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Transcript: GOP Senate Press Conference on Katrina
SENATE NEWS CONFERENCE ON HURRICANE KATRINA, U.S. CAPITOL, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2005
HUTCHISON: We are going to have the senators who are affected by this terrible natural disaster in our country, Katrina, talk about the efforts in their home states. And I want to start with Senator Lott , because he certainly suffered the most direct loss, and we have called and e-mailed both he and Thad Cochran, but so many of us had gone to his beautiful 150-year-old home and were just touched by the loss of that beautiful home.
Me and Willie Hoyt
Willie Hoyt was a character. My mom met him when I was in the fourth grade. My father had died a couple years earlier after a long illness, she was lonely, and Willie Hoyt, an enlisted man, was on leave from Vietnam. He was a smooth talker, extremely funny, and a heavy drinker and smoker who had been in the Army since before the Korean War where he had been on the front lines and been awarded a Silver Star. He'd watched his best friend die in Korea by his side. He'd had a tough childhood, never married, and never had kids of his own.
Craig Noone, Crime Fighter
A few weeks ago, Jackson State University professor Noel Didla was sitting outside Parlor Market in downtown Jackson waiting for friends. Suddenly, Craig Noone, the young visionary and chef who created the restaurant, saw her and came outside to talk to Noel. He mentioned the current issue of BOOM Jackson magazine in which Noel was photographed at her desk for a small "At Work" feature. Craig asked Noel to autograph his copy and told her how much he liked the small piece.
For Those We Love
We buried my cousin Anita last week. She was a beautiful, saucy blonde who used to tag around her brother Martie and me back on Fork Road in Neshoba County. Our mamas--both deliciously loud women married to Ladds--were great buddies, and took turns "keeping" us all. Martie and I were born the same year, and people used to think we were twins.
When the Going Gets Tough
No doubt about it, these are scary economic times. Many people are losing jobs, some businesses are closing, consumers are holding tight to their dollars.
Domestic Violence Expert on Radio JFP
Sandy Middleton, director of the Center for Violence Prevention, will join Donna Ladd and Todd Stauffer today—Friday, Nov. 30—at noon on WLEZ-FM 103.7. In the wake of another domestic murder of a young woman, allegedly by her by-then-ex-boyfriend, we will discuss the horrifying issue of domestic abuse and violence in Mississippi, one of the most deadly states for women. The show streams live at http://www.wlezfm.com; we will post an audio file later today. Please join us, and post questions and comments under this post during the show.
Snark
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann's office sent out a bizarro, mistake-riddled press release this week that, ultimately, seemed to avoid taking a position on what to do about "felon voting." The release complained that of the "50,000 criminals which are incarcerated at our expense," "only 12,000 are prohibited from voting." It then added: "Meaning, 38,000 felons are allowed to vote on state officials as well as the judges and district attorney's (sic) who sent them to prison. The release said that the following are not allowed to vote currently: "criminals convicted of murder, rape, bribery, theft, arson, false pretense, purgery, forgery, embezzlement or bigotry." Bigotry? Purgery?
Chris Joyner, Gotcha Journalist?
Meantime, I'll get Adam to try to sort it out and report back to y'all.
The Clarion-Ledger has a "big" story today that reeks of incomplete, gotcha journalism. Essentially the story is accusing David "Pops" Watkins, and perhaps others, of lying about investors in Farish Street. I sure do wish we were privy to Joyner's full interviews with Watkins and others. Joynerthe Ledger's rising "investigative" starhas interviewed me, and he lifted me far out of context that I wouldn't ever agree to such an interview again, and I don't trust anything he writes. A recent Ledger internal memo announced that he was becoming an investigative reporter, presumably sometime after they finish paying people overtime to take drunk pictures for their new, er, Gen X Web site. (At the same time that they are firing people.)
Obama ‘Pulling Away'; Leads Men, Women, Every Age Group, Even Over-65
Newsweek's new numbers are in, and show why the McCain campaign is acting so erratic and desperate:
Cecilia Reese Bullock
Every time I'm in the presence of Cecilia Reese Bullock, a construction-company owner and real-estate mogul, some guy tries to pick her up. At least one. Usually more.
The Mayor and His Women
It bugged the hell out of me when I got an e-mailed press release from Police Chief Shirlene Anderson's office late on July 3 with this subject line: "Chief Shirlene Andersons wants citizens to have a happy and safe Fourth of July Holiday… ."
Palin-McCain Spreading Hate in the Lower 48
And they need to reel it in. Fast. This is ugly, and dangerous. Watch this one, as Palin encourages more.
White Rankin Teens Accused of Race Murder
CNN has a shocking report today, including surveillance video of Rankin County teens accused of killing James Craig Anderson in a race murder in June. Warning: Video contains disturbing scenes.
Mayor Johnson's ‘State of the City' Address
In its entirety: State of the City Address, Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr., August 26, 2003, 5:30 p.m., Union Station
UPDATED: State Rep. Karl Oliver Calls for Lynching Over Statues, Later Apologizes
Rep. Karl Oliver posted on Facebook that those taking down Confederate statues "should be LYNCHED!" He later apologized, but many are calling for his resignation.
Candidate Sandridge Says Jackson Threatens Madison ‘Way of Life'
Here is the full write-up:
In his bought campaign write-up in The Northside Sun this week, Madison County Sheriff candidate Mark Sandridge amps up the anti-Jackson rhetoric that brought him massive criticism in May when he ran this campaign ad. This write-up, which the Sun gives candidates who also buy advertising in the paper, goes even further than calling Jackson one of the "most violent cities in the nation" (which is inaccurate). In this anti-Jackson diatribe, Sandridge borrows from segregationist language of old and says that Jackson—now a majority-black city—actually "threatens our schools, businesses, property values and way of life."
Barbour Vetoes Tobacco-Grocery Tax Bill
Following is Gov. Haley Barbour's statement today vetoing the popular effort to raise the tax on cigarettes and lower the tax on on groceries. Note that he is repeating his past statement about the effect the tax-switch would have on local governments—even though his allegations on that front are disputed by the State Tax Commission. As quoted in Adam Lynch's report this week on this issue:
George Bell III in Women's Jail, Not Detention Center
WJTV—which has done stellar reporting in the Heather Spencer rape/murder—is reporting that the accused murderer is being housed in the women's jail downtown, not the Hinds County Detention Center where murder suspects would normally be. The reasons are unclear. WJTV is also pointing out that police finally charged him with domestic violence for the June hammer-beating of Spencer—after he allegedly bludgeoned her to death last week. Why the belated domestic-violence charge is a misdemeanor, rather than a felony assault charge for the 57 staples put in her head, is unclear at this time.
Melton Missed Swimming Pools, Dog, Kids
Melton said this in The Clarion-Ledger today about his time in jail: