Hillbilly No More?

I knew it was going to happen. After the Children of the Mountains special a couple of weeks ago, I knew it was only a matter of time before the national media would discover Appalachia again. Now Newsweek is reporting on one of Ol' Joe's new initiatives, Hillbilly No More? West Virginia's Image Makeover. It's an interesting read, but what he doesn't get is that we can't change the stereotypes. Only they can do it. They, the outsiders who are defining us.

I'll have more after a bit, but for now I'll just leave you with a correction: Joe Manchin is a registered Democrat and always has been. I can understand Newsweek's confusion in thinking he's a Republican, as his policies are pretty much Republican, but he' actually a Democrat, at least on the ballot.

An Open Letter to those in my new town

who told me that I wouldn't have to worry about snow, that we don't get snow here like in the northern part of the state:

You lie. Lie lie lie. Like a rug.