[Sue Doh Nem] Waterboarding, Lies and VideotapesMr. Announcement: "This episode of 'All God's Churn Got Shoes' is about one man's junk becoming another man's treasure—or vice versa—as Brotha Hustle and Aunt Tee Tee stumble upon some interesting stuff belonging to the Government Intelligence Agency."
[Hightower] Facts For Action On Health CareWidely reported fact No. 1: Our country faces a growing health-care crisis, which leaves 47 million Americans with no health insurance—an increase of 7 million people since the year 2000.
[Hutchinson] The Obama White HouseA President Barack Obama will be the most scrutinized president since Abraham Lincoln. Ironically, the reason for this has less to do with race, though it will still play a role in how many view him. He's lifted public passions …
Speak Free Or DieOn her last day here, Kawkab al-Thaibani left me a gift of a blue, brown and beige striped ceramic cat, from a little boutique in Clinton. I'm a cat magnet, but I'm not one for hokey cat gifts. This cat …
Chief: Re-Assign the BodyguardsThe events of Dec. 21 make plain what happens when you give power to the undeserving. Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon said Mayor Frank Melton and two of his bodyguards pulled up behind her car as she drove to work …
[Sue Doh Nem] Costly and Confusing Techno WorldBrother Hustle: "In my world history class at Ghetto Science Community College, I learned about Berlin, Germany, a city divided by a wall. The division happened because folks on the west side of town wanted a social-market economy, while the …
[Kamikaze] Can You Feel a Brand New Day?Baby New Year has ushered Old Man 2007 out to pasture. As we begin to focus on a new beginning and resolutions that we will surely abandon before Valentine's Day, let us be thankful for making it through another year. …
[Dortch] Legislature: Raise Cigarette Tax by $1"Of all the concerns, there is one—taxation—that alarms us the most. While marketing and public and passive smoking restrictions do depress volume, in our experience taxation depresses it much more severely. Our concern for taxation is, therefore, central to our …
Let's Talk About Sex, for RealThe times of neglecting to talk to kids about sex has ended. It used to be OK for adults to be silent about the issue. Good kids were just supposed to magically figure it out. The young women that didn't …
[Hutchinson] America Loves to Hate SharptonThe FBI warned Al Sharpton that an unspecified, dangerous substance may have been mailed to his National Action Network office in New York. The only thing really remarkable about the warning was that it came from the FBI. For months, …
Melton, Resolve to Be MayorThe recent dust-up over the Jackson Public School Board is yet another reminder that Mayor Frank Melton remains focused on petty political maneuvering at the expense of a business-like approach to city government. Citizens would like him to get about …
[Sue Doh Nem] Straight in 2008Mr. Announcement: "It's the Holiday Celebration Choir Cantata, sponsored by the Gripe, Moan and Complain Support Groups of America and the Let Me Hold Five Dollars National Bank. We close the cantata with selections from the GMC Community Choir and …
[Hightower] Letter to American AirlinesYou frequent fliers will call me a fool for even thinking that I could reason with the CEO of a major airline. You're right—I couldn't even reach him.
[Al-Thaibani] Eye From The EastGrowing impatient, her teacher walked down the hall to a first-grade classroom and requested me. I did not know what was going on. When the teacher asked me to read the word, the scene was clear. She wanted to show …
Shop Local and Support Jackson's BestI find myself, every year, getting in a certain mood around the holiday season. Yes, there are fattening goodies in the JFP break room—<i>every single day</i>—which will hopefully also put me in the mood to hit the YMCA more often.
Spoon-feeding the FBI?This week's City Council agenda contained an order confirming Mayor Frank Melton's appointment of Millsaps professor Bill Brister to the Jackson Public School Board of Trustees. If confirmed, Brister will replace board member Jonathan Larkin.
[Sue Doh Nem] Questions and Consequences LaterKunta 'Rahsheed X' Toby: "Welcome to the Bootleg Underground Ghetto Independent Film Festival's 'Pitch a Film Idea' session. You have three minutes to pitch your film idea to me."
[Dickerson] A FedEx Christmas StoryMackey Wright was on his way to Toys R Us on County Line Road, where he planned to shop for a Christmas present for his son, when he saw something in the road that didn't belong there—a FedEx package.
Protecting God's Green AcreI didn't go to church Sunday, but I did recycle. It wasn't until after dark when Todd and I made our twice-weekly (thrice lately as we've been moving into a new place) foray to the alley behind the Rainbow Coop. …
Crossing the 'T' In 'MeltonSheriff Malcolm McMillin was confirmed this week in his new role as part-time chief of police for Jackson. From what we know of McMillin, we like him, and there is word already that morale may be improving in the Jackson …
[Sue Doh Nem] A Brainwashed State of ChristmasNurse Tootie McBride: "This holiday season I want to provide encouragement for the hopeless, jobless, broke and stressed out individual who feels like ending this year with a bang or two. I want to reason with you for a moment. …
[Kamikaze] Blame It On Hip-Hop ... AgainI ran across a column last week from Foxsports columnist Jason Whitlock. He had some interesting comments on the death of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor.
[Hutchinson] Rising Latino Numbers, Rising Black FearsLast month, a small but vocal group of black Los Angeles community activists turned up at City Hall to blast Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other Latino elected officials for their tight-lipped silence about the federal crackdown on terrorist Latino street …
D.I. Your Own Damn SelfOne of my favorite responses to the Katrina crisis was a headline—from The Onion, I think—about a man who had decided to just drive a semi-trailer full of ice down to the Coast his own damn self, considering how poorly …
Words Do Hurt"Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you." Any child who's been the object of hateful, hurtful words knows down deep that it's a lie. Words can hurt, can damage, can, in fact, leave psychic …
[Sue Doh Nem] A Financially Challenged HolidayBrother Hustle (singing): "Ohhhhhhhhhh, the economy has become so frightening, while gasoline prices are steadily climbing. Crime, apathy and poverty plague the poor. I'll just hustle, hustle and hustle!
Crossing Neighborhood Lines"There just isn't a sense of community here like there was back home," a Denver, Colo., transplant told me after moving to Jackson. In a city with almost three times the population of Jackson, residents there felt that city government …
EDITORIAL: McMillin Needs a Chief, Not a Badge<i>This editorial appears in the print edition this week. The mayor has requested that Council schedule a time at a special meeting today at 4 p.m. to confirm Sheriff McMillin as police chief.</i>
[Sue Doh Nem] Loving the LieJudy McBride: "Welcome to 'What's on Your Mind,' a Ghetto Science Television holiday special. Our topic: Pre-traumatic holiday depression of unemployed and financially challenged individuals. Join me, Judy McBride, Ghetto Science Team psychologist, as I delve into the mind of …