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Don't Call Me Ma'am

"Yes, ma'am." "No, ma'am." "Ma'am this, ma'am that." If there is anything I absolutely despise, it is the tendency of people in my home state to call me "ma'am." I spend much of my early interactions with my new interns—and even sometimes with writers who are older than I am, or at least look and act older—trying to get them to stop using the M-word around me.

The Golden Easter Egg

I stopped attending church years ago. I'll pause for the collective sharp intake of breath and prayer. It really had little to do with my belief in a higher power, but more to do with having absolutely nothing to wear.

Buying Judges: Tell the Whole Story

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially overturned the convictions of Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges John Whitfield and Walter "Wes" Teel Friday.

[Kamikaze] Yet Another Distraction

So, another politician has gotten caught with his finger on the "send" button, or in this case, the "tweet" button. We all know how this movie plays out. Politician has vice; politician gets caught; politician denies impropriety; politician denies again; politician is presented with irrefutable evidence; politician comes clean and apologizes. Repeat.

Shall We Overcome?

I find it hard to trust someone who claims we should never talk about race. And I find it impossible to fathom someone who says it's "racist" to call out racism.

North Korea Goes Nuclear

Last night, North Korea tested a 5-15 kiloton nuclear weapon in an underground test, according to the government there.

[Lott] Opposing Homosexual Marriage

The Senate has failed to pass legislation calling for a Constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage and halt the proliferation of same-sex marriages. Despite the current setback, I believe debate on this issue has only just begun, and the topic is bound to fester until Congress assumes its responsibility and deals with it decisively.

UPDATE: McCain Flip-Flops, Headed To Oxford

Update: CNN is reporting that Sen. John McCain has announced he will be attending tonight's presidential debate in Oxford, despite his earlier refusal to participate if an agreement had not yet been met to resolve the looming economic crisis.

Attorney Chokwe Lumumba Re-instated

The Associated Press is reporting that the Mississippi Supreme Court has voted 8-1 to re-instate controversial attorney Chokwe Lumumba. Here's a JFP news story with relevant context, and an opinion piece against his disbarment.

Bush's Version of Iraq Ignores Facts

Mark Seibel, the head of international coverage for McClatchy news service, published a detailed piece this weekend dissecting how the Bush administration—especially Bush, Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley—is playing fast and loose with the facts in their latest push to ramp up the war in Iraq:

Ridgeland Bans Pit Bulls

Yesterday, aldermen in the Jackson, Miss., suburb of Ridgeland joined nearby Clinton and Richland in passing an ordinance banning pit bulls. The Ridgeland ordinance also bans Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and wolf/dog hybrids. Rottweilers were included on a previous draft of the ordinance, but don't appear on the final ordinance.

Full Smoking Ban Takes Effect

An expanded version of the city's ban on smoking in restaurants and bars took effect July 1, but compliance with the ban is still spotty.

Starting Again: Mississippi Laws Trap Women In Abuse

Claire sat with her back to the wall on the washed-out blue bedspread covered with big cabbage roses, once pink, now faded nearly to white. The neat little room barely had space for the old-fashioned wood-framed double bed, a black desk and office chair, and a high bookcase stuffed with official-looking 2-inch binders and children's movie DVDs.

JFP Election After-Party, Blogging at Soulshine

After you vote Tuesday, head to Soulshine in the Hal & Mal's complex to watch the returns on the big-screen TV, and either celebrate or drown your sorrows–Happy Hour prices all night long. The JFP will be blogging from Soulshine about the returns and whatever the hell else we feel like adding to the blogosphere. So if you can't make it, check in on this site to keep yourself up-to-date with what's going on here and in the outside world, and be sure to add your comments.

Is it OK to still love Favre this week without fear of dismemberment?

In short, he was my favorite player EV-AR.

Beyond the years when I actually possessed some amount of athletic ability, I've not been that much of a sporto. Unless your sport is going to a sports bar. But back when I did play this or that, I was always drawn to the "riverboat gambler" from Southern Miss. I can recall staying up all night watching a re-run of this bowl game on some UHF channel on rabbit ears. I can't remember who they were playing, but I can remember very clearly this kid conjuring magic from his fingertips. Magic, I tells ya...feats that no mere mortal should be able to pull off with a leather oblong object. When he went on to lead the Packers to improbable playoff victories while building legends of chicken wings and alcohol swilling, he only further endeared himself into my then-sporto heart. Somewhere along the next 16 years or so, dude became honorable too, by winning MVPs, a Superbowl, a host of records that may not be broken for a long time, if ever. Ultimately, he built a lasting legacy by earning a deep respect among his contemporaries and adversaries alike as perhaps the best football player to ever play the position. Certainly, he has been one of the most exciting.

Barbour: 'Why I'll Veto the Tax Bill'

*verbatim via e-mail* There has been a lot of discussion over the past few days about Senate Bill 2310, which proposes to eliminate the sales tax on groceries and increase the tax on cigarettes. Despite the initial claims that this proposal is simple and revenue neutral, this bill in fact shortchanges our towns and cities which are already strapped in post-Katrina times and destroys our ability to increase needed funding for education in the future.

Earl Berry Executed - 6 p.m.

Earl Berry seems to have exhausted his appeals, and is set to be killed by the state of Mississippi today. He is on death row for abducting and beating Mary Bounds to death in 1987. His attorneys argue that he is mentally disabled, making him exempt from the death penalty. They also argue that Mississippi's lethal injection method is not the same as Kentucky's, which the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled was not cruel or unusual punishment.

*Best of: People and Community

<b>Best Local Scandal, Best Public Figure,

As much as I attempt to cover issues apart from city politics, I always end up getting dragged right back to the council chambers and good ol' Frank Melton, a mayor elected last year based on his pledges to clean up crime within 90 days.

The Politics of Voter ID

Photos by Adam Lynch and Kate Medley

Candidates tend to look for issues to separate themselves from their opponents. It's a tough order in conservative Mississippi, where many nominees on both sides of the political spectrum agree on many of the same issues.

[Kamikaze] What We've Learned

It's frustrating. Those of us who preach progression, who practice tolerance, see it daily. Despite the Herculean efforts of most of us, we still have some among us who are not willing to embrace diversity.

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