Pignelope

By Tom Barnes

HARRISBURG -- Ok, we admit it, as political news goes, this is marginal. But the state House and Senate members are both out of town (back home campaigning, no doubt) and Gov. Ed Rendell, uncharacteristically, keeping being quiet today, so we're going to talk about the Pink Pig.

Yes, we mean the inflatable pig trotted out by citizen activist Gene Stilp, both here at the Capitol and around the state, to protest legislators' pay raises, tax increases and other acts of state government that he doesn't like.

The pig, by the way, has a name, Mr. Stilp tells us. "Pignelope."

And if you're watching a new CBS TV show, called Blue Bloods (starring Tom Selleck) you may well see the pig. Mr. Stilp stopped by the Capitol newsroom today to say he took the pig to New York City recently and signed papers with CBS so it could be used in the show.

In a very legalistic letter, which Mr. Stilp distributed, CBS said it was seeking Mr. Stilp's "consent to use, Gene Stilp Pink Pig Inflatable (the "Prop(s)"), as set dressing and/or as featured prop(s) in the above-referenced television series (the Program) "Blue Bloods.''