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Where Did Ledger Edit-Boyz Get THIS Information?

In a January 2004 editorial defending Haley Barbour's "blind trust" in his lobbying firm, The Clarion-Ledger editorial board declared that it was hunky-dory because he no longer owned stock in the firm that had bought the firm:

Listen to Todd and Donna on Radio JFP TODAY at Noon

[http://www.wlezfm.com/podcasts/jfp8_31_07.mp3]JFP on WLEZ 8/31/07 (mp3, 26.8MB)

We'll be talking about the recent flurry investigative stories about Haley Barbour, as well as the D.A.'s election and Mayor Melton's hiring of felons to work in city government. Tune into WLEZ.FM, 103.7, at noon today, listen live at http://www.wlezfm.com or click below for the podcast version of the show:

Barbour Redirecting Katrina Funds to the Wealthy?

Salon is reporting that Gov. Haley Barbour has gotten HUD waivers that have redirected 80 percent of federal block grants awarded to help Mississippi's low- and moderate-income residents recover from Katrina—and media have ignored it, a national media watchdog group is charging. From Salon:

The Truth About Barbour's ‘Blind Trust'

Bloomberg News is still hot on Barbour's trail. Today, they reveal much more about his so-called "blind trust" in the lobbying firm that lobbied the state for Katrina-related contracts—it pays him $300,000 a year. It starts:

Why today?

Coincidentally, by the way, Mayor Frank Melton was seen leaving Judge Yerger's chambers this week.

This is a serious question. Why did Supreme Court Chief Justice James Smith Jr. today appoint a special judge, directly by Judge Swan Yerger, to help the D.A.'s office prosecute more cases—to clear the "backlog"? Why not six months ago? A year ago? Two years ago? Seven years ago when the backlog was much worse?

Smith Supporters Vandalize JFP Racks

OK, Robert Smith told me repeatedly that he is not "Melton's candidate," but some overnight actions are not exactly helping convince me. This morning, we found an "Elect Robert Shuler Smith" flyer duct-taped to our JFP rack in front of Cups with red duct tape. This little action is suspiciously similar to flyers duct-taped to our racks and boxes the day after the Melton acquittal for the Ridgeway duplex massacre. That one read "The Bottom Line: NOT GUILTY!" and was taped on with purple duct tape. When the tape was removed, it ripped off lettering from our property.

Race, Ethnicity and Immigration

In one of my favorite quotes from "Mal Tiempo, Buenas Caras," my piece on Latino immigrants and Hurricane Katrina, Guadalupe Silva, an undocumented laborer from Peru, said, "I know that they are not all so, but I know there are racists—'rednecks,' as they say in Mississippi. They are very racist, and don't want us. But there is no such thing as pure blood. Everything is mixed. More than anything, we came to support the country with our shoulders and work."

Clarion-Ledger Endorses Faye Peterson

A hat tip to The Clarion-Ledger for endorsing Faye Peterson, and for substantive, real reasons. They were late on the D.A. race—not endorsing and barely covering it before the primaries—but they seemed to have spent the additional time doing research on the D.A.'s office, its challenges and Peterson's real track record, not the one pushed by her opponents. This is the kind of journalism and studied decisions the public deserves to see more of from the Ledger. A lot rides on this race, and it appears that their editorial board got it. Good job, edit-boyz.

Lessons from Vietnam

This week, President George W. Bush made one more attempt to shore up support for our continuing war in Iraq by comparing our experience there to the war in Vietnam, warning that withdrawing from Iraq might produce results similar to our withdrawal from southeast Asia.

The Art of Forgiveness

A lot of people forgave the late former governor George Wallace for his segregationist stance, which he changed a couple of decades before his death. Now, the man who attempted to assassinate Wallace and severely wounded him in 1972 is scheduled to be released after serving 35 years of his 53 year sentence. Wallace's son says he forgives him, but the memories of his father's suffering are still a challenge to face.

Reported H2B Kidnapping in Pascagoula

It seems like each of these immigration posts builds off another. The last time I blogged, I brought attention to inherent flaws in the guest worker program, a modern form of indentured servitude, and what served as a psuedo-alternative to "amnesty" in debate over the since-failed immigration reform bill. An increase in the guest worker program (also known as H2B), which has existed in its current state since 1986, was in fact a major part of the bill. However, despite the bill's failure to pass through Senate, the guest worker program persists as one form of "legal immigration" (though one that provides no eventual path to citizenship). Now, according to allegations reported by the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice, the program's systematic disenfranchisement of worker rights may have resulted in a horrifying case of police brutality in Pascagoula, Miss.

Tune In WJSU at 4:30p

All...we just got word from Derrick Johnson that his appearance today on Eric Stringfellow's show got...well...interesting when the discussion turned to the media and its community journalism responsibilities, with Derrick and Eric's other guest going after him a little for the Clarion-Ledger's city coverage.

Empowerment Mississippi

This Saturday, Empowerment Mississippi, along with a handful of community sponsors, will explore economic issues for Mississippi's African American community, to "embrace strategies, goals and objectives" for solving problems and improving conditions.

Here Comes Rudy!

Gotta love hypocrites.

So, Rudy "Take the Guns!" Giuliani is headed to Mississippi to campaign in a region where very few of his (historic) views actually resonate. We're guessing his kids won't be along for the trip to Dixie; at least one of them is too busy campaigning for Obama and trying to get over the fact that her daddy announced his divorce to mama on TV at a press conference. Of course, that was back before the cad became a conservative darling in a party that is just about fresh out of darlings.

Attention: I'm Tired of Chasing Political Ghosts

Campaign season does not bring out the best in some of you, that's for sure.

This is to all the anonymous people out there working to unseat elected officials, especially the district attorney. Please stop sending me unsubstantited accusations and innuendo, claiming that it is evidence of wrongdoing. If you have evidence of wrongdoing, provide it to us. Pick up the phone and call me or Adam Lynch at 601.362.6121, identify yourself as an unnamed source, give us the information and sources that can verify it. Stop the anonymous games, the sound and fury that turn into nothing—I assume you just want me spending my time chasing false leads rather than doing my job, and I'm sick of playing games.

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