 | ||||
RepublicanGazette
Abernathy Strategies
Submissions welcome
The Republican Gazette welcomes Emails to the Editor and press releases. All submitted items must include the name and contact information for the author of the article, and all articles will only be published with the author's name included. Thank you for reading and participating in The Republican Gazette, another of West Virginia's most biased publications.
All opinions are those of The Republican Gazette and its editor, Gary Abernathy, except letters or commentary signed by others, and do not reflect the views of anyone else, including clients of Abernathy Strategies.
-------
Search the Republican Gazette ---->
Monday, June 2, 2008 "When news breaks, we fix it" Serving West Virginia since 2005
RUSS WEEKS: Not your average Joe
MOJO & MIKE: Standing by his man
Having Fun With Mojo
What's wrong with the Court?
Hey kids! Mojo here! Can you believe the West Virginia Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal from Chesapeake Energy on that case involving the $400 million jury award against it? Didn't the Court know that Chesapeake is a company I like?I could care less about all the verdicts against Massey Energy, because I don't like Don Blankenship! But Aubrey McClendon is my buddy!Geesh! Just when something was going right, the Supreme Court has to get it wrong! Now, McClendon is taking his ball and going home! He's not building that big headquarters in Charleston like he promised! And it's all the Court's fault!I might have to call a special session over this one and fix this thing -- after I figure out what to tell the Legislature about how to fix it! Gotta figure that out without looking like my "go slow" approach on tort and tax reform was wrong! I hope Aubrey starts returning my phone calls so we can talk about this! After all, it wasn't my fault! Manchin implies Court should ignore law, favor companies important to him
Reacting to the West Virginia Supreme Court's refusal to hear the appeal of Chesapeake Energy of the big $400 million verdict against it, Gov. Joe Manchin seemed to imply last week that the Court should consider how much a company has at stake in West Virginia in making its rulings.Manchin seems to be saying that how much a company has invested -- and whether he has promoted it -- should color its decisions.Responding to questions by Anna Sale of West Virginia Public Broadcasting about the decision, Manchin said, in his own unique Manchin-speak, that when a decision affects "...an industry that has that much at stake in West Virginia and as far reaching as it’s been of our fabric, if you will, and not to say that it’s of importance enough to be heard, is frustrating to me."
The governor seems to be indicating that the Court should not simply consider the law in cases involving companies like Chesapeake, but also how much such a company "has at stake," which would, of course, lead to a Court more concerned with legislating from the bench than simply applying the law.
Musical chairs
Garrison's report offers little but ongoing game of shifting people from one position to another
MIKE GARRISON
WVU willing to degrade other MBA degrees to save prez?
West Virginia University President Mike Garrison's long-awaited report to the Board of Governors on how he would fix problems that surfaced in the Manchin-Garrison scandal over the unearned degree awarded to Heather Bresch offered little more than a continuation of the ongoing game of Musical Chairs that began with the "resignations" of Gerald Lang and Stephen Sears.As the state found out shortly after their announced resignations as Provost and Dean, Lang and Sears were in reality simply giving up one position for another, returning to their teaching jobs this fall.Similarly, Garrison said Friday the following changes would or have been made:* Chief communications officer Bill Case was reassigned May 24 to a special project with the university health sciences center.* Christine Martin, vice president for university advancement and marketing, will now oversee WVU's news and information services. * Former university spokeswoman Becky Lofstead will consult on how to improve overall communication efforts.* Retiring law school dean John Fisher will serve as special adviser to the president.* General counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs Alex Macia will serve just in the latter role and no longer serve as general counsel.Presumably, Garrison will now sit in a brown leather chair instead of a black leather chair, emphasizing just how different everything will be from now on.Hopefully, John Fisher, in his new role as special adviser to the president, will have one obvious piece of advice right off the bat that will result in a new presidential search being undertaken very soon. LEAST SHOCKING HEADLINES EVER
"WVU Board of Governors says Garrison did nothing wrong"
"Bonnie says Clyde not really such a bad guy"
"Nixon says Watergate break-in no big deal"
"Clinton says sex with Monica was not really sex"
"Bonds accused of using steroids"
"Dogs bark, cats meow, says animal expert"
"Diamonds are a girl's best friend"
"Bill Gates is rich"
"April has most rainfall of the year"
"Byrd running for reelection"
"Democrats win Charleston Gazette endorsements"
"Peanut butter sticks to roof of mouth"
Rumors were swirling in recent weeks that WVU officials supportive of Mike Garrison were working hard to find other cases of eMBA degrees being improperly awarded outside of the Heather Bresch case.Those rumors proved true last week when Garrison claimed that "problems" had been found with as many as 10 percent of the eMBA awards granted in the early 1990s. But a Charleston Gazette study shows most so-called problems were minor, and none seemed comparable to the Bresch incident in which grades were simply manufactured.The fact that Garrison would cast doubt on other degrees in order to lessen the impact of the Bresch affair demonstrates to what lengths he and his supporters are willing to go to justify his ongoing presidency -- no doubt even further angering other WVU graduates.New documentary will explore differences between life, record of Manchin and Weeks
The Russ Weeks campaign is working on a new documentary on the two candidates for governor. For instance, at left, Gov. Joe Manchin, right, poses for a photo op aboard a submarine. At right, Russ Weeks, far left, is shown serving in action on a sub just off the coast of Cuba following the Cuban Missile Crisis.
