Opinion

[Stiggers] Tastefully Ghetto Catwalk

Mr. Announcement: "It's the First Annual Tastefully Ghetto Fashion Extravaganza, located on aisle three of JoJo's Discount Dollar Store. Your commentator is cashier and part-time security guard, Miss Doodle Mae Jenkins."

[Johnson] Letters From Vietnam

Last week, President Bush urged us to continue the war in Iraq by comparing our experience there to the war in Vietnam, warning us that withdrawing from Iraq might produce similar results.

Guide to Driving the Right Way

I suppose I was a late bloomer by most standards: I started dating at age 16, drinking coffee at 18 and got my driver's license at 19. I wasn't one of those weird, closed-off adolescents with no social awareness. No, no. I was just never in a hurry to do anything, a character trait that still haunts me.

Don't Let Stokes Stop Progress

Livingston Village rode in on the violent tendrils of Hurricane Katrina. It's one of those once-in-a-century opportunities made possible through astounding tax credits from the federal government, but the federal GO-Zone legislation that makes it possible comes with a deadline. Nevertheless, the council is smothering the $75 million endeavor, a project that developers say will net $150,000 in sales taxes and another $650,000 a year in ad valorem taxes.

[Stiggers] Welcome to Silicon Ghetto

Boneqweesha Jones: "In the world of home entertainment, consumers pay $300 to $500 for a brand new Blue Ray or High Definition DVD player. In the ghetto, financially challenged consumers pay $300 to $500 a month for an entertainment center—complete with wide-screen TV, DVD/CD player, and 'Bumpin' Bass' speakers—from a 'Rent to Own with Your Own Money' store.

[Kamikaze] The Chip on Czech Shoulders

Since my arrival in the Czech Republic, I've been getting abreast of Czech politics and a lot of the lightning-rod issues that folks here have to deal with.

[Dickerson] Who's Zooming Whom?

Earlier this month, President Bush signed into law revisions to the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It gives the Bush administration new power to screen your e-mails and listen in on your telephone conversations.

Why Peterson Needs to Stay DA

I didn't know Faye Peterson from Eve when she ran for re-election four years ago. I knew much was being made about the criminal "backlog" (that she inherited). I knew that her white Republican opponent, oddly endorsed by The Clarion-Ledger, had never tried a criminal case, and that he was making a lot out of outdated crime figures.

Barbour: What's In a Name?

This week, with the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaching, it's worth noting that the storm is still trying to knock down one more person as it blows its way into the history booksHaley Barbour.

[Stiggers] Theory of Gougenomics

Boneqweesha Jones: "Welcome to the Hair-Did University School of Cosmetology's Summer Lecture Series, at the Club Chicken Wing Multi-Purpose Community Development Complex. The guest speaker is Dr. Otis 'Nickel-N-Dime' Wilson of the Ghetto Science Team's Economic Development Council."

[Kamikaze] Letter From the Czech Republic

Greetings, all. It's my second week across the pond in the Czech Republic, and my body is still on Mississippi time. I've tried to intimate to people how physically demanding touring can be. Five shows in five days in five different cities. My muscles haven't ached this much since my football days.

[McLemore] Red and Blue Quandary

If college has done anything for me, it has piqued my interest in politics. This year for the first time, I truly invested in the state and local elections. I researched candidates; I even braved the heat and humidity of the Neshoba County Fair to hear some good ole mudslinging and eat watermelon.

A City With Soul

Here is the soul of Jackson breathed onto paper.

Be a Good Samaritan

Many Jacksonians know about N.U.T.S. (Neat Used Things for Sale), but they don't know about the social organization behind the trendy thrift store, the Good Samaritan Center. When Good Samaritan Center was founded in 1972, their goal was to assist families in need by practical means. Often assisting with bill payments and social services, Good Sam, as it is affectionately called, has been a place for the down and out to find a helping hand.

Listen to the Moans

Sunday morning, I was organizing my new writing room at home and turned on the Galloway Methodist broadcast on WAPT to keep me company. I didn't pay much attention until I heard Rev. Ross Olivier challenge his audience to "listen to the moans." I pulled up a chair to listen.

[Stiggers] Nurse Tootie, Private Eye

Cootie McBride: "The Ghetto Science National Broadcasting Corporation Network presents the premiere of 'To Catch a Predator Who Takes Advantage of Senior Citizens, Racial Minorities, Poor Folk and the Uneducated'. The McBride family and I produced this television program to alert unsuspecting and financially disadvantaged consumers about how they can be deceived and tricked out of their money and possessions. In other words, we're 'Big Brotha' ghetto style.

[Mott] Sicko Nation

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, the radio reported a plane flying into the World Trade Center as I was driving to work. The word "terrorists" hadn't yet entered into the picture. Later, settling in at my desk, I received a message from a friend leaving for a business trip. She was afraid to go to the airport, she wrote. She had a bad feeling.

Still There in the Morning

The primaries are almost here, and too many young hipsters in the 18-29 age bracket couldn't be further away from knowing what it means for Mississippi, and moreover, themselves. It always shocks me when someone tells me that they will not vote in an election, especially on the state and local levels. What is always more unsettling, however, is the reasoning behind this genius idea. I have compiled a short list of my favorite responses, all of which should evoke guilt and shame.

[Dickerson] Charlie Hosemann Gets My Vote

My family has never flirted with the GOP, primarily because we view Republicans as rabble-rousing upstarts who stand in opposition to the unimpeachable liberalism of Jefferson and Madison.

Hello, and Goodbye

I've never been great at goodbyes. When I meet people I dig, I want them around. But I've learned that a life filled with interesting experiences and people does mean, sometimes, saying goodbye. Since I've been in the weekly newspaper business, I've figured out that putting out a dynamic, fresh newspaper means embracing change, even when it makes one a tad grumpy.

Delay Political?

Last week, four city council members voted to delay a zoning change for a major development initiative near the Jackson Medical Mall, with Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes leading the vote. His concern is drainagewhich, it seems, the city has already addressed. Previously, Stokes complained that he didn't like that Livingston Village would be a gated community.

[Stiggers] Le Tour de Ghetto

Bart Starr-Child: "Welcome to the fourth annual low-power television broadcast of the Tour de Ghetto bicycle race. I'm Bart, your token Caucasian announcer for the Ghetto Science Team Sports Network. Providing the colored commentary is Ike "On a Bike" of Village Ghetto Land Tours and Courier Services.

[Kamikaze] Mississippi on the World Stage

There comes those undeniable moments in a man's life when doubt—even fear––can set in. One of those moments when, despite experience and confidence, you're not ready for the unexpected. As I get ready to embark on my first overseas tour, I'm frantically running around making sure that I tie all loose ends and put things in order.

[Grayson] Don't Bash Immigrants

Some Americans believe that this country has grown out of its oppressive past and into a unified nation. For some, racism no longer exists, and everybody has their fair shot at living the "American Dream". Many people seem to believe that everyone has equal opportunities in this country.

‘Lower Lake': A Good First Step

Frankly, I was a little surprised to hear the news this week that the Rankin-Hinds Pearl Flood and Drainage Control District has selected a new flood-control plan for the Pearl River called the "Lower Lake" plan. The plan is very much a compromise solution in a battle that has waged for nearly 30 years over flood control on the Pearl River. And it's a plan that may be a solid step toward success.

This Election, Demand Real Answers

Every election season, in the few weeks leading up to a major vote, the Jackson Free Press gets a front-row seat for the way candidates tend to run for office in this state. We hear very little from the candidates in the months before the election, and then about three weeks before the big day, everyone crowds the dance floor like bridesmaids lining up to catch the bouquet.

Ellington