Does Parental Notification Reduce Abortion?
Not really, a New York Times analysis has found:
Clarion-Ledger's Jackson Circulation: 22,000
This is so deliciously educational that it deserves its own blog entry. In an article today about the city's legal-ad controversy, The Clarion-Ledger admits that out of its total circulation of "roughly 100,000," that only "about 22,000" of that is in Jackson. That means that less than a quarter of the paper's circulation is in Jackson—perhaps explaining a lot about why the paper dumps on Jackson so hard. Of course, its dumping on Jackson so hard is probably part of the reason so few Jacksonians read The Clarion-Ledger. It also explains why the Ledge is chopping itself up into pitiful little pieces and throwing piles of unwanted publications in our yards -- in a corporate scheme to try to force more Jacksonians onto its circulation rolls.
Is Vidal Sullivan Back on the Streets?
Where in @#$% Is Vidal Sullivan?
We've gotten a report that Mr. Melton and Chief Anderson have released Mr. Sullivan, and that he is free again. We have not confirmed this report with a second source, yet.
Breaking: Vidal Sullivan Turns Self In
WJTV is reporting that Vidal Sullivan has turned himself in to police and is being held at "an undisclosed location."
Tape: Bush, Chertoff Warned *Before* Katrina
So much for passing the buck:
In dramatic and sometimes agonizing terms, federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees, put lives at risk in New Orleans' Superdome and overwhelm rescuers, according to confidential video footage. Bush didn't ask a single question during the final briefing before Katrina struck on Aug. 29, but he assured soon-to-be-battered state officials: "We are fully prepared."
Artists To Watch
<b>Skipp Coon</b>
You gotta love the new mayor of Jackson. No, not that one. Skipp Coon, born Joecephus Martin, calls himself "the mayor of Jackson," and even raps about the current mayor of Jackson from time to time. Skipp Coon—a name he created to talk back to the stereotypes of the Jim Crow era—is an honors graduate of Jackson State with a degree in education, now working on his master's. Calling himself "more of a rapper than a hustler," Skipp says he is not solidly in the Dirty South rap-music camp with a lot of other area rappers. The Forest Hill High graduate likes Project Pat, 8 ball and MJG—and even Maroon 5. He said in a recent blog interview that he admires David Banner "because he reps Mississippi" and Kanye West "cause he made it big without killing anyone or selling dope." Last summer, Skipp toured Europe with his friend DJ Phingaprint, and played the biggest hip-hop festival on the continent—in the Czech Republic, where he was a sensation. Skipp is working on his new album with about a dozen tracks ready to go; you can hear "I'm Just Skipp" on the jacksonfreepress.com Podcast #1 right now. So come listen to the mayor.
With A Little Help From My Friends
My childhood was filled with strains of country—Hank Williams Sr. and Jr., Merle Haggard, Tammy and George, Porter and Dolly, Mel Tillis. Actually, I did know the music of one black man, Charley Pride. My mother played his music over and over again, and I pop in the CD of his greatest hits when I'm especially missing her.
50 Governors Oppose Bush's Guard Cuts
AP is reporting:
Governors crossing party lines are criticizing Bush administration policies on the National Guard, questioning a budget plan they say will cut Guard strength and leave states less able to respond to homegrown emergencies like hurricanes or a feared pandemic. The state leaders, attending the winter meeting of the National Governors Association, hoped for answers from President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld at a White House gathering Monday. "We're going to fight that tooth and nail," said Republican Gov. Bob Taft of Ohio. "The National Guard is not just important from the standpoint of disaster response in the state of Ohio, and homeland security, but is crucial for overall military preparedness. It would be a real mistake to cut back."
Mississippians Standing Up for Justice
Welcome to the JFP's new Justice Blog. This blog is dedicated to the quest for justice in old Mississippi civil rights cases. It is also a place we can collect our own work toward that goal to date — the work of a group of native Mississippians who are investigating and publicizing both well-known and little-known civil rights cases of the past. This effort began in earnest when the JFP led an online petition drive, called "Real Mississippians Aren't Racist," calling for the prosecution of the murderers of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, and then picked up steam when the JFP team reported and blogged about the Killen trial in a personal and immediate way that no other media outlet did. Our efforts really paid off when we joined with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and published an in-depth story that kicked off a national media frenzy about the long-forgotten Henry Dee-Charles Moore killings, and revealed that one of the primary suspects is still alive, contrary to reporting by The Clarion-Ledger and The Los Angeles Times.
Will Mississippi Go ‘Blue' After Katrina?
Buried in a story today by The Clarion-Ledger's Ana Radalet is an intriguing question: How many new Democratic voters will Mississippi gain due to Louisiana evacuees? One also has to wonder how many "red" voters the GOP is going to lose on the Gulf Coast due to the terrible responses to the hurricane.
Worshiping ‘The Gods of Business'
I just finished listening to The Gods of Business on "Speaking of Faith." This was a *great* program, and very thought-provoking about how far the business world, over all, has gotten from basic morality and ethics. Here's the basic description:
Melton Plans to Re-Arrest Acquitted Man
Anyone else think it's odd that Mayor Melton is reacting so dramatically different to the latest acquittal of alleged gang members after being so lukewarm about the "Grayhead" acquittals? In both trials, a major witness backed out of testifying, helping enable acquittals. In both cases, the young men are accused of horrible crimes. But in the Grayhead case, Mr. Melton seemed offended that they were called "gang" members, and in this case, he is clamoring for Vidal Sullivan to be re-arrested, even saying he will take it to a different county—leaving a Mississippi College professor to warn that the public should be very concerned about Mr. Melton's statements.
Ramsey Cartoon Shades of Schwindaman
We appreciate the compliment, Marshall, but a note of appreciation would have sufficed.
Well, I guess this is a compliment to the JFP's editorial cartoonist, Darren Schwindaman. Today's Marshall Ramsey cartoon copies Darren's cartoon of two weeks ago almost directly, except using Joe Camel instead of the Marlboro man/cowboy. I'll try to get a PDF of Darren's version up today, site problems allowing.
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:
‘No Child Left Behind' Favoring White Kids
OK, this is just what I was talking about at the end of my recent column, "For These Are All Our Children": A new Harvard study is finding that 'No Child Left Behind' is benefitting white kids more than kids of color—as certain schools are allowed to negotiate around the requirements of NCLB. (See Barbour's efforts to give "good" schools "home rule.") This stinks, people. Racism is becoming much more sophisticated these days.
Damned If He Did; Damned If He Didn't?
OK, should we be more concerned if he did, or didn't know, that this was happening? This looks really friggin' bad either way for this beleaguered White House. What could possibly be next!?! A P is reporting
Torture of Children in Florida
This is not unlike what officials were doing to the children of Mississippi in our training schools for decades. It is simply unbelievable that this crap is allowed to go on in 2006 to poor kids, and especially poor children of color—the people with the least rights or respect in our country. Then, of course, the mother-f*cks try to cover it up. As far as I'm concerned, every one of these guards should go to prison for the rest of their lives, along with any officials who authorize such torture of children. AP is reporting:
Update: W.C. Don's Still Open for Business
Note: See comments below this posting for update from management.
The City of Jackson announced Thursday afternoon that both northbound lanes of State Street between Tombigbee and Capital streets are temporarily closed to traffic for the remainder of the week. City Engineer Tim Bryan said the shutdown is due to a wall collapsing at the W.C. Don's Restaurant at 218 S. State Street around 10:00 a.m. on Thursday.
1,500 Feared Dead in Phillipines Mudslide
A big day for prayers. AP is reporting:
Judge Orders White House to Release Spying Info
What a week. First, Cheney shoots somebody; now this. AP is reporting:
A federal judge ordered the Bush administration on Thursday to release documents about its warrantless surveillance program or spell out what it is withholding, a setback to efforts to keep the program under wraps.
Breaking: All Five ‘Grayhead' Defendants Found Not Guilty
After four hours of deliberations, a jury has acquitted the five defendants accused of kidnapping and assaulting Michael Sanders to warn him away from talking to the police. Police say that Aundre Mason, 29, Darnell Turner, 28, Terrance Womack, 29, Elisha Moton, 26, and Corey Redd, 27—allegedly part of a "gang known as "Grayhead"—shot Sanders in the leg, duct taped his mouth and locked him in a car trunk for several hours on March 10, 2004. However, today the jury exonerated the five men of this crime.
Melton Vows to Veto Ad Decision, Help Ledger
The Clarion-Ledger is reporting:
Breaking: Mayor Accepts 911 ‘System Remedies'
Councilman Ben Allen just posted the following news on Adam's Talk this week about the 911 saga:
Barbour Won't Be Prez in 2009. No Kidding.
So, Gov. Haley Barbour has made it official: He's not running for president in 2008. What tickles me about is that Haley Barbour doesn't have snowball's chance in hell of getting the presidential nomination, or even to be the vice presidential nominee. I thought it was so quaint to hear Mississippi "pundits" talk about what a great chance he had at the presidency. Who are they fooling? (Or, what are they smoking?) They clearly do not understand what most of the rest of the country thinks of Haley Barbour: that he is a right-wing zealot who openly courts the racist vote–and is http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=7551_0_9_0_C ]very, very close to the lobbyist and fund-raising scandals of late.
‘Coon Hounds' Poem Causing Controversy
Read the poem here.
WMC-TV is reporting that a folksy poem by Paul Ott, proposed to the Legislature as the state poem, is causing controversy, with a group of Ole Miss professors and students saying it doesn't exactly make Mississippi look very, well, smart.
Coretta, Betty and Me
It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States.
Melton Ramps Up Morals Crusade
Mayor Frank Melton is showing his feminist side in his attempts to close down all sexually oriented entertainment in Jackson and "redefine" life in Jackson as we know it. The Clarion-Ledger reports:
Abramoff's Ties with White House Emerging
The obvious is starting to become even more obvious. AP is reporting:
C.A. Webb Launches New JFP Blog
Poet, author and all-around Jackson creative personality C.A. Webb has launched his new JFP blog. C.A. has been posting provocative forum threads, including the currently hot thread on Spike Lee's appearance at Ole Miss. We welcome C.A. to the JFP Web site.
Robert Moore: New Police Chief in Rockford, Ill?
The Rockford Register Star is reporting:
Lalee: No Better Off Today
Gary Pettus has a good follow-up today on the story of Lalee Wallace, a Delta grandmother who was the subject of an HBO documentary. The JFP did a story about Lalee and the film way back in our first issue. The story shows that little has changed for poor people like Lalee in the Delta -- as if a film could change a system engrained by years of slavery, Jim Crow and poverty:
White House Knew of Levee Break Night of Storm
The New York Times is reporting:
BoozeTalk: Drink Pink
I've never been a froufy drinker. Not really. My favorite cocktails have a couple ingredients max, and don't go anywhere near a bottle of simple syrup, or a blender for that matter.
For These Are All Our Children
Febuary 8, 2006
Oh, No: Not An ANGRY Woman!
This is pathetic; the GOP is going to have to do better than playing the angry-woman card. If not, they're going to p!ss off a lot of already-perturbed female voters, and they really ought not do that. The Associated Press today:
Still Divided Over Race?
See what you think.
The Creative Loafing's John Sugg (from Atlanta) is back with a rather sweeping package of stories on race relations in South, with much focus on Mississippi. (Sidebar on continued efforts for justice here, but curiously doesn't mention the Dee-Moore case.)
Is Bush Neglecting the Gulf Coast?
USA Today reports today that many Coast residents feel slighted by the State of the Union address:
Missing Shannon: Family Wants Closure
August 29, 1999, was the last time Theresa McKinney heard from her daughter, Shannon. It was the mother's birthday, and Shannon always called her mother back home in Omaha, Neb., on holidays from wherever she was. She also regularly called her own little daughter, 4-year-old Alyssa, asking her to sing to her and tell her she missed her mommy.
Bush Stretches to Defend Surveillance
The Los Angeles Times is reporting:
Oh. My. God.
AP is reporting:
The U.S. Army in Iraq has at least twice seized and jailed the wives of suspected insurgents in hopes of "leveraging" their husbands into surrender, U.S. military documents show.
Welcome to the Wild, Wild West
So, how many innocent people's lives were endangered in this inter-agency chase and shoot-out in the streets of Jackson? Good to know they recovered a small amount of marijuiana to justify this madness.
‘It Just Looks Really Bad'
The picture of how this city (and state?) treats sex with minors is very disturbing to me. Witness this article today about the police officers who allegedly had sex with the 15-year-old who was killed. Attorney Robert Clark says this about his client, police officer Maurice Clark, who is resigning after being accused of having sex with the child:
The Art Of Being The Best
Just mention "the state's inferiority complex" to a Mississippi native, and he or she will likely respond: "God, isn't that the truth?" Let's just say that residents of our dear state haven't been schooled in the fine art of being the "best." Or, to be more precise, no matter how talented we are personally, collectively, we don't believe we're the best.
White House Was Warned About Katrina's Potential
The Clarion-Ledger is reporting:
Ledge's Ronnie Agnew Lays Down the ‘Bottom Line'
Clarion-Ledger Executive Editor Ronnie Agnew's column today is bizarre in so many respects that we're not sure where to begin. He is certainly laying down the law for the newspaper's favorite mayor, closing with:
Ledge Admits to Being Sued in MBN Case ... Finally
Now that the judge is dropping the MBN defamation suit against The Clarion-Ledger, and two of its editors/reporters, the newspaper is telling its readers that it was being sued by the same folks suing Frank Melton. Remember, they did NOT tell readers that back during the mayoral campaign when the paper and the mayor were wound up together in companion lawsuits, or when it endorsed Melton without mentioning this rather pertinent fact. But, now they bring Jerry Mitchell in to admit it after the fact: It's news when it's good them, but not when the suit was brought.