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Barbour choice of white supremacists?
The Clarion-Ledger today mentions Barbour appearance on a racist site, as a JFP reader revealed on our blog (scroll to bottom) last week: "Barbour wears a lapel pin with the U.S. and state flags and he is in a photograph on the Web site of the Council of Conservative Citizens, a neo-Confederate group accused of racist views. Barbour says he doesn't know anything about the council. The picture was taken at a council-sponsored barbecue in July used to raise money for private academy school buses." The Ledger doesn't go into more details about the barbecue; it is at the Black Hawk rally,which was started by the CofCC,the modern-day version of the White Citizens Council. The rally does still raise money for buses for white "seg" academies, even as it draws a variety of candidates, including Democrats and some African-Americans (much as the Neshoba County Fair). Interestingly, also in the photo is Bill Lord, a former campaign manager for Trent Lott, who was head, I believe, the Carroll County chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens. You will recall that Lott's close involvement with the group caused a national stir (as it should have) a couple years back. Barbour's disavowal of knowledge about the Council is simply ridiculous and patently impossible. Here we go again. (By the way, readers, tell us if they take the photo off the CofCC site, which I'd predict will happen before the day is out. We have a screen shot we can post instead.)
Maimed and Tamed, by Palmer Houchins
I was maimed by rock and roll.
Nonetheless, I have always been enthralled by the spectacle of live music. There was a mystifying sense of power and community contained therein. While my particular tastes and understanding of music have changed considerably over the years that fact has not.
Judge Revokes Melton Teen's Bond
The Clarion-Ledger is reporting that Judge Swan Yerger has revoked the bond of Michael Taylor, a mentee and housemate of Mayor Frank Melton, in an armed robbery charge brought in late December 2005 because he is a danger to the community. The case has been on Yerger's docket for about a year and has not yet been brought to trial—and Taylor was allowed to stay free even after reports of his role in helping the Melton and his entourage commit felonies on Aug. 15. The Jackson Free Press broke the story on Dec. 4 that Taylor was arrested for an armed carjacking on Nov. 18 and is in the Hinds County Detention Center.
Delicate Shades of Folk, by Katherine R. Dougan
Jackson folks might remember Kris Wilkinson from her days with Perfect Strangers, a band formed in the mid-1980s while she was in college at Delta State University in Cleveland. After graduating, she lived and performed in Jackson for a couple of years. Wilkinson, now half of the duo Cicero Buck, is coming back to Jackson Nov. 27, when her tour for her recently released CD, "Delicate Shades of Grey," brings her to Fenian's Pub.
Melton's Message to Homeless
July 14, 2006—[verbatim] Jackson is a city of Grace and Benevolence where we treat all people with respect and dignity. Today, we are taking a new approach toward establishing a dialogue with Jackson's homeless population.
Melton Hiring Felons to Work with Youth
Uh, no kidding. Did The Clarion-Ledger really just figure this out!?! The JFP has been reporting this for months now, in our Melton interviews and in other stories. Guess it's a slow news day at the Ledge:
Supreme Court: City Can't Call Duplex a ‘Drughouse'
The Clarion-Ledger is reporting that the Mississippi Supreme Court has upheld the order that city officials cannot refer to the Ridgeway Street duplex, allegedly demolished by Mayor Frank Melton and his entourage, as a "drughouse." The decision is a blow to the defense, which is trying to defend the mayor and his bodyguards' actions by claiming that the private home was a "drughouse" or a "crackhouse."
Barbour Denies NAFTA Charge
(Aug. 14, 2003, press release from Musgrove campaign) (Jackson, MS) Haley Barbour is trying to deny his involvement with NAFTA and to minimize the scope of his work for the Republic of Mexico. Unfortunately for Barbour, his public record is very clear on these issues. Haley says in 2003: He did not lobby for NAFTA Fact: Haley Barbour himself said at the time that he helped pass NAFTA. Fact: Over 41,000 Mississippi jobs were lost due to NAFTA (Economic Policy Institute)
[Trent Lott column] Beyond Casinos
I will be in Tunica County soon to officially open the new Tunica Airport. As most Mississippians know, Tunica County is one of the handful of Mississippi counties where citizens allow legalized gaming. No matter what one's opinion of gaming, one cannot deny that it has helped make Tunica County a much different place than it was decades ago, when the infamous "Sugar Ditch" was known worldwide as America's poorest spot. Yet, history teaches Mississippians to be wary of putting all of our economic eggs in a single basket, lest we risk a return to "Sugar Ditch." This is why projects like Tunica Airport and other infrastructure initiatives are so important.
Stupid Quote o' The Day
Yes, it was uttered by President Bush while trying to defend his plan to ramp up forces in Iraq against bipartisan opposition—and it's a doozy, even for a man known for really stupid statements. As quoted by the Associated Press:
Frank Melton to Appear on Evers Show TONIGHT
Mayor Frank Melton is set to appear on the Charles Evers' radio show, "Let's Talk," on WMPR 90.1 FM, tonight (Wednesday, May 3) at 8 p.m.
Melton Plans Quick ‘State of the City' at the Alamo
Mayor Frank Melton says he only plans to talk for 30 minutes Friday morning on the "state of the city." The Clarion-Ledger reports:
Cotton Is King, by Steve Cheseborough
Eddie Cotton Jr. doesn't see any reason to leave Jackson. "Man, this town has been good to me," says the 32-year-old blues singer-guitarist. "They show appreciation. If you get to a place that's bigger, there's just more of nothing to do. Unless you have a big booking agent, the club scene doesn't get any better than this."
Melton Hosting Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Party
Got a tip last night at Fondren Unwrapped that Bob Hickingbottom is calling Melton's supporters, and former supporters, asking them to donate money to attend what they are actually calling a "Get out of jail free" party to help with his legal fees. We'll post more details as soon as we get them. Anyone out there heard about this, yet?
Bringin' It Back Down, by Scott Barretta
Country stars Merle Haggard and Marty Stuart stopped in at William Faulkner's home, Rowan Oak, in Oxford recently to announce an effort to bring the music back to its roots and away from the mega-glitz of Nashville, Los Angeles and New York City. Stuart—a native of Philadelphia, Miss., who went on the road with Lester Flatt when he was 13, played guitar for Johnny Cash in his 20s and then found his own fame as a bandleader in the early 1990s—dreamed up the "Electric Barnyard Tour," which will kick off July 6 in Sierra Vista, Ariz.
Melton Resolves (Again) to Implode King Edward
Mayor Frank Melton laid out his immediate resolutions Friday afternoon:
Bush Tax Cuts Make Richest Richer, Middle Class Poorer
Big surprise, but here's the evidence from the congressional budget office that Bush's tax cuts are hurting the middle class and increasing economic inequality in the country: