My fellow citizens, Jim Justice has just saluted us with his middle finger. He's happy, celebrating that you and I have been had in every way.
Remember him? The governor who appeared on our public broadcasting TV channels all the way through COVID with daily briefings over months and yes, years -- even after Covid receded, and he was running for U.S. Senate? Big Jim was as well known as Mr. Rogers or Miss Piggy. Heck, even his dog became famous thanks to public television.
Ignoring law, he regularly -- on public television -- trashed President Biden, praised candidate Donald Trump, attacked the Legislature, the media, all Democrats, even ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Mayor Amy Goodwin ("Amy Baby," he called her). And in the irony of all ironies, Jim Justice threatened to sue this newspaper because he didn't like what was written about him. Justice, the most sued governor in West Virginia history, threatening to sue?
It didn't happen, like paying those fines hasn't happened, like saying he would permit reporters to attend his so-called press briefings never happened.
I'll bet the farm that he's never read the National Public Broadcasting law. It requires a "commitment to fairness" a promise "not to show political favoritism" and an obligation to monitor broadcast content to "assure fairness."
So he appoints someone to head West Virginia Public Broadcasting who admitted he doesn't watch television, doesn't have a TV, but is convinced TV news is biased, anyhow. Just don't confuse him with the facts.
Justice does show up occasionally on Capitol Hill -- more than he showed up for work here in our capital city. He sucks up to Trump regularly, with his "golly, gee whiz, let's shoot a rocket to the stars and pull on the rope" philosophy of governing. One might ask Gov. Morrissey how that philosophy of governing turned out.
So here it is:
Justice votes to end government support of the very program that gave him years of free publicity in the middle of a campaign for U.S. Senate. Goodbye, "Masterpiece Theater," "Downton Abbey," "Elinor," "Frontline," "Donkey Hodie," PBS Kids across our state and support for small PBS stations in rural America. He got what he wanted -- election to the U.S. Senate. That's all that mattered. Who cares?
We have been played. He flipped us off. He used us. He violated the law.
He stabbed in the back those who built West Virginia Public Broadcasting over the last 70 years. Sorry, Sharon Rockefeller, Beth Vorhees, Bos Johnson, Greg VanCamp, Harry Brawley, Martha Wehrle, Norm Fagan, Larry Groce, Andy Ridenour, Marilyn DeVita, Rita Ray, Ann Brotherton, Matt Jackfert, etc., etc., etc.
He won the election But we are the losers. Pathetic.
Jack Canfield, of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, is a former congressional aide, reporter, legislator and was an aide to three West Virginia governors.
