The Weak Shall Inherit The StateA coalition of children's advocates are declaring 2005 the "Year of the Child" in Mississippi. It's about damned time. It's way past the point that we Mississippians must start standing up for our weakest residents. Young people have rights. They …
[Stiggers] Please Sir, How About Some Change?The Ghetto Science Team and the George Washing Carver Holistic Health Commission of Tuskegee, Ala., present Grandma Pookie's year-end radio address to the "peoples" from the rigged ham-radio station inside Lil' Ray-Ray's detail shop.
[Stiggers] The Pink Slip Is A Joke, Right?Too Much Drama fo' Yo' Momma Street Corner Theatre Productions presents "Free Like Government Cheese," a one-man play by Filmo Jones.
Keep Your Eyes On The PrizeWhen the message came Thursday that a grand jury in Neshoba County had indicted at least one conspirator in the murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, I started screaming. Staffers bolted into my office to see what …
[Chick] How Not To Dump A GuyI feel that writing a "chick" column has not ruined my dating life quite enough, so I have thus pursued the answer to yet another post-divorce dating question: How do women dump men now?
Running with the Young GunsI just typed "04" in the date for this file and then corrected myself. It's that time of year again. After our week off for the holidays, we're back and ready to take on the world, even if we can't …
[Sawyer] Replacing the Law Book with the Good Book"Value voters" is becoming the new buzz phrase in politics. They are identified as evangelicals, fundamentalists, so-called suburban moms and NASCAR dads, and conservative Catholics. When it comes right down to it, these million-plus men and women have emboldened America's …
The Great American Experiment<i>Here's the column that drew the ire of Mr. Kim Wade, radio talk-show host, as reported in this week's issue.</i>
[Sawyer] A Stroll Down Prosperity Street<i>"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and …
[Chick] Monkey and KonchaUp until, well, this week, I've been disguising a huge secret. It was a secret that could very well have affected my career and even further alienated my family (ha!), but my friends called me on this small character flaw …
Dazed and ContentI'm sitting here, dazed and content, in front of my eMac, trying to reflect on what 2004 has meant to me. We're about to send the last issue of the year to the printer—the one that is on the streets …
[Stiggers] The Chrimmus ReportBone-Qweesha Jones here to inform yawl on the holiday happenings with the "Chrimmus" Report. If you can't afford to take your kids to the mall, shop at Jo-Jo's Discount Dollar Sto', where everythang's a dollar! This year Jo-Jo will have …
‘Tis Time to Think and Drive<i>The JFP is joining Budweiser to present Alert Cab to offer Jacksonians free rides home this New Year's if you've had too much to drink. Please take advanage of this program. Click here to see a list of Jackson bars …
[Stiggers] Soylent Collard Greens and Cornbread2057-1/2: Terrorists have contaminated half of America's food supply. Since 2005, the affluent consume basic food items such as meat, bread, milk and vegetables, while the economically challenged eat moderate rations of water and artificially flavored green wafers called Soylent …
[Stauffer] Shop Mississippi, Buy AmericanI'm not a fan of Wal-Mart, and that's only been made worse by a recent Frontline episode entitled "Is Wal-Mart Good for America?" The show has made me think, once again, about the behemoth that I love to hate. I …
[Chick] If We Are the BodyI finally joined my Baptist church after two-and-a-half years of attendance. I can't believe that they would let such a slacker claim membership, but they are, and now I'm dreading the moment my mug is plastered on the jumbotrons to …
[Stiggers] Shop Local at Bruh Jo-Jo's Discount Dollar Sto'Has life in the Bushes gotten you down this holiday season? When trying to make a dollar outta 15 cents, are you a dime away from a hot dog or two bucks away from a bed? And is yo' telephone …
[Williams] The South Has Risen Again"We didn't leave the Democratic Party," Southern Republicans like to say. "It left us." This statement is pure fantasy. The truth is that the Democratic Party instituted the bulk of the civil rights legislation in this country and, rather than …
Jane, You Ignorant Snit!The other day, an e-mail popped up with the subject line, "tired of insults." I grimaced a bit and opened it. The correspondent first told me that she reads my paper most every week, and "I like the Free Press." …
[Stiggers] The Souls of Po' FolkGrandma Pookie here to promote my new book "Fo' the Souls of Po' Folk: Ghetto Proverbs and Affirmations." I want to share with the peoples 10 of my favorites:
[Fry] Why Is It?A few months ago, the rapper Jadakiss released a great song called "Why." The lyrics of the song really hit a special spot in my mind and my heart—and motivated me to write my own version.
Standing Up for the PeopleDuring the special session called by Gov. Haley Barbour to pass certain economic-development bonds, Mississippians have been told incessantly by Barbour's office and the state's media that the House of Representatives has been "obstructionist." The drumbeat has been that the …
JFP Moving to Rankin CountyLast night, as we toiled to get this issue out, Stephen interrupted some people breaking into one of our interns' cars. Fortunately, they didn't get away with much—they threw his backpack filled with school notes only useful to him into …
[Fleming] God's Will, Not Haley's, Needs to PrevailImpasse, thy name is Haley! In a precursor to a tumultuous regular session in January, the Mississippi Legislature is deadlocked in a special session concerning the passage of bonds to stimulate further economic development in our state. While I have …
[Stiggers] Come Chill at Clubb Chicken WingHas the election got you down? Join the "Financially Challenged" at the hippest and least expensive place in town, Clubb Chicken Wing. As food, gas and energy prices increase, the only thing you can afford at a club these days …
[Chick] ‘It Ain't Me'Praise the Lord, Jill is No. 1! Again, The New York Times confirms what we all know anyway: Southerners are the best darn writers on the planet. Now, Jill Conner Browne will try to tell you that the Sweet Potato …
[Parks] I'm a Decent Human Being, TooWhen I first got to my precinct in Louisiana to vote, the people behind me greeted me cheerfully. They wanted to know where I go to school, what I want to be, what I thought of the rain outside. After …
[Silver] Beware the Forces of GoodIf I hear one more time, "The United States is a Christian nation," I'm going to puke. We are not a Christian nation and, as a Christian, I pray we never become one. I do not fear an overt attempt …