Bush Facing Dreary Jobs Data in Michigan
AP reports: "Allies of Democrat John Kerry in this down-on-its-luck industrial state are armed with depressing statistics on unemployment and poverty, hoping to persuade voters to blame President Bush for the hit on their pocketbooks. In Michigan, 6.6 percent of workers are unemployed, with the strain sharpest in communities that have suffered plant closings and manufacturing cutbacks as jobs moved overseas. There is widespread anger, spreading into conservative areas, that Bush is not doing enough to keep those jobs at home or help the poor."
‘Black Females Are Valued By No One'
The Village Voice reports on a new study of the attitudes of the "hip-hop generation." Thulani Davis writes: "In reality, the teens interviewed—between 16 and 20 years old—are probably children of the first hip-hop generation (usually considered people born between 1965 and 1980). The subjects of this study, then, have been raised during the rise of this influential culture and may reflect the long-term effects of the devastation of black communities following the civil rights and black-power movements. The most telling attitudinal change from the 'movement' years is the absence of any influence of feminism and the open disdain for black women. As the authors put it, 'Black females are valued by no one.' The study's glossary includes six nouns used to describe males: Dog, homeboy, playa, lame, sugar daddy, and payload, another word for sugar daddy. For women, there are at least 15, none good: Block bender, woo-wop, flip-flop, skeezer, 'hood rat, 'ho, and trick all mean promiscuous female. In addition, there are freak, bitch, gold digger, hoochie mama, runner, flipper, shorty, and the more ambiguous wifey. Young women in the interviews also use some of these terms."
NY Times Examines Barbour Role in Energy Policy
In a long piece Sunday, The New York Times examined Haley Barbour's role in Bush energy/environmental policies: "Just six weeks into the Bush administration, Haley Barbour, a former Republican party chairman who was a lobbyist for electric power companies, sent a memorandum to Vice President Dick Cheney laying down a challenge. 'The question is whether environmental policy still prevails over energy policy with Bush-Cheney, as it did with Clinton-Gore,' Mr. Barbour wrote, and called for measures to show that environmental concerns would no longer 'trump good energy policy.'"
[Ladd] One for the Grrls
I was recently visiting a couple in Fondren who have two delightful little daughters with whom I love to hang out. They're loud, proud, colorful, confident. The oldest came up to me and told me about the bedtime story her dad had been reading her about a bored princess who didn't want to take her prim princess lessons and preferred to go live with the dragons and have adventures. After telling me the story in some detail, my little 5-year-old girlfriend, the most chic little thing I know, looked at me and said, "You can borrow the book sometimes if you want."
Executioner's Blues, by Scott Barretta
March 10, 2004—Steve Earle, who performed at an anti-death penalty benefit at Hal and Mal's on Friday, March 12, stirred up controversy in the country-music world in 2002 with his "John Walker's Blues," sung from the perspective of the infamous "Taliban American." Replete with Arabic chanting and references to America as "the land of the infidel," the song was widely misconstrued as unpatriotic or even sympathetic to the Taliban.
50 Cent Slams Gay Men; Says Lesbians ‘Cool'
MTV News reports: "In a wide-ranging interview with Playboy magazine, 50 Cent has let his feelings on homosexuality be known, in language sure to draw the ire of gay-rights supporters. 'I ain't into f----ts,' 50 says in an interview in the April issue of Playboy, which hits stands Friday. 'I don't like gay people around me, because I'm not comfortable with what their thoughts are. I'm not prejudiced. I just don't go with gay people and kick it – we don't have that much in common. I'd rather hang out with a straight dude. But women who like women, that's cool.'"
Why Young Blacks Should Vote
Black America Web reports: "With the 2004 presidential election just eight months away and important political issues at stake, many are wondering why young blacks between the ages of 18 and 24 are less likely to get out and vote. Most of these young voters, political experts said, feel disconnected to the candidates and the issues surrounding this election. But a recent study conducted by Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies reported extremely high unemployment among young black men. That and higher tuition costs are two good reasons for this group to get out and vote in the upcoming election, observers said. The report stated that 'one out of every four African-American youth and one out of every five Latino youth between the ages of 16 and 24 are out-of-school, jobless and on the streets.'"
Kerry, Dems to Campaign in Mississippi
I'm happy to see the national Democratic Party taking Mississippi seriously. It's so insulting when national media, politicos or anyone else assume that all of our minds are already made up, or that we all think and vote alike (Barbour won just 52 percent of the vote in November, after all, and in an election where many people thought the candidates were near just alike; imagine the possibilities if voters believe they have a real choice). And those assumptions are self-perpetuating. The Clarion-Ledger reports: "With Mississippi's primary over, Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign is mobilizing in the state. The senator does not necessarily need the South to win, however. Nor is it likely he will see any of Mississippi's six electoral votes from a state that has not voted for a Democratic president since Jimmy Carter in 1976. But Democrats here say Kerry's campaign, if nothing else, will be an opportunity to strengthen their party in the state and promote their philosophies in the months leading to Election Day on Nov. 2."
CONGRATULATIONS, Ayana!!!
If y'all heard squeals of delight in the distance over the last 24 hours, it's because the JFP's Ayana Taylor learned that she was accepted to the Academy for Alternative Journalism this summer at Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern in Chicago. This is a HUGE deal, as they only accept 10 applicants a year. We're so proud of Ayana; first she won the AAN diversity grant, and now this. Please congratulate her the next time you see her out and about; she is going to go very far in this business. We can all say we knew her when. Read about the Academy:
The best in sports in the next 14 days
College basketball, Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt, 6:30 p.m., Ch. 12 and WFMN (97.3): The Rebels meet the Commodores in the first round of the SEC Tournament at Atlanta. The winner plays Mississippi State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. … Also, high school basketball, MHSAA Boys and Girls State Tournament (MPB): In the 2A girls final, Coldwater plays Bay Springs at 6:30 p.m. And in the 2A boys title tilt, it's Heidelberg vs. Hollandale Simmons at 8 p.m.
E-mail from Howard Dean
This went to his mailing list just now: "John Kerry and I had a very good meeting yesterday. During the campaign we often focused on what divided us, but the truth is we have much more in common beginning with our fervent desire to send George Bush back to Crawford, Texas in November. The future of our country depends on this.
Jill Conner Browne
Mississippians are so used to being on the bottom that, without provocation, we'll take aim at our own feet and fire at will just to prove we can blow a damned toe off. That's my thought whenever I hear someone whine about how Mal's St. Paddy's Parade has gotten "too big," or balk at joining the thousands of tiara-ed and sequined "wannabes" who drive, fly and hitchhike into Jackson every March to eat, drink and be friggin' merry enough to last another 11 months or so. It is unfathomable to me that a single Jacksonian would take for granted what Jill Conner Browne has done for this city and its residents.
[City Buzz] Rules Are Made to Be Busted
DON'T LIKE THE RULES? CHANGE 'EM: Democrats in the Mississippi House succeeded in passing a rules change on Wednesday, March 3, 2004, that they will likely use to block some controversial legislation. The rules change now requires a 2/3 "supermajority" vote to get bills out of committee instead of a simple majority; it's expected that such a supermajority will not be possible when it comes to legislation such as Voter ID and tort reform, which have tended toward party-line votes. If the bills can't be voted out of committee, they can die there without reaching the House floor. …
Rainbow Coalition
The excitement was palpable in the rotunda of the state Capitol on March 2 when a diverse team of city and state leaders showed up at a historic rally to encourage the state Legislature to clear the way for Jackson to build a 125,000 square-foot convention center. The project's supporters have drafted legislation that would allow Jackson to ask residents to approve a 1-cent local option sales tax for the $100 million project.
Bill Minor: Barbour's Nephew Lobbyist Raising Ire
Mr Minor writes: "Henry Barbour, the nephew who managed Gov. Haley Barbour's recent gubernatorial campaign, and his brother, Austin, have hooked up with Capitol Resources — an influential legislative lobbying group with a number of big corporate, gaming and oil clients. Capitol Resources, headed by two top lobbyists, Clare Hester and John Lundy, lists among its clients Kerr-McGee Corp., Lorillard Tobacco, Northrup Grumman Ship Systems and even the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. What especially got the effusive Holland's attention were quotes from one of the Barbour nephews that 'we're going to assist ... Republican candidates in raising money both nationally and at the state level.'"
Conservative LeSueur wins Primary
Clarion-Ledger reports:Clinton LeSueur trounced his opponents Tuesday in the 2nd Congressional District Republican primary, leaving him now to decide what campaign strategy to use against Democratic incumbent Bennie Thompson in the fall. ... LeSueur, of Greenville, will face Thompson in November for a second time. He won 44 percent of the vote against the congressman two years ago. He says he will hit the campaign trail promoting his conservative beliefs, including his objection to gay marriage. 'The people haven't seen anything yet. You're going to see a real campaign this round and we're definitely going to do double, if not more than what we did in 2002,' said LeSueur, 35, who has worked to put more male teachers in the classroom."
Praise the Lord, and Pass the Grits, by Lynette Hanson
Feb. 26, 2004—Harmony can mean many things, not just musical ones, either. For instance, the harmony between grits—that wonderful Southern breakfast side dish—and other scrumptious morsels like hot buttered biscuits, fluffy scrambled eggs, and maybe some thick, barely browned potatoes can make one want to burst into song, harmonious or otherwise, at the perfect combination of tastes and textures.
Will Goldwater Followers Vote Against Bush?
Sidney Blumenthal writes in Salon about the father of modern-day conservative, and why he turned on the right of today: "It was Goldwater, the genuine article, who established the image of conservative as Western hero. His persona was indistinguishable from his ideology. He was the imperial individual, the free spirit embodying the free market. He seemed a natural force in Arizona, a state on the economic frontier. With less than a million inhabitants before World War II, it exploded afterward. In his time, Goldwater appeared as new and startling as the booming suburbs in the desert."
[City Buzz] A Time to Speak
A TIME TO SPEAK: Due to it being the 40th anniversary of Freedom Summer, 2004 seems to be the year of activism in the state of Mississippi. In fact, at a Feb. 24 press conference in the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., members of the Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner Justice Coalition officially launched what they're calling "Freedom Summer 2004," to honor the memory of the three young men killed in Neshoba County by Klansmen in 1964. And the group isn't just about memorializing; they want positive action. A 20-bus caravan will leave New York City on June 9 bound for Mississippi, making 20 stops along the way for memorials, door-to-door voter registration and anti-racism workshops. Alice Walker, Andrew Young and Marian Wright Edelman are honorary chairmen of the group. …
Vasti, Proud and Strong, by Scott Barretta
Feb. 26, 2004—Guitarist, songwriter and producer Vasti Jackson may well be the busiest musician in Mississippi. In the last several years, the Hattiesburg resident has appeared in several feature films, a documentary and a TV show, co-produced a Grammy-nominated album, and worked as a session man and road musician for numerous artists. Jackson also performs with his own band and as a solo acoustic act, and recently stepped up front with a new CD, "No Border to the Blues," that might be seen as a distillation of all the work he's accomplished to date.
Amen, Smoke , by Charlie Braxton
Feb. 26, 2004—Whoever coined the phrase "where there's smoke, there's fire" must have been a fan of Jackson-based rapper Smoke D. When Smoke hits the microphone, he spits nothing but blazing lyrics filled with a burning truth that ignites your soul like a serpentine fire, giving you the kind of tingling sensation that you get in your spine when someone confronts you with a verity so profound that you can't help but shake your head and say "amen."
Farish Street Blues: Rebuilding A ‘Music Town," by Scott Barretta
I wouldn't have a gal on Farish Street, I wouldn't speak to one that lived on Mill
— Doodleville Blues, by John Henry "Bubba" Brown & Cary Lee Simmons
Six to Watch, by Palmer Houchins
Want to make it big in the music industry, but discouraged because you're from a small city like Jackson? Don't despair; here are six who are breaking out.
Temple for Talent, by Eric Stracener
Since the heyday of recording on Farish Street passed, the only local label with any real national name recognition has been Malaco Records, which has continued with a steady output of high-quality R&B and soul from the label and its in-house studio. Recently, though, other studios have started to surface here. One of them, Sonic Temple Recording Studio, has worked with artists from Cassandra Wilson to David Banner, Scott Litt of R.E.M. to Young Agent Jones.
The Alamo Lives On, by Scott Barretta
The spirit of Farish Street in the '50s and '60s is evoked at the Alamo Theatre on the third Friday of each month when The Musicians take the stage for the Jazz, Blues, and More concert series, now in its fourth year. The Musicians' broad repertoire ranges from jazz standards to soul classics; on their most recent program, songs included Bobby Bland's "Further Up The Road," Junior Parker's "Next Time You See Me" and Marvin Gaye's "Pride and Joy."
Young and Restless, by David Chilton
Two years ago I went to an all-ages show at Musiquarium. As I entered Banner Hall, I heard this massive buzz from upstairs. My jaw dropped when I entered MQ, because there were well over a hundred kids packed in the room, jumping up and down to a heavy riff scratched out by a handful of fans who were no more than 16.
State of Hip-Hop, by Alphonso Mayfield
Label Musical Chairs
The biggest news involves one of the most storied labels in hip-hop. Island Def Jam head Lyor Cohen recently left his position to head Warner Music Group's U. S. Recorded Music right on the heels of WMG being purchased by former Vivendi Universal exec Edgar Bronfman Jr. for $2.6 billion. As a result, former Arista chief Antonio "L.A." Reid has been named chairman of the Island Def Jam Music Group. Reid will report directly to Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Doug Morris and president Zach Horowitz. However, trouble is in the air as Def Jam President Kevin Liles reportedly has decided to leave the company in March.
A Sweet Little Scene, by James Hughes
It's September 1983, and I'm hanging around the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, regretting that I've shown up six months too late to get into grad school and waiting to catch a bus to wherever. With evening settling in and the campus growing quiet, I drift into town, wander around awhile, and stumble into a little music lounge with handbill-covered windows called The Secret Garden—a bare-bones joint, nowhere near as sumptuous as its name, but one I'll still remember even 20 years later as the place where I first paid attention to the music of R.E.M.
Wyatt Emmerich: Raise Cigarette Taxes
Emmerich writes: "For Pete's sake, let's raise the taxes on cigarettes. Mississippi currently has one of the lowest cigarette tax rates in the nation. Just a quarter-a-pack increase could raise $100 million or so. We all want to reduce smoking. Raising the price not only puts money in state coffers but discourages smoking as well."
House, McCoy Budget Puts Education First
Clarion-Ledger online today: "Mississippi's Adequate Education Plan that funds K-12 public schools and the state health insurance program would be fully funded under a House budget plan unveiled today at the Capitol. As hundreds of cheering teachers and state workers looked on, House Speaker Bill McCoy, D-Rienzi, presented details, with the massive bill expected to face a floor vote Thursday. The proposal would increase licenses and similar fees by $17.6 million. Gov. Haley Barbour has said he considers fee increases a tax increase, and that he would veto such legislation. As copies of the plan began to circulate around crowded Capitol hallways, McCoy noted: 'We've got much work to do.'"
Barbour Urges Tort Reform Rally
[Verbatim; from Barbour office) Governor Barbour is asking tort reform supporters to attend a rally at the New Capitol Building this Wednesday (2/25) at 1:30 p.m. on the second floor rotunda. He is encouraging those who attend to arrive early that morning to talk to their legislators. This week will be a very big week for tort reform legislation as both the Senate bill (led by Chairman Charlie Ross) and the House bill (led by Chairman Jeff Smith) are officially introduced in the Legislature. If we can generate enough support for either bill or both bills, we can get comprehensive tort reform legislation to Governor Barbour's office where legal reform has extremely strong support. We believe this tort reform rally will be a great event to build tort reform,s grassroots—resulting in new civil justice laws that will make our courtrooms fairer for Mississippians. We strongly encourage you to help Governor Barbour get as many people to this event as possible. Please notify your friends and encourage them to attend the tort reform rally. Again, we would greatly appreciate folks on-site by 1:00 p.m. We hope to see you at the New Capitol Building on Wednesday.
Nader Wants to Be 'POTUS'; Barbour Sez Dems 'Nervous'
AP reports: "Nader's decision was greeted with a chorus of condemnation from Democrats, longtime friends and former supporters who blame him for Al Gore's loss four years ago. They suggested that Nader would not pull close to the 2.7 percent of the vote he won before without the backing of an established party and some of his past supporters."
Jackson Miss Hospitality Sought
Between ages 18 and 24 by July 25, 2004
The Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau needs qualified applicants for the competition to be held April 10, 2004 at 921 North President St. Winner receives a $1,000 scholarship to a Mississippi college and will compete in the state pageant July 25-31, 2004, in Hattiesburg. First runner-up gets a $500 scholarship. Qualifications:
Kerry and his ‘Band of Brothers'
Mary Lynn F. Jones writes on Alternet: that Kerry has strong appeal with veterans, who could swing the election. Kerry is finally giving Vietnam veterans a platform. "They're eating it up because no one has ever done it before," says Douglas Brinkley, the author of "Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War." Kerry has promised to be a "veteran's veteran" if elected. But he also has more going for him besides the appeal of electing a decorated serviceman. Many veterans are also unhappy about the Iraq war. Bobby Muller, who heads the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation and has endorsed Kerry, says, "We're hearing from so many of our guys that might traditionally be conservative guys [that] the war in Iraq has really pissed them off."
The Progressive Populist Moment?
Tom Hayden writes for Alternet: It's been a remarkable shift after the past decade of Democratic catering to corporate interests and conservative voters, Only one year ago, candidates John Kerry, John Edwards and Richard Gephardt had voted for the Iraq war resolution, and Gephardt alone, among the leading contenders, opposed pro-corporate trade agreements like NAFTA. ...
The DLC vs. Howard Dean
Naeem Mohaiemen writes for Alternet: "[A] core part of Dean's appeal was his overwhelming support among young people. In 2000, one of the lowest voter turnouts was among young people. If you were under 24, you tuned out and stayed home in November. By contrast, the bulk of Howard Dean's support was among the youth of America. Energized by a strategy focused on Internet campaigning, 'Generation Dean' or 'Dean 2.0' spread across college campuses and gave a youthful aura to the man from Vermont.
No Deposit, No Return
If you were the melodramatic type, you might call it a nightmare. Barely a year into the new mandates, and increased (and largely unfunded) costs, of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, public school districts in the state fear that the state Legislature may not even fully fund them as much as they're required to under state law. Adding insult to injury, the new Republican governor did not even mention the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) in his State of the State Address.
[Just In] Barbour Says He Won't ‘Streamline' Education
We just received this from Barbour's office: Contrary to what some have said, the "Operation: Streamline" legislation does not affect funding for education at all. There are no bills dealing with schools, teachers or K-12 funding. My executive budget submitted last month simply accepts the Legislative Budget Committee's unanimous recommendation for K-12 funding * nothing less. Read full statement ...
Mississippi Mulls Marriage Amendment
The Advocate reports: Mississippi gay and lesbian leaders are trying to raise awareness about a bill that would constitutionally ban gay marriages. "We've got the word out through memberships, through our e-lists, our Web sites. This is part of educating the public on the situation," said Jody Renaldo, executive director of Equality Mississippi. "We're trying to educate general Mississippians who really are not aware of gay and lesbian issues."
Barbour Details ‘Streamline' Budget
[verbatim statement] (Jackson, Miss.)-- Governor Haley Barbour was joined today by Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck and scores of legislators as he filed the bill that represents his budget-fixing plan, "Operation: Streamline." "Operation: Streamline recognizes that we cannot move forward as a state until we confront our budget problem," Governor Barbour stated. "Workforce development, job creation, education and economic development all depend on keeping Mississippi's budget deficit under control. "Operation: Streamline" has a simple goal and that is to cut Mississippi's budget deficit * all $709 million of it * in half in one year, and eliminate it altogether in two years. It took many years to get in this budget hole and we will not get out overnight."
Barbour Faces Budget Opposition
... especially on education cuts. The Clarion-Ledger reports today: On Tuesday, dozens of lawmakers — mostly GOP allies — gathered with Barbour to pledge support for the changes. "I'm willing to make the tough decisions ... if you'll join me and you'll let me," said Barbour, who distributed small calculators to legislators as symbols of his cost-saving intentions. The Senate has 28 co-sponsors of Barbour's legislation — more than the majority needed for passage.
[Buzz] Don't Say ‘Tort Reform'; Collective Forms
DON'T SAY 'TORT REFORM': It's kind of fun to watch lawmakers try NOT to talk about a favorite topic: tort reform. Although legislating against "lawsuit abuse," especially with industry-friendly damage caps, is believed in these parts to be the cure to cancer, as well as a guaranteed treatment for unemployment, the erosion of the family and even young people's bubbling hormones, the new no-nonsense House Speaker Billy McCoy (D-Rienzi) seems determined to hear more than one side of the story this term.
Bush "Dead Even" with Kerry; on Defensive
AP is reporting: "Republicans have a lot to worry about; hence the reason Bush has been on the defense, says national pollster Mark Schulman."
[Ladd] Rest In Peace
When Dr. Monique Guillory called me and said she wanted to bring the "Without Sanctuary" exhibit to Jackson, I swallowed hard. I knew about the horrifying and controversial exhibit of lynching photographs, the images that sear themselves into your psyche and refuse to let go. I hadn't seen the actual exhibit; I lived across Central Park from it for a while in New York, but never quite got up the courage to go. But since returning home, I had looked at the 81 photos posted online; I knew this would be rough.
Dan Joyner
I met with Dan Joyner recently at Cups, in the heart of the Fondren district where, as Joyner puts it, people interested in the arts can hang out together. Joyner, 28, himself is an example of creativity nurtured. Now he is the area manager for Cups, but when I first met him in the spring of 1993, his senior year at Forest Hill High School in South Jackson, I also met his parents Evelyn and Robert. Like many supportive parents, they were again involved with one of Dan's creative undertakings—Colonel's Classics, a Forest Hill tradition that gave high school students, aided by dedicated teachers, a place to hang out: to write scripts, build sets, rehearse and present skits to an audience of their peers and loved ones in packed auditoriums.
Let Us Rise in Love, by Carole Cannon
Sweet Honey in the Rock shows up and shows out. This hurricane of African American women whirling, playing percussive instruments, moaning, humming, laughing, soothing, sassing, singing. In voices as deep as the Atlantic Ocean, as high as the sun at noon. These Grammy-winning musicians charm and challenge, scold and inspire, teach history and tout freedom, touch souls and tackle the heavy issues from AIDS to race. They placate, they push, they raise hell, they heal.
[Jacktown] Hip-Hop High Society, by Alphonso Mayfield
I should call this the good and the bad issue because there are several Jackson artists who have benefited from good fortune and several that have suffered from some severe mishaps affecting the game lately. One of the biggest headline-grabbers has been Crooked Lettaz alumni Kamikaze. Of course, he threw his album pre-release party (if someone knows what exactly a pre-release party is please e-mail me and let me know) Saturday, Jan. 31, at Freelons. The city's hip-hop high society attended in full mass. The party came on the heels of a recent rumor in industry circles of Kamikaze signing to SRC/Universal. That is the same label as his former rhyme partner David Banner. Keep your eyes open for this situation.