repubgazette5-11-07courtvoteturkeyheadfoundmckinney

Having Fun

With Mojo

An entrance can matter

Hey kids! Governor Manchin here! Today I want to talk about the importance of making a big entrance. Important people know how to show up a little late for every event, and the most important people always show up last. I always show up last! And sometimes, it's not enough to just show up. Sometimes I like to draw a lot of attention by the way I show up! The best way to do that is to come to an event in a helicopter! I find that I'm usually the only person who ever arrives by helicopter, which I often do even if I could easily walk or drive to the event. Just the other day, I was invited to a groundbreaking ceremony in Sissonville. Now, Sissonville is only about 15 miles from Charleston, but I decided to fly over in my helicopter! Truth is, I was already in my helicopter coming back from another trip, but I could have landed back in Charleston and then driven over to Sissonville. But that wouldn't have been half as much fun! And just like the President, I always make my security guards salute me when I get off the helicopter. That way, everybody knows I'm the boss! By the way, do you know how much helicopter fuel costs these days? Me neither! But I don't worry about that. You know why? Because your mommy and daddy are paying for it, not me! See you Monday!

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Thursday's Republican Gazette reported that during his amazing and heroic turkey hunt last week -- dramatically described by the Governor's office -- Gov. Joe Manchin had blown the head clean off the turkey. In fact, though, astute reader Del. Craig Blair reported that he was pretty sure he could see the turkey's noggin visible against Mojo's camouflage jacket. Closer examination and a closeup of the area in question proved Blair to be correct. The Governor's 12-gauge shotgun blast merely mangled the head, which makes the turkey feel much better about the whole situation. Another reader wondered why the gov wasn't wearing any orange, but expert hunter Charles Bolen tells me turkey hunters don't have to wear orange, just deer hunters.

The state Supreme Court on Thursday voted 3-2 against expediting a suit challenging the table games legislation, and the makeup of the vote was interesting.

Justices Albright and Starcher voted to hurry up the case, but Justices Benjamin, Maynard and Davis voted no. Nevertheless the case will still be heard in a couple of weeks, well before a schedule June 9 vote in four counties.

Does Thursday's decision tell us anything about how the justices will vote on the actual question itself?

Maybe. Here's a completely wild guess that the vote on the actual question will come out exactly as Thursday's vote -- 3-2, very possibly with the same combination of justices and with table game opponents on the losing side. I will be glad to be wrong, especially about who wins.

State GOP Chairman Doug McKinney will be attending the Republican National Committee's state chairmen's meeting in Columbia, South Carolina, May 15 -18.

Republican Party chairmen, along with national committemen and committeewomen, from across the country will meet in Columbia for annual strategy and planning sessions designed to strengthen local, state and national party organizations.

The South Carolina Republican Party will also host the first-In-the-south Republican Presidential Primary debate, at the Koger Center at the University of South Carolina and televised live by the Fox News Channel on May 15. The week of Republican Party events will be capped off by the South Carolina state party’s convention Saturday, May 19.

McKinney will also be attending various receptions hosted by the GOP presidential candidates, and talking about West Virginia's new GOP convention scheduled to take place on February 5.