There’s nothing worse for a corrupt politician than meeting someone who can’t be bought. It’s like watching a cat fall in a bathtub: you see first shock, and then anger, as though the world itself has betrayed him. A sellout simply assumes that everyone else is also selling and he bristles at a world where […]
Don Blankenship, CEO Massey Energy addresses a luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, July 23, 2010. ©Mannie Garcia
“You can’t shake hands with the devil, and say you’re only kidding.” That’s the line that came to mind when I read about an effort by West Virginia Democrats to help Don Blankenship become the Republican nominee for US Senate by running ads attacking his competition. The scheme has awful risks, and a huge downside […]
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. . . .” Two thousand and seventeen years later, in Colorado, pregnant women due in February were told they may lose their insurance before their babies are born. In Virginia, the […]
Amid the news of Alpha Coal’s bankruptcy, attention is rightly given to the communities and miners affected. The bankruptcy will be used to take away promised benefits from miners who earned them. But there are some people who won’t be harmed at all by what happened, and it’s important to know who they are. Kevin S. […]
UPDATE, from August 19th plea hearing: Plea deal means Freedom’s Gary Southern gets back $7.3 million and Bentley that Feds had seized from him in bankruptcy fraud case. — Kenwardjr (@Kenwardjr) August 19, 2015 West Virginians are going to remember WVCHS8’s iconic photo of Gary Southern swigging ice-cold bottled water as he walked away from reporters […]
During the Civil War, flags on the battlefield had enormous tactical and strategic importance. Regimental flags allowed soldiers to know the position of their units, and which direction they should be moving to keep up with it. Flag bearers carried them at enormous risk to their lives. Since the entire point of carrying them was […]
There has struck a catastrophe, and the Home Yesterday Blog lies now in waste. Please bear with us while we slowly recoup our favorite articles for permanent preservation at our new home.
Public approval of the US Congress has been declining for many years. The public’s opinion of our national legislature currently sits at an all-time low of just 14%. Ineffectiveness, partisan bickering and being out of touch with everyday Americans drive those low ratings. State legislatures were a different story, until recently. Americans generally approve of […]
West Virginia needs an advanced, forward-thinking legislature that can tackle the complex problems we face. Unfortunately, we have a legislature that cannot even do the basic work of maintaining our state. Virtually everyone recognizes that the condition of our roads cannot be tolerated, but the hard-right wingers in the legislature have killed the bill to […]
We all did it when we were little. No place to hide? Just cover your eyes and pretend they can’t see you if you can’t see them. Don’t like what you’re hearing? Put your fingers in your ears and yell, “LA-LA-LA-LA-LA.” But children outgrow that kind of thing. Some of them, anyway. Others live that […]