[Kamikaze] I Am Hip-HopLooks like I'm going to have to get on my soapbox, yet again. Folks around here should know by now that if you say anything derogatory about hip-hop, I'm going to come after you hard. Especially when your comments are …
Letter from SwedenThis came today from a filmmaker we know—a Mississippi native who divides his time between Oxford (Miss.) and Sweden. His message is important:
[Tisserand] SubmergedNew Orleans is gone. I left it behind me on Saturday, with my two kids in the backseat, the soundtrack to "Shrek" on the CD player.
Real LifeAs I start this column, I'm in a hotel room in Baltimore, Md., just outside of BWI airport, having had my flight back to Jackson canceled repeatedly for the past two days because the airport had no power and water. …
[Lynch] Black Flammable GoopThanks to Katrina, the power is out at my place, just like it probably was, or is, at yours. As I walked out of my electricity-bereft house Wednesday morning and parked my wheezing car in the nearest gas line in …
[Fleming] Pragmatic, Not Un-patrioticDespite your personal opinions about Cindy Sheehan's political beliefs or motives, she has single-handedly brought into focus the lack of an exit strategy in Iraq. She has done more in the last few weeks than all of the politicians and …
No Minors AllowedI had only eaten half of my French fries at Fenian's one night when they asked me to leave. I was in the back watching Fatman Squeeze with some friends. I was drinking water.
[Greggs] Why Ask WhyA few days ago I got an e-mail asking if I could write a column about "college" due to the theme of this week's paper. I decided it probably wouldn't be kosher for me to write a column screaming about …
[Kamikaze] Racists Win AgainExcuse me if I'm a little cynical when it comes to the American judicial system. Any system run by human beings is going to be flawed. Being that we are supposed to be the superior species on the planet, we're …
[Stiggers] Tips From Hair-Did UniversityBoneqweesha Jones, the president of Hair-Did University's Schools of Cosmetology, Hair Styling and On-the-scene reporting, addresses the freshman class: "To each member of the freshman class, I'm pleased that you did the right thing in the midst of tough times …
[McLemore] Say It Ain't So, RaffeOn March 17, Rafael Palmeiro pointed his finger at the U.S. Congress and emphatically stated his position. Of all of the baseball greats there that day, Palmeiro came off as the cleanest. The outcry against Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and …
[Stiggers] Stuck Like Chuck On The Side Of The RoadThe Ghetto Science Team's Department of Transportation presents Transportation Secretary and Head Mechanic of Rev. Cletus Car Sales, Deacon O.D. Mann, promoting his transportation program for financially challenged commuters.
[Damiani] From One Iraq Extreme To The OtherToday, after you've had your first cup of coffee and stumbled out of your home to join society, walk up to somebody and say, "What do you think of when you hear the word 'Iraq'?"
Where The Pavement BeginsOn a recent Tuesday a bunch of folk gathered for a cookout outside John Lawrence's place. It was kind of like the stoop cookouts we used to have when I lived at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. John had a …
[Ali] Bootstrap FuryI was attempting to have a nonviolent "discussion" with my conservative father the other day when he said the phrase, "Pulling themselves up by their bootstraps." After quickly looking around for President Reagan, I realized the man responsible for my …
[Kamikaze] Pump It UpI've been an athlete all my life. Since I can remember, I've participated in organized sports, whether it was soccer in elementary school; baseball, basketball and track in junior high school; or football in high school and briefly at Jackson …
But Earth, Which Is His DueAt the Neshoba County Fair this year, I had gotten up close to the lectern so I could take a close-up picture of Gov. Haley Barbour's face during his annual political address. He said my family name at the exact …
[Stiggers] Bring Back The HustleBrotha Hustle: "Greetings, fellow hustlers and ghetto economists. I've come to realize that we live in a society of racketeering. Gone are the days of Hustle-Utopia (a.k.a. legitimate hustling society), a time when people made equal exchanges with each other, …
Take the Time to Do It RightLast Sunday two Clarion-Ledger columnists expressed dismay at Mayor Frank Melton's string of public proclamations that turned out to be more hype than good, legal policy—telling city board members to resign, saying he would close the Maple Street apartments without …
[Mangum] Every Child, One Voice?"Hey, FAGGOT!" Not exactly what you want to hear starting the school day, right? But I can't tell you the number of days of my Mississippi junior high school life that began with this greeting.
[Stiggers] Poor Kids' Hoop DreamsLet's hear a message from the Ghetto Science Team's school superintendent. Grandma Pookie: "Under-funded schools in poor communities anticipate the elimination of athletic programs, which could disable a poor student's ability to advance in today's society. The bulk of America's …
Going Dr. Laura On Your AssPerhaps Asa Carter, a Klansman and the secretary of the North Alabama White Citizens Council, said it best in 1956:
[Greggs] Why Not Just Turn Gay?The other day I was lying around with a friend discussing my less-than-stellar dating life and wondering what it would be like if I expended all that time doing something useful, like eating. At one point during the conversation she …
[Stiggers] Meet Self-published Poet Zipp PittersFrom the Ghetto Science Team's bootleg public television studios, it's Pookie Peterz: Live and Direct. Pookie: "My special guest is Zipp Pitters, the front porch poet. He's a prolific author, philosopher and former janitor of the Closed Due to Budget …
The Alternative to What?July 20, 2005 One question I'm asked frequently about the Jackson Free Press is why we call ourselves "alternative." It's a good question—with an easy answer that I don't even have to think about anymore. We're the alternative to the …
[Sawyer] Catholics Need Not ApplyImagine for a moment you're a middle schooler. You know, the kind of young girl or guy with a slight self-confidence problem, maybe some acne on that indomitable T zone, a little stuttering here or there. That was me 10 …
[Judin] There's A Hole In The SkyGrowing up in Mississippi, I dreamed of living in New York. I watched the "Today" show in the morning and Walter Cronkite in the evening. New York was Times Square, Wall Street, the U.N. and the Empire State Building. Cultural …