capitol that �dead opossums run at midnight.� It basically means bills you thought were dead will revive on the last night of the session and try to sneak through. Why they can�t just say it without an obfuscated euphemism, I�ll never know. Regardless, an opossum zombie did try to go out for a jog thanks to the Democratic leadership and Senator John Unger. But the Democrats and Republicans whack-a-moled it before it got too far.
The face of gambling
Feb19
As the table games bill moves through the legislature, many words have been used to disguise what it will really do to our state. The front-runners of the bill are slick �suits� like Mountaineer Park President and CEO Ted Arnault and John Cavacini, president of the West Virginia Racing Association, who assure the legislature that this is in their best interests.
They paint a rosy picture and speak of all the revenue gained by additional gambling and of all sorts of visitors coming to our state and enjoying themselves. The legislature would be insane to not vote for such wonderful things as more tax dollars and happy people if it were not for West Virginia�s most notorious lottery winner: Jack Whittaker.
Charleston Daily Mail buries Ford
Jan3
I have conscientiously avoided criticizing our state�s newspapers (at least the reporting end of it) simply because they know the difference between �imbricate� and �embrocate.� That, and the lowliest typesetter is paid more than I am for writing this blog. Somehow in the euphoria of blogging�s success, members of the pajama media have snootily decided that the old dinosaur is headed for extinction. I steer clear of joining the online Nostradamuses because they�re wrong.
© Copyright 1999-2007 William Stewart. All rights reserved.