You just can't get away

In my newfound quest to avoid politics and the mind-numbing commentary that goes with it, I was foiled early on by the Salado Village Voice. While researching information on the school district in this "vintage Texas village" a few miles south of Temple, I could not avoid this lead on an analysis piece that I had to pass on, warts and all:

The new from Washington D.C. has been disquieting at least insofar as the Senate is concerned, what with rancor, malice, ill will and just plain cussedness running amuck between bitterly divided and highly partisanized Seanotrs over the use of the "filibuster" by a minority of Democrats trying to stifle the will of the GOP majority.

The former copyeditor in me just laughs with derision. I'm not sure if I enjoy the creation of "partisanized" or the scare quotes around "filibuster" more. Although, I legitimately enjoy the word "cussedness" and plan to make it a staple of my conversational style.

But the soon to be former education reporter in me shakes his head — and offers a thumbs-up to his friend Leslie, soon to be former English teacher in a California Middle School, whose students' efforts could almost outshine this prose.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go correct the lead on the piece I just wrote, which incorrectly used "over" instead of "more than" twice in the space of one introductory clause.