Jackson Jambalaya

Marshall Ramsey has taken the day off so I am taking it upon myself to write a post reviewing the news today.

Employees caught stealing meters held without bond. http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071006/NEWS/710060363/1001/news Apparently some Jackson employees decided to start up a public-private sector partnership, but this time without the approval of Frank Melton or Sarah Evans-O'Reilly. They stole water meters worth over $147,000 and sold them for scrap metal. Frank requested that their bonds be increased to a million dollars and the judge denied bond for them.

One must wonder why Frank is so anxious to keep these two employees from posting bond when he tried soooooo hard to keep his soljah, the young Michael Taylor who was accused of armed robber and carjacking, out of jail while he terrorized Jackson residents while on the city payroll.
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/meltons-protege-set-free-to-terrorize.html

The Clarion-Ledger Editorial Page for once gets it right: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071006/OPINION01/710060317/1008/OPINION in stating that Melton acted a fool in naming a bodyguard as assistant police chief. So after the newspaper publishes several stories (along with this blog) about the frustration crime victims have when dealing with JPD, Frank's idea of change is to appoint his bodyguard as assistant chief. He may not be qualified, he may not have ever been in administration before but damned if he doesn't look good with an HK MP-5 or busts his ass every time he fetches the mayor's slippers and newspaper. Its pretty sad when his own chief takes this kind of crap. If she had any amount of self-respect she would resign but she is either too stupid or weak to resign or else Frank has something on her.

Bear Bryant one time quit at the University of Maryland when the President fired one of his coaches without talking to him first. This was his first coaching job. Didn't matter, Bear was Bear and you were going to respect him. Apparently Shirlene really doesn't have any balls. Instead of standing up for herself and her department, she is perfectly willing to let someone with no law enforcement experience run her department for her. What a tool.

Meanwhile, The Jackson Free Press gives more coverage to Melton's promotion of his bodyguard to Assistant Police Chief:
"From Bodyguard to Big-time" reads the appropriate headline. http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=15086_0_27_0_C

If you click on the link and read the comments, Former Chief Robert Johnson makes some GREAT comments:
"I am really troubled by this latest stunt by the Mayor. As a career law enforcement professional I spent more than three decades trying to help garner recognition for and promoting police work as a profession. Professionalism requires those who occupy a position have the requisite skills, ability, training and education necessary to perform the job. Melton's promotion of an inexperienced, unqualified patrol officer to second in command of the largest police department in the state is antithetical to this notion and has further eroded confidence in the leadership of the department. The ramifications of this move are probably more far reaching than many lay persons will understand, but none of them are good. It sends a clear message to every member of JPD, particularly those having aspirations for advancement, that it really is about "who you know, who you blow or who you can snow". The sad part is that the Mayor just doesn't get it."

You people that used to slam Harvey for firing Johnson and voted for Frank, how do you reconcile this with your love for Frank? I was just curious.

More local branches of banks are opening on Saturdays:
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071006/BIZ/710060344/1005/biz

Story on domestic violence in Jackson:
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=14998_0_9_0_C

Very good story about the Doris Shavers and Heather Spencer cases. The police reports, previously unreported by local media, are included in this story. Just the reports alone are worth reading. The rest of the story is simply brilliant writing by Ms. Ladd and her staff.

Sports:
Mississippi State tries to rebound from its loss to Spurrier against UAB. State should win this one.

Ole Miss, that is, I meant to write 1-4 Ole Miss tries to achieve an actual win in a football game today. The target of this sortie will be Louisiana Tech, which gave Fresno State hell last week. The way Ole Miss is playing, I would say the game is even money.

Southern Miss played earlier in the week and lost to RICE. I hate to say it as I like Coach Bower, but the Eagles have definitely lost something over the last few years. I'm starting to think it was Nix's leaving for South Carolina. The defense is not as tough as it used to be. The offense is inconsistent and the team no longer seems to be mentally tough. Bower's loyalty should be rewarded, however, one wonders if it is past time for him to leave.

Reading the Jackson Advocate about its recent trip to Zimbabwe.
If you want to know why the Tisdales supported Melton, read this story. Ms. Tisdale thinks Mugabe, the Stalin wannabe, is a GREAT guy. No mention of famines caused by Mugabe, the lack of democracy or freedom in Zimbabwe, or Mugabe's brutality against his own people. Ms. Tisdale's foolishness reminds one of George Bernard Shaw's praising Stalin's forced collectivization that starved Russia and killed millions of people. Is it any wonder the JA supports Melton when they think a brutal tyrant who commits genocide is wonderful?
http://www.jacksonadvocate.com/ (click on the Zimbabwe link on the left)