Friday, August 31, 2012

Haley on Romney speech

Here is former Governor Haley Barbour on Mitt Romney's speech last night.

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No comment

From the current issue of Boom Jackson:



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The wonderful thing about triggers is triggers are a wonderful thing

Representative Cecil Brown (D-Hinds) pushed a "trigger law" for charter schools in a recent submission to JJ. The only line missing from the column was "the wonderful thing about triggers, is triggers are a wonderful thing." Here is an excerpt from his column:

"Known nationally as a “parent trigger law,” Mississippi’s law allows parents of children in chronically underperforming schools to take over governance of the school. By a vote of parents of more than 50% of the kids in the school, the parents can elect a “local management board” for their school, remove some or all of the school’s teachers and administrators, develop their own curriculum and schedules and, in essence, convert the school to a charter school. The school would remain a public school and would receive the same local, state and federal support it received before the conversion but would no longer be governed by the local school board. Under federal law, the provisions of the “No Child Left Behind Act” would continue to apply, but administration of the school would be left up to the school’s duly elected local management board. Day to day operations could be contracted out to a charter school operator such as KIPP, or the board could hire its own personnel. The law applies to schools that are in the lowest three categories of performance for three consecutive years, and there is no limit on the number of schools that can convert. The three year measurement period has now passed, so the current 2012-2013 school year is the first year that the conversion will be available..." Rest of column

Sounds nice. Responsible. Legislation we can all support. Right? Before you answer that question, check out how trigger laws are used to defeat parents in California. The Wall Street Journal editorial page reported how school boards in California are blocking the parents from converting public schools to charter schools:

A California Superior Court judge ruled last month that several hundred parents in Adelanto, California had successfully pulled the nation's first parent trigger to force change at their children's failing public school. The judge "commanded" the Adelanto school board to let the parents "immediately begin the process of soliciting and selecting" proposals to transform Desert Trails Elementary into a charter school.

At a recent hearing, the school board unanimously refused. Instead, the board wants to implement what it calls "alternative governance" reforms: a somewhat longer school day, a "technology infusion into the classroom," better training of teachers, and a "community advisory committee" to oversee such changes. That is, the board wants to keep tinkering around the edges of a school that's been classified as failing for six years in a row, with 70% of sixth-graders not proficient in English or math.

The board insists that it is following the law—notwithstanding board member Jermaine Wright's vow to stand in the schoolhouse door in handcuffs. The board's line is that because the new school year is about to begin, it's too late for Desert Trails to become a charter school.

But the parents aren't aiming for this year. They want to solicit charter offers for next year. Naturally, the board says next year is also impossible, because that will be too far removed from when the parents filed their petition in January 2012. So having obstructed the parents for as long as legally possible, the school board turns around and says too much time has passed for the "trigger" to still be relevant.

This is an invented standard that no law or regulation empowers the board to apply. And it follows last month's court order that slapped down the board for its "abuse of discretion" in trying to disqualify parents' petition signatures. The parents of Adelanto will now have to return to court to enforce the victory they have already won...
Column

One can only imagine how the public school lobby in this state will use the trigger law to fight conversions. Watch them become the biggest supporters of voter ID - on petitions for conversions. How many different ways can they frustrate the parents? Check to see if they live in that district. Do they have children attending that school. Does it apply to all parents in the district or just those with children attending that school (One good way to throw out the votes of parents with children in private schools or schooled at home.). Don't forget, spouses can't sign petitions for each other. How long is the petition valid? Starting to get the idea?

Then there is the matter of the school must be rated in the "lowest three categories" for three consecutive years (failing, low performing, at risk of failing). Academic Watch would not count. That's right. Most of the JPS schools are on academic watch, which is considered to be a "D". The Department of Education bureaucrats do some finagling with ratings for one year and presto, the school gets moved up to academic watch.... and the clock resets. You will be surprised at how creative the dullest public school bureaucrat can be when charter schools appear on the scene. They have all kinds of tricks for tinkering with the ratings. Don't count all the special ed students. Good students that transferred out of the school to get a better education? No problem. They can move their scores back into that school to raise the rating. Get the idea?

The charter school fight is not going away. Watch for more "reasonable" legislation from the public school lobby as they try to escape any accountability and competition in Mississippi.


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Thursday, August 30, 2012

PP activists have some things to say about GOP women

No way to spin it: today sucks. Weather sucks. The rain sucks. For many people the closures suck. Don't feel like posting much myself, if you want to know the truth. So I'm going to throw up a couple of things and write out some longer posts I've been putting off and publish them later this week. Here is a video from the Planned Parenthood rally against GOP women in Tampa recently. Enjoy.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

WJNT this morning.

First Megan West gave us a storm update and then Representative Scott Delano gave us an update from the coast and then we moved on to the legislature. Highlight of the program was when a caller tried to say the storm was "contrived".

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Want the latest on Hurricane Isaac?

Check out the Hurricane Isaac Board on Tigerdroppings.com. Its about as close to real-time reporting from a diversity of sources as you are going to get right now in one place.

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Pulls no punches

Congressman Allen West has a few things to say about "progressives".

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MDE: Graduation rates up

The Department of Education announced graduation rates and test scores improved yesterday:

Jackson, Miss. – The results released Wednesday by the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), students across the state increased Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition (MCT2) scores in every grade tested. The MCT2 is given to students in grades 3 through 8 in Language Arts and Mathematics. The MCT2 was first implemented in 2007-08 to assess the state's more rigorous curriculum standards for language arts and mathematics. Districts also showed a two percent increase in graduation rates, rising to 73.7%. Dropout rates also dropped slightly to 16.7%.

“We are pleased with the progress in these assessment scores, but what the results also show is we still have work to be done to effectively educate our children,” said Dr. Lynn House, Interim State Superintendent of Education. “We will continue to ask more of our students with the implementation of Common Core State Standards. If these scores demonstrate anything, it’s that our students will continue to meet the challenges we are presenting them with each year.”

In 2011, fourth, fifth and sixth grade math scores all declined from the previous year. The 2012 MCT 2 assessments show not only increases in those grades but scores topping the mark set two years ago. Language Arts scores also increased across each grade with the seventh grade scores showing the largest increase at six points over the 2011 score.

“The increase in student performance as evidenced by these scores is a direct result of increased rigor in the classroom. Teachers are becoming more aware and better trained in challenging students by using the Common Core State Standards. Student performance should continue to increase as we implement this much more rigorous and complex curriculum for our students,” said James Mason, Director of Student Assessment.

In the Subject Area Testing Program 2(SATP2), scores show increases in English and Biology over the previous year with Algebra showing a decrease from 2011. English scores increased for the second year in a row. During the 2011-2012 school year, a new US History assessment was implemented. This new test represents the fourth SATP2 course conversion to more rigorous assessments based upon national standards. This new exam represents the most challenging of the four SATP2 exams based upon the difficulty of what students are expected to know and do. A new test for Biology was implemented in 2010-2011.

High school students are assessed with the Subject Area Testing Program 2 (SATP2) on four content areas: Algebra I, Biology I, English II (both a Multiple Choice Assessment and Writing Assessment) and U.S. History. Students must earn a passing score on each test to be eligible for graduation. The test results listed represent first-time test takers. Students generally have up to three opportunities each year to earn a passing score on the SATP2 during high school.

SATP results:

·Algebra 82% passing

·Biology 75% passing

·English 73% passing

·U.S. History 72% passing*(a revised, more rigorous test)

“The rise in the English scores is encouraging, but we will keep working to get all the scores up to where they should be,” said Dr. House.

The assessment results will help determine performance classifications for schools and districts using the accountability model. Schools will be classified from highest to lowest: A-F. The 2012 school and district performance classifications will be released September 14th once the State Board of Education approves on the results.


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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Fire

Gallatin and Monument
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

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Latest hurricane pics

from various sources on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites. From top to bottom: West Long Beach, Gulf Shores, Gulf Shores, Waveland









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Romney camp declaring war on the Tea Party?

Might have an RNC food fight. From Freedomworks:


"I just got off the phone with a concerned Florida activist, Laura Noble, who informed me that both of Florida's Rules Committee members, Peter Feaman and Kathleen King, have been removed from the Rules committee and replaced with Romney-appointed delegates.

Clearly anticipating a grassroots backlash against the "compromise" on Rule 15 and the changes on Rule 12 has caused the Romney camp to preemptively replace delegates to ensure they have support on the Rules Committee.

It's enough to make your blood boil.
.."

Rest of the post at Freedomworks. Link

Over at Redstate, Erickson provides some more info:

"At 2:00 p.m. today in Tampa, the Republican National Committee, led by Team Romney, is moving to shut down conservative grassroots activists. I’ve been on the phone with several individuals involved in the fight who tell me that the fight is not over, it is only just starting....

The second rules change would front load winner takes all primaries. Grassroots conservatives point to both Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum as reasons to stop this rule. Had there been front loaded winner takes all primaries, neither the Gingrich nor the Santorum campaigns would have been able to get any traction.

“This is going to be a fight on the floor if they don’t back down. They have too much pride to back down and we’re going to humble them,” said one delegate to the convention.

Another tells me, “They’ve gotten social conservatives comfortable with the platform and now that they’re placated [Team Romney] is going to undercut them with this change.”


Here is one more update at the American Spectator.

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New weatherman

Apparently networks made some changes after one reporter referred to Mississippi as "the land mass between Mobile and New Orleans." Here is one replacement:



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Remembering storms past

Who can forget this nasty windstorm from 1997:

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Monday, August 27, 2012

Coach Don Myer leadership tour coming to Jackson

Coach Don Meyer is returning to Jackson to educate beyond the court at his Leadership Tour Aug. 28. Here is a video about Coach Meyer and more information about the tour stop tomorrow:



The Coach Don Meyer Leadership Tour will take place from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 28, at Jackson Preparatory School located at 3100 Lakeland Drive in Flowood.

Don Meyer is currently the winningest coach in any division in NCAA history. In February 2010 Meyer announced his retirement from coaching, but continues at Northern State University in the role of Regents Distinguished Professor and Assistant to the President.

Following a serious car accident and inoperable cancer diagnosis Meyer has received national recognition in various national media outlets - Sports Illustrated, ESPN, FOX Sports, National Public Radio, Associated Press, CBS News just to name a few. In 2010, he was named the winner of the Jimmy V. Perseverance award at the ESPN ESPY's - Meyer used his national spotlight to again promote the community he calls home - Northern State University and Aberdeen, SD. That same year Meyer was recognized at the NCAA Final Four.

Meyer has been married to his wife Carmen for 44 years. The couple have three children and 8 grandchildren.

He spoke at the 2011 Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership’s Annual Meeting and is returning this year to educate beyond the court. His Servant Leadership seminars captivate people from all walks of life. Wish his personal inspiring story, Coach Meyer encourages all to keep moving forward.

“Coach Don Meyer is an inspirational teacher with a tough persona but a tender heart,” said GJCP President Duane O’Neill. “While his accomplishments on and off the court are amazing, I admire him most of all as a man of faith.”

Rick Cleveland of the MS Sports Hall of Fame said Don Meyer is one of the most inspirational people he has ever met. “He could flat-out coach, but like most great coaches, he would have been successful no matter what field he chose.”

Registration begins at 8 a.m. with “Do I have what it takes to be a servant leader” from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. At 12:45 p.m., Meyer will conclude his seminar with “Building a Team of Servant Leaders.”

The registration fee for the seminar is $20. Registration Fee for undergraduate credit from Northern State University is $60. This includes lunch.

To register, contact Tyler Armstrong at the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership at 601-948-7575 or email tarmstrong@greaterjacksonpartnership.com.

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Feds after the Fraziers

Yes. You read that headline correctly.

JJ has learned a federal grand jury met about the Frazier case several weeks ago. The targets were allegedly Claiborne and Austin Frazier. This being the feds, there are very few details as they do.not.talk. but it is safe to say the feds are after these guys. C.E. Frazier, Jr. was arrested on the Adams County warrant when he appeared to testify and was seen entering the federal building that day by a source. There are unconfirmed reports of additional developments but they will not be posted at this time. Some of you will know what they are but don't get cute in the comments as I'm not approving them.

Collection of all Frazier posts.

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Stay tuned

Got a really good post for you later today.

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Land Mass you say?

Local Jackson resident Jana Bell created a Facebook page that went viral: The Land Mass Between New Orleans and Mobile. Facebook page.

Created only last night, the page has received nearly 25,000 likes in the last 12 hours. Ms. Bell created it after The Weather Channel referred to Mississippi as the "land mass between New Orleans and Mobile" yesterday. Mississippi residents are still sore how the state was ignored in most Katrina coverage even though a great deal of the Gulf Coast was literally wiped off of the map. Its pretty clear more than a few saw the same media numbskullery happening again.

Mrs. Bell told JJ "I was on FB yesterday and saw a friend's post complaining about The Weather Channel referring to Mississippi as a land mass. Instead of getting mad about it, I saw the humor of it and decided to create Facebook page about it. Most of the comments were positive although some were negative as they accused me of trying to profit, which is not true. The page was created in good fun. Then people started posting shelter and storm information so its started to turn into an information source for people. It started out as something funny and turned into something useful."

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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Governor Bryant declares state of emergency

Governor Phil Bryant made the following announcement about the hurricane:

PEARL—Gov. Phil Bryant today declared a State of Emergency ahead of potential impacts from Tropical Storm Isaac. The National Hurricane Center has issued both a tropical storm warning and a hurricane warning for multiple counties in Mississippi.

A hurricane warning means that tropical storm force winds are likely within 36 hours.

The State of Emergency is an administrative tool that allows state resources to be utilized by local governments throughout the areas that could be affected by a disaster.

“Residents should not be frightened because we have issued a State of Emergency,” Gov. Bryant said. “However, I urge individuals and families to finalize their personal preparedness efforts. Review your family communication plan, make sure your emergency supply kit is fully stocked and know where you will go if you need to evacuate.”

Bryant also authorized the Mississippi National Guard to deploy ten members of its civil support team to the coastal counties. The team will work with local emergency management agencies to assist with preparedness efforts and will be on hand to transition to full-scale disaster response if necessary.

“We are taking the threat of impact from Isaac seriously, and we are working to ensure that Mississippi is well-prepared” Gov. Bryant said. “Sound preparations will enable us to ramp up our response without losing time if the situation worsens.”

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency also deployed members of the State Emergency Response Team to Biloxi. The SERT is made up of personnel from several key state agencies including MEMA, Miss. Department of Transportation, Dept. of Public Safety and the Miss. National Guard.

“It is important that we have resources and trained personnel ahead of the storm in those areas which could be potentially impacted by this storm,” said MEMA Director Robert Latham. “The members of the SERT train for events just like this and they are able to support the local counties with state resources turned on by the State of Emergency. We are working closely with local governments within the forecasted impact area to ensure that they have the resources needed to prepare for and respond to this storm.”

The State Emergency Operations Center in Pearl will activate at 7 a.m. tomorrow in preparation for Isaac.

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Ethical question of the day

The Clarion-Ledger is blocking access to hurricane updates on its website unless a subscriber. Should it do so or are such updates more of a public service or public safety matter it should provide for free as part of its responsibility to the public? I can see both sides of this one. What do you think?

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Latest crime stats

Latest online crime stats for the Jackson metro area:

Jackson crime stats through August 12, 2012.

Jackson major crimes overview for week ending August 12, 2012.

City of Madison crime reports through August 23, 2012.

Byram police reports through August 18, 2012.


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New footage of 911

Someone posted on Military.com new footage of the 9/11 attacks he shot while it took place. Warning: Graphic.

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Saturday, August 25, 2012

"America: God's gift to the poor"

I consider this post to be a philosophical treat for you. Eric Hoffer, longshoreman turned philosopher. I discovered this 1960's interview with Mr. Hoffer on Youtube. I highly recommend watching this interview as I think both conservatives and liberals will enjoy it as this is the sort of thing that used to appear on network tv. The title of the post is a quote from the end of the first clip.



Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. Part 5 was not posted

Here are some Hoffer quotes:

Marx never did a day's work in his life, and knew as much about the proletariat as I do about chorus girls.

People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them.

Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.

The sick in soul insist that it is humanity that is sick, and they are the surgeons to operate on it. They want to turn the world into a sickroom. And once they get humanity strapped to the operating table, they operate on it with an ax.

An empty head is not really empty; it is stuffed with rubbish. Hence the difficulty of forcing anything into an empty head.

Ours is a golden age of minorities. At no time in the past have dissident minorities felt so much at home and had so much room to throw their weight around. They speak and act as if they were “the people,” and what they abominate most is the dissent of the majority.

The nineteenth century was naïve because it did not know the end of the story. It did not know what happens when dedicated idealists come to power; it did not know the intimate linkage between idealists and policemen, between being your brother’s keeper and being his jailkeeper.

The best education will not immunize a person against corruption by power. The best education does not automatically make people compassionate. We know this more clearly than any preceding generation. Our time has seen the best-educated society, situated in the heart of the most civilized part of the world, give birth to the most murderously vengeful government in history.



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Friday, August 24, 2012

And now a word from our sponsor

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Haley on the election

Coffee with Haley gives Governor Barbour's views on the current state of the presidential election in the video posted below.

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Continued again

Raymond Ethan Thomas hearing was continued to August 31 in Travis County, Texas. JJ had a correspondent attend the scheduled hearing yesterday.

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Driver's License available for veterans

The Mississippi Highway Patrol announced a special drivers license for veterans:

Mississippi is now one of only 16 states offering a “veteran” designation on driver’s licenses and other state-issued documents. There are approximately 200,000 veterans who call Mississippi home.

“Many businesses provide benefits to veterans, and adding this designation to veterans’ driver’s licenses will ensure that these men and women are recognized for their service to our state and nation,” Governor Phil Bryant said.

There is specific verifying documentation a veteran will have to obtain from officials from the Mississippi Veteran’s Affairs Board before they go to their local driver’s license station to obtain the veteran’s driver’s license. The process to get the paperwork is simple, but the certification from the Veteran’s Affairs Board must be presented before the new veteran’s license can be obtained.

Veterans who wish to obtain the credential in advance of the normal renewal period must pay the associated replacement fees to get the document. Any subsequent documents an enrolled Veteran receives from the Department of Public Safety will have the “veteran” designation.

“Our veterans have provided a service protecting our nation’s freedom, and we are honored to offer the new ‘veteran’ designation on documents our agency issues,” said Public Safety Commissioner Albert Santa Cruz.

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Jeb Bush addresses Mississippi legislators

Jeb Bush visited Mississippi recently and spoke about education reform at a forum hosted by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. Governor Phil Bryant introduced the former Governor. Governor Bush starts at the beginning of the second clip.

Governor Bryant at 4:30


Governor Bush starts at 00:30






Q&A




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Thursday, August 23, 2012

Hearing on Reunion tonight

Meeting tonight in Madison on Reunion Subdivision concerning the Master Plan

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Hinds looking at tax increase

Check out this notice that was in the newspaper this week.

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Someone loves his coffee waaaay too much

I think I finally found the secret fetish of the Market Ticker's Karl Denninger. Here is what he wrote in a critique about Starbucks in a post about the company's stock recently.

The problem is that unlike most foods roasted coffee doesn't turn into something dangerous and thus unmarketable after it expires.

It just tastes like crap.

A properly-pulled espresso with fresh beans has about a 1/4-1/3" layer of crema on the top; a natural "foam" that is produced from the extraction of the coffee under ~120psi of water pressure. To get a proper crema layer you need three things to be right:

* The coffee has to be fresh; no more than 2 weeks post-roast, and the roast must be neither too dark or too light (for most coffees suitable for espresso this means you want to pull the roast just as it enters "second crack".) Starbucks fails here -- their coffee is roasted too dark for optimum extraction.

* The temperature of the water in the brewing unit has to be almost-exactly right. Proper extraction takes place around 198F. The exact temperature varies somewhat with the blend of coffee being extracted, but once you have the proper temperature you need to maintain it with no more than ~2 degree variance for best results. If the water is too cold the coffee is extremely acid in taste, if too hot it tastes burnt.

*In addition, the pressure in the brewing basket must be around 8 bar, which means your coffee grind must be exactly right, since that's what provides the back-pressure on the system. If the grind is too coarse the coffee will be "thin"; if too fine it will be extremely bitter.

I have never gotten a Starbucks espresso with a proper layer of crema on it.

If you roast your coffee too dark on purpose you degrade a lot of the flavors that are in the natural bean. This, however, results in coffee that doesn't get much worse if the roasted coffee is older than they should be. It just sucks to start with and continues to suck.

If you drink your coffee with all sorts of crap in it you probably don't notice this much; the "Carmel Macchiato Grande'" is almost all milk and caramel syrup, with a couple of shots of coffee in it. I bet you could substitute battery acid for the coffee and you might not know the difference!

But I drink my espresso as straight shots, and unfortunately every sin the cafe makes is blatant and exposed to the palate when you drink it that way. And I'll not kid you -- I find Starbucks coffee nearly undrinkable, to the point that I will only buy shots there if I need the caffeine and am willing to simply not care if it tastes like brewed dog****.

Think of it as the McDonalds' model. You'll never get an outstanding hamburger at McDonalds'. But you will get the exact same hamburger at every McDonalds' anywhere in the nation. I can pull into one here, one in Michigan, one in California and one in Colorado and when I order a Quarter Pounder with Cheese I know exactly what it's going to taste like. McDonalds' goes to a lot of trouble to make sure that this happens, as it's basically what they are selling -- the same thing, everywhere, every time, even if it's uninspiring at best.

This is the Starbucks' business model.

Unfortunately for people like me, I want an exceptional espresso. I want to taste nuances of chocolate, nut and even fruit overtones in the cup, and I don't want to have drown it with sugar or crap like caramel sauce.

I'll never get that coffee at Starbucks. Their entire system is designed around "make it fast, get it out, price it to wherever you can get away with."

That might work in an iPhoney world, which we seem to be in.

But as earnings showed, perhaps, on balance, people just expected too much from a company that at its core turned from being a coffee lover's paradise into the McDonalds' of coffee.

Now please excuse me while I drag my snobbish coffee-swilling face in front of my espresso machine and pull myself another shot.

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WJNT yesterday

We had Leland Speed on the show yesterday. We talked about his tenure at MDA, education, flood control, the building of the Rez, and his father as Mayor of Jackson. Enjoy.

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Romney coming to coast

Baby Romney coming to the coast for a fund-raiser:

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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Supes vote down saggy pants ordinance (Video)

Looks like something else will continue to drive Kenneth Stokes crazy- sagging pants on yewts. The Hinds County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to reject a proposed ordinance to fine individuals if their pants "sagged" too low.*

Supervisor Stokes proposed the new law that would create a fine of $5 for a first offense and $10 for subsequent ones. Mr. Stokes said "I don't care who it is, there is no one up here who is going to hire someone coming up here looking for a job with their behind showing."

Supervisor Phil Fisher said the ordinance "needed to have some bite in it" for it to have any effect and it would be yet another law "on the books that may not be enforced" and was not a "solution". He said it was already banned in the schools and although he didn't like it, he said "at the end of the day, where does the ball stop?" Supervisor Calhoun said she "didn't like sagging pants at all" but considered it to be a fad and compared them to tatoos covering the body. She suggested they should just "go up to the kid and talk to that kid". Supervisor Graham said he agreed with both sides but voted against the ordinance.

A public hearing was held by the Supervisors two weeks ago.



*Aye: Kenneth Stokes, Doug Anderson Nay: Robert Graham, Phil Fisher, Peggy Hobson-Calhoun

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Senator Chris McDaniel: Capitalism works

Senator Chris McDaniel submitted this column to this website.

The European nation which recorded the largest decrease in income inequality between 1985 and 2008 was Greece. In calling for higher taxes and more regulations to manage its sprawling welfare state, its economy suffered greatly. The Greek government was consequently left with an unwelcome reality -- either it could pay down the debt or put more money in the pockets of the poor, but it could not do both. Now a debt crisis threatens the country's stability.

Unwilling to learn from history, a number of American malcontents, who believe they have been insufficiently rewarded by the capitalist system, are now demanding federal action to “solve” wealth inequality by insisting on higher taxation combined with new regulations of the labor and capital markets.

Members of the Occupy Wall Street movement, for example, rightly bemoan public bailouts of financial institutions because of corruption and greed, but they have no objections whatsoever regarding forced wealth transfers to benefit their own selfish interests. Politicians should, they contend, seize wealth and redistribute it as long as is taken from the so-called wealthy and given to them.

Since they lack something of value to offer the market, they want to make sure nobody else has it either, preferring to use government to achieve what they never could with their own talents, ambition and drive.

Inequalities created by capitalism may be resentful to some, but they are the byproducts of a necessary process. Supreme Court Justice Mahlon Pitney in Coppage v. Kansas said it best when he examined capitalism's systemic exchange: “It is from the nature of things impossible to uphold freedom of contract and the right of private property without at the same time recognizing as legitimate those inequalities of fortune that are the necessary result of the exercise of those rights.”

Richard A. Epstein, one of the brightest legal minds in the country, recently discussed the beneficial aspects of free markets, social cooperation and voluntary transactions in his article, “Three Cheers for Income Inequality.”

He explained that an effective system works in three stages. “First,” he wrote, “these transactions, on average, will make all parties to them better off. The only way the rich succeed is by helping their trading partners along the way. Second, the successes of the rich afford increased opportunities for gain to other people in the form of new technologies and businesses for others to exploit. Third, the initial success of the rich businessman paves the way for competitors to enter the marketplace. This, in turn, spurs the original businessman to make further improvements to his own goods and services.”

Simply put, inequalities created under capitalism pay for themselves by resulting increases in wealth. Forced transfers of income, on the other hand, are dangerous because they remove capital that is required to generate new ventures and erode incentives to create wealth in the first place.

The weakness of egalitarianism is that it demands uniformity, refusing to consider differing abilities or efforts. If financial inequality exists, it is because successful individuals outperform unsuccessful ones, prospering without government aid or resorting to force.

Individuals, rather than being punished for success, should be encouraged to advance according to their abilities and achieve whatever their talents allow. Government should never spread economic misery by bringing down the most capable to the level of the least capable. Forcing some to fail won't make others rise.

Capitalism has allowed unparalleled progress, despite the gaps that develop between the rich and poor. Although not always perfectly “fair” in outcomes, it provides a sustainable abundance of food, energy, housing and medicine for all classes of society, while assuring individuals the freedom to take risks, compete, invest and achieve financial independence.

There is a place for reform to improve the conditions of the disadvantaged, including educational opportunities, job creation and even private charity. Likewise, corporate welfare or government favors designed to enrich the powerful at the expense of the powerless must not be condoned. But that does not mean our economic system should be re-engineered to chase a utopian fantasy.

Equal opportunity is one thing; equality in outcome is something else altogether.

If you have any questions about this issue or any others, please feel free to contact me at cmcdaniel@senate.ms.gov or call me at 601-359-2220.

You can also contact me via Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/chris.mcdaniel1 or at Twitter by visiting https://twitter.com/#!/senatormcdaniel.

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Update on Watkins & Meridian

WJTV posted a follow-up story alleging "scrutiny" of a David Watkins project in Meridian:

" Our I-team investigation into Jackson developer David Watkins is now getting attention from taxpayers in another part of the state.
It involves a development deal Watkins has with the city of Meridian.
Last year, Meridian officials signed a lease with Watkins of more than $300,000 to rent a building to house the new police station.
Watkins is renovating the old cowboy maloney store near downtown.
Critics say the project has been delayed for months, and Watkins forced the city to sign the lease twice after he changed the terms of the deal.
Meridian’s ward 5 council member Bobby Smith is one of two who voted against the Watkins deal.
“It was three to two, sooner or later I got a feeling everyone who voted for it will regret what they done," Smith said.
Smith says he regrets his decision to agree to pay Watkins $10,000 a month as a development consultant.
"At the time I wasn't aware of how he was operating."
Because of construction delays, Smith says Watkins monthly fee was reduced to $1.
Watkins had been overseeing two big projects for the city of Jackson
He was the managing partner of Retro Metro, which is in charge of the renovation at the old Belk building at metro center mall.
We learned he was recently bought out by three other Jackson businessmen.
Watkins told us this week he left that project to focus his efforts on renovating the historic Farish street business district.
We’ve also learned some companies are suing Watkins claiming he has not paid them for work done.
According to Watkins, all the lawsuits have been settled or soon will be.


Well, not exactly. Construction stalled on the project and the fee paid to Mr. Watkins was indeed reduced to $1. However, Citizens National Bank essentially took over the project. The local bank kicked in $1 million in historic tax credits and hired a new builder. The Meridian Star reported on June 26:

"As promised, work crews were on site Monday morning to continue renovations to the old Cowboy Maloney building on 22nd Avenue. That's where work is under way to turn the building into a new police department. The Meridian City Council approved a lease with Meridian Law Enforcement Center LLC on Saturday, paving the way for work to get going again.

Work had stalled on the multi-million dollar project as David Watkins of Watkins Development awaited valuable tax credits from state and federal sources. The new contractor for the project, Tim Allred of Heritage Building Corporation, came on board about two months ago and had told the council Friday if they approved the revised lease Friday or Saturday, he could be on the job as early as Monday"
.Article

The article includes some press releases from the Mayor and City Council that provide more information. My interpretation? The local bank stepped up, kicked in the money needed, the city council hired a new builder, and Watkins was allowed to keep his name on the project.

Earlier post about City reducing Watkins $10,000 monthly fee to $1

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Reader don't like Obamacare

An attorney I know gave me permission to post this little comment about Obamacare from her Facebook page. She found out what privacy means under the new law.


I am totally embarrassed by a couple of Republicans saying and doing asinine things recently, but want to get out this WORD. Went to a health care provider today who is complying with the requirements of Obamacare. My visits, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment plan, (all for my neck) are required to be placed on the internet where all the health care providers, government and insurance companies are online together.

So- if I (or you) are seeing any doctor for anything (like suppose, a "rape" as has been in the headlines recently), under Obamacare, every medical provider and insurer and God knows every hacker in the world would know about it. So much for HIPAA. In other words, if you go to your doctor in the unfortunate event you have been "raped," it will be all over the information superhighway, REQUIRED by Obamacare. WHERE ARE THE HIPPIES WHO USED TO PROTEST BIG BROTHER/BIG GOVERNMENT? They are eerily silent, or like most Americans, ignorant of the socialist medicine Obamacare truly is. Our government should not be making our healthcare decisions or exploiting our health issues. Just saying I am quite upset about it because I did not realize the ramifications of the small print in the bill until today, and we have not begun to scratch the surface as Obamacare is just beginning to be implemented. Also, anyone over 70 is considered a "unit" not a person, and the "unit"'s value (whether treatment is warranted, i.e., whether they should even get treatment) is left to an idiot, or a panel of them. THAT IS IMMORAL!
Law


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Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Anguilla town clerk arrested

The State Auditor's office made the following announcement:

"(Jackson, Miss.) State Auditor Stacey Pickering announced today special agents arrested Manika Kelly, former town clerk for the City of Anguilla, following a grand jury indictment on the charge of embezzlement. The alleged embezzlement occurred for the time period of October 2006 through November 2011 totaling $107,444.67.

Kelly served as town clerk from July 2001 through February 7, 2012 when she was terminated by the City. Her responsibilities included receipting and depositing fees paid to the Town of Anguilla for water and sewer services.

“I appreciate the work of District Attorney Ricky Smith in taking this case to the Grand Jury and indicting so expeditiously,” said State Auditor Stacey Pickering. “Across the state, my office has the opportunity to work with so many local elected officials that are equally committed to holding individuals accountable for their actions and protecting the taxpayers from fraud, waste and abuse.”

Manika Kelly was booked by the Sharkey County Sheriff’s Office and bond was set at $15,000 on Monday, August 20, 2012."

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Tomorrow on WJNT

Leland Speed will appear on the show tomorrow morning on WJNT, 1180 AM, from 8:05 to 9:00 PM. Feel free to call in with your questions at 601-366-1180. You can stream the show at www.wjnt.com or through the Tunein Radio app. The app is available to Iphone, Android, and Blackberry users as well as their corresponding tablets.

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Cramer goes OFF on Facebook

Cramer blows up over the Facebook fraud this morning on CNBC:


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Kesslers celebrate 30 years of Broadway in Jackson

What started with Annie turns into a 30-year anniversary as William and Averyell Kessler bring Broadway to Jackson again this year. Ms. Kessler told JJ there is nothing special planned "because we plan to keep going. Hopefully there will be a fortieth and fiftieth anniversaries if I'm alive."

Ms. Kessler announced the following tour dates:
Shrek the Musical: November 12 & 13
Blue Man Group: January 28 & 29
Elvis Lives: April 23 & 24
Hair: May 9 & 10
The Addams Family: June 3 & 4

Ms. Kessler said "Our first show was a play, Children of a Lesser God". It was an experiment because unlike the typical Broadway show, the play was a drama. Ms. Kessler said the play was "well-received and the theater was half-full" so "we brought the first musical to Jackson, Annie. "The national tour was ending and so the touring company extended it for two days so they could bring the show to Jackson. It was fun for everyone as they provided an unexpected treat. Since it was the last night of the tour, the Annie girls were allowed to come on stage at the end of the show and sing their favorite songs. It was a treat we did not expect. "When we announced we were bringing Annie to Jackson, no one could believe it. "People kept asking us if this was the real broadway show as they expected it to be a local production. They just could not believe a professional Broadway show was coming to Jackson in 1982. The shows sold out." Since then the number of shows have varied from four to six shows each year.

Ms. Kessler said Broadway has always been in her blood. "I was raised in a family that loves Broadway. My husband made contacts in New York City and after some time he was offered the chance to bring shows to Jackson as the touring companies were wanting to expand into the South." She said she has seen everything in "this business." We have seen "a lead actor arrested in the middle of Capital Street to Russian musicians fighting backstage to leads falling in love and getting married."

She said the crazy contracts some stars request are rather interesting. David Copperfield required a fresh pineapple (No, he does not live in Reunion) sliced a certain way every day. The slices could not be round nor have holes in the middle. It had to be spears. On the other hand, she said Cathy Rigby was a pure delight as she stayed until everyone who wanted an autograph got one. She even overroded her stage crew when they advised her not to perform one stunt that required her to fly over the audience. Ms. Kessler said she knew how much it meant to the kids and insisted on performing the stunt until they relented.

She said Beauty and the Beast and Peter Pan were the top two shows presented in Jackson last year. "We like to have a show for children and a classic show for the younger audience." She said the shows "are profitable or else we wouldn't be doing it" although the recession has not ignored them.

Ms. Kessler said the biggest change over the years is the technology. "The scenery, sound and lighting have improved tremendously as they are more like what you will see in a Broadway theater. There used to be days when the background was painted or canvas was used. We can't do that anymore. The talent level is the same as that on Broadway as the younger actors "realize they can get just as much recognition on a national tour as they can in New York City. A national tour is a very valuable thing to have for credits and experience.

She said the audience used to be more formally dressed and people now come in blue jeans. Ms. Kessler said "We have a diverse audience. We're starting to see more schools attending our shows. We also see many mothers and daughters using them for a "bonding experience".

Ms. Kessler said it was hard to pick a favorite show as "the next one is always my favorite." However, when pressed by this correspondent, she admitted they were Hello Dolly with Carol Channing and Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby. She then accused me of not asking a fair question (guilty).

Go to Kesslerbroadway.com if interested in purchasing tickets. Ms. Kessler said there is a discount for purchasing season tickets.

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Monday, August 20, 2012

Tax increase coming to Madison County

Madison County Board of Supervisors will be raising taxes according to this memo obtained by JJ.

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WJTV to Watkins: Show me the money

Ross Adams reported on WJTV Friday night there may be some questions about how developer David Watkins is spending taxpayer dollars:



Watch this at WJTV

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Supes go after MDOT (Video)

Hinfd County Board of Supervisors just voted to hire attorney Barry Howard to sue MDOT over a lack of highway funds privded to Hinds County. Supervisor Phil Fisher was the only vote against the action. The board will hire Mr. Howard on a contingency-fee basis. Watch for yourself.


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DJ gets paid

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors just voted to pay Derrick Johnson $40,000 for redistricting. Supervisor Phil Fisher cast the only vote against the payment.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

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From the mailbag

Our old friend Golden AE has a few things to say about my appearing on WJNT in this email to me:

Kingfish:

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/god-and-country/2009/06/09/obama-mentions-jesus-more-than-bush-but-acknowledges-the-godless-more-too

www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/januaryweb-only/104-32.0.html

http://cathleenfalsani.com/obama-on-faith-the-exclusive-interview/

http://www.christianpost.com/news/obama-gives-thanks-to-god-in-thanksgiving-proclamation-47782/

Pretty shameful and disgraceful is your association with people that obviously and intentionally try to promote untruth. Disliking someone does not require you lying on them. The act of lying on another to try to bolster a point actually reflects worse on the person that would do it than the subject of the lie. You are a self-professed seeker and teller of truth. That being the case, it seems hard for you to breathe into a microphone that probably still has the half and complete untruths that Kent and Larry have put on it and not feel obligated to correct them. Is this what politics has devolved to?

You guys can totally hate Obama for his policies and you have every right to do that. But when you drift over into calling people enemies of the United States, liars, and questioning their faith, common decency would say you should have something to support that. I can not recall you doing anything like that, but I am sure that you are aware that Kent and Larry both do it(routinely). So, if you really are all about getting truth to the people, demand that they but some facts behind their ridiculous assertions and claims.

President Obama has not only stated on numerous occasions that he is a Christian, but his family life seems to be a good expression of that faith. However, on the flip side, I am hearing attacks on Obama's faith and the Republican nominee is a Mormon. Mormonism is a cult. They do not believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In Mormonism, Jesus is not God. IF you know ANYTHING about Chrisitianity, the number ONE basic requirement is that you believe that Jesus is Lord. They do not believe that Jesus dying on the cross was enough to forgive our sins. So, if we are going to have a faith discussion, don't you think this would be a better place to start than attacking the guy who has said he is a Christian? Just asking.

Lastly, how do you feel as comfortable as you do publicly attacking people's character and you do so behind a nickname?

Forward this to Kent and Larry because I heard them say this morning they were not aware of this information.


I don't know Golden, I feel as comfortable as you do hiding behind GoldenAE on various websites and emails. Why don't you ask Kamikaze what he thinks? Last time I checked, you never asked him that question. So let me get this straight. I'm responsible for every remark uttered by every other host that appears on WJNT. Hell, lets throw in Supertalk while we are at it as well. How do they find me?

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On the agenda today

Some tidbits from the Hinds County Board of Supervisors agenda for today's meeting:

*Discuss advertising for EOC Director candidates (Fisher)
*Discuss suing MDOT (Stokes)
*Discuss repealing $2000 limit on travel budget for Supes (Stokes)
*Discuss repealing hiring freeze (Stokes)
*Vote on sagging pants ordinance
*Resolution asking Jackson to help fund new detention center (Stokes)
*South Mississippi Electric appeal for microwave tower

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Sunday, August 19, 2012

Waterspout on the Rez

Here are pics taken a few minutes ago of a waterspout on the Rez. Pictures are from various Facebook pages.











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Ed Expert discusses choice and Mississippi schools.

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy hosted education expert Lance Izumi* at a Liberty Luncheon recently. One simple question was the focus of the discussion: Exactly how good are Mississippi schools?



Schedule of items of interest in video:
3:04 Introduction by Forest Thigpen
15:00 Izumi begins speech. First talks about choice in schools.
30:22 Discusses how schools in middle class & affluent areas don't do that well
32:29 Mississippi's performance on MCT and NAEP tests. This is the part to watch. Breaks it down to income levels of students. Very interesting.
39:00 Compares to international scores using NAEP (national test).
46:00 Discusses Sweden's universal voucher program
52:00 Questions & Answers

Follow along his powerpoint presentation.


*Link to biography.

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Saturday, August 18, 2012

SANDERS SPEAKS!!!

For your Saturday night viewing pleasure.

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Adams County indicts C.E. Frazier for embezzlement

C.E. Frazier, Jr. was arrested on August 7 in Jackson on an outstanding arrest warrant in Adams County. Mr. Frazier is the father of Claiborne and Austin Frazier. Arrest warrant

An Adams County grand jury indicted Mr. Frazier in 2009 for two counts of embezzlement of $30,643 and $18,620. The indictment states he embezzled in his capacity as a managing partner between C.E. Frazier Construction Company and Edgin Construction Company on a project in Adams County. The grand jury issued the arrest warrant on March 23, 2009 but sources told JJ Mr. Frazier was not arrested because no one knew where he was as he is not a resident of Adams County. Adams County authorities learned he was to appear at the federal courthouse* and made arrangements with local law enforcement to arrest him when he appeared. Mr. Frazier posted a $5,000 bond. Acknowledgement, Notice of bond, Order of bond

Mr. Frazier will appear at 1:00 PM on September 27 in Adams County Circuit Court for arraignment.

Collection of all Frazier posts. *There was a bankruptcy proceeding last week.

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Friday, August 17, 2012

Sewage on Sheffield

A Northsider who lives on Sheffield sent me this video of raw sewage flooding Sheffield Drive this morning and an accompanying post.



For several years the 1400-1500 block of Sheffield (in between Ridgewood and Old Canton) has had severe flooding problems every time it rains, due to a collapsed storm water sewage pipe. About a month ago two large sink holes appeared in the street and it was partially closed. This was a result of the 24" black-water sewage pipe collapsing, and the underground pumping station broke 2 weeks later (last Monday.) Rather than fixing the 24" pipe, the city obtained permission from an area resident to divert the sewage by way of a very large, very loud pumping unit to a 6" pipe though her back yard. This pipe not only serves the residential area, but also serves all of the commercial area to the west of Old Canton as well (Kroger, etc.) It is not large enough to solve the problem. This morning during the heavy rain, the pipes connected to the pump broke and spewed raw sewage into the streets that mixed with the rainwater, which also could not drain due to the collapsed storm pipes. This is the video you see now. Not only is this a health hazard for the street's resident's, but Wee World Pre-School is also on the 1500 block of Sheffield, directly across Ridgewood from the Jackson Academy Elementary School.

City Councilman Quentin Whitwell was quick to get help, and according to State Senator Will Longwitz facebook update the city has cleaned the mess, fixed the pipe, and DEQ has been on the scene to monitor and spray disinfectant.

The problem of course is this is a "temporary" fix to a major infrastructure problem, and this could likely happen every time the area receives a decent rainfall. The city cannot provide any timeline for fixing the problem, and as we know from a similar situation in Fondren, the city took two years to fix the issue.

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Cecil pushes "parent trigger" for charter schools

Representative Cecil Brown submitted this column to JJ for publication:

Rep. Cecil Brown: “Parent Trigger Law” an important part of education reform

In their push for a more expansive charter school law in Mississippi, charter proponents have attempted to repeal our existing charter school law. Their explanation is that the law is too weak. In fact, while it is not a comprehensive charter law, the Mississippi law is part of a nationwide movement to give parents of kids in failing schools an opportunity to take over control of their local schools and to give their kids a chance at educational success.

This provision was adopted in the 2010 legislative session by an overwhelming vote of members of both political parties and signed by Governor Barbour. Known nationally as a “parent trigger law,” Mississippi’s law allows parents of children in chronically underperforming schools to take over governance of the school. By a vote of parents of more than 50% of the kids in the school, the parents can elect a “local management board” for their school, remove some or all of the school’s teachers and administrators, develop their own curriculum and schedules and, in essence, convert the school to a charter school. The school would remain a public school and would receive the same local, state and federal support it received before the conversion but would no longer be governed by the local school board. Under federal law, the provisions of the “No Child Left Behind Act” would continue to apply, but administration of the school would be left up to the school’s duly elected local management board. Day to day operations could be contracted out to a charter school operator such as KIPP, or the board could hire its own personnel. The law applies to schools that are in the lowest three categories of performance for three consecutive years, and there is no limit on the number of schools that can convert. The three year measurement period has now passed, so the current 2012-2013 school year is the first year that the conversion will be available.

Based on the most recent available data, dozens of Mississippi schools will be eligible to be converted to charter schools under the parent trigger law. Already, a number of parent groups have contacted the State Department of Education to inquire about the process. Unfortunately, the uncertainty caused by the proposed repeal legislation has caused these groups and the State Department to slow down the application process.

Mississippi was the second state in the country to adopt a parent trigger law. Now, as of June 2012, more than 20 states have considered parent trigger legislation, and seven of them have enacted some version of the law. Among the states with new parent trigger laws are Louisiana, Texas, Indiana and Ohio, all with Republican governors. Obviously, we were at the forefront of this innovative wave of reform.

I believe the Mississippi will adopt a new charter school law, and I support reasonable charter legislation. But the existing parent trigger law will not conflict with that legislation and should be preserved. There is no reason to repeal this progressive legislation while other states across the country are adopting similar provisions.
Cecil Brown
House of Representatives
District 66
Jackson

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Thursday, August 16, 2012

Daddy Frazier in jail







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and the GOP word on the street is....

Brandon Payne will be the new Executive Director of the Mississippi Republican Party. Several sources confirmed it today.

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Reeves names two new chairmen

The Lieutenant Governor names two new committee chairmen in this press release:

JACKSON – Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves today announced the appointment of new chairmen for two of the Senate’s top committees by naming Sen. Terry Burton to lead the Energy Committee and Sen. John Polk to lead the Universities and Colleges Committee.

“I appreciate the service of these senators as they take on additional duties in these new roles,” Lt. Gov. Reeves said.

Sen. Burton, R-Newton, will lead the 15-member Energy Committee, which oversees legislation related to the oil and gas industry, public utilities and other energy needs. The committee was created by Lt. Gov. Reeves in January to emphasize the state’s focus on energy-related economic development. Sen. Burton replaces Merle Flowers, who resigned July 11 from the Senate District 19 seat.

“The energy sector is a critical growth area in our state’s economy, and Sen. Burton brings legislative and economic development expertise to this new role,” Lt. Gov. Reeves said. “I appreciate his service as Chairman of the Energy Committee.”


“Mississippi is well-positioned to be an energy leader with our strong resources in natural gas, biomass and new technologies, including solar industry manufacturing,” Sen. Burton said. “I look forward to leading the Energy Committee and playing an aggressive role in shaping the state’s energy future.”

Sen. John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, will move to chairman of the 13-member Universities and Colleges Committee, as current chairman Sen. Burton takes on his new role. Sen. Polk previously served as vice chairman of this committee.

“In his first year in the Senate, Sen. Polk has proven to be a knowledgeable leader who is eager to tackle any issue,” Lt. Gov. Reeves said. “Through his experience as a successful businessman, he understands the role our universities and community colleges play in attracting better jobs and shaping the state’s future.”


“Our universities and community colleges are the backbone of Mississippi’s economic success because they train our workforce,” Polk said. “As chairman, I will continue to strongly support universities and community colleges so they can meet the demands of a high-skilled labor market.”

Other committee vacancies will be filled after the Nov. 6 election to fill Senate District 19.

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Yesterday on WJNT.

Columnist Bryan Perry came on WJNT yesterday and discussed with me the Ryan pick and the presidential race for most of the hour. Then we had a colorful and entertaining phone call from Clarence.

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Top businesswoman's poll results.

The first round of the "Top Businesswoman in Jackson" poll is now over. Here are the results. The top ten are highlighted. The top ten will be placed into a new poll on Monday. There were some surprises here as I thought Gail Pittman, Nany King, and the couple who own Keifer's would have gotten more votes. Oh well, that is why you actually play the game. Here are the results.


Whitney Giordano (Material Girl) 121 (3%)
Susan Lunardini (Southern Consultants) 91 (2%)
Rebecca Laskin (Laskin Therapy) 1 (0%)
Suzanne Moak (Smoak Salon) 42 (1%)
April Davidson (Mortgage 1st) 9 (0%)
Jill Conner Browne 21 (0%)
Judy Lindsay (Beyond Therapy) 7 (0%)
Liza Looser (Cirlot Agency) 55 (1%)
Connie McCaa (Lasik Doctor) 125 (4%)
Alex Wilkes/Leslie Decker (Alex&Lele) 7 (0%)
Jessie Long/Amanda Quarles (Dirty Hippie Soap) 24 (0%)
Bridget McCart Tisdale (Easely Amused) 15 (0%)
Beth Clay (Clay firm) 533 (17%)
Noreen Bozeman (Ins) 4 (0%)
Pamela Hancock (atty) 116 (3%)
Bebe Wolfe (Wolfe Studio) 4 (0%)
Nancy King (Nandy's Candy) 20 (0%)
Gail Pittman 56 (1%)
Ginger Green (Kolbs) 0 (0%)
Kristin Tubb (Orange Peel) 1 (0%)
Misti Garner/Ginger Thornton 29 (0%)
Jennifer Simmons/Kathryn Shamburger (Pink Bombshell) 18 (0%)
Patty Christis (Peck) 8 (0%)
Susanne Moore (Dentist) 4 (0%)
Liz Henry (Jewelry) 1 (0%)
Amanda Overby (Overby Co.) 184 (5%)
Jude Muse (Treehouse boutique) 7 (0%)
Lauren McGraw (Gotta Go) 93 (3%)
Joanne Hartley (Molecules) 7 (0%)
Cheryl Hill (Images Hair salon) 7 (0%)
Alyson Swalley/Alice Harrigil (Party City) 6 (0%)
Paula & Sybil Coe (Keifers) 10 (0%)
Cherry Deddens (Real Estate) 4 (0%)
Tracy Szilasi (Maison Weiss) 4 (0%)
Jeanelle Caraway (Photo) 5 (0%)
Gale Fisher (Wavelenths) 12 (0%)
Vickie Graves (AMS Mortgage) 11 (0%)
Cindy Clegg (A Catered Affair) 1 (0%)
Olga 27 (0%)
Nancy Boyll (New Summit) 10 (0%)
Elizabeth Crisler (Liquid Creative) 4 (0%)
Dana Canoy (Village Boutique) 2 (0%)
Jeanie Malouf (Real Estate) 3 (0%)
Belinda Patterson Manor 2 (0%)
Kendall Poole (Event Planning) 19 (0%)
Jackie Mize (Gold&Guns) 24 (0%)
Leigh Reeves (Social South) 181 (5%)
Stacey Putnam (Crave Branding) 3 (0%)
Dr. Priscilla Jolly 17 (0%)
Alissa Berry (Casabella) 123 (4%)
Wendy Putt (Fresh Cut) 50 (1%)
Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell 21 (0%)
Jill Beneke (Pileum) 29 (0%)
Janice Cameron (Cups) 8 (0%)
Marlana Walters (Everyday Gourmet) 37 (1%)
Beth Henry (Staffers) 16 (0%)
Olivia King (Olivia's Food Emp.) 9 (0%)
Nina Batchelor (Fleet Morris Petroleum) 4 (0%)
Alyssa Farmer (Lace Bridal) 123 (4%)
Dianne Alford (Two Sisters) 48 (1%)
Toni Cooley (Systems Electrocoating) 27 (0%)
Elizabeth Upchurch (Fresh Ink) 4 (0%)
Tracey Miles (Hops & Habanas) 35 (1%)
Margaret Byrd (Mortgage Connection) 3 (0%)
Michelle Austin (Repeat Street) 24 (0%)
Clare Hester (Capital Resources Group) 450 (14%)
Elizabeth Bryant (Sincerely Yours) 15 (0%)
Karen Gilder (Portico) 37 (1%)
Myung Cockrell (Prof. Alterations) 10 (0%)
Savita Nair 8 (0%)
Charlotte Smith (Real Estate) 16 (0%)
Sheramie Shore (NY Southern Style) 5 (0%)
Ronnie Davis (Inside Story) 6 (0%)
Myrna Alexander (Jackson Cardiology) 10 (0%)

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Oh yeah

Nandy's Candy. Waiting for you to come in and purchase.


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Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Who is this?

Who is the Jacksonian in this high school photo?



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Check out the Frazier page

Since I'm still getting inquiries about the Fraziers, I created a page containing all the posts. Collection of all Frazier posts.

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Housekeeping

Time for a little chastising. Clean up the comments a little. The language and insults are starting to get out of hand. What burns me up is when someone writes a 3 paragraph well informed comment only to ruin it in the last sentence with the f word or a-hole. The personal attacks are getting ridiculous as well. As for Shadow, KK, and Meople, y'all are as bad as some three year olds arguing over who touched who first. Y'all aren't happy unless you are tormenting each other. Well, knock it off. I'm not allowing comments on this post. Clean it up some. Mount Sinai has spoken.

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Mike on plantation politics

Mike Carroll has a few things to say about what he calls "liberal plantation politics". May be offensive to some.

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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

CL: Mediscare or bust.

Looks like the Clarion-Ledger is allowing Sam Hall to masquerade as a journalist. Mr. Hall is the former Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Party and the "Community Voices Editor" at the newspaper. If Hurst horde kept him on the editorial page that would be one thing but today, they allowed him to play in the journalism sandbox. The newspaper published a story about the emergence of Medicare as a campaign issue, after Mitt Romney selected Representative Paul Ryan to be his nominee for Vice President.

The story has the title: "Focus on Medicare: Ryan plan a lightning rod." Wow. Nice headline. Automatically casts the Ryan plan in a negative light. Now for the opening rounds, oops, I meant sentences:

"Led by President Barack Obama, Democrats claimed on Monday that Republican challenger Mitt Romney privately backs controversial plans to overhaul Medicare and cut trillions from social programs that his new vice presidential running mate has publicly proposed.

Rep. Paul Ryan "has given definition to the vague commitments that Romney has been making," Vice President Joe Biden said as the Democrats welcomed the Wisconsin lawmaker to the race with a barrage of criticism. "There is no distinction" between the two, he said.
.."

That's right. Open with the President's criticism. The story then jumps to the Republican side and publishes a few obligatory quotes. The scrutiny then returns to Mr. Ryan:

"The idea behind Ryan's Medicare plan is to slow growing costs and keep the program more affordable for the long haul.

But it's all in the details. The Republican-backed shift to private insurance plans could saddle future retirees with thousands of dollars a year in additional bills.

That would leave the children of the baby boom generation with far less protection from medical expenses than their parents and grandparents have had in retirement.
.."

OK, let's scare people. That's right, mean ole Paul Ryan is going to stick it to you with thousands of dollars in medical bills. No sources are cited. No data is mentioned. Not even a study by a left-wing think tank. I can hear an elderly person thinking now "Why does he hate us so much?" No, Sam Hall and his friends have so little respect for you they just dish out this slop and expect you to slurp it up like the sheep he thinks you are. However, the fear-mongering is just getting started. Time to bring out the big one: Medicaid. Yup, took you a few rounds with Medicare, now it's time to move on to Medicaid. Feels almost as if you were watching the Freebirds in action: 

"And there's another angle consumers need to look at: Medicaid.

The GOP vice presidential candidate also has proposed to sharply rein in that program and turn it over to the states. Usually thought of as part of the safety net for low-income people, Medicaid covers nursing home care for disabled elders from middle-class families as well..

Medicare and Medicaid cover about 100 million people between them, touching nearly every American family in some way...
"

Gosh, who could change Medicaid. It's so...American and you don't hate America, do you? Then back to the Republicans:

"Mindful of the risks, Romney is trying to put some distance between his agenda and the specifics of Ryan's budget proposals.

In an interview Sunday on CBS' 60 Minutes, Romney and Ryan both offered words meant to reassure the elderly.
.."

How nice. The article tries to convey an image of the cadet at the end of Animal House: EVERYONE REMAIN CALM during the stampede.

Now, why am I beating up on the newspaper and Sam Hall? I am beating up on them because other than one sentence buried at the bottom of page four in a five page article, they never mentioned MEDICARE GOES BROKE IN TWELVE YEARS. Yup. after scaring you with the Ryan plan and Medicaid, the article finally admits several pages later the plan is bankrupt in the near future. The prime rib is really good. I killed your mother. Please pass me the salt and pepper. Your date is so precious.. What the article did not tell you was the bankruptcy date moved up three years from last year's report.

This is not spin. This is not hackery. The Obama administration is required to publish an annual report on the state of Social Security and Medicare. June post on SS & Medicare problems. If a discussion does not even mention Medicare will go broke in the next twelve years at the very beginning, it's hard to take it seriously as it is obviously a spin job.

The report states the hospital fund of Medicare will run out of money in 2024. This is what the report actually said and what the newspaper didn't tell you:

"Both Medicare and Social Security cannot sustain projected long-run program costs under currently scheduled financing, and legislative modifications are necessary to avoid disruptive consequences for beneficiaries and taxpayers.

Lawmakers should not delay addressing the long-run financial challenges facing Social Security and Medicare. If they take action sooner rather than later, more options and more time will be available to phase in hanges so that the public has adequate time to prepare. Earlier action will also help elected officials minimize adverse impacts on vulnerable populations, including lower-income workers and people already dependent on program benefits
."

Costs will contribute to the pending bankruptcy of Medicaid:

"The Trustees project that Medicare costs (including both HI and SMI expendi- tures) will grow substantially from approximately 3.7 percent of GDP in 2011 to 5.7 percent of GDP by 2035, and will increase gradually thereafter to about 6.7 percent of GDP by 2086."

The hospital insurance fund lost $27.7 billion last year. There are still $244 billion in assets in the fund, but the deficit each year eats into the principal. 


The supplmentary medical insurance (SMI) trust fund enjoyed an $8 million surplus last year but has assets of only $80 billion (p.1 of the report). The report estimates the 2012 deficit in the hospital fund will increase to $38 billion. All other Social Security and Disability trust funds are projected to run out of money by 2035 (p.10).

It's not like no one knew this would happen. The 2011 report warned of this problem:

"After 2014, cash deficits are expected to grow rapidly as the number of beneficiaries continues to grow at a substantially faster rate than the number of covered workers. Through 2022, the annual cash deficits will be made up by redeeming trust fund assets from the General Fund of the Treasury". 2011 post

Everyone got it? If the Clarion-Ledger and its writers were intellectually honest, they would have reported at the beginning of the article the Medicare hospital fund will run out of money in twelve years. They would have cited the Obama administration a the source. Instead of telling us there is an actual problem, the paper engages in campaign spin and doesn't tell anyone there is an actual Medicare problem. A perfect example of what is wrong with politics today. Instead of focusing on Medicare's actual solvency and telling you, the reader, about it, the newspaper focuses more on who said what and who will win the race. The fact the former Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Party has his fingers in the story tells you all you need to know.

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Fundraiser for Tate

The Lieutenant Governor is holding a fundraiser on the coast today. Let the Tater-haters fire away. ;-)

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Happy V-J Day

Today was the day the Japs surrendered. Here is some video a Richard Sullivan's dad shot in Hawaii when surrender was announced. Needless to say a spontaneous celebration broke out in the streets. His father was able to use good ole Kodachrome, which transferred very nicely.



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Monday, August 13, 2012

Vote for top businesswoman

The top businesswoman's poll is out. Here is how it works. I picked women who owned their own business or were a major member of the company. No partners in 100 lawyer firms. No government employees. No Presidents of publicly traded companies. Doesn't matter where the money came from- family, friends, investors, banks. Capital is capital. I realize this is a popularity contest of sorts but there is no way to objectively judge in this case. The MBJ includes government and corporate employees in their Top 50 list. I don't think that is fair and is somewhat misleading. Plus you have to pay to be on it after you are nominated. So vote early and often. I know I probably left someone off but I posted announcements on here and Facebook for the last couple of weeks. If someone was nominated and I didn't post it, email me and I will explain why as some of them I checked with the Secretary of State's website. Anyway, vote early and often. When the poll is over, I'm going to take the top ten finalists and conduct another poll just for them.

Note: Amanda Quarles and Jessi Long own Dirty Hippie Soaps. Misti Garner and Ginger Thornton own MiGi's. The companies were inadvertently left out of the poll although the owners are listed.

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Precious and Moore try to seal case & accuse Sweet of "unethical and illegal conduct"

Attorney Precious Martin and Ricky McClinton filed a motion to seal the case in the complaint filed against them in U.S. District Court last week. The motion also accuses attorney Dennis Sweet of possible "unethical and illegal conduct." Precious Martin, Ricky McClinton, attorney James Bobo, and Hinds County Constable Jerry Moore are defendants in the lawsuit. Attorney Chuck McRae represents the defendants. Earlier post with copy of complaint

Attorney Dennis Sweet filed the complaint on July 2 on behalf of Renetta Vance Howard and Veionisia Vance. Renetta is the mother of Kyuena Vance. Kyuena Vance was killed in May. She and Shyeuna Vance stopped to help a disabled motorist on Highway 80. A vehicle slammed into the disabled vehicle, killing Kyuena. She left behind three children that had three different fathers. Ms. Howard filed a petition for guardianship of the three children on behalf of the grandmother and three fathers.

The plaintiffs alleged in the complaint Attorneys Precious Martin and James Bobo repeatedly contacted Ricky McClinton in an effort to represent his daughter in the wrongful death action. Mr. McClinton then filed a petition for guardianship in Hinds County Chancery Court. He was represented by Precious Martin and James Bobo. The complaint states Mr. Martin filed another petition for guardianship for Mr. McClinton. The child was living with Ms. Howard.

The complaint states Chancellor Dewayne Thomas signed an order granting guardianship to Mr. McClinton. The plaintiff alleges Mr. McClinton, Constable Moore, and a John Doe went to Ms. Howard's home in Bolton to get the child after meeting with Mr. Martin. Ms. Howard refused to let them in the home. Mr. Moore called the Hinds County Sheriff's office for back-up (JJ confirmed this but was told they were responding to a back-up call. They had no idea what was the reason for the call.). They allege the constable kicked open the door, took the child, and handed her to Ricky McClinton who then left with her. Mr. Sweet argues there was no valid warrant nor a valid court order awarding custody as the court order issued by Judge Thomas only established a guardianship.

The complaint states Mr. Moore searched the home and Veionisia was arrested and charged with marijuana possession. The complaint states Mr. McClinton has been arrested at various times and that giving him custody is not "in the best interest of the child." Some of the alleged charges are domestic violence, gun possession, and drug possession. Mr. Martin asked the court to seal an exhibit filed by the plaintiffs. The exhibit contains various arrest reports and affidavits made against Mr. McClinton. The exhibit does not contain any convictions and it is important to note no convictions are mentioned in the complaint. The defendants point out there are no convictions in their memorandum in support of the motion to strike mentioned later in this post.


The charges are listed in this exhibit:

The defendants filed a motion to seal. They call the complaint "vexatious and slanderous". The motion states the mentioning of the various charges and affidavits is made for the purpose of harassing and slandering the defendants and have no relevancy to the case. The motion states the defendants will show "unethical and illegal conduct by plaintiffs and their counsel." Copy of motion to seal. They also filed a motion to strike asking the court to strike the offending paragraphs if the motion to seal was denied. Motion to strike. Memo in support of motion to strike. The plaintiffs reply the charges are relevant to "the best interest of the child" and it was the custody action that formed the basis of this incident taking place.

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Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


Note: Security provided by INS.

Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

Note: Security provided by INS
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