I read an interview with John Cole of recently, where he said of his popular (and great) blog Balloon Juice that “One thing is for sure, had I known it would turn out this way, I would have chosen a different name.”
The regulars here probably remember that I didn’t name this blog — Lawbot did. So I’m thankful for lots of things, including the fact that I’ve always liked the name that Lawbot chose, even if the reference to 1980’s made-for-TV SF was completely unintentional.
If you listen carefully, you’ll notice something about the way West Virginia’s Republicans talk about corruption. It’s not that they’re so outraged that it’s going on. (These are Republicans, after all…) It’s more that they’re upset about not being included in the action.
Remember this whenever you hear a Republican complain about the objectively embarrassing congressman Alan Mollohan. Despite Mollohan’s apparent status as one of the most — let’s just say ethically challenged lawmakers in Washington, Republicans have only bothered to challenge him 8 of the 14 times he’s run. Maybe it’s because they’re just pathetic and lazy. Or maybe it’s because the Congressman was kind enough to deal in his Republican friends. Who the hell knows.
Either way, being the liberal capital D Democrat that I am, I’d rather one of our own challenge Mollohan in the primary. But if Republicans want to (finally) do it, then good for them.
It’s unfortunate that the best op-ed I’ve ever read in the Charleston Gazette is also the most heartbreaking.
So I’m going to take a brief break from watching Rich Rod’s, uh, “big moment” to posit a question.
The Michigan / tOSU rivalry is generally considered one of the best and most bitter in college sports. I don’t want to say anything like “likewise,” but over here in the Big East Pitt is supposed to be WVU’s big rival. But I lived in Morgantown for 6 years (not as an undergrad, thank you very much), and I’m pretty sure I never went to a Pitt / WVU football game. The reason for that was pretty simple: the Pitt / WVU game is almost always the weekend after Thanksgiving, so I wasn’t in town. Most of the students weren’t in town. And like most blue collar West Virginia families, we weren’t the type that piled in to a giant luxury SUV and drove to the other end of the state every time the Mounties took a snap in Morgantown. (I’ve come to know a lot of families who are like that — they’re great, but that sure as hell wasn’t us.) It always felt more like we were rivals just because someone else a long time ago said so.
So the question is, if the students aren’t driving it at all, and if a hell of a lot of West Virginians are sleeping off a turkey hangover when we play, then where does the WVU / Pitt rivalry actually come from? Is it just because of geography, or what?
I wish I could pretend that I still care about this stuff.
Worrying about these guys is like wondering if the sun is gonna come up.
No, this video is not from the show. If I find one, I’ll post it.
I have to say. Mike Cooley drinking from a handle of Jack on the Clay Center stage is exactly what that place needed. They need to book more bands like this.
I know. If I’m critical of the kindly old coach, then I’m attacking the team, which means I’m a bad fan which means I HATE AMERICA. I guess if I see someone jump head first off of the BB&T building, I’m supposed to root for him to nail the dismount.
You know, I have this theory about the vast majority of WVU fans. And it’s that I don’t think that they actually care so much about whether or not we win big games, beat teams with winning records or get close to a national title again. Because deep down, it will always be good enough for them if we get an invite to the Truck Ballz Dot Com Bowl, where they can just drive a few hours and stay with their cousins.
The man who brought us the single greatest Bocephus interview ever (which was quoted in Rolling Stone no less) gives us another minor masterpiece: Calendar Model Promotes Self-Esteem.
“Regular women can look great” too, says Calender Model.
The comments are great. Be sure to check out the feud between “sarahlawlady” and the hilarious “kittykat.” With any luck, Ms. Kat might show up in the comments here.
Representative Tom Price (R – Georgia)
Who says C-SPAN is boring?
I have to say, it was strangely disgusting yesterday to listen to all the beltway teevee people sit and wonder aloud how a person could manage to shoot 40 people with just a handgun. It’s one of those little things that underscores how different the world is that most of these people come from.
And today we’ve learned that one of the guns the shooter was wielding not just any handgun, but the FN Five-Seven, a tactical assault pistol that holds TWENTY ROUNDS per magazine (and they come new from the factory with 3 magazines). I purposely posted a picture that shows the cartridge this gun uses. It’s not a traditional pistol round. It’s a tiny little bullet with a fuckload of powder behind it. That makes it capable of, among other things, piercing body armor. That, along with its 20-round capacity is one of the reasons it was targeted for federal ban in 2005. Obviously, that never happened.
My opinion on gun control is that the genie is out of the bottle, and there’s really not a whole lot we can or should do. But good god — twenty fucking rounds? At the very least, I’m not going to pretend that this is a sporting gun or a self-defense weapon. It’s something that was designed for the sole purpose of slaughtering people by the dozen.
