Jackson's "No. 1" IssueIn an editorial last week, The Clarion-Ledger climbed dramatically onto its bird's eye perch of deniability and proclaimed: "Mayor Frank Melton was elected to do something about the No. 1 issue in Jackson—crime. But it is apparent that Jackson's No. …
We Don't Need Another HeroEver since the mayor announced that the sheriff is going to moonlight as the police chief, it's as if fairy dust has been sprinkled on Jackson. It would seem that crimeדthe No. 1 issue!ԗwill be gone in a matter of …
[Sue Doh Nem] Thankful for ExploitationTaa-Qweema Jenkins: "You're listening to 'Good Mornin' Ghetto,' the Ghetto Science Team's morning drive-time radio show for the financially challenged. My guests are Chief Crazy Brotha—Ghetto Native American, civil rights activist and senior stock clerk at JoJo's Discount Dollar Store—and …
[Hightower] Money In, Money OutSurely you don't think that campaign donations from wealthy interests are intended to buy favors from our lawmakers, do you?
[Hutchinson] The Dilemma of Two Black AmericasBill Cosby, comedian turned black-morals pied piper, has got to be beaming. His relentless pitch for blacks to get their act together and stop blaming the white man for their failings almost certainly has done much to spur the radical …
Talking Back in Flyover CountryNot too long before the election, I found an e-mail I'd missed from a young Mississippi artist: "Donna, I think this article deserves a talented rebuttal. See what you can do." I clicked his link to a Slate article, and …
State Gets a Second ChanceSecond chances are rare. Mississippi gets an occasional glimpse at another chance when it convicts murders and conspirators of the horrendous crimes committed here during the Civil Rights Era. But those chances don't come nearly often enough, and at this …
[Sue Doh Nem] Breaking Many HeartsBoneqweesha Jones: "I don't know what it is, but it sure is a funky atmosphere in the world of media and entertainment. Is it the funky global-warming, drought-stricken air we're breathing? Brother Kunta 'Rahsheed X' Toby is with me on …
[Kamikaze] Old-Fashioned Butt Whoopin'Well folks, you've had a week to let it sink in. The results are back and statewide the Dems took what I'd call an old-fashioned butt whoopin'! Only Jim Hood made it out of the fray unscathed. From the top …
[Gregory] Thank God I'm WhiteThe other day I was reading the letters to the editor of The Clarion-Ledger. This isn't a new activity. I will admit, I usually boot up the computer in the morning and pull up the C-L opinion page just to …
'Tolerance' Key To Our EconomyYes, it's a cliche, but it feels deserved this cycle. No matter who won the recent elections, I feel that Jacksonians in particular (and Mississippians in general) are the losers.
Feds: Mete Out Equal JusticeAs the dust from a very ugly election settles, one thing is clear: There is a new, disturbing kind of well-funded machine politics that has rolled through the state in recent years, which has little use for Democrats. Granted, Dems …
[Sue Doh Nem] Livin' in the Last DaysDr. Peanut: "Welcome to the premiere bootleg broadcast of 'Meet the Ghetto Science Team Press.' Tonight I want to talk 'brother to brother' with Big Roscoe, owner of the Clubb Chicken Wing Multi-Purpose Complex. He is also the newly published …
[Kamikaze] The Lesser of Two EvilsBy the time you read this column, we will have elected a new governor (or re-elected the same governor). Now if you're reading this and asking yourself, "There was an election Tuesday?", don't be embarrassed. You're part of a large …
[Gregory] Queen of the FleasThe past three weeks of my life have been one long personal jihad against the fleas currently residing in my house. I call it a "jihad" because the fleas have progressed to the point where they are affecting my mental …
Endorsements, of a FashionThe Jackson Free Press has a tradition of endorsing candidates in our election issues. And considering that we never, ever endorse based on who we think is going to win, our success rate is pretty good—well over 50 percent. Not …
Melton's Budgetary ConfusionWhen writing an editorial, it's important to hit on a few high points. Generally, you want to relate some recent occurrence in the news to a trend that the newspaper's Editorial Board feels should be a concern to citizens. Next, …
[Stiggers] Dear Jackson Free Press ReadershipAs of today I am relocating to Atlanta to help take care of my mother, Mrs. Ruby Stiggers. This is something I must do because for many years "Miss Ruby" cared for me. She supported me in everything I ever …
I CARA, do you?I've never been much of a volunteer. My high school required a certain amount of volunteer hours to graduate, which I completed, however grudgingly. My college sorority's charity of choice was arthritis research, for which I sullenly participated in pie …
[Saldaña] La Nueva Estrategia del SurIn Mississippi's first elections since the explosive national immigration bill debate, candidates across the political spectrum are lining up to take their best shot at undocumented immigrants. It's a no-holds-barred match. Public sentiment against "illegal aliens" is strong, and the …
[Agnew] Voters with Disabilities"My mom won't take me to vote, but I want to go," a young woman says to me as I take questions from her group. I ask her if she lives with her mother, and she answers that she and …
Real-Life Horror StoriesJohn Grisham says Haley Barbour should sign a moratorium on executions in Mississippi. "Absolutely. If I had my way, we'd stop all of them," Grisham said.
Mystery BallotsLeading up to Election day, we've heard a lot of semi-hysteria regarding voter fraud in Mississippi. Certain politicians have latched onto this chimera as the wedge issue for 2007, while loudly bemoaning the lack of voter turnout in the state. …
[Stiggers] Thin Line Between Love and HateMo'tel Williams: "It's the showdown round of Negro-Rigged Jeopardy! Contestants are anxious to answer questions in the category 'African Americans: Love or Hate.' First question:
[Kamikaze] When Will They Learn?It's another "biting-off-our-nose-to-spite-our-face" episode in the city of Jackson. I just read that rapper-turned-author C-Miller (formerly C-Murder)—brother of the "great opportunist" Master P—was in town to promote a new work of fiction. However, a teacher pulled up some of Miller's …
The Good Book and Politics Don't MixMississippians are viewed as a "different breed" for a number of good reasons: our take on the second person plural, the affinity toward things like sweet tea and caramel cake, and the instinctive way we wave at neighbors (even if …
Don't Blame (It All on) MeltonLeland Speed, whose family enthusiastically supported Frank Melton in his mayoral run, is going around saying something amusing about the beleaguered mayor in recent days as rumors fly about possible federal grand-jury indictments against the city's loose-cannon folk hero.