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Sid Salter Lets Hood Hatred Boil Over on Blog
Today Sid Salter stooped to the level of garden-variety anonymous bloggers today with his belittlement of Attorney General Jim Hood's legitimate concern about the corporate media that pays his paycheck. Nice effort to change the subject, Sid; I'm surprised you didn't find a way to work Jesse Jackson into your whine.
Who Are Mississippi's Top Sports Heroes of All Time?
Folks, we're preparing a special sports issue and want to get your nominations of the best sports heroes from/in Mississippi of all time. Talk to us.
WTF, Barbour? You Are in the EXECUTIVE Branch.
Gov. Haley Barbour sent out a press statement yesterday in which he doesn't bother to hide that he plans to work "closely" with two new conservative members of the Mississippi Supreme Court. How in the world does the Executive branch of Mississippi government plan to work with the Judiciary branch. This just proves that Barbour is clueless when it comes to "separation of powers." Here's the money quote; the full release is below the fold:
For One Moment: A Black-White Role Reversal
This morning, I woke up to more of the usual-suspect comments under this story: Crime Perception Hurts Jackson Economy. Apparently, I had wigged out the white-guy chorus that always wants to point fingers the other direction when it comes to crime. How? By talking about how our racist, terroristic history against African Americans has led to today's crime situation. They no like that:
I Have Been On Hold for 91 Minutes ...
I'm trying to call Comcast "customer service," and I've now been on hold for 91, er, 92 minutes with them promising to get with me momentarily. Nice.
Is Neo-conservatism Dead?
In a much-discussed New York Times Magazine essay, SAIS (Johns Hopkins) professor Francis Fukuyama argues that neo-conservatism has failed miserably, with even the Bush administration distancing itself from the ideas that it used to justify the Iraqi War:
Rudy: What a Hypocrite
So now the man who ran an entire crime-fighting plan with gun control at its base is now a "strict constructionist" when it comes to the Second Amendment. You know what I always say: Never trust anyboddy who brags about being a strict constructionist. That's second only to: Never trust a mind who tells his wife he's divorcing her on TV. Link.
BREAKING: JPS Agrees to Overhaul Discipline Policies, Settles Lawsuit
Good news! The Southern Poverty Law Center just emailed this statement, pasted in its entirety:
JACKSON, Miss. – The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) announced today that a federal judge has approved a settlement agreement with Jackson Public Schools (JPS) to reform discipline policies across the district and to end the brutal practice of handcuffing students to railings and poles for hours at a time as punishment for minor rule violations.
Discussion About Mississippi, and Stereotypes, on Frommers
Someone just sent me this link to a Frommer's thread about Mississippi. There's some intriguing talk over there, revealing that everyone has their own prejudices. Quite compelling to consider. My advice, though, is not to jump on them; it's vital to remember that everyone has their own stereotypes to overcome; going toe to toe with dueling stereotypes helps nothing:
Open Chick Thread: Let ‘Er Rip!
This one's for whatever chick-related item is on your mind. And, yes, guys (or, at the least the ones who respect chicks) can post here, too. (Tom?)
Former Hinds D.A. Ed Peters Accused of $1M Bribe
The Scruggs scandal is hitting closer and closer to Hinds County. In a story about Booneville attorney Joey Langston pleading guilty to corruption charges, The Clarion-Ledger buried explosive accusations, made in court documents, that Ed Peters—who has worked closely with Tim Balducci—is accused of taking a million-dollar bribe to influence his former assistant district attorney, now-Hinds County Circuit Judge Bobby Delaughter:
Holder, Obama Support Journalist Shield Law
The San Francisco Chronicle reports good news for journalists and the public's right to know:
City Crime Rankings: ‘Invalid, Damaging and Irresponsible'
We've been warning Jackson for years about the "dangerous" city rankings scam designed to sell books. Leaders in most cities across American cringe and complain when the CQ Press (formerly known as Morgan-Quitno) "dangerous" rankings come out—but here in Jackson, corporate media and politicians from Haley Barbour to former DA candidate Wilson Carroll to supporters of Marshand Crisler tend to take a less-intelligent approach. It's as if they view the rankings as the perfect opportunity for sensationalism and cheap votes. We've written many pieces about this problem. (Also see: Barbour, Carroll Bash Jackson With Old Statistics). Meanwhile, the FBI has warned for years against taking these "rankings" seriously.
Crime: How to Prevent It?
Last night on Facebook, I saw some folks posting about the awful crimes we've seen in Jackson of late, including the Lanier High School student, may he rest in peace. Some of the comments seem to be headed the direction we often see a year or so before mayoral elections kick in: blaming the chief and mayor for not speaking out more. Having covered—or been mired in—the Frank Melton campaign and then mayoral tenure, that kind of language makes me nervous, and just sounds political even if it's not meant to. We're gearing up to do a special issue here on big ideas about crime: how to prevent it, respond to it, talk about it, debate it in a more intelligent, proactive way that doesn't devolve into fingerpointing and the kind of sensationalism that makes it harder to actually prevent crime. As we shape that issue, I want to hear your thoughts and big ideas, as well as see any links to best practices and such that we should incorporate into our issue, and the city's approach.
Republicans Hurtin' in ... Texas!?!
The Associated Press is reporting that the GOPmay even be in trouble in Texas in this year's around of elections. Let's just say that Delay country has done an about-face.
McCain Camp Suddenly Upset About Professor He Helped Fund
The absurdity du jour is that the desperate McCain campaign and right-wing media are suddenly demanding the release of a video of a party Obama attending with Palestinian studies expert and Columbia University professor Khalid Rashid Khalidiwhose group to study Palestinian issues was funded by none other than ... get ready for it ... John McCain!
Crying All the Way Back to the Megillah?
I really dig Maureen Dowd's column about Hillary Clinton's notorious tears leading up to New Hampshire. And isn't it ironic that the first viable female president cried on purpose in order to seem sensitive enough. And note the part where the Clintons ignore the media; ah, that's the Senate candidate I observed in New York. Dowd says in part:
Wonkette Disses Mississippi's ‘Racist' Easter Egg
So, why is our Easter Egg racist you might ask? Well, head over to the JFP's StateDesk site for the rest of the story (and talk about it over there should you wish. No registration required, yet.).
StateDesk.com Ramping Up for Elections
And we're off ... !
The JFP's new statewide political site, StateDesk.com, is starting to ramp up after a few months of beta bug testing (yes, it's faster now). We have a new political intern, Kate Royals of Millsaps College, who is loading up the site with candidate Web sites for statewide offices, as well as local county offices, as well as posting campaign and other state political news near daily. So head over to click to candidate sites, as well as comment on political races.
So, What Were They Expecting?
Brandon, Pearl schools off to smooth start
Am I the only one who thinks it's weird for The Clarion-Ledger to start off its back-to-school stories with proclamations such as the following, leading the front page today: