Jackson Jambalaya

This really makes me sad. I had tons of respect for the work Minor did in the 60's and 70's in Mississippi. Unfortunately, he's now just another crank who uses his platform to spew bitter, conspiracy-ridden crap. He weilds his columns as a weapon to attack the people he associates with the "persecution" of his beloved son.

All in all, it's just sad -- who wants to live long enough to be responsible for the destruction of your own reputation through failure to retire gracefully?

Unfortunately, this is just what I expect from someone like Bill Minor.

What I think is hilarious is that Paul Gallo read large parts of this article on his show this morning like it was coming straight from the Bible. Of course Paul was so blinded by his support for Billy Hewes that he would use anything to take a jab at Tate. If you missed the show you should try to find it because my mouth hit the floor when he started reading and praising this article. As a faithful listener, I think Paul should have to apologize to his listeners for his failure to provide accurate information.

Gallo did what? Anyone have audio of the show?

I heard it too.

"What Mr. Minor is not mentioning in his column is the reason Mr. Bennett suddenly stepped down as Treasurer."

This is a pretty wild accusation, Kingfish. You claim Bennett resigned because of an FBI investigation like it is a FACT. That is just what you and your "sources" speculate. That's pretty irresponsible. Were there ever any charges against Bennett? NO. Was there ever a report of illegal activity? NO. So what are you saying?...that the FBI just let it go because he resigned? I think you are condemning a man of a crime in an attempt to give credence to your blog post. Again, that is irresponsible on your part and you should clarify your post as what it actually is…rumor and speculation.

Yeah I heard that too. Don't know where you could get the audio, but I was on my way to work so it would have been his segment sometime between 7:30 and 8:00. It was right after he had the guy from Fire Billy McCoy on. I changed the station halfway through though bc there was nothing factual coming out of that segment just Paul bashing Tate and praising Billy and using Minor's article to do it

Oh well, get over it. I stand by it and I have some damn good sources.

i don't have to lie to give credence to my post. Pickering's letter does a good enough job without. Funny how you don't condemn Minor for his lying and smearing of Pickering or Reeves.

and yes, the Feds do make those deals from time to time. Was supposedly discussed in the Melton saga.

Oh please. Many of us know the FBI told Marshall he could resign or they'd prosecute. It was common knowledge for those of us who worked in state government back then.

I thought he was pretty lucky.

Bill Minor hasn't written his own articles in over a decade. The real question is, who is the ghost writer?

Which Pickering letter, Kingfish? The one that states “Due to the fact that this matter has been reviewed by several agencies, and no evidence was found that would indicate misuse of public funds, my office does not intend to pursue this matter further.”?

And again, you state as a fact that the FBI does this all the time and then you justify your statement by saying it "was supposedly discussed in the Melton saga". "Supposedly" discussed? Really? That is your proof that the FBI does this all the time?

I'm with 10:46. I think Gallo should be ashamed that he 1) favorably used a Bill Minor article as a reliable source and 2) that in another desperate attempt to make Reeves look bad(the segment should have ended with paid for by friends of billy hewes)he read as fact an article that has clearly got some missing pieces which Gallo probably knew about or could have reasonably inferred

"He has completely disgraced himself, his legacy as a crusading reporter, and his profession. "

This happened decades ago.

BTW, I know for a fact that Minor is very involved still in writing his weekly article. I doubt he has a ghost writer.

He does have a serious chip on his shoulder about the matter concerning his son. he is very bitter, especially to Republicans, and this shows in his articles.

I heard the Gallo show as well. This all comes from Hewes going along with the advertising money that the state spends with Supertalk. If and likely when Reeves wins, he should drop that money for a couple of years to let Gallo and company know that there are consquences for taking one side.

This Bill Minor guy sure does like to protest, eh?

I've got to believe it is him posting anon or surely a likeness.

Everyone knows the church of Supertalk. Phil Bryant, Billy Hewes, Doug Davis are gods and anyone against them are devils. If Bill Minor had criticized one of those guys Paul Gallo would attack or ignore him. But because he goes after Tate Reeves, suddenly Bill Minor is part of the Supertalk gospel.

Libelous statements about Marshall Bennett? Better be careful Kingfish. This is where you can get into trouble. Marshall Bennett served this State with integrity and commitment for 16 years as Treasurer and many more in other capacities. I understand you wanting to refute any allegations Minor may make about Reeves, but attempting to lambast Reeves' predecessor is weak, contrived, and smells, well, fishy.

Wasn't Tate the treasurer in 06 and 07? If so, that would mean this happened under his watch not
Bennett's. And, why in the hell hasn't Tate talked about it? Where is the money? It's still his responsibility to locate it and get it back for the taxpayers. Minor may be a bitter old bird with a few holes in his article, but the truth is Tate's not exactly Mister Squeaky Clean here. He owes people an explanation. That is, if you can find him.

All Tate would have to do is explain, and quite frankly that is all Gallo asked him to do. The problem is that Tate will not publicly appear and address anything that comes out about him. As the old saying goes" a lie left unanswered becomes truth". if its really a lie, then Tate should speak up. If he is running for second highest office in this state, he darn well better get accustomed to justifying his acts and omissions. Otherwise, he better get out the kitchen NOW!

i am also curious as to why Tate has not been running his invitations on JJ as he is a paid advertisor? perhaps its because the last two i received in the mail had only one supporter listed - his host! Kinda makes you wonder? I know the Hewes camp released their polling numbers yesterday and the spread was 8 points! This race is way closer than the Tate camp on this blog or other Tate supporters on MIM and Yall want to admit. I will at least give JJ credit for trying to be a little neutral on this one.

"All Tate would have to do is explain, and quite frankly that is all Gallo asked him to do"

Actually never once did gallo say I think Tate should explain or these are some pretty big allegations against Reeves I wonder what his response will be. Gallo read the Minor article as what he considered proof that Tate did something wrong. Gallo doesn't want Tate to explain because he's already convinced that Tate's in the wrong and has nothing to explain bc articles like Minor's speak the truth. If Gallo wasn't being completely biased then he would have presented these as just allegations and given both sides of the story

kind of hard to give both sides of the story when Tate will not appear on Gallo. I heard another open air invitation for him to appear today at noon. Also, i think its strange that Tate doesn't call his own press conferences to address anything. If he doesn't like Gallo, then take it to another forum??? Seems like he is just trying to limp across the finish line first hoping his money will get him through.

I think Tate was on Gallo back in June.

Tate, is doing what all folks with a giant lead do, lay low.Do not take any risk and just wait til time to vote. When it is your to lose do not lose it.

Very True. Billy is so desperate for media attention and he's figured out that ads saying why you should vote for him or what he'll do if he wins won't get him any attention. So trying to stir up allegations and running negative ads is all he can do.
I think Tate is intentionally laying low and not adding "fuel to the fire" by going back and forth with Billy and thus giving him what he wants-more media attention.
I do think after this new negative ad Billy put out today that Tate will do much like he did last time and issue a response ad. Also probably call Billy out again when Hewes actually tries to release his push poll results

Marshall Bennett didn't suddenly resign. He announced he wouldn't seek reelection in early 2003 (before the qualifying deadline in April 2003), was commended by the state legislature for his service in March 2003 and officially resigned in July of 2003 to take a job in New York. Your article implies the FBI came into his office and he skipped town "the day after" that.
You're a hack. Your sources are idiots. And you clearly have no integrity.

@ 2:27 - you must be part of Tate camp because there is that word again "desperate". Maybe if you keep saying it someone will actually believe it. And Billy Hewes ads only address official acts of Tate while in office - clearly of public interest. Billy Hewes is a fighter, and he is gaining ground and the Tate camp knows it. Billy Hewes is also addressing the issues with his ads and his press stops. "People are responding to our message of reform and education. Providing for a dual track career diploma for our kids so if they are not going to college they have a place to go. They have a track that is very clear for them." said Hewes. "I want to lower people's taxes and help our home grown businesses by eliminating the inventory tax. Every Hewes article and video you see has him actually addressing the issue instead of same old tired " i am a conservative" rhetoric.

@2:50: Sorry I hate to disappoint you, but I don't work, volunteer, etc for the Reeves campaign or any other campaign. In fact I've never had anything to do with politics other than a natural interest in the people who represent me. I do find it funny that on these blogs when people express an opinion for one side or the other, people who don't like it immediately throw out the "you must work for them" card. In turn I could definitely say the same about your comment too, but I won't because at the end of the day I like to think that it's possible to not have to "work" in politics to be interested and have an opinion about it. However, "desperate" is a pretty common adjective and has been applied to Billy a lot lately so I wouldn't make the mistake of assuming that every person on a blog using it is the same person. I made my comment @ 2:27 and now this one. I can't account for the rest of the 23 comments...

I don't see calling Billy as desperate means you are part of Tate camp. It is only and observation that Billy has to tear down his opponent rather than talk about positive things he can do.

@ 3:24 and @ 3:30 - so are you both 1) arguing that Billy is not out there talking about positives and his platform? Let me know, i can site plenty of examples? and 2) are you saying that facts about a persons record should not be disclosed in commercials?

It sounds to me like Anon Billy supporter is desperate.

@ 3:53: If you read my comment it's a lot more narrowly applied than those 2 broad statements you just made. So let me clarify. I'm not saying that Billy hasn't made positive statements or talked about his platform(even though based on what the average person sees and reads, I still can't say that Billy has told me exactly what his platform is). What I'm saying is that I think Billy's negative ads and the fact that very rarely(if ever) does he have an article or interview where he doesn't accuse or have something negative to say about Tate is what helps keep Billy in the news and thats why he keeps doing it. I have no problem with pointing out facts,if they are true, meaning backed up by a reliable source. I don't think that you have to attack someone in a negative ad to bring those facts out though. None of the other races have gone negative. I'm sure it's not bc Dave doesn't have some "facts" he could start calling Phil on, but maybe bc he'd rather focus his time and money on promoting himself. People are suppose to vote for you, not against your opponent

Billy, Tate, blah blah blah.

What I'd like to know and nobody really answers is what happened to that commission money. Some questions are asked and then Marshall Bennett rides off into the sunset and this matter is what...swept under the rug? If the state was to receive money and didn't, where did the money go? Just because a couple of letters are fired off stating there's nothing to see here, move along, doesn't mean a crime didn't happen. So, again, if money is in fact missing, where is it?

I can not believe that Paul Gallo woudl read anything that Bill Minor wrote-the liberal of all liberals--Pleassse That totally discredits Paul- he does need to apologize to his listeners. If this is true about Bennett then why are we just hearing about it?
AS for Tate and Hewes- north of I-55 it is all Tate country so the coast had really better turn out for their boy- toss up is central Miss and Tate is a Rankin county son- 20 days and counting

@12:03pm Actually, Reeves' predecessor was Peyton Prospere.

@2:50pm "Every Hewes article and video you see has him actually addressing the issue." You've got to be kidding. The only two I can remember are the ones of him driving down the road with the blimp in the air and his kid trying to decide where to go to school.

@5:29pm "That totally discredits Paul" I think what we're seeing from all of Supertalk totally discredits the station. It might as well be owned by lobbyists.

5:29
North of I-55? I-55 runs north and south, moron.

I'm with 5:15pm
Could care less what Hewes/Tate supporters have to say and Bennett is out of the picture. I read Minor and this site with an understanding of each writer's political leanings .

I have not noticed a benefit to the State from the tobacco monies and have wondered for quite some time how it is being spent. I see a few ads but little else.

I've suspected that the money is being wasted. I've suspected little organizations were created to benefit from the money ( salaries for people who do little to earn them). Such would be legal but that's how our tax dollars and other revenues are wasted these days...stealing made legal by creation of jobs for friends and relatives.

The fight between the parties tends to be over whose friends get the spoils.

So where's the money going?

These political fights are distractions to keep the public from asking that question.

Know what's funny about Bill Minor?

His scumbag son is ROTTING IN JAIL. HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I used to respect billy but he has really gotten bad advice in this election that caused him to go negative.

Yup. Morgan, Josh, & Steve.

12:54....He went negative 'cause he is getting his ass kicked.

@ 2:23: Amen!
I'm a Tate supporter, but I'm not a diehard or anything. I've got no problems with Billy and if he wins I won't have any trouble supporting him as Lt. Gov. But I have to say that I'm still dumbfounded that just 3 weeks out from the primary I run into people everywhere that still have no idea who Tate is running against and when you tell them have no idea who Billy Hewes is. That's a big problem.

I agree ... I had never heard of Billy Hewes until last week and frankly cannnot figure out what his position is since all he seems to be running on TV are negative ads.

I removed the Marshall Bennett section. I've received several emails from his son that were rather caustic in nature. I stand by what I wrote as I have several excellent sources on what I reported. However, the main point of my insertion was to give Mr. Minor and his allies a dose of their own medicine, not drag Mr. Bennett, who I've known for years and respected, through the mud. After several days, I made my point and frankly, it does not have much to do with the story itself: that Bill Minor lied about Reeves and Pickering. The difference between me and Bill Minor is I verified what I wrote in my post and backed up up a large part of it with documents. I don't expect any corrections or apologies from Mr. Minor as that would denote something he lacks: class.

Also, not once in his emails did Mr. Bennett decry Minor's smear of the Treasurer and Auditor. He is just fine with smearing and making up things when it applies to his political opponents but is not fine with it when he imagines it happens to his own.

Russell Bennett is a Republican. Another failure to check the accuracy of your statements before you publish them. Good grief. You're no better than Gallo.

I referred to the fact his father is a Democrat and those Mr. Minor wrote about are in the opposite party from his father. I did not assume Mr. Bennett was a Republican, Democrat, or Communist.

True Story. I am an outsider (not even a southerner), who lived in Jackson during the 1990s. When Marshall Bennett was undertaking his run for Congress in 1993-94, I attended a self-promotional talk he gave to garner support from a group of civic-minded Jackson citizens that were rather liberal in their politics. Going into it, I didn't even know, who he was.

He gave his little promotional talk to us--a kind of stump speech--that seemed like it had been put together based upon the latest market-tested, "fiscal responsibility," Clintonesque-"centrist Democrat" talking points some highly paid Democratic Party consultant had coached him to believe would carry the day during that election season. Needless to say, the room Bennett spoke to, being biracial in make up, all college-educated in terms of demographics, and liberal in its political orientation, was unimpressed with what came out of his mouth. In fact, it came off to all of us as a phony and concocted speech.

To me, Bennett came off as no more than a self-serving and empty political hack, who had completely misjudged the particular audience he was speaking to. After all, we weren't just another bunch of southern rubes that would get taken in by the latest, market-tested-by-political-consultant bull$hit.

That was one of my first encounters with a Mississippi politician. (Though I would have numerous others over the ensuing years, all of which helped me to appreciate the disingenuous, con-man realities of what Chuck Berry was referring to when, in his song "Nadine," he sang about "campaign shoutin' like a Southern diplomat.")

That Bennett's son is now a Republican does not surprise me at all. Apparently, for the Bennetts, and consistent with my impression of Marshall Bennett, politics is the family business, and if you are nothing more than a shrewd, conviction-less, self-serving, and would-be-careerist politico (which, let's face it, most elected politicians are), then you better have that "R" brand after your name if you hope to succeed in politics in a "red state" place like Mississippi in the early 21st Century.

To me, this all just confirms how conviction-less and self-serving the types of people that go into elective politics are--not just in the South, but all over the country (and during my life, I've lived and worked in quite a few places.)