Good for him.

Also, another problem with concealing the names is that it makes it near impossible for the media or anyone else to analyze these laws and make sure they are not more dangerous to the public health than not having them. That is, how can we know when someone with a concealed carry permit commits a crime if we don't know who has them? The government is providing an easy cover-up for problems with the law. Perhaps on purpose.

Also, someone posted this on Facebook; anyone know if this is true; we'll check it out as well:

*the exemption from the Open Records act has been in the CCW permitting for a long time. See MSCODE 45-9-101(8), the same provision was in the 2004 statute. So I dont know what the Governor's legislation is supposed to do, exactly, but the identities of the CCW holders are already protected. EDIT: It may extend that 45 days of immunity to Open Records requests permanently... in which case, so what?*

True, Tom, but remember I said press was invited. That's how we knew.

Oh, and point of information: Bilbo was a Dixiecrat of the worst kind. And the Dixiecrats, sadly, moved to the Republican Party after Johnson signed civil rights legislation. The Republican Party has been trying to recover from that "southern strategy" (of appealing to racists for votes) for years now, and it's coming to a head nationally since the last presidential election when they got walloped. Thank God. I'll so welcome the "old" Republican Party (the Party of Lincoln before it became the Party of Strom) when it rediscovers its roots and kicks out the crazy, racist wingnuts.

I see your point, Robbie, but I don't think Tom minds if I jump in and even disagree with him. He and I have agreed and disagreed for years, unlike you who seem to come here simply to disagree with anything I say. But I don't mind. A forum with lots of viewpoints is more interesting as long as y'all stay out of the gutter and trollville.

Carry on.

Well, he could do that -- which I admire greatly -- and still have an anti-white streak in him. That's his right, but it concerns me in someone who is elected to represent the entire city. I'm more a fan of people that Charles Tisdale would have placed in his Brown Society for their willingness to work with fans and built multiracial (including white) alliances. Now, as you know, I don't want a mayor controlled by powerful whites. It's about a good balancing act to me.

His problem then was that there was no indication that we were hostile -- other than the color of our skin. And to be fair, it seemed to be his team who did it, including a prominent lawyer. If I recall correctly, they also sent out a notice about it and invited press, so there is that problem. At the first event, he made some booming anti-white comments as well, although he'd toned it down by the second event and even called us out as different after the story I did and some conversations I had with his folks.

And for the record, I am a straight-up integrationist (which the late Richard Barrett disparagingly called me one time much to my delight). So even as I can be in the same room with people who stereotype one race or the other from time to time, and have conversations with them, I can never go along with segregationist approaches regardless of the reasoning behind it. And it's extremely short-sighted no matter who is doing it.

All of that said, I'm a huge fan of people, and families, who evolve their views—including many I know right here in Jackson (some of their kids and grandkids have interned and worked for this staunchly integrationist paper, in fact). I'm not saying that is true for Lumumba; he speaks for himself, and we will have a cover package on him soon you should watch out for.

Robbie, pay attention. I don't think it was OK to kick us out. But I could have handled it several ways. I could have only written about that part and got my white feathers stuck straight up in the air and never spoken with him again. Or I could do what I do: Research stories and facts, and tell is like it is/was. Because I chose the second, my paper has continued to have access to Lumumba and have even been on the "same side" on problems like Frank Melton. Does that mean I dig anything stereotypical about whites he's ever said (and said that first night)? No. And does that mean that I don't have any sense of history and why African Americans would have a problem with whites. No.

The world is not binary, and I refuse to exist in that limited place with some of y'all. Try thinking outside your own personal frame from time to time. You'll influence more people that way. Or at least find more mutual respect.

I'm actually not spinning anything. I like Lumumba, but I totally understand folks' concerns about his attitude toward non-African Americans. I was, after all, kicked out of his meeting in 2002 because I was white.