Don’t forget to watch video of Vernie McGaha, Ed Worley, Gary Tapp and Ernesto Scorsone from the 2004 State Senate floor debate on Daniel Mongiardo’s SB245/anti-gay marriage amendment. You’ll really appreciate the the footage of Mongiardo standing behind Scorsone as he spoke, laughing and giggling uncontrollably with his pals. [Page One]
Crazy ass Jim Bunning said Justice Ginsberg would be dead in nine months from pancreatic cancer. [C-J]
Johnathan Gay could learn a thing or two about honesty. He’s spinning, suggesting the Herald-Leader blames “Mountain Dew Mouth” on the coal industry. Unfortunately for Gay, it’s a reality that those in areas of coal mining cannot drink the ground water because it’s a disaster thanks to coal. I, for one, grew up in an area were having a well wasn’t an option if you didn’t want 15 different kinds of cancer. He should think twice before attempting dishonest spin. And, no, there’s not a better place to start attacking than oral health, Johnathan. [Cyberhillbilly]
Yup. It’s true that Jim Gooch refuses to allow stream saver legislation out of the Natural Resources and Environment Committee. It’s also true that Mr. Gooch has taken it upon himself to rail against “that fag in Louisville” over the past few weeks. Guess he knows what’s coming down the line. [Angela Mitchell's LTE]
How many gallons of water does it take to make your latte? Guess. 53! [Discovery]
No, Mr. Hawpe, taxes aren’t the plague. But keeping four cents on the gas tax to maintain $120 million just because some folks in Frankfort can’t bring themselves to SOLVE this fiscal nightmare we’re in? Give me a break. Side note: It’s hilarious that the “Lunsford Gas Tax” is now the hottest topic of conversation in the Commonwealth. [C-J]
That damn Priceline dude is on the Governor’s equestrian games advisory council. [Bluegrass Politics]
52,000 Americans hid their money from the IRS in Swiss bank accounts. [Financial Times]
Kentucky is weighing the expansion of a children’s health care program that would pay most of kids’ health care costs. It’d be stupid of us not to do this. Taking care of our young and old is the right thing to do. [C-J]
Is creating an investigative agency with no oversight the smartest thing to do? We already know that David Williams will receive one-third of the road fund (concession from Beshear/Stumbo) in exchange for the budget vote. Is this another concession– killing transparency and the right of the people to know what’s going on? Protecting state records from Open Records/Sunshine laws and preventing them from being released by court order is the wrong thing for the Commonwealth. Creating an uncontrollable and secretive arm of the legislature is a mistake and Kentucky should be ashamed. Al Cross actually knows what he’s talking about on this front. [Mark Hebert & C-J, oh, and Al Cross]
The Herald-Leader editorial board points out that talking about reality does not a negative stereotype make. There are real epidemics in eastern Kentucky and it’s our duty as Kentuckians and Americans to help. [H-L]
Why won’t Mitch McConnell grow a pair? He needs to demand that Roland Burris resign from the Senate. Not doing so is a disservice to this country. [CNN Political Ticker
Finally, for those fighting against SB68, don't forget what a mess you could be in if you steal money and trash other Fairness organizations. [Page One]
Haha – David Williams for U.S. Senate. That’s been the gossip for months. And who believes THAT will happen (a victory, that is)? He may enter the race, but he’s the only Republican in the state with more baggage than Ernie Fletcher. Williams is screwed in his Republican circles because he cut road fund deals with Beshear and Stumbo. [Hahaha]
Will the powers that be finally decide that it’s time we all step up and work together to improve lives in Appalachia? Fat chance. [Ronnie Ellis]
17 responses so far ↓
1 Taylor // Feb 23, 2009 at 9:40 am
While I agree with you that eastern Kentucky (and the entire Appalachian region) has some serious problems that need attending to, I don’t think it does any good to talk about these problems without some context. the 20/20 episode (and brief follow up) did very little to contextualize the problems that exist – you even briefly mention the whole mountain dew thing in this post. Without drawing connections between the symptoms and the real problems, we’re not really doing anyone any good.
Sure, the one guy got a second chance to go to college, which should never be played down. But are all those other kids going to get to go to college? What about the kids they go to school with who didn’t get featured on 20/20? Are Hannah Montana furry boots going to make that girl’s life any better? If nothing else, all that show did was trivialize the issues in the region and make their solutions seem as simple as some philanthropic donations. As long as we portray people as charity cases and not products of a very f-ed up system, we’re not doing much good. It’s like teaching a man to fish…
2 James Moore // Feb 23, 2009 at 9:49 am
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3 Davi // Feb 23, 2009 at 10:02 am
Poor Sen. Bunning. He speaks of Justice Ginsberg’s health problems as if he doesn’t realize he has extreme brain problems which will probably limit his own term.
4 jake // Feb 23, 2009 at 10:06 am
Taylor: You’re missing a few major points. Recruiting additional dentists to work in the area for free? PepsiCo paying for a new dental rig to accompany the only one currently in operation? Paying for dental health education and helping to fund trial programs in schools? I’d say that’s kind of major.
Nearly all television is sensationalism. But even the Hanna Montana boots situation could be a big deal. Receiving a gift like that may seem trivial and ridiculous… until you realize that maybe those boots would give those girls the self esteem to rise up above their drug-addicted parents and their difficult situation? Maybe it gives them hope in their difficult pre-teen years? It’s nothing like educating them and helping them dig their way out of poverty, no, and it’s not the answer. But it’s irresponsible to suggest that helping anyone when they’re down on their luck is a bad thing.
What 20/20 did was re-open a discussion that keeps dying out because our elected leaders keep killing out. Tearing the discussion apart instead of working to find solutions and to move forward is part of the problem. It’s like saying it’s bad to talk about the negative without the positive (which was, indeed, a part of the program… depending upon perspective).
5 Taylor // Feb 23, 2009 at 10:26 am
Jake- I think moreso than what 20/20 did to help any of those kids is the fact that (as you admit re: sensationalism) it doesn’t really do a whole lot. I don’t mean to suggest it’s a bad thing to help any one of those people, but 20/20 suggesting that they’ve somehow saved eastern Kentucky (I’m almost sure they made this sentiment explicit in the follow up – if not, the undertones were heavy) is even more irresponsible.
Sure they re-opened the discussion, but opening up a discussion based on false pretenses doesn’t help. Besides, the discussion isn’t really open if 20/20 decides not to air any comments made in interviews that they didn’t think jived with their story line – they’re manufacturing a truth about the region. Sure, the stories they aired are true – but they certainly didn’t delve into the solutions (two or three minutes of Ron Eller and Dee Davis don’t really compare to the rest of the story). So while it’s got us talking about it, taking the 20/20 depiction alone as the discussion isn’t much of a discussion at all.
6 jake // Feb 23, 2009 at 10:34 am
False pretenses?
They’re not manufacturing anything about the region. Everything in the story was factually correct. Poor dental health caused by ignorance leads to toothless folks.
I don’t think the intent of the piece was to find solutions, but to talk about SOME of the problems that are usually ignored by the rest of the country.
It’s not much a discussion? 20/20 got the highest ratings in 5 years. National attention on Appalachia is at its peak– higher than it’s been in probably a decade.
I think this is only the beginning. Sometimes it takes stirring the pot and putting the pepper in the sauce to get people to taste things. Not everything can be puppies and rainbows and roundtables and essays. Not in the beginning and not in under-educated, poverty-stricken eastern Kentucky.
We have to consider everything and have to take advantage of EVERY bit of publicity and media attention available. Not doing so is in poor taste.
7 Cyberhillbilly // Feb 23, 2009 at 10:58 am
Jake:
Thank you for the link. I’m sorry I was being dishonest in your eyes. I didn’t realize I was actually underhyping the hype. Now we find out that not only are coal mines causing Mt. Dew mouth, but cancer to boot.
BTW, when was there a coal operation in your community? Was it a deep mine or a strip mine?
Finally, we’d love for some folks to come down to this region and help out. My invitation to you to come visit and talk about common interest stands open as it has for what… years?
8 jake // Feb 23, 2009 at 11:02 am
Never paid attention to water studies in your home county/area? The water table is a clusterfuck in most mined areas.
Coal operations were: strip/surface, deep, never properly reclaimed.
It’s just commonplace for anyone with a well (for water) in coal-mined areas to have terrible, sludge-y, sulfur-laden water.
9 jake // Feb 23, 2009 at 11:03 am
P.S. Here’s a Google search that may come in handy for you.
10 David Adams // Feb 23, 2009 at 11:31 am
Where is Mongiardo’s “Justice Ginsberg will live!” press release?
11 jake // Feb 23, 2009 at 11:35 am
He’s probably planning a joint “e-Health-Justice Ginsberg” press conference right now.
12 Taylor // Feb 23, 2009 at 11:43 am
Jake-
just because everything in that story was factually correct doesn’t mean it told the whole story. Maybe it means I have unrealistic expectations, but talking about the problems that exist in Appalachia without talking about their causes is wrong. Rather, it’s probably more analogous to say they treated the symptoms without treating the disease (a resource dependent economy and the objectification of people in the region that dates back to the 1800s). Talking about this isn’t enough if we’re not talking about the right things. And 20/20 wasn’t talking about the right things. Why not talk about mountaintop removal? Why not talk about out-migration or the dearth of education funding in eastern KY schools? Why not talk about the corrupt politicians and billions spent on ornate courthouses rather than basic needs?
I never said anything about painting a rosy picture – but what that story did was paint the smallest corner of a very large portrait. Besides, this isn’t the beginning of the discussion about Appalachia – it has been going for 40+ years, whether or not people are paying attention. Acting like we haven’t had enough work done in the region to really understand the roots of the problems is simply wrong. Acting like plausible solutions don’t exist is just as much in poor taste as rejecting free publicity.
Again, maybe I have unrealistic expectations of a network news outlet, but 20/20 had no problems making it seem as though they told everything there was to be told. In reality, the stuff they didn’t say is probably a whole lot worse than the stuff they did talk about. Pretending that 50 minutes of poorly assembled TV documentary is going to accurately portray any of the issues or solve any of the problems is presumptuous. But you’re right, the discussion needs to be had – but it would probably be a lot more constructive if Diane Sawyer wasn’t involved.
13 jake // Feb 23, 2009 at 11:49 am
So it’d be more productive if we didn’t have a nationally-known entity helping promote issues of import?
And mountaintop removal on national television? Haha. King coal would never let that happen. (Which reminds me, I need to send you a copy of “Mountaintop Removal” that Gill Holland produced)
Maybe it’s the Appalachian in me… the being used to never getting anything right when it comes to rural poverty. The whole “take it where you can get it” mindset. The “make do with what you’ve got” mantra.
I think that rather than pissing and moaning about how terrible Diane Sawyer is for not mentioning mountaintop removal and how fucked up House & Senate folks from eastern Kentucky are… I think we should be taking major advantage of this opportunity (take it where you can get it) and continue to hype it up (make do with what you’ve got).
14 Taylor // Feb 23, 2009 at 11:59 am
I agree that we should use this opportunity to revive the discussion (or at least make it more accessible) – never let a good crisis go to waste, right?
I just don’t see how this changes anything. Helping each of those individuals kids is good, but it doesn’t address the problems, whether its on national TV or not. I’m just inclined to say that every discussion of any topic of significance needs to be thorough and honest; without getting into these issues real deeply, we aren’t achieving those fairly basic goals.
As for other things, feel free to send me the documentary (I’ve heard from more than one source that it’s awesome), but I’ll have the chance to watch it when it is here at UK in April. Oh, and here is more to support your (significantly substantiated) argument against the Cyberhillbilly re: contaminated water in Appalachia – http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/2009/02/20/wva-streams-impaired/#more-129
15 D.J. Self-Conscious // Feb 23, 2009 at 12:11 pm
There’s a part of me that says we should just let the free market work. Why try and bring jobs to eastern Kentucky? Why not allow economic reality to depopulate the area? After coal mining imploded, the population of Pike County plummeted. Why? People getting the hell out of dodge for greener pastures. Don’t give people incentives to stay in a region where you have to destroy the environment (flattening mountaintops) to have any hope of economic development, like building more Wal-Marts. Lots of cultures far more long-lived, beautiful and creative than that of Kentucky Appalachia have withered away in the past.
16 Taylor // Feb 23, 2009 at 12:50 pm
ummm, maybe because it was relying on the market that got us into this mess in the first place?
17 John // Feb 23, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I hope Ginsberg outlives Bunning just to spite him. His comments must make all the pancreatic survivors out there feel really good.
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