West Virginia Blue
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In the debate over funding school lunch in WV, Del. Canterbury said, "I think it would be a good idea if perhaps we had the kids work for their lunches..."
This is disturbing on so many levels. I suggest that Del. Ray Canterbury go to work next week without breakfast or lunch and see how he feels about it.
The Huffington Post reports Sen. Joe Manchin is one of only four Senate Democrats who has not come out in favor of marriage equality.
49 Senate Democrats and two Republicans have expressed support for the rights of same sex couples to marry.
Only four remaining Democratic senators have not publicly backed gay marriage: Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). Landrieu and Pryor face re-election in 2014 in Southern red states. Johnson is retiring in 2014, but there is a movement to draft his son to run for his seat. Manchin, like Donnelly and Heitkamp, is not up for reelection until 2018.
Sen. Robert C. Byrd made the mistake in the 1960s of opposing civil rights legislation, and he spent the remainder of his life apologizing and trying to make amends for it.
Manchin could save himself the trouble of having to make excuses to future generations for an embarrassing position by doing the right thing now and joining the rest of Senate Democrats in favoring marriage equality.
Williamson Police Chief Dave Rockel will take over the sheriff's department until a new sheriff is appointed, Mingo County Emergency Services Director Jarod Fletcher said at a news conference.
Crum took office in January. He had campaigned on ridding the county of illegal drugs, particularly the illicit use of prescription painkillers.
Delegate Harry Keith White, D-Mingo, chairman of the House Finance Committee, said Crum had been aggressive as a county magistrate in setting up a drug task force with local police departments.
White said, "In most people's opinion," the drug task force "had done a terrific job of cleaning up drugs in the county.
"Drugs are a terrible plague and scourge facing much of Southern West Virginia, but at least here in Mingo County, Eugene was working very hard to eradicate this problem prior to becoming the sheriff but had stayed aggressive in his pursuit in stopping pill mills around the county," White said in a prepared statement.
WILLIAMSON - Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum has been shot and killed in downtown Williamson right by the underpass on Harvey Street.
Crum was in his vehicle, witnesses say, when a male drove up to a parking lot on 3rd Avenue, exited his vehicle, walked to Crum's SUV, and shot him point blank.
The Charleston Gazette reports a man is in custody.
They don't use Baldwin-Felt detectives anymore. They haven't shot up tents with women and children for a while. They don't murder unarmed men on court house steps like they once did. No, billionaire coal bosses now use accountants and lawyers to do their greedy dirty work. Then as now, the UMWA has but one choice- stand and fight. Folks, we honor everything it means to be a West Virginian to stand with them.
On Monday, April 1, coal miners from across the land will join other West Virginians to rally at the Charleston Civic Center at 10am. There will then be a march through downtown Charleston to Laidley Tower.
The UMWA is fighting efforts by Patriot Coal, Peabody Energy and Arch Minerals to eliminate retiree pensions and health care. These men have worked hard their entire lives and the promises made to them- guarantees they earned with blood, sweat, and tears- are being broken. It is beyond unjust and it cannot stand.
Cecil Roberts, President of the UMWA, has indicated that Gov. Tomblin, Sens. Rockefeller and Manchin and Rep. Rahall have all sent letters in opposition to the elimination of health care benefits for these retirees. It appears all Democrats are standing with the miners, as should all who believe in the concept of a fair and just world.
The WV House of Delegates passed a resolution this week to stand in solidarity with the miners. Mike Caputo, Democratic Majority Whip and UMWA member, stated:
We cannot allow corporate greed to run roughshod over the people who have exchanged their working lives, and frequently their health, for a promise of a secure retirement. This resolution tells these rogue coal companies that their flagrant abuse of the bankruptcy process to shed their contractual obligations to their workers is strongly opposed by the people of the Mountain State.
If it is at all possible, come out and stand for justice on Monday. Stand with the UMWA and stand for everything it means to be a hard working West Virginian.
Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living!
Condolences to the family members and friends of the deceased. I've never seen the show, but the state will once again be in the spotlight due to a tragedy.
SISSONVILLE, W.Va. -- Shain Gandee, star of MTV's reality show "Buckwild," was found dead in Sissonville this morning, a law enforcement source confirmed today.
Three bodies were found in a truck on Wolf Pen Drive, Kanawha County Metro 911 dispatchers said.
State Auditor Glen Gainer is considering a run for Congress in West Virginia's First Congressional District. Auditor Gainer is one of my favorite West Virginia politicians. Gainer gives one of the best stump speeches of any WV pol. A life long West Virginian, Gainer understands the Mountain State. He is fiscally disciplined and understands compromise. In a recent Daily Mail article, Gainer stated:
It's time people go to Washington that understand compromise is not a dirty word. If you cut every dime out of (the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services), that's only $884 billion. The deficit is greater than that. We have a revenue problem and a spending problem in this country. It's going to take both if we're going to get this country turned around.
Is it possible to succinctly encapsulate the problem and solution any better? I would argue not and I have tried. As many who read my work know, I am a fiscal hawk and a huge proponent of finding a balanced solution to the nation's debt woes. The only problem I have with Gainer running for Congress in the First Congressional is that I live in the Second. Good luck Mr. Auditor, the state needs your pragmatic approach in Washington.
On the heals of failing to protect gay and lesbian citizens from discrimination, the WV Legislature is now poised to attack women's rights in the closing days of the 2013 Legislative Session.
Making things even worse is that Senate President Jeff Kessler appears to be the one pushing the bill.
Sadly, today Senate President Jeff Kessler made clear his intention to push through an extreme attack on women's health coverage tomorrow, the last day bills must clear committees of origin. SB 405 would take away insurance coverage of abortion in private and public plans. These insurance bans would put West Virginia on par with North Dakota.
They'd take away care women already have, and care that some women desperately need. This legislation is harmful to the lives and safety of women, the well-being of their families, and is a massive overreach of government into the private lives of citizens.
SB 405 would PROHIBIT any public or PRIVATE health insurance plans from covering abortions except "to prevent the death of the mother" unless the coverage was purchase through a SEPARATE optional supplemental coverage for abortion.
If this bill passes and you are currently insured by a private insurance plan that covers abortion, including coverage in the event of rape or incest, then you will be forced to purchase a supplemental "rider" insurance policy to cover the procedure. The bill also requires women to reaffirm their desire to renew the supplemental policy every year with a signature. Failure to do so will result in a lack of insurance coverage for the procedure.
Beyond your opinions on abortion, it is clear that this is a significant issue that warrants much more debate than what will occur if the bill is rushed through two separate Senate committees in one day.
The bill is set to run through Senate Banking & Insurance and Senate Judiciary TODAY, Friday, March 29th, which is the last day for committees to consider legislation and report it to the floor in time to be read on 3 separate days before next Wednesday's "crossover day" deadline for bills to pass their House of origin.
It is important to note that there is not one woman who serves as a member of either the Senate Banking & Insurance or Senate Judiciary Committees. Whether this legislation is recommended for passage will be decided solely by men.
Women's advocates are urging supporters to contact Senate President Kessler and tell him not to waste the Senate's time on bills that take away care for women.
Advocates are also urging calls to Senate Banking & Insurance Chair Greg Tucker and Senate Judiciary Chair Corey Palumbo encouraging them to stand with women in their districts against Senate President Kessler and anti-choice lobbyists' last minute political maneuverings.
If you are able to be in Charleston Friday, advocates are gathering at the State Capitol for the 10:30am Banking & Insurance Committee meeting (Room 208 West). Supporters of women's rights are encouraged to meet at the Capitol Cafeteria at 9:00am and wear some purple or pink to show your visible support.
UPDATE: April 2, 2013, 10:30a.m. After a strong turnout in support of Women's Rights the bill was not taken up on Friday and the Banking and Insurance Committee did not convene on Monday. As a result, the bill is almost certainly dead for this legislative session. Tomorrow is "crossover" day when bills need to be passed by their House of Origin. However, thus far, I have yet to hear any comments from Pres. Kessler about the bill.
Good for State Sen. President Jeff Kessler. From the Charleston Gazette:
State Senate President Jeff Kessler said Tuesday the Senate will not take up a bill to nullify city gun ordinances, citing threats by supporters of the bill directed at senators.
"After being threatened over a bill, it sends a horrible message if we put the bill out there," Kessler, D-Marshall, said after Tuesday's Senate floor session.
Senate Government Organization Chairman Herb Snyder, D-Jefferson, last week notified Protective Services - the Capitol Complex police - that he had threatening phone calls and emails from supporters demanding that he put the bill on the committee's agenda. Snyder said the threats included one where a caller said, "If you don't run that bill, you won't make it home from Charleston."
Too bad the House of Delegates reacted so cowardly.
Senator Jay Rockefeller announced today in an emailed statement to ABCNews that he was against state sanctioned discrimination, otherwise known as the Defense of Marriage Act.
Like so many of my generation, my views on allowing gay couples to marry have been challenged in recent years by a new, more open generation. Churches and ministers should never have to perform marriages that violate their religious beliefs, but the government shouldn't discriminate against people who want to marry just because of their gender.
Younger people in West Virginia and even my own children have grown up in a much more equal society and they rightly push us to question old assumptions - to think deeply about what it means for all Americans to be created equal. This has been a process for me, but at this point I think it's clear that DOMA is discriminatory. I'm against discrimination in all its forms, and I think we can move forward in our progress toward true equality by repealing DOMA.
This is great news and a great statement. Rockefeller is the highest ranking WV political official to take such a stand. After discussions with a few WV pols it was made clear to me that many are still fearful to take a stand on the right side of history. It is not enough to let history be their judge. I encourage others to be courageous and step out of the political shadows.
Defenders of civil liberties and civil rights must realize that despite the political momentum there are still enormous obstacles ahead. Only through hard work and continued advocacy will the light of liberty shine break the darkness.
Beyond passage of legislation that would prevent workplace discrimination in WV (HB2856), the Democratic Party's political platform needs amended. I would suggest adding language to the Civil Rights Section:
Freedom to Marry: We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.
By the way, that language is pulled directly from the national Democratic Party Platform...
Congresswoman Capito was the lone WV representative to support Paul Ryan's partisan fairytale in the House of Representatives this past week. Congressman Rahall and Congressman McKinley (also a Republican) voted against the bill. Concerning the partisan vote, McKinley stated:
The people of the First District sent me to Congress to represent everybody, not just one political party. With every decision and action I take in Congress, I keep this in mind. Unfortunately, too many people in Washington don't think this way and get caught up in partisan gamesmanship...Any solution to the challenges this country faces, whether it is deficit reduction, tax reform, or reforms to welfare or Medicare, will need to be bipartisan in nature.
Capito's vote is further evidence of her fear of a challenge from the Right and how out of touch living in Washington for 13 years has made her with West Virginia's needs.
Concerning the significant budgetary harm Ryan and Capito's budget creates for West Virginians, McKinley went on to say:
*The budget leaves in place $716 billion in cuts to Medicare
*The budget lacks reform to foreign aid, but will hurt America's investments in our own infrastructure.
*The budget fails to adequately protect agencies and programs important to the First District, including the FBI and NIOSH, from disproportionate cuts.
I have nothing personal against Congresswoman Capito. She is a nice lady. On a slim sliver of issues, I think she is relatively moderate (she is Pro Choice for example). She is also an establishment Republican that has in the past rebuked the Tea Party. Now that the radicals control the GOP, however, she feels she needs to keep pace. She is a calculating politician above all else and such strategic maneuvering in Washington often leaves West Virginia out in the cold. Don't take my word for it, just ask her Republican colleague from West Virginia's First Congressional District.
West Virginia needs fresh, bold, and fearless leadership in Washington. We don't need someone that plays party politics for the Republicans or Democrats. If Democrats do not produce a credible candidate for US Senate soon (ahem, Jeff Kessler, Nick Rahall, and Natalie Tennant) then the state will be at the whim of the national Republican Party and those like Capito who put the interests of political party ahead of West Virginia.
Ongoing scandal in the Shinnston police department, where officers have stolen and resold drugs from evidence, used their official powers to steal drugs, and stolen automatic weapons. Now we find that the latest officer to be charged has apparently been addicted to hydrocodone for ten years, while working for Shinnston, Doddridge Co., and Salem.
It seems to me that ensuring law enforcement is drug-free should be a more immediate goal than testing benefits recipients or new drivers.
Doesn't matter what you do, these are the people who others elsewhere think of when they think of West Virginians:
"We were really glad to hear that School Board is getting rid of them queers," the voice mail said. "The next thing is we need to get rid of all the n****rs, the spics, the kikes and the wops."
"You know even them Catholics, they are wrong as baby eaters," the reader continued. "We need to clear them people out and have good, white, God fearing Christians and everybody else needs to be put to death for their abominations."
"We'll keep Lincoln County white and right. Thank you."
I linked to it the other day, but just in case you thought that was a lone nut job, people are now letting the paper know they agree with the caller.
"I don't have to read it all, I already agree with that," Hamlin resident Leroy Ramey opined. "Get rid of them."
Writing on Metro News and for Charleston Newspapers, the GOP mouthpiece who fancies himself "The Dean of WV broadcasters" summons up his best acting since he pretended his boss, Florida Republican John Raese, being down in the polls 50 points in his rematch with Sen. Joe Manchin was a competitive race.
Hoppy is shocked, just shocked, to find folks upset that New Jersey Republican Patrick Morrisey's out-of-state pick for solicitor general, Elbert Lin, can't legally perform the job he was put on the payroll to do.
And he just can't believe that delegates like Doug Reynolds want to pass this crazy law that "says that any lawyer hired by the state and paid more than $100,000 "shall have a license to practice law in the state at the time of the hire."
Adult population with high school diploma or higher: 84.2% (12th lowest)
West Virginia residents' well-being was the worst of all states. It scored last in three of the six categories: life evaluation, emotional health and physical health. The answers of West Virginians to questions in the physical health category were particularly alarming. It was the only state where more than 30% of residents were told that they had high cholesterol. In addition, nearly 40% of respondents were told they have high blood pressure, also the highest of all states. Some 31.4% of respondents indicated that they smoked, the highest percentage of all states. The state had the second-lowest median income in the U.S., and a very high proportion reported not being able to afford food or medicine. West Virginians had the second-worst life expectancy at birth in the country.
I believe in this beautiful country. I have studied its roots and gloried in the wisdom of its magnificent Constitution. I have marveled at the wisdom of its founders and framers. Generation after generation of Americans has understood the lofty ideals that underlie our great Republic. I have been inspired by the story of their sacrifice and their strength.
But, today I weep for my country. I have watched the events of recent months with a heavy, heavy heart. No more is the image of America one of strong, yet benevolent peacekeeper. The image of America has changed. Around the globe, our friends mistrust us, our word is disputed, our intentions are questioned.
Instead of reasoning with those with whom we disagree, we demand obedience or threaten recrimination. Instead of isolating Saddam Hussein, we seem to have isolated ourselves. We proclaim a new doctrine of preemption which is understood by few and feared by many. We say that the United States has the right to turn its firepower on any corner of the globe which might be suspect in the war on terrorism. We assert that right without the sanction of any international body. As a result, the world has become a much more dangerous place.
We flaunt our superpower status with arrogance. We treat U.N. Security Council members like ingrates who offend our princely dignity by lifting their heads from the carpet. Valuable alliances are split. After war has ended, the United States will have to rebuild much more than the country of Iraq. We will have to rebuild America's image around the globe.
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