Hasta La Gadget!

By Mark Keierleber

Near the entrance of Logan Middle School is a statue called “The Doughboy” — a World War I soldier carrying a firearm in one hand, and in the other a grenade.

The bronze figure is indicative of West Virginia’s gun culture. As is the state flag — which features two firearms — and West Virginia University’s mascot, the musket-toting Mountaineer.

But when an eighth-grade Logan Middle School student refused to remove his National Rifle Association T-shirt because a teacher said it violated the dress code, he was suspended. In response, the student’s mother has filed a federal lawsuit against the Logan County Board of Education and 10 employees, arguing the punishment violated the student’s First Amendment rights.

“People just don’t take well to others that are from outside the area telling the community what’s appropriate and what’s not based upon thing that have happened in other areas,” said Benjamin White, the attorney who represents the student and his mother. “In West Virginia, firearms are a way of life.”

On April 18, 2013, student Jared Marcum, who was 14 at the time, wore a T-shirt with the NRA logo and a hunting rifle that said “PROTECT YOUR RIGHT.” While waiting in the lunch line at the school’s cafeteria, the school secretary said the shirt violated the school’s dress code and instructed Marcum to turn it inside out or face suspension, according to the complaint filed last month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. When two other teachers agreed the shirt violated the dress code, he was escorted to the principal’s office.

At that point, the police had already been called, White said. With teachers and Marcum in the same room, White said the student kept speaking over teachers and administrators when they tried to tell police their side of the story. Because Marcum wouldn’t be quiet, police charged him with obstructing an officer. He also received a one-day out-of-school suspension.

Although a Logan County Circuit Court judge dropped the criminal charges on June 27, 2013, White said the suspension remains on his disciplinary record. On April 25, White received a letter from the school district that says Marcum was suspended because of his “inappropriate behavior with educators in authority,” not because of his T-shirt.

“This kid is a member of the NRA, he is passionate about his right to own firearms, and some person that has an opposite belief tells him to turn it inside out because it’s against a rule that doesn’t exist,” White said, adding that Marcum hopes to join the military following graduation. “The whole issue here is the teacher didn’t understand the rules.”

Had school officials reacted differently, White said, the whole situation could have been avoided.

“Should have the eighth grader kept trying to tell his side of the story?” White said. “No, but how does he know he’s going to be given a chance?”

Shana Thompson, the school board’s attorney, was not available for comment Friday. Requests to speak with school officials about the case were not granted.

According to the complaint, Marcum’s shirt complied with the school’s student/parent handbook, which prohibited clothing that displayed profanity, violence, discriminatory messages or sexually suggestive phrases. The policy also banned clothing that advertised alcohol, tobacco or drug products.

“Unless it says ‘bring this gun and kill somebody,’ then that I think would fall under the language, but it’s a Second Amendment ‘protect your rights’ [message] and it shows a hunting rifle,” White said. “I can’t imagine anybody believing this particular shirt would be against that policy.”

In 2004, a Virginia middle school student settled a similar lawsuit against the Albemarle County School Board after his principal required him to wear his “NRA Sports Shooting Camp” T-shirt inside out.

Along with removing the suspension from Marcum’s record, the lawsuit seeks $250,000 in punitive damages and $200,000 in damages for “embarrassment and humiliation, mental distress and for damages related to the indignities visited upon him.” White said he hopes the suit will also force an apology.

“I’m not saying my client is innocent, but he’s certainly not guilty of obstructing an officer, he’s not guilty of wearing a shirt that’s against the policy,” White said. “I guess he’s guilty of standing up for his freedom of speech and Second Amendment rights.”

This post originally appeared on the SPLC blog.

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At the South Carolina Freedom Summit, Donald Trump said that he would impose a hefty 35% tariff on American multinational corporations like Ford Motor Company, in order to stop outsourcing to China and elsewhere. According to the Economic Policy Institute, between 2001 and 2013 the U.S. trade deficit with China cost 3.2 million jobs, with the majority of the losses coming from the manufacturing sector.

Flirting with a 2016 presidential bid, Trump is striking a populist chord with his stance on trade, and it’s a departure from that of the Republican establishment and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Both have been working with the Obama administration to push through a massive trade deal with Asia, the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Trump’s stance is surprising, not only because of his background in business, but because it would reverse 30+ years of U.S. trade policy. Instituting such a policy reversal would be a Herculean if not impossible task, requiring the eradication of the neoliberal economic orthodoxy ingrained in the DNA of Washington.

Touching on the TPP, Trump said:

China is ripping us off and abusing us because we have leaders that don’t know what they’re doing, and the new trade pact is a disaster because they don’t talk about currency manipulation.

In a further break from the GOP, Trump decried the outsize influence of money in politics. With a personal fortune estimated at $4.1 billion, he said that he would “do the right thing” because he doesn’t need money from lobbyists or donors.

Watch the exchange in the video below, and subscribe to The Undercurrent on YouTube for more independent, on-the-ground political reporting…

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Ah, the Bloody Mary: that spicy, savory, tomato juice-based, vodka-laced drink that is enjoyed with such relish (literal and figurative relish) during brunch, on a ski break or as a hangover remedy. Few “classic” cocktails have as colorful past as the Bloody Mary, which has been enjoyed for more than 80 years.

History of the Bloody Mary
The first iteration showed up in Paris at Harry’s New York Bar in the 1920s. This combination of vodka and canned tomato juice was known as a “Bucket of Blood.” When the drink was brought to the St. Regis Hotel in New York around 1933, it was lauded as a hangover cure and called the “Red Snapper” (you can still belly up to the bar there and order an original Red Snapper). It’s not certain when bars started calling the drink “Bloody Mary,” a reference to Queen Mary I of England and Ireland, who took it as her personal mission to rid the country of Protestants, but recipes for drinks named “Bloody Mary” can be found in print starting in 1946.

These days, anyone can enjoy a Bloody Mary for breakfast, lunch or whenever the mood strikes. While the original recipe is fairly simple (vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and Worcestershire sauce), bartenders and restaurants alike have taken the drink and made it their own, spicing it up with Sriracha or adding enough garnish to make the Bloody a meal in and of itself.

Perhaps one of the most refreshing places to enjoy a Bloody Mary is at a ski resort. There’s something about the combination of spice and veggie, cut with smooth and (sometimes flavored) vodka, which makes it a perfect beverage for a mid-morning ski break-especially if you partied a bit too hardy the night before. However, the restorative powers of the snack-bar selection of garnish are equally as pleasurable at après. Here are some of the most interesting–and tasty–Bloody Marys that are popping up at ski resorts around the country.

1. The “I Heart Italia” Bloody Mary

PHOTO: @annw00 on Twitter

Jackson Hole Resort, WY
Be prepared to say “Ciao, bella!” to this Italian-inspired Bloody Mary when it arrives at your table at Il Villaggio Osteria at the base of Jackson Hole Resort. This version features inspires “La Dolce Vita” with a large selection of Italian style foods as garnish, from skewers of charcuterie to pickled vegetables, house-made meatballs and a mini caprese salad.

View Jackson Hole Resort lift tickets.

2. Bloodys, Bloodys, Everywhere

Timberline Lodge Ski Resort, OR
Not content with just one Bloody Mary option, the Market Café at Timberline Ski Resort in Mount Hood, Oregon, offers six signature Bloody Marys, plus a build-your-own Bloody Mary menu which includes choices of five flavors and five infusions (with limited edition infusions that change each season), plus a “food bloody” on Sundays, which is themed for sports and holidays and features garnishes of everything from shrimp to sliders. If you’re too overwhelmed with the selection or suffer from an inability to make a decision, order a flight and enjoy three mini Bloody Marys of your choice.

View Timberline lift tickets.

3. The “I Don’t Like Bloody Marys” Bloody Mary

Whiteface Mountain, NY
For those who claim that they don’t like Bloody Marys, head to Whiteface Mountain in New York. Perhaps it’s the splash of pickle juice that makes this version so tasty; maybe it’s the homemade spicy Dilly Beans. Whatever it is, this version is lauded by guests and locals as one of the best on the planet. Which is good, because there’s a bar on Jupiter that claims to have the best in the solar system.

View Whiteface Mountain lift tickets.

4. My Deer Bloody

Whiteface Mountain, NY
Too tame for you? Walk on the wild side and head to KANU Lounge at Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid for a more “manly” version. The “My Deer Bloody” puts a Bambi-spin on the classic cocktail, incorporating teriyaki venison jerky-infused Jack Daniels, truffle salt on the rim, and truffle pop corn a venison stick as garnish.

View Whiteface Mountain lift tickets.

5. Best Bloody in a Jar

Squaw Valley, CA
Good things come in jars: peanut butter, moonshine and those cute hot chocolate mix things that you get for Christmas. However, one of the best things that comes in a jar is the Signature Bloody Mary at Rocker@Squaw. Made with Hanger One Chipotle Vodka, house-made spicy Bloody Mary mix, floated with Guinness (!) and served in a glass mason jar with all the fixing (think: bacon, celery, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, lemon wedges and a peppered rim), this Signature Bloody Mary is perfect for sipping mountainside under the Sierra sun–no banjos required.

View Squaw Valley lift tickets.

6 & 7. The “Classic with a Twist” Bloody Mary

Aspen, Colorado
Remember how the first Bloody Mary was served at the St. Regis in New York? They’re still at it. The Bloody Mary remains the signature cocktail of the St. Regis brand, but each St. Regis hotel crafts its own interpretation of the libation. At the St. Regis Aspen Resort, the “Downhill Snapper” is served, an herbaceous concoction with dill and basil mixed with local vodka from Woody Creek Distillers.

View Aspen Snowmass lift tickets.

Deer Valley, Utah
At the St. Regis Deer Valley, the “7452 Mary,” (a nod to the resort’s altitude) is a blend of oat-distilled Vodka 7000 from local High West Distillery and a regional salt rim garnished with a Wasabi-Celery foam.

View Deer Valley lift tickets.

8. The Bacon Bloody Mary

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado
Few Bloody Marys have as rabid a fan base as ABasin’s. Whether it’s the fact that you can order one before or after skiing well into spring (the Basin has been known to stay open until July 4 in some years), or simply the plethora of pig in this drink, the fans are vocal about their love of the Bloody that’s offered at the 6th Alley Bar.

Bacon infused vodka is mixed with secret ingredients and topped with a bacon garnish in this concoction that has been named the “Best Bloody Mary in Summit County, Colorado.” To further reinforce the fact that this Bloody is perfect on a ski day, Arapahoe Basin even has a lift ticket deal that includes a voucher for the famous Bacon Bloody Mary. All hail the Queen.

View Arapahoe Basin lift tickets.

9. The “Don’t Call Me Mary” Bloody Caesar

Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia
Those crazy Canadians are always starting something, including renaming the Bloody Mary after another (not-by-his-choice) bloody ruler: Caesar. The Bloody Caesar appeared in 1969 in Calgary, Alberta and is the national drink of Canada.

Made with Clamato instead of straight tomato juice, the Caesar is follows the rest of the ingredients pretty closely, including a laundry list of garnishes like olives, lemon, lime, pickled gherkins (those little mini pickles), pickled green beans, mini pickled onions and bacon. However, locals tell us that this ‘meal in a mug’ is saltier and more drinkable than a regular Bloody Mary making it the best choice for an après, avant or in-between ski-day drink. We recommend you try it at the Garibaldi Lift Company (GLC) at Whistler Blackcomb.

View Whistler Blackcomb lift tickets.

By Katie Coakley / @KatieCoakley

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The passing of Garo Yepremian marks for me a death of another kind, the losing battle of families to football and a Christmas we should never forget.

Yepremian’s 37-yard field goal on December 25, 1971, ended the longest game in NFL history, a double-overtime heart-stopper between my cherished Miami Dolphins and AFC rival Kansas City Chiefs. It also pitted family against sport as my father and his boys ignored the pleas of my grandmother, mother and sisters to come to a cooling Christmas dinner.

Screen Image Credit: NFL.com

I thank Garo for helping us and a million others get to their over-done turkeys. He deserved better. Yepremian, an all-star placekicker, is more often remembered for his awkward and intercepted pass, not a kick. It happened in the 1973 Super Bowl and the result nearly derailed the Dolphins historic 17-0 perfect season.

In as much as sport, and the NFL in particular, is said to have corrupted American culture, the epic 1971 tilt might be enshrined as the day that football crept permanently into our kitchens and living rooms. Some delight in the currency that football offers for friendly, apolitical and largely harmless banter among family and friends. But we have payed a high price as football has shown itself to be, first, a profit-based enterprise and, second, an exploiter of fan money and player health.

$10 beers are criminal and brain-damaged linebackers are, well, really criminal. But we should consider, too, the consequences of this invasion on other subtle and fragile things.

In the early 70s, Florida had simultaneously beckoned my father to a University of Miami teaching post and my maternal grandparents to a Sarasota retirement. Soon, we’d take turns crossing the Everglades for visits, and for the holidays in 1971, it was our happy task to pack the Volvo and drive west on Alligator Alley.

The 4 p.m. game would be watched, it was agreed by all, and dinner would be timed to its expected conclusion at, oh say, six or seven. But history records show that it lasted far longer — 82 minutes over two additional quarters. An eight o’clock dinner was not in the picture of our anticipated Normal Rockwell sit-down. When the game wore on tempers flared and, to my great relief, my father defended the Dolphin faith as he, my brother and I sat riveted to the TV. Mother paced. Grandmother seethed. Sister’s sniped. The setting moved quickly from one of Rockwellian purity to rock-walled impiety, a fair example of the chauvinism that sports enables. However historic, the game was more important than the upset of our teammates, the women whose heads were on straighter than mine.

It mattered not. The Chiefs were threatening my dear Dolphins. Ed Podolack was unstoppable. Coach Hank Stram, a pompous fool, my dad thought, was jousting with the great Don Shula. Quarterback Lenny Dawson was matching the smooth Bob Griese. And Jan Stenerud looked like he might out-kick his miniature counterpart, Garo. The Dolphins were aided, I was sure, by two lucky charms I’d brought along. Mickey Mouse ears worn when Csonka, Kiick and Morris lined up, and a pro-style pigskin I held when the No Name defense took the field. Who says superstition and sports are silly?

A dozen years later, my parents’ marriage dissolved. That Garo tried to save it is absurd, but I think of that Christmas in 1971 and wonder when football took us over and when family as I first knew it ended. This might be that day.

Football is a tie that binds, but better I think in moderation. We do have other things to do, and it’s the people in our homes and neighborhoods who deserve our attention more than the false heroics of athletes and the spectacles that are sold us.

Rest in peace, Garo Yepremian. You leave us with more to think about than one awful throw.

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Apple’s CEOs are fascinating: Where Steve Jobs cultivated a shrewd genius persona, Tim Cook’s journey to Apple’s upper echelon is equally inspiring. In his George Washington commencement speech this weekend, Cook shared some details about that journey—and threw in an iPhone joke or two.

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