[Stiggers] Bombs for the Poor
Inspector "Beat Down" Lipscomb: "Welcome to the Ghetto Science Team Counter Terrorism conference. Terrorism has become a reality around the world.
[Kamikaze] Crap In a Pretty Box
They are all exactly the same.
[Public Eye] Sunshine in the 2010 Forecast?
Although we're still mired in winter, the new year has brought a couple rays of sunshine: some promising developments in government transparency.
[Balko] ‘Sugar Daddy' Shakedown
In May the FBI arrested cardiologist Roger Weiner at a Mississippi gas station for violating the Mann Act, a century-old law prohibiting the transport of women across state lines for "immoral purposes."
[Mott] Not One More Victim
The bad economy and shrinking budget is not an excuse for failing to add teeth to laws protecting women.
Tell Whole Story on Levees and Lakes
Now that the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District has officially agreed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' levees-only plan for flood control, expect the Two Lakes war machine to kick in full throttle to disparage levees.
[Stiggers] A Mass Choir In Denial
Boneqweesha Jones: "It's time for the 'Qweesha Live Television Magazine Movie Preview for 2010'! My movie pick for the new decade of the new millennium is 'The Bottom Line is Money,' a documentary film by Kunta 'Rahsheed X' Toby, the Gordon Parks of the Ghetto.
[Collier] Resolute Resolutions
A new decade has started, and I'm still trying to figure what that means for me. You're supposed to be excited about the start of a new year, but I can't say I am. Not yet, at least.
[Balko] The Criminalization of Protest
Police and politicians ignore the First Amendment when we need it the most.
No More Sugarcoating
In the afterglow of the King Edward's re-opening and as we've prepared this "Most Intriguing" issue, I've been thinking a bit about Frank Melton. After spending the last several months untangling from all the emotions and frustrations of covering him for four years, I'm starting to realize that he may have done the city good.
Step Outside the Mall Box
Last year's skyrocketing gas prices, combined with the housing bust, unemployment and a general economic malaise, is enough to make many suburbanites rethink their commutes and McMansions in favor of a return to an urban, mixed-use environment.
[Stiggers] Your Mind, Not Your Behind
Old School Pete: "You're listening to 108.1, WGST (Ghetto Science Team) radio, the station where listening is worth your while at the end of the dial. This is your old school deejay stimulating your mind, and not your behind, with the 'Round Midnight Music and Message Moment.
[Kamikaze] Milestones
The year 2009 marked a few interesting milestones in my personal and professional life, including significant highs and some unceremonious lows. These developments are steps on my path of maturation you guys have followed for some time now.
[McInnis] Tiger Woods and Selective Naivete
I never understood the significance of Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in baseball, and baseball is the favorite sport in my household. Robinson's accomplishments in the integrated major leagues means no more to me than his accomplishments in the Negro League because I do not need whites to validate the genius of African people.
[Balko] Kern County's Monstrous DA
Farewell to Ed Jagels, a man who put 25 innocent "child abusers" in prison.
Even a Little 'Involvement' Will Do
Before I was a newspaper publisher, I spent most of my time as a freelance writer and book author, which meant, largely, that I was alone in my office (wherever it happened to be).
City Should Support, Not Control
Change is afoot in North Midtown. The neighborhood between Millsaps College and Mill Street has suffered from urban blight for over a decade, but new housing developments and a new master plan for the area are promising signs of a turnaround.
[Stiggers] To Tiger, With Love
Dear Mr. Woods, You might remember me from a press conference after your first victory in the Masters Golf Tournament. I remember when you said, "I'll take a question from the gentleman wearing the chef's hat."
[Queen] My Kwanzaa
As far back as my memory will take me, Kwanzaa has consistently been the best time of my life minus the early years when the horrors of the day prior (Dec. 25) invoked a spirit of deprivation because all my friends had new toys for Christmas.
[Balko] Chicago's Thick Blue Wall
The Windy City's notoriously aggressive police department fights for less accountability.
Let It Shine
I'm not going to tell a lie: One of the reasons I left my home state back in 1983 was religious intolerance. That makes it all the more ironic that I have found a deeper faith than I could have imagined in the years since I've returned.
Buying Judges: Tell the Whole Story
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially overturned the convictions of Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges John Whitfield and Walter "Wes" Teel Friday.
[Stiggers] Beware the Party Crashers
Mr. Announcement: "In the ghetto-criminal justice system, the people are represented by two members of the McBride family: police officer and part-time security guard at the Funky Ghetto Mall, Dudley 'Do-Right' McBride, and attorney Cootie McBride of the law firm McBride, Myself and I. This is their story."
Hey, Show Some Love
I was first introduced to the concept of a mitzvah while reading Ari L. Goldman's "The Search for God" at Harvard. The term mitzvah originally referred to the 613 commandments in the Torah and the seven rabbinic commandments instituted later for a total of 620.
[Broadus] The Gift of Faith
It's the holiday season. It's the holiday season? It's the holiday season! I'm always amazed at the different reactions that come along with this time of year. Some react with general malaise, some with disbelief, and others can barely contain the excitement.
[Balko] Clemency on Trial
Most governors grant clemency for the wrong reasons, including Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. Here's what coverage of the Huckabee/Clemons case is missing.
Start Moving
It's hard to describe the freedom that comes with not relying on a car for transportation, because for many people this means just the opposite. Last week a group of about 25 progressive Jacksonians participated in an experiment called carLESS week.
[Stiggers] I'm Not Black!
Motel Williams: "Welcome to the first B.I.D. (Blacks in Denial) conference. Before I begin my brief speech, I want everyone to know that I'm not black; I'm Scandinavian!
Signs of Hope
A coworker of time was standing at her window looking over the head of the stone Eudora Welty who looks just past the statues of William Faulkner and Richard Wright on the corner of Lamar and Capitol streets. It occurred to her that the traffic should not be stopped at a green light, so she studied the scene more carefully.
[Collier] (Re)Engagement
One of the things that consistently brings me joy in life is writing. There are times, however, when it gives me grief. Like now. How does one re-establish themselves with an audience who gave them their start and watched them grow? Let me explain.