Bobby Huggins For Big East Coach of the Year

Losing talent, overcoming adversity, building chemistry and winning. That is the measure of great coaching performances. West Virginia University's Bobby Huggins has done all of these and has set his team up for another 20 win season, another year with a winning record in conference play, and an NCAA berth.

First of all, Huggins had to reconfigure his team to adjust to the losses of three starters. Smith, Ebanks, and Butler all contributed defense, points, and leadership in clutch situations last year. Most teams reload with capable freshmen. Huggins had the worst luck with his recruiting class. Some did not qualify, some never made it to practice. One is left on the team, but is out for the season due to injury.

Then he dealt with player infractions and a player defection as Dan Jennings quit in the middle of a game. However, Huggins teams don't quit. They circle the wagons and rebound (in more ways than one.)

West Virginia was not picked to finish well in conference this year and that was before the entire freshman class plus a key reserve was lost. Huggins has had his team forge for themselves a very good year despite all obstacles. He has earned Big East Coach of the Year.

House Republicans Look to End $13 Million Annual Support For U. N. Climate Group

Among the $60 billion in budget cuts proposed by House Republicans is $13 million of your taxpayer dollars that continue to fund the scandalized Intergovernmental Climate Group.

U. N. officials take issue with the $13 million figure, stating that only $4 million goes to the IGCG, while the rest goes to U. N. scientific monitoring groups.

It does not matter where the money ends up. Americans should not be spending millions on bad science. Furthermore, United States government agencies already monitor weather and the climate and have for decades. Why pay the U. N. to do the job (more poorly) as well?

American support for the United Nations stands at 31%. Even Democratic voters can only muster a 45% approval rating of the job that the U. N. does according to a 2010 Gallup Poll. It might be time for the United States to start demanding a larger say in the inner workings of the international bureaucracy, since we do pay for a great deal of its operations. As far as I am concerned, we ought to exit the U. N. and seize the headquarters through eminent domain. It does nothing for us or anyone else and is a snakepit of corruption. Libya was placed on the Human Rights Commission a few years back by these people. Libya!

Defunding fake climate research is a start. It is also a shot across the U. N.'s bow. They need to reckon with the fact that the GOP are the new budgetary sheriffs in town. And their loving defender, Obama, may be out the door in a couple of years.

First Annual Orwell Award for Scariest Big Government Legislation Proposal This Session

I have decided to create an Orwell Award for scariest Big Government proposal to hit the West Virginia State Legislature this session.



The award goes to Monongalia County Delegate Barbara Fleischauer for her anti-bullying bill. This bill, which passed the House Judiciary Committee, would subject children to school punishment if they have been found to have been bullied anywhere at anytime. This could be at the park over the summer, or anywhere else for that matter, even Myrtle Beach or Timbuktu. It could involve any communication in any form whatsoever. Republican Delegate Patrick Lane of Kanawha County was quoted in West Virginia Metro News as opposing the bill in the strongest possible terms.



Delegate Fleischauer insists that the bill is necessary because in recent years that parents don't seem willing to stop bullies.



I hate to break it to the House Judiciary Committee, but bullying was widespread in decades and centuries prior to Nancy Grace and Jane Valez Mitchell. Also, there have always been parents who refuse to believe that their little angel could be capable of bullying. You teach children strategies to deal with its reality, because it can never really be eradicated. Those strategies include, unfortunately, standing up and fighting for yourself.



Look at what Fleischauer's bill will do. A bully could use the power of the state against his or her target by threatening to turn someone in for bullying themselves. If it is off of school property and out of teacher and administrator earshot, how can proof of real guilt be established. Also in social networking, a statement taken out of context can be misinterpreted. This becomes Orwellian because an arm of the government has to operate as a Thought Police enforcing its will anywhere and everywhere with complete arbitrariness.



Children often have spats with each other that come and go like summer squalls. Anything said or done during these arguments could be construed as a bullying statement or action Boys especially will be good friends, get into fights and beat on each other, then be friends the next day. Do we really want the power of the state brought into these situations to perpetuate a conflict that would otherwise quickly pass?



The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and social legislation.



Combine this with the bill to call for state investigations every time a kid misses more than five days of school and you really have a frightening overall invasion of parental authority and prerogative. People need to pay attention to the very tyrannical legislation making its way through the State Legislature this session.