Haley's Unholy Alliance
Barbour Client Indicted in Nursing Home, Delay Scheme
When Haley Barbour was head of the Republican National Committee from 1993 to 1997, he loathed Medicare, the federal health-care program, and tried to gun it down in the GOP "Contract with America," which he helped write with Rep. Newt Gingrich.
Radical Right Targets Girl Empowerment Effort
Oct. 14, 2005—AP is reporting that the Tupelo wingnuts are at it again:
Harriett Miers Supported Ban on Most Abortions
AP is reporting:
Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers pledged support in 1989 for a constitutional amendment banning abortions except when necessary to save the life of the mother, according to material given to the Senate on Tuesday.
Born To Be A Thug
A couple weeks back, culture czar Bill Bennett said crime would go down if all black babies were aborted. A couple months back, a business publication editor in Brandon said that the inner city is breeding young criminals. A couple years back, a city councilman told a group of North Jackson adults that "young tigers" are roaming our streets, looking to hurt us.
GOP Using Katrina Aftermath to Gut Anti-Poverty Efforts
The New York Times is reporting that conservatives in Washington are reacting in a very cynical way to the poverty exposed to the world by Hurricane Katrina:
Trying To Make It Right
The e-mail about the Jackson doctor came all the way from Canada. Hollis Brown, a singer/songwriter in Saskatchewan, wanted to know if an e-mail he had received, calling New Orleans evacuees in the Astrodome ungrateful "n*ggers," had really been written by Dr. Richard L. Johnson of University Medical Center. "It sounds like some KKK Krap if you ask me," Brown wrote.
FEMA To Cancel No-Bid Contracts
The front page of The Clarion-Ledger almost looked like a real newspaper today. The lead story is a combo wire/local effort about how FEMA is cancelling no-bid contracts. Of course, the Ledge doesn't mention that one of the debris-removal companies is an old client of Haley Barbour's, as reported by national media.
Bennett And His Black Boys
"If you wanted to reduce crime, you could—if that were your sole purpose—you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down." No, that quote did not loom anonymously on some racist Web site, nor did some bigot boom it at a Council of Conservative Citizens rally. A former member of Ronald Reagan's Cabinet—his Secretary of Education, in fact—uttered it on the public's radio airwaves.
Mayor Walks Out On Citizens
Community policing took a body blow last week when Mayor Frank Melton and Jackson Police Chief Shirlene Anderson—a man and a woman put there to be anti-crime crusaders—suddenly dumped the department's Crime Prevention Unit as of Oct. 1, leaving eight crime prevention specialists out of work with only days' notice, and saving about $275,000 in salaries. The eight employees learned of the job eliminations on Tuesday before their jobs ended on Friday; they are getting paid through Oct. 15. The budget awards $110,000 in raises to legal personnel.
Citizens Protest Crime Firings Tuesday at City Council
(Update: Supporters of community policing are calling for Jacksonians to go to City Council meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday downtown at City Hall to call for the mayor and police chief to reverse their decision to eliminate the Crime Prevention Unit. Read through the following thread for background.)
Hal & Mal's, Miller Lite and the JFP Present Katrina Jam
October 2nd, 2:00-10:00 p.m. at Hal & Mal's
In the restaurant, there will be a silent art auction, with various local Jackson artists donating pieces to be auctioned off, with all proceeds going to the Rebuild the Coast Fund.Org.
Nappy Roots, Funk, Kamikaze at Farish Street Fest
The JFP is a sponsor of the Farish Street Fest This Weekend! Oct 1, Food, Fun and Entertainment for the entire family. See Terry Cummings, Kamikaze, Eddie Cotton, Nappy Roots, Tina Diamond, Original P, Mr. Nasty, Storage 24. Also a full stage of gospel music and a special Kiddie Kottage with face painting, space jump and more. Tickets $12 advance (BeBop and BIP records locations) and $15 at the gate.
This Is My Fault
Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and thrust her spotlight on the abhorrent conditions of the poorest Americans, I have been pondering poverty. First, I got angry.
[Verbatim E-mail] Is This Fact, or Fiction?
My name is Hollis Brown and I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I recieved a forwarded letter written by Richard L. Johnston, M.D., University of Mississippi Medical Center. I want to know if this story is true, and if it was truly written by this doctor. It sounds like some KKK Krap if you ask me.
White House Blocking Hurricane Aid
AP is reporting:
With Gulf Coast governors pressing for action, Senate Finance Committee members complained Wednesday that the Bush administration is blocking a bipartisan $9 billion health care package for hundreds of thousands of evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. "We've got people with needs today," Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said. She was joined by Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, who testified via a teleconference hookup, in urging quick action on the legislation.
Rita Victims Living Like ‘Cavemen' on Texas Coast
AP is reporting:
Nearly four days after Hurricane Rita hit, many of the storm's sweltering victims along the Texas Gulf Coast were still waiting for electricity, gasoline, water and other relief Tuesday, prompting one top emergency official to complain that people are "living like cavemen." In the hard-hit refinery towns of Port Arthur and Beaumont, crews struggled to cross debris-clogged streets to deliver generators and water to people stranded by Rita. They predicted it could be a month before power is restored, and said water and sewer systems could not function until more generators arrived.
Brownie Slams States; GOP and Dems Slam Him
MSNBC is reporting:
Former FEMA director Michael Brown aggressively defended his role in responding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday and blamed most coordination failures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. ... His efforts to shift blame drew sharp criticism from Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike. "I'm happy you left," said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn. "That kind of look in the lights like a deer tells me you weren't capable of doing that job."
Contract to Former Barbour Client Under Investigation
The New York Times is reporting Monday that a debris-removal contract awarded to a former lobbying client of Barbour is under congressional investigation: