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[Aust] The Wrong Side of the Right

With the shadow of the Republican National Convention fading, there are many stories that were overlooked by press outlets or purposefully ignored. One scandalous story that barely hit the waves is the "outing" of U.S. Rep. Ed Schrock, R-Va.

SPANN: It's a Crime and a Shame

Sitting in the beauty salon last week, I listened while my stylist and a friend of his sparred about the criminal-justice system and the political mechanism they believe runs it all. As they argued the finer points of rehabilitation and prisons, I got to thinking about all the finger-pointing that's going on these days. Can we really blame any one person or entity for crime in the metro area?

[Ladd] You Got the Power

They call you "sorry." "Lazy." "Apathetic." Or, worse: "Dumb." At the same time, they treat you like an idiot. They don't talk about anything that matters much to you. They make fun of your music, and your baggy pants, or maybe your tattoo, or even your compassion. Or, they come speak at your church while they leave their lapel pins in their SUV's ash tray. They then expect you to turn out and vote for them. If you don't, you're "sorry."

Watching the Watchdogs

Former TV sportscaster Rick Whitlow seems like an incredibly nice person. He did not, however, impress me as a criminology expert when we met April 24 to talk about his new job. He is executive director of the new Metro Jackson SafeCity Watch, a group formed to bring "accountability, enhanced communications, community involvement, and entrepreneurial energy to the broken Metro Jackson Criminal Justice system," as a press release put it on April 28.

Let's Do the Time Warp, Aga-inn

This is a hard column to write. Sometimes something is so painful, so heart-wrenching that you don't want to expose it. You just want to ignore it, and hope no one notices. As much as I'm a fan of open dialogue and brutal honesty about our history, I sometimes want to close my eyes and say, I did not read that. I did not hear that. No one thinks that way in 2004. Not in Jackson.

Standing Up for the People

Don't believe the hype. Or, at least look for the balance in it.

During the special session called by Gov. Haley Barbour to pass certain economic-development bonds, Mississippians have been told incessantly by Barbour's office and the state's media that the House of Representatives has been "obstructionist." The drumbeat has been that the House is costing the taxpayers money every day they don't simply pass Barbour's bill and go home.

Your Vote Counts Here

Imagine a state where moderates have as loud a voice as extreme conservatives. Imagine a state where it's considered cool to be progressive. A state where young people are drawn to politics so they can help people, not corporations. A state where your vote counts.

[Chick] Monkey and Koncha

Up until, well, this week, I've been disguising a huge secret. It was a secret that could very well have affected my career and even further alienated my family (ha!), but my friends called me on this small character flaw and patiently worked me through it. Or maybe they just planned on avoiding me until January.

[Ladd] Stuck in the Middle with You

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of nastiness. Of sniping. Pettiness. Silly arguments. Name-calling. Divisiveness. It seems as if hurling insults has become the new national pasttime. Chris Matthews yelling louder than his guests. Michael Savage telling a presumably gay listener he hopes he contracts AIDS. Ann Coulter accusing anyone left of Attila the Hun of committing treason. Michael Moore exploding at the Academy Awards.

[Stiggers] Hold On Tight, Do What's Right

Welcome to "Skreet Newz" with Bonqweesha and Pookie—the economic news magazine show for the financially challenged.

[Barbour] Leaving No PLAD Behind

Mississippi Medicaid was bleeding badly—doubling in cost over five years—and changes had to be made. Our dilemma was this: How to keep the Medicaid program sustainable while making sure everyone had adequate health care coverage? A part of the solution was to move 47,000 state Medicaid recipients who are also eligible for federal Medicare (6 percent of all recipients - called PLADs, or Poverty Level Aged and Disabled) off of Medicaid and onto Medicare alone.

[Lynch] It's Hard Being Green

President Bush may have stammered the most during the second debate when he was asked to defend his environmental record. Indeed, when I put the words "Bush, bad and environment," into my Internet search engine, a bloody 404,000 hits popped up, the first 50 of which spoke almost exclusively on how Bush has seemingly waged war on the planet, according to some very outraged environmentalist groups.

CHICK: One for the People

<i>Bingo goes in search of 'nekkid chicks' in Clinton.</i>

I was listening to Z106 the other day when the disc jockey started crowing approvingly that he had never had a Playboy Playmate on his show before. I soon learned that this particular playmate was from Clinton (the Bible Belt's buckle) and an employee of WorldCom. I tittered to myself because I had quipped months ago when I heard about the "Women of Enron" issue of Playboy that WorldCom would be next. It seems Sherrie Sloane ("with an i-e," her bright voice said when asked for a Web plug) is a graduate of Belhaven College and works as a financial analyst at the shiny-but-tarnished WorldCom digs in Clinton.

Minding the Shop

We weren't stopping at every convenience store in West Jackson. Todd and I were primarily distributing the Jackson Free Press to beauty and barbershops, barbecue spots, libraries and nightclubs—places where West Jacksonians like to congregate and, hopefully, look through magazines. Besides, it was raining torrents, and stopping in front of a strip of businesses made our task a little more efficient and a little less water-logged. But the tiny store at the southwest corner of Jackson State looked too charming to pass up. Plus, it was probably the kind of place that JSU students stop into constantly for coffee and snacks. It would be perfect for the Jackson Free Press.

OPINION: The Sky Is Not Falling

Crime has once again become the dominant topic of local public interest. It is a volatile issue and, therefore, is occasionally treated by the media, the public, and some politicians with a degree of panic and hysteria that bears little relation to the actual day-to-day lives of ordinary residents. Granted, in our neighborhood of Fondren, crime has become more of an issue for residents. I have recently heard more about crime, specifically thefts or robberies in the area between Meadowbrook, State and Old Canton (four arrests were made the week of May 12). It is also my understanding, however, that these sorts of incidents are on the rise in the city overall and can also be attributed somewhat to the onset of longer days.

[Stiggers] The Honeymoon Phase: Calm Before the Storm

We interrupt "Rikki Lakeside and Jerry Springtymer Present Outrageous Talk Show Guests and Their Problems" to bring you a special message from Bro. Kunta "Rasheed X" Toby, producer of a new documentary film on PBS (Peoples Broadcast System):

[Lott] Big Media Lose, Consumers Win

The federal 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a challenge by consumer groups to rules proposed by the Federal Communications Commission, which would have allowed more cross ownership of local print, television and broadcast media. Having a single media company control both the print and broadcast media in a single market would be bad for consumers, and I'm glad the court has agreed. As a conservative, I believe that diverse ownership and more competition are good things because they encourage businesses to better serve customers in local communities. That especially includes the media who use public airwaves and in whom the public trusts.

JFP Moving to Rankin County

Last night, as we toiled to get this issue out, Stephen interrupted some people breaking into one of our interns' cars. Fortunately, they didn't get away with much—they threw his backpack filled with school notes only useful to him into the bushes. But his window did get smashed, the police came, took fingerprints, and a bit of drama ensued. And he has a hassle to deal with today, and the emotions that go with being a victim of crime, any crime.

[Ladd] God Bless the Little Man

When Wal-Mart first came to my hometown while I was in high school, I was ecstatic. It opened on a side of town where there wasn't a whole lot, and soon other businesses popped up around it. Back then, of course, it wasn't one of those Supercenter monsters; it was the smaller, more manageable kind.

This Here Alternative Universe

I'm sitting here, OK lying here, in a humongous, brick-colored sofa far away from Jackson in the Pacific Northwest, counting my blessings about life in Mississippi. I didn't start out to wax about my good fortune, however. Truth is, we left Jackson in a flurry after putting out our biggest issue (The Annual Manual) and holding an open house for 100 people to honor our interns and young staffers (who produced the Manual). So I didn't have time to write my editor's note before we left.