Ellington

MOVE OVER, VERMONT: The John C. Stennis Institute of Government announced the surprising results of a statewide poll on Dec. 8, showing that a wide majority of Mississippians want the state to pay more of their health-care coverage, and are willing to raise some taxes to pay for it: 78 percent favored guaranteed health coverage for every Mississippian, and 74 percent said they would pay higher taxes to make it happen. Of the 78 percent, 87 percent were Democrats, and 70 percent were Republicans. A full 89 percent want every child covered; 70 percent want smoke-free public places; 66 percent want smoke-free restaurants; 56 percent want the government to spend more to fight AIDS and STDs. The full results of the study are at healthyfutures.cc. …

C–C–CRO, O–O–OOM: The city, state and country have been buzzing over Sly Croom's appointment as head coach of the Mississippi State football team (which we're admittedly glowing about, too). Every male columnist in town has fallen over himself to wax the most poetically about bad memories of a time when sports wasn't seen as the great race equalizer, bringing the city a nice break in the media from city-bashing and sensationalism. (And we hear that Homeland Security might have issued an orange alert for out-of-control sports metaphors.) Alert the media: The Clarion-Ledger's Orley Hood, a former sportswriter, perhaps did the Croom thing best, writing: "Sly Croom didn't get the State job because he's black. He got it because he's good. By the same token, he didn't not get the job because he's black. In football terms, that's the play of the day." … WILBON SUCKS: The national media was slobbering with glee for the most part (and with metaphors; Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com said football "remains the mother's milk of sport and cultural life" in Mississippi; now there's an image). But Michael Wilbon of The Washington Post twisted some southern knickers when he wrote: "If you're expecting me to lavish praise on Mississippi State in this space, you're going to be disappointed." Worse then peeing on Croom's parade and refusing to give credit where it's due, Wilbon flunked Reporting 101 in the course of his piece, writing, "Remember, in Mississippi State we're talking about a school that 40 years ago tried to prevent the all-white men's basketball team from participating in the NCAA basketball tournament because their precious white boys might rub up against some Negroes from Michigan State or St. John's or someplace in the North like that." Not only is that a cheap shot at MSU, it's WRONG. Wrong, wrong, wrong. In fact, the State basketball team, backed by a courageous school president, defied a court order and unwritten state law to play in the NCAAs. It's not like the facts are a secret: Sports Illustrated did a major story on what happened in 1963 earlier this year. Wilbon probably didn't read it, opting to spend most of his time "preparing" for his co-host duties on ESPN's idiotic "Pardon The Interruption." Wilbon is the one who's never funny. So there. … IT'S THE NCAA; OPEN UP: Croom's honeymoon was short-lived, of course. As we go to press, the NCAA has just filed a multi-page manifesto filled with little messes Jackie Sherrill is leaving Sly Croom to clean up. These days, clean-up duty comes with a much higher pricetag than it did 40 years ago at SEC institutions, and we're still proud that Sly will be the one trying to make amends. … MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE PLANTATION: With the Croom news, suddenly the silly race-symbol debates at Ole Miss over its "heritage" (like the old planter guy they cooked up in 1979 to maintain their goofy-ass rebellion) seems oh-so, well, 1979. Dated. Stupid. Yesterday's news. Of course, some folks can't let it go. JFP staffers found a makeshift symbol of Colonel Reb, with Snoop Dogg's face superimposed in our e-mail—for reasons that are inevitably too stupid to even think about. Want to bet Wilbon got one in his e-mail, too? Everyone now: "Will the circle be unbrokennn, by and by, Lord, by and byyy." … SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE: Fortunately, not everyone at Ole Miss is stuck in the near, or distant, past. Determined folks there keep racking up diversity accomplishments. The Council of Graduate Schools just awarded Ole Miss a national award—CGS/Peterson's Award for Promoting an Inclusive Graduate Community—for its efforts to recruit and retain talented minority students in graduate programs. There's more than one way to be a rebel these days. … WITHOUT HESITATION: The most courageous university award this month goes to Jackson State, however, for stepping up and bringing the controversial "Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America" exhibit to campus Jan. 30 to July 4, just in time to honor the heroes of Freedom Summer 1964. Many of the photographs of actual lynchings were used for postcards in the first half of the 20th century; they now comprise probably the most daring and potentially introspective exhibit ever mounted in the U.S., and certainly in the state. Salut to JSU. … 'A POLITICAL CRISIS SITUATION': Jackson may have our own little election-gate on our hands. Republican tort-reformer Richard White isn't happy about the close race he just lost to Democratic attorney Dewayne Thomas by a handful of votes. Neither are his backers. On Dec. 8, Dick Wilcox of the Business and Industry Political Action Committee (BIPEC), the grand poobahs of tort-reform lobbyists in the state, sent out a letter to BIPEC members asking for money to pay for legal counsel to help White contest the results of the election and "prepare for a likely re-vote by District 29 voters." They need $65,000 for the legal fight, then another 25 grand for a "two or three week election window that demands fast and focused action to get out the vote again." We suspect they raised the money by nightfall. That doesn't mean more push-polling, does it? Tell us no. … GIVE A BIT OF HEART: Mississippi Hearts Against AIDS' annual art shirt is now on sale. This year's design is by Jackson artist Ky Johnson (with his distinctive crow); are on sale at Fondren Traders and all area Be-Bops. Short sleeve, $16; long sleeve, $18. Plan now to attend the annual fund-raiser at Hal & Mal's on Valentine' Day. Click here for info. … DEFENDING THE HOME TEAM: We were amused to see Clarion-Ledger columnist Eric Stringfellow attempt to build his paper's defense against the rather direct lobs Mayor Harvey Johnson fired at the daily paper in our interview with him in the Nov. 27, 2003, JFP, but without mentioning the JFP. Stringfellow pointedly did not attribute Johnson's comments about the Clarion-Ledger, which were quite detailed for hearsay, and he did not use any direct quotes except for the word "negativism" (which wasn't in our interview). On the same topic, the director's cut (unedited) interview with Johnson is now on the JFP Web site. ... MATTER OF TIME: About the only question believed to be facing tough-on-everyone-else's crime Rankin-Madison D.A. electee David Clark is which governor will get to pick his replacement: the Republican or the Democrat? The hearing isn't until Jan. 14, so Barbour seems like the smart money. … REST IN HEAVENLY PEACE: Mississippi has lost another hero: Sally McDonnell Barksdale, 60, died of cancer in Jackson on Dec. 8. Along with husband Jim Barksdale, a founder of Netscape, she started the McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College at Ole Miss, established a minority scholarship program for medical students at the UM Medical Center, and endowed the Barksdale Reading Institute. Cheers to a woman willing to fight the worthy scrap. HEADLINE O' THE WEEK: "The media should stifle their 'Gotcha reflex,'" The Clarion-Ledger, Nov. 30, 2003.
— Staff Reports

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64145

Comment

"DEFENDING THE HOME TEAM: We were amused to see Clarion-Ledger columnist Eric Stringfellow attempt to build his paperís defense against the rather direct lobs Mayor Harvey Johnson fired at the daily paper in our interview with him in the Nov. 27, 2003, JFP, but without mentioning the JFP. Stringfellow pointedly did not attribute Johnsonís comments about the Clarion-Ledger, which were quite detailed for hearsay, and he did not use any direct quotes except for the word ìnegativismî (which wasnít in our interview). On the same topic, the directorís cut (unedited) interview with Johnson is now on the JFP Web site. ..." A testament to your paranoia about being irrelevant. Congrats LADD. You've confirmed the obvious.

Author

VBell

Date

2003-12-10T23:49:46-06:00