What he said

I mentioned in earlier posts that Republican candidate for governor Bill Cole has proposed increasing mandatory minimums and possibly building more prisons to deal with the drug problem. My friend Pastor Matthew Watts had a great response in today's Charleston Gazette-Mail. I highly recommend taking a look at this critique of one of the biggest policy failures of the last few decades.

Meanwhile, one possible partial solution to WV's budget woes could also help address our public health problems related to obesity. The idea in question is upping the tax on sugary drinks.

Finally, under the it's-not-all-bad category, WV's unemployment rate is at its lowest point since 2008, in spite of the serious slump in the coalfields.

Pass the snake juice, please

How 'bout a double?

I wrote some about my recent trip to Okinawa last week but just realized I forgot to mention a local beverage which I (almost) regret to say I didn't try. It's called awamori and is a distilled rice liquor.

The Gentle Reader has no doubt heard of mezcal, a Mexican beverage made from the plant maguey, a form of agave, which sometimes contains a worm. No disrespect to Mexico intended, but the Okinawans raised the stakes a bit. Why bother with an invertebrate when you can put a snake in instead?

The snake in question is the habu, a venomous fellow of the pit viper variety believed to have medicinal properties. Not all bottles of awamori are sold with snakes but the ones that have it are easy to find over there.

While El Cabrero will drink just about anything (within reason), somehow I didn't manage to try it this trip. Maybe next time.

(Note: it took all my self-discipline to avoid using a cheap caption with the above photo. Something like, "Is that a snake in your liquor bottle or is it just happy to be here?" I'm proud to say I resisted that temptation. I would never stoop to such a level. No way.)

UPPER BIG BRANCH MINE DISASTER UPDATES. The Mine Safety and Health Administration faced tough questions in a congressional hearing yesterday. According to Ken Ward's reporting in the Charleston Gazette,

One former Massey miner, Jeffrey Harris, testified that when he worked for the company mine management routinely ignored methane accumulations and fired miners who complained about safety problems.


"If an operator wants to, it's pretty easy to cut corners on safety," Harris said. "That's exactly what I saw at the Massey mines where I worked.


"Those people who died," Harris added, "they didn't have to die."

Here's more from the Associated Press.

SPEAKING OF DYING, here's information about the latest Death on the Job report from the AFLCIO.

DEFICITS, SOCIAL SECURITY, AND MEDICARE. Economist Dean Baker challenges prevailing opinions among deficit hawks here.

PASS THE AWAMORI. Given the possible health effects of soft drinks, that snake juice is starting to look better.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED