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Politics Blog

Has 'Us vs. Them' Politics Taken Its Toll on Conservatism?

Call it "us vs. them politics"—like National Memo does in this piece—or what I call the "virtue of selfishness" that has been pushed for the last 30 years by conservative think tanks and pundits, but it boils down to this—social conservatives in this country like to blame the "other" for …

Politics Blog

Kenny Stokes Wants a Bridge Named for Frank Melton

Buried deep within the city council's 78-item agenda for Tuesday, is a proposed resolution from Jackson Councilman Kenneth Stokes to name the Pearl Street Bridge for the controversial late Mayor Frank Melton. It's unclear what Stokes's motives are beyond the fact that he was an ally of Melton, who died …

Jackblog

Clarion-Ledger Publisher, 3 Employees Depart

The Clarion-Ledger is reporting that president and publisher Jason P. Taylor is leaving the company. On Wednesday, three employees--two sales people and one circulation staffer--also departed in the latest round of cuts at the C-L. Taylor's announcement came less than one year after the announcement that he would take over …

Jackblog

#RachelDolezal's Jackson Ties

Rachel Dolezal, the white woman who Keyser Söze'd the hell out of all of eastern Washington State and parts of Idaho by passing herself off as a black woman, apparently went to undergrad in Jackson. According to her LinkedIn, Dolezal, whom the homie Be Mock aptly noted "out Teena Marie'd …

Jackblog

City Council Recap: Uber, Bongs and Food Trucks

The absence of three council members and Mayor Tony Yarber made last night's meeting of the Jackson City Council, unnervingly efficient. Before going into executive session to discuss personnel issues and litigation around 8 p.m. -- a recent best for the ordinarily long-winded body -- the council adopted a new …

Jackblog

Pothole Watch: Thursday June 18, 2015

Verbatim from the City of Jackson: Some COJ Department of Public Works Activities Thursday, June 18, 2015 · Crews repairing potholes on areas of Tulane Street & Lowery Lane, Cabaniss Circle, Maddox Road, Missouri Street, Fernwood Drive, Woodsia Drive, John Street, Revels Street, Cynthia Road, Squire Lane. · Crews cleaning …

Jackblog

Confederates Speak: Yes, We Fought the Civil War Over Slavery

If you grew up in the South, and especially if you're white, you've likely been told repeatedly (maybe even in a classroom) that "the Civil War wasn't fought over slavery." (They might have even called it the "War Between the States" or even the "War of Northern Aggression.") "It was …

Jackblog

AP: Mississippi House speaker: ‪Confederate‬ emblem is offensive, should be removed from state flag

Story updated here: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2015/jun/22/ms-house-speaker-gunn-we-need-begin-having-convers/

Jackblog

Haley Barbour Is Not Offended By The State Flag

Glad we got that straight. In a segment on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Haley Barbour (looking disturbingly like he'd swung by a mortician's office on his way to the broadcast) opined—in the dulcet tones of that version of his accent that he uses for national TV—that he's not particularly offended by …

Politics Blog

Mississippi Speaker Pro Tem Greg Snowden Agrees With Speaker Gunn: 'Reconsider' State Flag'

"I believe any state flag should be a common symbol citizens can unite behind and proudly embrace as their own. If our flag is no longer useful for those purposes (to instill pride and unity across the broad spectrum of citizens), then we should reconsider its current status. I certainly …

Jackblog

Ole Miss: Change the Mississippi State Flag

The University of Mississippi's Acting Chancellor Morris H. Stocks just issued this verbatim statement: "The University of Mississippi community came to the realization years ago that the confederate battle flag did not represent many of our core values such as civility and respect for others. Since that time, we have …

Jackblog

Rev. C.J. Rhodes' Open Letter to Speaker Philip Gunn

Cross-posted from CJ Rhodes' WordPress blog by permission: Dear Mr. Speaker, I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. My name is CJ Rhodes and I am a resident of our Capital City. I also pastor Mt Helm Baptist Church, Jackson’s oldest historically black congregation, which is …

Politics Blog

NAE Takes Jesus Out Of Context on 'Definition' of Marriage

In response to the Supreme Court's ruling today on same-sex marriage, the National Association of Evangelicals sent a statement to media, that begins: God designed marriage for humanity. As first described in Genesis and later affirmed by Jesus, marriage is a God-ordained, covenant relationship between a man and a woman. …

Jackblog

Pothole Report (and Resurfacing) for June 29

Here's the report for the City of Jackson -- I can attest to the resurfacing on Jefferson; looking pretty good! Crews repairing potholes on areas of N. Roach Street, Rose Street, First Avenue, Keele Street, E. Manor Drive, Meadowbrook Road, Harrow Drive, Northpointe Drive. Crews resurfacing on S. Jefferson Street.

Jackblog

Resignation over Retirement: Circuit Clerk Resigns because She Won’t Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses Due to ‘Religious Beliefs’

The Grenada County circuit clerk resigned today because she did not want to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. According to an AP report, Linda Barnette has served as the circuit clerk in Grenada County for 24 years, and was scheduled to retire after the November elections. She decided she …

Jackblog

3 Counties in Mississippi Are Not Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

Update: Now there are only three counties in the state not issuing same-sex marriage licenses according to Unity MS. The Campaign for Southern Equality and ACLU of Mississippi have compiled a map of the counties that are (and aren't) issuing marriage licenses for same-sex couples. For updates see the list …

Jackblog

How Mississippians Voted in 2001 on the State Flag: The Numbers

Jere Nash, co-author with Andy Taggart of "Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2006," posted this information about the vote to change the state flag in 2001. It is from their book, and this is his verbatim post, with his permission, about the people who turned out to vote: "As …

Jackblog

In 1860, 49% of White Families in Mississippi Owned Slaves, Who Outnumbered White Folks Here

During the last couple weeks of talking about the Confederacy (and the state flag that celebrates it), we've encountered any number of historic inaccuracies in the arguments of those who don't want to change our state flag. One of them is that (a) not many white Mississippians even owned slaves …

Politics Blog

Bernie Sanders... Frontrunner?

He may not be leading money totals or straw polls, but Senator Bernie Sanders apparently did something that no other candidate has done yet in the 2016 presidential race... he had a record crowd last night in Wisconsin, pushing 10,000 people. Interesting.

Jackblog

Petition to Remove Confederate Symbol from State Flag Has Over 1,000 Signatures

Mississippi native Duvalier Malone has started a petition to remove the Confederate symbol from the Mississippi state flag. The online petition form has over 1,100 signatures. In a statement, Malone said he "wants to create enough momentum for Mississippi to have another referendum vote on the flag, which will hopefully …