dridgeMonstrous

In this summer of 24/7 missing child coverage on cable news, we had our own missing child event earlier this week in West Virginia. As you'll read*, the story had a horrible ending, one that is tied to a WV stereotype that we're always trying to get rid of.


*Link updated - original one was no longer working

Series of Frustrating Happenings

First, my home computer broke. Never fear, I still have the old computer. But it refuses to connect to the internet (dial-up) at anything beyond tortoise speed, if it connects at all.

Then, I caught whatever virus is going around and have been virtually useless - more so than usual - for the last week. On Sunday, the outdoor thermometer read 100 degrees (it tends to exaggerate slightly), and I was indoors shivering, curled up in the fetal position.

So, now I'm about a week behind on all of my house and yard work, regular work, and correspondence. I apologize to those who've e-mailed me recently.

Vote buying "in the blood of people in southern WV"

Not to be outdone by Logan County, Lincoln County now is in the news for a vote-buying scandal of its own. (But who shall lay claim to the Vote Buying Festival?? Could we get some Budget Digest money for that maybe??) In case you're wondering, the quote above is from Ken Hechler, looooooong time Secretary of State. And have you noticed that, apparently, to be a successful vote-buyer one must have a snappy nickname like "Groundhog"?

Why, WV, you don't look a day over 125!

To celebrate WV's 142nd birthday, we have a new book to read - RCB's memoir. Here's a round-up of the headlines, from which we learn that RCB "laments," "regrets," and is "haunted" by his stint in the KKK.

Oh yes, as I noted before, RCB comes from the hard-scrabble coalfields. This lends support to the Brooklyn Hillbilly's theory that hardscrabble (a.k.a. "acme of barrenness") is generally used to describe a place from which someone came, to show how the person has managed to transcend the hardscrabbleness.

One election RCB might not win

If you can't wait to cast your vote for (or against) RCB at the polls, you can do so online in "The Ultimate Hottest U.S. Senator Not Counting Obama" contest. They've selected eight of the "hottest" senators to choose from, including RCB, but you can also write-in candidates by e-mail. Thanks to the Brooklyn Hillbilly for this link; he is no-doubt voting for RCB from every computer in his building.

And in case you're wondering, yes, they mean hot in terms of physical appearance.

Where do teenagers even get this idea?

According to the AP version of this story, a couple of Harrison County teenage boys allegedly kidnapped a 12-year-old, stripped him, inserted fireworks into his rectum, lit the fireworks, and then tried to drown the boy. Oh, the hazy, lazy, CLINICALLY INSANE days of summer.