Just Keep Going
The biggest lesson I learned in 2012 came to me with only a week left in the year. I'd been processing or decompressing--depending on the day--for a couple of weeks.
The Wedding Ordeal
I'm not sure if you've noticed, but women can get a little worked up over weddings. In fact, I don't know if there is anything that turns sane women into frothing, frenzied, frantic lunatics faster.
Stranger Things
Not expanding Medicaid could have disastrous results for the rural hospitals that serve many of the state's most vulnerable residents.
How to Change the World
Tamra Gordon was tired of watching the revolving door of abusers and their victims cycle through Clinton's courtrooms.
Stinker Quote of the Week: "Lunatics"
Setting aside how much that would cost, research has shown that more guns equal more gun deaths, whether by suicide or homicide.
'Keep on Pushing'
Big Roscoe: "Welcome to Clubb Chicken Wing's 'Day After New Year Hot Wing Happy Hour.' Regular customers returned here to wind down after partying New Year's Eve and day."
A Kinder, Gentler Union
Picking on food stamps has long been a way to gather votes from people who don't bother to pay attention to who is poor and why (call them the 47-percenters).
Governor: Don't Obstruct Obamacare
Medicaid expansion in the states under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare or ACA, is scheduled to take effect in 2014.
Stinker Quote of the Week: "Consequences"
We'd love to take Sen. Wicker at his word—but this is the kind of political white-noise statement that uses a lot of words to say nothing much at all.
Get Back to Work, Congress
Last Thursday, Republican House Majority Leader Rep. John Boehner sent his party home and effectively adjourned the U.S. House of Representatives for the holidays.
Address the Mental-Health Crisis
Like everyone in the nation, Mississippi Families as Allies, a grassroots, family-led organization for children's mental health, is stunned and saddened by the atrocity at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Our hearts are with all of the families who lost loved ones.
Hosemann's Data Prove Him Wrong
Bad public policy, like bad personal decisions, takes a lot of justification to get folks in your corner.
Stinker Quote of the Week: "Carnage"
Good grief. Huckabee is wrong on the law and wrong theologically.
Prayer, Preparation and Patience
As we approach a new year preceded by events such as the Mayan prediction of end of the world, politicians arguing about the fiscal cliff, aftermath of a mall shooting, etc., I thought this would be a perfect time to bring people together in unity and diversity.
Attention Walmart Shoppers
Walmart's "chintzy" attitude toward the wages and benefits of its workers isn't news. What may be news to many, however, is just how bad it is for workers at Walmart suppliers around the world.
Where There's A Will ...
I understand well that cycles of poverty originate from historic events that, if not equalized, create generations of people who cannot defeat the fate of their elders.
Making Our Children Whole
Parental selfishness was never more prevalent than when pro-life advocates protested in front of Jackson-area schools.
Time to Invest in Workforce Health
Mississippi's Republican Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney sees few redeeming features of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare.
Stinker Quote of the Week: "Teenagers"
This is a classic "blame the victim" statement. Bryant was speaking at an event concerning Mississippi's teen birth rate, which is the highest in the nation.
What's in a Name?
I had an interesting conversation recently on my Facebook page about the "Christmas controversy" that comes up every year.
Breaking: A Serious Discussion in D.C.
Donna Ladd and I had the good fortune to attend a meeting a few weeks ago at the White House as part of their initiative to reach out to small businesses around the country.
Beloved Friends
I spent two weeks in Turkey this summer mostly traveling on a bus with a group of Christian, Muslim and Jewish people.
An Artful Approach to Learning
Each time the Jackson Free Press publishes one of the four annual arts preview issues, we are reminded of the immense diversity and wealth of talent that abounds in Mississippi.
Stinker Quote of the Week: 'Fraud'
What people argue against are laws that potentially disenfranchise voters while having absolutely no demonstrable effect on voter fraud.
Triple-Duty Employee
Miss Doodle Mae: "Today, I celebrate my 8-year anniversary at Jojo's Discount Dollar Store."
In the Name of Being 'Right'
Like it or not, we live in a society now where it's becoming harder and harder for people of opposite beliefs to coexist peacefully, particularly in the somewhat distanced atmosphere of social media.
The Culture Wars, 20 Years Later
Whether he knew it or not, Buchanan’s “culture war” speech over the role of women in society, same-sex marriage and abortion foreshadowed a battle that still rages today.
Stand in Solidarity With the Poor
What most people may not know is that while the poor are getting poorer in Mississippi--in no small part due to the loss of so many manufacturing jobs in recent decades--the rich are getting richer.
Stinker Quote of the Week: "Falsehood"
To date, no evidence has surfaced that Rice either concealed information or distorted it any way (and evidence has surfaced showing that the CIA didn't want to tip its hand).