Jackson Jambalaya

Update: Municipal Election Commission or whatever it calls itself won't hold a hearing and rejected the petition. No word if the Whitwell campaign will go to court.

Update: Something definitely is not adding up. Here are documents with actual signatures of Ronald Potter. Compare them to the signatures from Ms. Ice's qualification papers posted below.



















Original post (January 30, 2011):

The Quentin Whitwell campaign is filing a petition challenging the qualifying papers filed by attorney Patricia Ice for the Ward 1 City Council election. Brent Southern, Attorney for the Whitwell campaign, is including this letter to the City Clerk with the petition (petition is posted below):

Ms. Brenda Pree
City Clerk
219 South President St.
Jackson, MS 39205

RE: Special Election for Jackson City Council, Ward 1; Certification of Candidates

Dear Ms. Pree:

I understand that Ms. Patricia Ice has submitted paperwork seeking to qualify for the Special Election for the Ward 1 Council Seat set for February 15, 2011. As you know, part of the process to qualify for this Special Election is to submit a petition with a minimum of 50 original signatures of voters in Ward 1.

It has come to my attention that the Petition submitted by Ms. Ice may not contain the requisite signatures, thereby making her ineligible to participate as a candidate for this position. Enclosed please find the Petition of Quentin Whitwell which outlines some of the potential problems with Ms. Ice’s submission.

I wanted to alert you to this situation before the ballot is certified and before unnecessary expense is incurred in preparation for the Special Election. As such, with the submission of this Petition, I ask that the process be suspended and no further action be taken until such time as the issues raised can be addressed.

If you have any questions, feel free to call me.

Sincerely,
　
Brent E. Southern

BES/
cc: Hinds County Election Commission
Jackson Municipal Election Commission


Here are some of the signatures in question. Check out this one from Maude Wright. The one on the left is a copy made of the qualifying papers. The one on the right is from a prior voter sign-in sheet:





See a problem? Here is another one:





Just one problem: Spouses can't sign for each other in these matters. There are some other questionable signatures and Y'all Politics has further commentary on them, but I think the case is weaker on those signatures. These are the two main ones that are questionable and if they are rejected, then Ms. Ice will be disqualified from the race.


Here is a copy of the petition:





No contributions have been made to the Whitwell campaign. Mr. Whitwell's campaign purchased advertising on this website. The Ice campaign is more than welcome to contact this site at kingfish1935@gmail.com and purchase advertising. JJ is an equal-opportunity offender.

Don't forget you have a hearing tomorrow in bankruptcy court in Jackson, MS at 2:30 PM. Since you've had a problem appearing at hearings lately, I thought you'd appreciate the notice since you don't seem to get your mail.

The Mayor had this to say about the Jackson School Board in today's Clarion-Ledger:
"But "the mayor cannot dictate to the school board," Harvey Johnson said. "Never has, never will."

Really? That is the problem, Harvey. You appoint members and wash your hands of anything pertaining to Jackson Public Schools. That is why they are a joke. There is no accountability for the board. Citizens have no input, no chance to make things right at the ballot box. See Harvey, if you were a leader and not a machine politician, you would copy the original Kingfish and have the undated, signed resignation letters of every single board member you appoint and hold them responsible for public education in Jackson. Maybe its time to remove the power to appoint school board members from the Mayor and instead start electing them.

Guilty plea of Vann Leonard scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled until further notice.

Clarion-Ledger reporter Elizabeth Crisp attempts to shed some light on the beer debate:

"This year, the legislature will consider a few bills that aim to increase the flow – so to speak – of beer in Mississippi.
But as they have in years past, it seems those bills are again heading toward failure.
Despite what appears to be an overwhelming support for the legislation among business owners and consumers, lawmakers are still hesitant to take up bills that appears “pro-alcohol” in a state where blue laws are the norm....

Many, including Republicans Sen. Dean Kirby and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, seem hesitant to even put the issue up for a vote in committee or on the floor.
So what are your thoughts on the beer issue?" blog post

The political reporter for the state newspaper might try digging through some campaign finance reports, or better yet, read this website (Sorry, I just had to write that. ;-) ) since JJ documented last week the money trail from Anheuser-Busch to Senate Finance Committee Chairman and the man responsible for killing these beer-friendly bills, Dean Kirby.

The Budweiser lobby in Mississippi consists of several players: Anheuser-Busch, Lobbyist Beth Clay and her firm, and Capitol Advocacy Group, a PAC created by Ms. Clay and funded by AB. However, there is another serious player: Southern Beverage, which is AB's distributor. Southern Beverage has not one, not two, but three lobbyists and not just any lobbyists: Clare Hester, John Lundy, and Clifford Thompson. All super-lobbyists and two, Ms. Hester and Mr. Lundy, are both members of Capitol Resources Group (CRG), Henry Barbour's firm. A review of campaign finance reports reveals how much money Southern Beverage has paid to its lobbying team:

2010: Not available.
2009: Clifford Thompson: $6,750, CRG: $60,000
2008: Clifford Thompson: $6,750, CRG: $60,000
2007: Clifford Thompson: $6,500, Al Sage: $3,000, CRG: $60,000
2006: Clifford Thompson: $6,500, Al Sage: $3,000
2005: Clifford Thompson: $6,500
2004: Clifford Thompson: $6,500, Al Sage: $3,000
2003: Clifford Thompson: $6,500, Al Sage: $3,000
2002: Clifford Thompson: $6,500, Al Sage: $3,000
2001: Clifford Thompson: $6,500, Al Sage: $3,000
2000: Clifford Thompson: $6,500, Al Sage: $3,000

A pattern emerges when reading these reports: Southern Beverage, Anhueser-Busch, and Capitol Advocacy Group did not spend much money in Mississippi politics until 2007. Southern Beverages spending on lobbyist jumped from $9,000 a year to nearly $67,000 in 2007 and has remained at that level. This team includes those some would argue are the two top lobbyists in Mississippi. A reexamination of the money trail documented last week shows the same pattern: AB gave little money to PAC's or Senator Kirby prior to 2007. Suddenly Anheuser-Busch was donating $10-20,000 per year to Capitol Advocacy Group. CAG is then making large donations to Senator Kirby.

Is there any particular reason why Anheuser-Busch and Southern Beverage started dropping money bombs and hiring the top lobbyists in 2007? These activities just happened to start taking place right before newly-elected State Senator David Baria began introducing "craft" beer-friendly legislation in the 2008 session? Anheuser-Bush and Southern Beverage have a huge market share in Mississippi and anything affecting said market share is going to draw their undivided attention. The increase in donations by Anheuser-Busch and its PAC to Senator Kirby began after the 2007 elections and right before the 2008 session. Meanwhile, Senator Kirby publicly states he will not allow any "craft" beer legislation to receive a hearing or vote in his committee. Coincidence?

Well, our old friend, former Farm Bureau President David Waide,is at it again, telling more lies about the animal cruelty bill, SB# 2127, to the Daily Times Leader (West Point):

"Waide said he is against anyone being cruel to animals, but feels the charge for those found guilty of animal cruelty should continue to be a misdemeanor.
“There's so many people in Farm Bureau who make their living in livestock production, and we have to be careful how we craft this Bill so we don't affect their livelihood,” Waide said. “Farmers every day catch wild dogs that kill calves. We don't want farmers in jeopardy of conviction, trying to protect his livelihood. I just cannot accept making (the crime) a felony.”
Waide said farmers and anyone else should be able to protect their animals and other property from the threat of dogs and other animals.
Waide said if the Bill passes and individuals caught torturing animals are charged with a felony, one disadvantage for some county taxpayers is that they would have to pay for the convicted to have an attorney if the convicted can't afford one..." Article

Mr. Waide either failed to read the bill or is lying. Lying? Kingfish, that is a really strong accusation. Yes, it is indeed a strong accusation but a reading of the bill makes it clear Mr. Waide's statements do not coincide with the facts. Rather than simply refute Mr. Waide point by point, I'm going to break down this bill and provide some unexpert analysis.

Section 1 merely restates current law in Mississippi. Section 2 introduces the felony portion of the proposed law:

"(2)(1) If any person with malice shall torture, mutilate, maim, burn, starve, disfigure or kill any domesticated dog or cat, every such offender, for every offense, shall be guilty of aggravated cruelty to a dog or cat, which is a felony, and upon conviction shall be committed to the custody of the State Department of Corrections for not less than twelve (12) months nor more than five (5) years, and fined an amount not less than One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00), nor more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00)."

Section (2)(1) covers the most egregious forms of animal cruelty: setting a dog on fire, chopping off its body parts for fun, or throwing it off a bridge. The law specifies it applies only to DOMESTICATED dogs and cats. This is Mississippi. Everyone is pretty familiar with the problem of feral cats and wild dogs roaming the countryside, including the author of the bill.

The element of malice is required to prove evil intent (ah...remember the Melton trial and Mr. Danks' long discourse on malice?). Thus merely kicking a dog or protecting your property is not going to be considered aggravated animal cruelty under this section. The felony charge of aggravated cruelty is similar to simple assault and aggravated assault. or the misdemeanor and felony components of domestic violence laws. Section (2)(2) merely states the suspect can't be charged for aggravated cruelty can't also be charged with cruelty to animals for an offense involving the same animals. Section (2)(3)(a)deals with restitution to pet owners:

"The measure for such restitution in money shall be the current replacement value of such loss and the actual veterinarian fees, special supplies, loss of income and other cost incurred as a result of actions in violation of subsection (1) of this section"

and Section (2)(3)(b) authorizes a judge to order restitution for law enforcement:
"The court shall also order that restitution be made to all law enforcement agencies, animal control, or humane societies for the costs of investigation, sheltering, transporting, rehabilitation and other costs directly related to the case."

Section (2)(3)(c)(i) allows a judge to order psychiatric evaluation and counseling:
" The court may also require: (i) Psychiatric or psychological evaluation, and if determined appropriate, psychiatric or psychological counseling or treatment for a length of time prescribed by the court. The cost of any psychiatric or psychological evaluation, counseling, or treatment shall be ordered paid by such person up to the jurisdictional limit of the court."

Let's face it: someone who tortures animals for fun or burns them to death needs psychological help. Yes, animals ARE property but they are still ALIVE. Beating a dog in the head with a hammer is not the same thing as destroying someone's tv set with the same hammer and everyone knows it. Numerous studies have shown those who torture animals all too often move on to more heinous crimes. I keep using the example of Luke Woodham for a reason. Animals do indeed make good test subjects but unfortunately, not just for science but also for crimes that are brutal in nature.

Sections (ii) and (iii) state those convicted of aggravated animal cruelty can lose their right to own animals for a period of time specified by the court. The animal control officer is also allowed to make unannounced home visits if the offender is allowed to keep animals after conviction.

Section (2) dealt with the offense and penalties. Section (3) specifies the exemptions. Most, if not all, of the reasons Mr. Waide and his ilk give for opposing this bill are actually dealt with in this section. Section (3)(1)(a) states someone will NOT be prosecuted for

"(a) Defending himself or herself or another person from physical or economic injury being threatened or caused by an animal;
(b) Injuring or killing of an unconfined animal on the person's property if the unconfined animal is reasonably believed to constitute a threat of physical injury or damage to any animal under the care or control of the person;"

This section allows you to protect your family AND your property. This is especially important in rural areas where there are few, if any, animal shelters and no animal control officers. Wild animals, including dogs, are an active threat and not one person in MS-FACT denies a person has the right to defend his family, pets, and livestock. Section (d) protects the rights of veterinarians to practice. Section (e) allows someone to put an animal out of his misery if suffering.

Section (g) covers the subject most dear to Farm Bureau's heart and gives lie to what Mr. Waide claims:

(1) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as prohibiting a person from:
"(g) Performing accepted agricultural and animal husbandry practices on livestock or poultry, including, but not limited to, slaughter, butchering, food processing and marketing practices"

Everyone get that? This law PROTECTS farmers and those engaged in the production of poultry, fish, and beef products. This is the reason I say Mr. Waide is lying or he has not read the bill because the key objection of Farm Bureau is covered in this bill. There is no way this can be construed as a means to give PETA nuts a way to attack Farm. If someone says he is against this bill because its being pushed by animal rights activists who want to make everyone vegetarians, ask him to point that out in the bill. He will not do so because it does not exist.

The rest of the bill has definitions and other exemptions such as pest control, good Samaritan protections, rodeo activities, hunting, fishing, and training of animals. The criticisms Farm Bureau made a year ago were thoroughly addressed in this bill. Mr. Waide can lie to reporters as much as he wants to about this bill but the fact remains, agricultural interests ARE protected in this bill as are the rights of farmers to defend their families, property AND livestock. Its time Mississippi joined forty-six other states and made aggravated animal cruelty a felony.

SUNO Aloomni President in the Times-Picayune this week:

"Southern University was not developed to graduate people," he said. "It was developed to give (poor and poorly prepared) people...the opportunity to get a higher education. We don't have to graduate anybody."

No way to spin this one. USA Today reported this week out of wedlock births were 41%- 73% for blacks, 53% for hispanics, 29% for whites. The article is very sobering and gives a clue where we are headed if something is not done about this problem.

Crime stats for Jackson have not been updated since January 2, 2011.

Jackson major crimes overview for week ending January 23, 2011.

City of Madison crime reports through January 26, 2011.

one step closer to the bottom of the well. Happy Birthday to my favorite Uncle Tom.

Update: Well what do you know, a few days after my post about Capitol Advocacy Group's campaign finance reports, the one that was due a year ago is suddenly submitted. It shows one donation: $5,000 from Anheuser-Bush. No donations were made to Senator Kirby, just small ones of $1,000 or less to various legislators.










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This article might shed some light on what is going on in the beer industry and why AB pours thousands of dollars into Senator Dean Kirby's coffers:

"Beer shipments fell 2 percent last year, which stands as the worst decline since the excise tax doubled in 1991. Sales fell about 3 percent in the first five months of this year, according to the Washington-based Beer Institute.

The first quarter of the year was "horrible," said Eric Shepard, executive editor at Beer Marketer's Insights. "It was a fairly deep hole to dig out of."

One bright spot was the growth of craft beers such as those from Sweetwater Brewing Co., Terrapin Beer Co. and other small brewers. Craft beer sales grew 7.2 percent by volume and 10.3 percent in dollars last year, bolstered by more shelf space in grocery stores and the popularity of their seasonal styles" AJC Article

Might be worth to AB to funnel $30,000 or so a year (yes, I used that word on purpose) to some politicians in Mississippi in order to save a few million dollars a year in sales.

Earlier post: State Senator Dean Kirby: Bud man and a Beer Money Fan

Senate Bill #2127 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday and heads to the floor of the Senate. Opponents of the bill have spun much bad information. Read the bill for yourself, its only six pages. It doesn't affect livestock, requires an element of malice, and has a list of specific exemptions that cover most of the objections raised by opponents who clearly have not read the bill. Former MS-FACT President Tiffany Frautschi submitted the editorial posted below to JJ.

New poll out: Who should replace Toby Trowbridge as Madison County Sheriff? Fire away.

From the Associated Press:

"The law on non-economic caps - also called punitive damages - puts a limit on what juries can award someone for such things as pain and suffering. The limits on damages were adopted by lawmakers after years of contentious wrangling over tort reform." Article


Anyone see a problem?

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Mississippi issued an order in the case against local attorney Richard Schwartz:

"Richard Schwartz and Schwartz & Assoc., PA, is ordered to pay $172,414.68 into the registry of the bankruptcy court, within 30 days of the entry of the order, pending the outcome of the adversary proceeding. These funds are considered as property of the bankruptcy estate. Order Due by 2/7/2011." (PACER)

Shirley Douglas suffered injuries in an automobile accident and retained Richard Schwartz to represent her. Mr. Schwartz obtained a settlement from the insurance company for $500,000. Ms. Douglas filed bankruptcy before the case was settled. Mr. Schwartz hired attorney Vann Leonard to deposit the funds with the bankruptcy court and obtain his fee of $172,414 (His contingency fee of one-third of the settlement amount.). The court approved the payment of his fee but Mr. Leonard kept the remaining $327,585 for himself. Mr. Leonard is scheduled to plead guilty to the theft of the money in federal court at the end of the month (The specific charge is not known.).

Ms. Douglas and the bankruptcy trustee filed suit against Mr. Schwartz and Mr. Leonard seeking recovery of the $500,000. Mr. Schwartz fought the suit but apparently to no avail after yesterday's ruling.

JJ asked in a poll last week: Should the name of the Ross Barnett Reservoir be changed? 65% of you voted no, keep the former Governor's name. Only 14% thought it should be changed.

The Securities and Charities Division of the Mississippi Secretary of State's office issued a final cease and desist order against Steadivest, Marshall Wolfe, and Jack Harrington on December 1, 2010. The Division fined Mr. Wolfe $850,000 and Mr. Harrington $170,000 for their activities as principals in the collapsed Steadivest. The notice was just posted online.

A lawsuit filed by several victims of Steadivest fraud against Steadivest and several parties is pending in federal court. It is currently languishing on the docket as Judge Wingate is staying true to form in terms of moving cases on his docket. The bankruptcy petition filed by Steadivest is still active.

Collection of all Steadivest posts.

Here are the exhibits to the order:

Minutes for the January 4, 2011 meeting of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors are posted.

No new documents have been filed in the lawsuit filed against Spencer Copeland, Sherry Frazier, Nan Copeland, South Lamar Truck & Trailer Sales, and other parties. The lawsuit was filed on December 3, 2010. No reponses have been filed.


By the way, Claiborne Frazier has a scheduled hearing February 1, 2011 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Update: Mississippi Business Journal has a blog post mentioning this post and some other information this morning. AB told the MBJ it had no position on the bill.

Original post:

State Senator Dean Kirby received more cash from Capitol Advocacy Group and Anheuser-Busch than other other politician in Mississippi according to campaign finance reports. Anheuser-Busch donated $3,000 to Senator Kirby while CAG, a PAC created by Anheuser-Busch's lobbyist, gave $14,500 as well. No other politician in Mississippi received such generosity from the beer lobby since 2007 as did Senator Dean Kirby and Lieutenant Governor Phil Byrant.

The Mississippi Business Journal reported Senator Dean Kirby, Chairman of the Finance Committee, made it clear any bills to raise the alcohol content of beer in Mississippi or bills supporting the brewing of "craft beer" in Mississippi are dead on arrival in his committee and will not be introduced. Clay Chandler also reports Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant supports Dean Kirby:

"Bryant said in an e-mailed statement that he did "not see a reasonable public benefit to increasing the alcohol content in Mississippi."
Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, chairman of the Finance Committee, confirmed that the beer legislation stood zero chance of making it out of his committee, and that he wouldn't introduce it.
"I really don't want to put my committee members in an uncomfortable position in an election year," he said of his reasons for not bringing the bill to a vote.
Kirby said he would allow Bailey and Henderson and other pro-craft beer groups to present their case to his committee some time before the session ends."

Senator David Baria introduced SB #2064. The bill will raise the alcohol content of beer sold in Mississippi from 5% to 8%. This will permit the sale of more expensive "gourmet" beers sold in the other 49 states.

Some will say Dean Kirby is standing up for Christian values and protecting Mississippi from the drunks. If that is the case then why is Dean Kirby Budweiser's best friend in the legislature? Don't think its true? Let's play follow the money.

A review of campaign finance reports reveals Senator Kirby has received quite a bit of money from Anheuser-Busch and Capitol Advocacy Group. CAG is a political action committee created by Beth Clay, A-B lobbyist (oh to hell with it, I'm going to start using "Bud", much easier to type.) and her son, Stephen. The reports show:

7/28/09: Bud gave $1,000 to Dean Kirby
12/15/08: CAG gave $12,500 to Dean Kirby. The next-highest donation was $1,500.
12/2/08: Bud gave $1,000 to Dean Kirby
10/31/08: Bud gave $15,000 to CAG
10/21/08: Clay Firm gave $20,000 to CAG
12/9/07: CAG gave $2,000 to Dean Kirby
10/4/07: Bud gave $2,000 to CAG
10/15/07: Bud gave $500 to Dean Kirby
8/13/07: Bud gave $500 to Dean Kirby
6/29/07: Bud gave $20,000 to CAG.
8/26/03: Bud gave $500 to Dean Kirby

Campaign finance reports are due next week so it will be interesting to see if the pattern of large donations from the beer lobby to Mr. Kirby continued in 2010.

The registered lobbyist for Anheuser-Busch is Beth Clay. Anheuser-Busch paid Ms. Clay $92,197 in 2008, $77,873 in 2007, $79,241 in 2006, $76,000 in 2004, $44,800 in 2003, $74,666 in 2002, and $76,500 in 2001. There was no compensation for 2005 and 2009. CAG did not file a campaign finance report for 2005 and 2009 as well so it appears CAG does not have any activity every four years.

Anheuser-Busch was the only donor to CAG in the last election cycle, 2007, giving $22,000 to the PAC. The largest donations that year were to Dean Kirby, Alan Nunalee, and Phil Bryant (Wonder if Alan and Brett will start shrieking I'm picking on poor ole Phil.). CAG gave money to the following politicians in 2007:

Phil Bryant: $5,000
Mike Chaney: $500
Jeff Smith: $1,000
Jerry Turner: $200
Ryan Sadler: $200
Dick Hall: $500
Jim Hood: $250
Johnny Stringer: $1,000
Lee Yancey: $250
Lester Spell: $500
Lynn Posey: $500
Delbert Hoseman: $500
Alan Nunnellee: $2,000
Dean Kirby: $2,000
David Blount: $500
Billy Hewes: $1,000

The following parties gave money to CAG in 2007:
Anheuser-Busch: $22,000

The pattern continued in 2008 campaign finance report. Donations given to Mississippi politicians:

Dean Kirby: $12,000
Percy Watson: $1,000
David Baria: $1,000
Briggs Hopson: $500
Gary Jackson: $500
Kenneth Wayne Jones: $500
Buck Clarke: $500
Hob Bryan: $1,000
Lee Yancey: $500
Vic Carmichel: $1,500
Chris McDaniel: $500
Ed Blackmon: $1,000
Willie Perkins: $500
Jim Hood: $200
David Blount: $500

The following parties gave money to CAG:
Pfizer: $1,500
Clay Firm: $20,000
Anheuser-Busch: $15,000

The question must be asked why Senator Kirby is dead-set on killing any beer legislation in his committee. Is it because as he explains it, he doesn't want to put his members in an "uncomfortable" position? Is it because of supposed "Christian" values? Or is it because he takes more money than any other politician in Mississippi from Anheuser-Busch and Capitol Advocacy Group? Are Dean Kirby and Phil Bryant protecting Anheuser-Busch from competition from "boutique" beers? Beer money or the Bible? Only Senator Kirby and Phil Bryant can answer that question.

The House Committee on Agriculture voted downHB #831 Wednesday afternoon. The bill, introduced by Representative Linda Whittington of Leflore, would have made animal cruelty a third-offense felony.

The bill would have made a first offense conviction a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not less than $200 and not more than $1,000 and imprisonment from thirty to one hundred eighty days. A second offense conviction would have doubled the fines and increased the minimum term of imprisonment to ninety days. A third conviction imposed fines of not less than $5,000 and imprisonment from one to five years.

Observers at the committee meeting inform JJ only three committee voted for the bill on a voice vote. Observers also said the voices voting against the bill were very loud as committee members showed their true feelings towards the bill. Chairman Greg Ward abstained from voting. It must be noted this is not Senator Hewes' much-publicized bill.

Stay tuned.

Why is Rankin County Sheriff's office investigating a possible homicide committed by a former reserve officer? Shouldn't the task be handed over to another law enforcement agency so as to avoid any appearances of impropriety?

the word on the street is Arnie Headerman will replace Brad White as interim Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party.

Did you know that Hinds County just awarded $40,000 to Derrick Johnson to handle redistricting for the county? Neither did anyone else as the item was not included in the agenda for the December 20, 2010 meeting but was brought up at the end of the session (Copy of Agenda) with no notice to the public. Minutes from the meeting state Supervisor Robert Graham made a motion"

Here are latest videos I found on Youtube of our glorious office-seekers:

The Mississippi Business Journal interviewed Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Dennis. Check out the candidate for yourself in this video:

See Evans Case page for a collection of all posts on Evans case.

Update: Here are the plea agreements of Charles Evans and Chris Evans.


Charles and Chris Evans pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and bank fraud in U.S. District Court this morning before Judge Dan Jordan. Judge Jordan will sentence both defendants on June 27 at 1:00 PM. Charles Evans will remain in custody and Chris Evans will remain out on bail. JJ estimates the Evans brothers bilked over 40 banks for over $70 million.

Since a commentor last night wrote: "Palin's spotlight obsession is a problem.",I thought I would provide some examples of what was taking place out there in the editorial cartoon world to give one an idea of how much blame was being thrown at Sarah Palin last week. However, the commentor and other commentators here in town had a problem with her defending herself, not the comments or cartoons directed towards her. Enjoy the cartoons below.

Evans brothers are to plead guilty today at 9:30 AM in federal court.

Then there is this gem in the Clarion-Ledger on the Evans case from a few weeks ago:

"A case involving a former Jackson lawyer suspected in a multimillion-dollar mortgage fraud scheme was postponed in U.S. District Court Wednesday.

Charles Evans, 56, shackled and wearing an orange Madison County Jail jumpsuit, was escorted from a federal courtroom after Judge Dan Jordan announced a number of plaintiffs had not received ample notice of the hearing.

John Colette, Evans’ attorney, said the case likely will resume after the new year.

Evans and his younger brother, Chris, have been accused of using fictitious titles on commercial properties to cheat more than 30 Mississippi banks out of millions in loans.

Ladd's Palin obsession continues:

"You sure wouldn't think so, golden. But she is the one who insulted every Jew, as well as others who know the meaning of "blood libel" a few days later because she couldn't resist making it about her. Can you imagine how she would deal with all the criticism she'd get as president. Would we get a youtube of the day?
She missed such an opportunity to if not look presidential at least look like a confident, compassionate human being by leaving off the bottom of that statement and, instead, calling for everyone to be kinder and gentler toward each other. Like Obama did. Of course, she wouldn't be where she is based on kinder political discourse, so I guess it doesn't serve her needs. So very sad. posted by DonnaLadd on 01/14/11 at 09:22 AM"

Oh really? Gee Ladd, she might have posted a response after people like your idol Paul Krugman and others linked her to the Arizona massacre for several days in very prominent fashion. Then there is the matter of the obsession with Palin. After Palin received the Republican nomination for Vice-President, Madame Deladd wrote 18 out of 25 straight blog posts about her. She then tried to link her to slavery, the Confederacy, neo-seccesionists, and David Duke, then posted a headline calling her "white trash". How's that for toned-down rhetoric?

While we are talking about Palin, lets talk about what has happened to her over the last two years:

Her church was burned down yet was not considered a hate crime. Yeah, burn down that anti-Semite and Jew-hater Reverand Wright, and make no mistake, he IS an anti-Semite and see what would happen.

Comedians on national tv talk about raping her 14 year old daughter.

Prominent liberal websites such as Andrew Sullivan and Daily Kos repeatedly claim her child is not her own. That is pretty sick when you think about it and far worse than the wild charges hurled by birthers or truthers. Claiming a mother is not the mother of her child and trying to use it in politics. Disgusting. Ladd tried to blame this on conservatives.

Comedians saying she should be gang-raped by a bunch of black men. No call to tone down the rhetoric there by Ladd. or better yet: Sleazebags making porn movies about her (It was done to Hillary too, I know.).

Folks, we can disagree all day long about everything under the sun. Colorful language is fine. Its used in abundance on this site and others. Indeed, Voltaire and Twain are two of my favorite authors. You can think Palin is an idiot. You can call her a dingbat. A quitter. Opportunist. even a right-wing scumbag. If there is one thing some of my liberal and conservative friends agree on, it is they both think Palin is stupid. However, name-calling is not what is taking place here.

Burning down her church, talking about raping her daughter, making porn movies about her, claiming her child is not her child- that is pretty sick stuff and no politician, I mean no politician, should have to endure such garbage. This is not a matter of being a liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, or Black or White. Ladd can sit there and bash Palin all she wants but the truth is, Ladd and Sullivan have something in common: a sick obsession with the former Alaska Governor that ignores all slights or crimes against her and criticizes her whenever she defends herself. The truth is, Ladd is threatened by strong, conservative women and becomes unhinged whenever they appear on the horizon. Pointing out Ladd's hypocrisy is not a matter of binary thinking but rather a matter of putting her comments into context. Some of the ugliest and meanest things said in the local media under the guise of journalism takes place on that website and have done so for years. Melton, McGowan, Barbour, Palin, Clarion-Ledger, it doesn't matter. All that matters is the enemies list and the CAUSE, everything else be damned.

old smear by Ladd against Palin, and another one

Might want to read this post in a forum first before you do.

Rescued a Ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from a pound in West Memphis a couple of months ago. Madison came from a puppy mill that voluntarily shut itself down and turned in all of its "inventory" to the pound. Said inventory consisted of Pekineses, Poodles, and Cavaliers. Drove up there and got her. She was very friendly and trusting, much too good for her previous owners. Madison had ear mites real bad and then a bout of ghiardia right after I got her (of course she developed those symptoms five minutes after five the day before Thanksgiving.). To top it off, her back knees were both malformed and hip muscles were very weak. She was incapable of climbing steps or jumping on the couch. Poor thing walked real funny, kind of a waddle, because of her knees. Two vets said they were malformed due to living in a cage her whole life. Her bones and joints sounded real fragile. Every time I grabbed her a certain way or pulled on her, her body sounded like someone stepping on twigs: snap, crackle, pop. And hygiene. She had no clue what it was like to be clean (She was cleaned up when I got her.). At first she would always hide her food instead of eating it. I learned later this is typical behavior from puppy mill dogs. Even her stomach still sagged from a recent litter. She was around six years old. They must've been cranking those litters out of her every chance they got. The shelter in West Memphis was run by the city. It was strapped on resources but the staff was friendly and took good care of the animals. They were literally doing the best they could. Madison couldn't have been any nicer. She was completely docile. Her idea of fun was sitting next to you while you watched tv or read a book.













Pictures taken by Gloria Scott.

Well, she fit right in at home. Got the mites cleared up, put her on some good dog food by Natural Balance. She got to walk around the house as she pleased and never saw a cage. She discovered she loves riding in cars and laying on pillows. After two months of normal exercise and decent dog food, the creaking has mainly disappeared. Last week she jumped up on the couch for the first time ever. Apparently just normal walking around a house and yard as well as the diet has strengthened her hip muscles somewhat. Hopefully there will be more progress in the upcoming months. She will not lick your face but will lick your hands to death if you let her. She went to her new home last week where she is spoiled by two little girls, one in particular who likes to read to her. She now has not one, not two, but three pillows at her new home bought for her. No word yet if she has gotten a trip to the spa yet. She is still figuring out how to be a dog but has made much progress.

I posted an essay from the Wall Street Journal written by a Chinese-American comparing Chinese and American styles of parenting. The essay drew quite a few comments here and generated no small amount of traffic. Needless to say, the trend held true for the WSJ. A typical American mom wrote her own essay in response. More than a few letters were published as the original essay triggered an explosion of support and outrage among parents. Being the Yale Law Professor that she is, the Tiger Mother wrote her own response. Interesting reading.

the word on the street is David Landrum is Phil Bryant's finance chairman.

Quentin Whitwell's website is up. No word on whether anyone else will run against him although Marcus Ward's name is bandied about in some circles.

New poll is up: Is it time to change the name of the Ross Barnett Reservoir? Fire away.

This has been a busy week for Billy Hewes. Press conference discussing his bill to make animal cruelty a first-offense felony. The Hewes campaign also released this commercial posted below. Its cute and similar in nature to the Dilbert, um, Delbert, ads from a few years ago. Not a bad idea because the biggest challenge to Mr. Hewes right now is name recognition on a statewide basis (Reminds me of a joke Uncle Earl used to tell on the campaign trail.). The debates and policy outlines will come later. At this point Mr. Hewes probably just needs to concern himself with introducing himself to the voters. He did introduce one bill, #SB 2011 that will require drug testing for welfare recipients if enacted into law. All in all, the Lieutenant Governor's race is starting to take shape.

JJ readers voted State Senator Lee Yancey, a Republican from Brandon, as their favorite Mississippi legislator. Mr. Yancey received 21% of the vote in a field of 18. State Senator Walter Michel received 17% of the vote.

Who can forget this blast from the past when Farm Bureau threatened Jackson Jambalaya?

the word on the street is......

Pelahatchie Mayor Knox Ross is running for Lee Yancey's State Senate seat.

Wonder if this guy will perform at Ruth's Chris:

Well, its official. Mac's running for re-election. What do you think? Will Tyrone come back for a rematch of his ass-kicking four years ago? Is there a masked marvel waiting to step into the ring? Discuss.

This took place last summer and received a microscopic amount of coverage by the local media but I thought it was worth mentioning on this site. U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate sentenced her on June 11, 2010 to fourteen months in federal prison and four years of supervised release for one count of bank fraud and ordered her to pay $59,307 in full restitution. The U.S. Attorney's office indicted her on July 21, 2009 for embezzling from her employer, Regions Bank. Ms. Miller was a branch manager at the Ridgeland location. Ms. Miller pleaded guilty to the indictment.

The indictment states Ms. Miller would use false pretenses to inflate customers' lines of credit and then withdraw the excess amount, converting "those funds into cash or official checks for her personal use and benefit." The indictment also states she would withdraw funds from other credit lines to repay funds she had already "withdrawn from other customers' credit lines" from December 2006 until February 2008.

Not bad for nearly 40.