Western Pa. Country Jamberoo

Since the Pirates beat the Phillies yesterday, let’s make fun of Western Pennsylvania! The ravishing bride at left is the former Christa Vattimo, who was married to David M. Wielechowski on Saturday.

Then they went to the Holiday Inn — the Motel 6 was completely booked — dafter their wedding, got into a fight and were both arrested:

According to a criminal complaint, the Wielechowskis had just checked into the Holiday Inn-McKnight Road in Ross and were ready to enter their room on the seventh floor when they began arguing. Dr. Wielechowski “then used a karate-style kick with his leg to kick Christa, knocking her to the floor,” the complaint reads.

Upon hearing her screams, two guests of the hotel who had been attending another wedding reception ran to Mrs. Wielechowski’s aid. But when they attempted to restrain Dr. Wielechowski, he began fighting the would-be rescuers only to have Mrs. Wielechowski “turn against [them] and also begin to assault them,” according to the complaint.

The fight moved from the hallway into an elevator, then spilled out onto the floor of the lobby, where Dr. and Mrs. Wielechowski picked up metal planters containing live plants and threw them into the elevator at the two rescuers, the complaint says.

Oh, yes, Mr. Wielechowski is a dentist, of course.

Meanwhile, in Bridgeville (also in Allegheny County), a man was arrested for annoying government officials by calling them and telling them they suck. The police chief said: “In section 2709 of the Pennsylvania crimes code, dealing with harassment, it specifically states that when a person, they harass, annoy or alarm an individual based upon the conduct, then it’s harassment.” Watch it, commenters, or I’m going to have you all arrested.

Blogoriffic Wedding News!

First the Daily Kos guy is on Colbert Report last night, then this from Atrios, noted Philly liberal blogger. Jumbotron proposals, you have met your match:

No, wait, it gets better. From the comments, the proposer says:

I’m waiting for her to finish playing her game of online Scrabble. She refuses to close the browser to read it since I won’t tell her what she has to see. Oy

The suspense is killing us! Will she say yes! Stay tuned! Or as they say in the blogoverse… developing…

Update: She said yes! Whoooo!!!!!!111111 Congrats to all involved! Just, uh, don’t anybody propose to me that way. Do it somewhere classy, like a Carmen Sandiego Fan Fiction Convention or something.

A Modest Proposal [Eschaton]
Markos on Colbert Report [Crooks & Liars]

One ring to rule them all

Despite our occasional slip-up, I tend to think of we Americans as forward-thinking people. We’re America, the land of the immigrant! The land of the downtrodden being given a second chance, the melting pot, the mixing bowl! Equal rights for all!

Ha ha! Just kidding. We Americans are about as tolerant as everyone else in the world, which is to say: Not much at all. And speaking of equality, here’s a law you might not have known: In Pennsylvania, an engagement ring is the husband’s property until the marriage.

Sounds good, huh? The Inky reports that in a 4-3 ruling in 1999, the state supreme court set precedent while settling the dispute of a Western Pennsylvania couple. The decision said that the ring remains the possession of the person who gave it “even if the donor broke the engagement.”

And now a Philadelphia construction manager is being sued by her former fiance over a $35,000 ring he gave her — which she sold when he broke off the engagement.

Weird as to how to approach this one, since, well, it’s kind of unfair to the guy, since it is his ring, and it’s unfair that this woman is in hot water after a guy broke it off. (There’s more to the story, as well; the woman alleges her ex forced her to sell her other rings when he gave her the engagement rock. We’re going to need Solomon to figure this one out.)

I suppose this rule was made to stop women from taking rings and running off legally, but what’s to stop a man from holding threat of a breakup over his fiancee’s head? I tend to have a pretty low opinion of people, but is either scenario really all that typical?

Either way, this is true: Everyone takes engagement rings way too seriously. And, uhm, in Pennsylvania, whoever gives the engagement ring (i.e. the guy) has a serious advantage.

Jilted, then sued over ring [Inky]
Jan. 30: But what about dog on dog marriage?