Jackson Jambalaya

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.

Grace Davis, the twelve year-old daughter of Roger Davis, wrote and performed this song, Runner. Enjoy

The Wall Street Journal published a front-page story last week reporting on the newest endangered species: White Southern Democrats. Just as they are rapidly disappearing in Mississippi, so are they from the rest of the South:

"The only remaining white Democrat in the House of Representatives from the Deep South, Rep. John Barrow, is in jeopardy of losing his job in November, which would mark a monumental shift in American politics.

In an stark realignment, voters in the Deep South have divided into an increasingly black Democratic Party and a mostly white Republican Party. Already, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana are represented in the House solely by white Republicans and black Democrats. Georgia could join that list if Mr. Barrow, who is running in a district redrawn to include more whites and Republicans, loses in November....

Leaders of the two parties interpret the phenomenon differently. Republicans say white voters are increasingly voting Republican, turned off by what they say is the Democratic Party's growing liberalism. Democrats blame Republican leaders for redistricting actions that Democrats say are concentrating black voters in a smaller number of districts.

Redrawing voting districts has long been the prerogative of the party in power at the state level, and both Democrats and Republicans have routinely exercised that privilege over the years to gain political advantage. Republicans say the current changes in Georgia are based on considerations like trying to consolidate agricultural areas, not on trying to isolate the black vote...

The loss of centrists, combined with more racially divided parties that see the role of government in different terms, has implications for policy, contributing to the continuing paralysis in Washington that frustrates many voters. "The more dimensions on which you make it difficult for people to share a common perspective, the harder it will be to reach any compromise," says Eric Heberlig, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

The changes extend beyond the five states that make up the Deep South—Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. North Carolina's state legislature just redrew congressional boundaries, with the likely outcome that four of the state's five white Democratic House members will be replaced by white Republicans. Missouri could see its congressional delegation include only white Republicans and black Democrats after the next election.

"Few heavily white areas, outside college towns and Whole Foods locations, are hospitable to Democrats right now," said David Wasserman, who follows House races for the Cook Political Report...

In Georgia, Mr. Barrow, who is 58 years old and has been in Congress since 2005, is trying to survive in his newly drawn district by arguing that Congress needs people like him who will reach across party and racial lines. Mr. Barrow says he is "as confident as you can be under the circumstances," because he listens to the people he represents.

A recent night found Mr. Barrow at the "Redneck Games" in Dublin, featuring such events as a cigarette-flicking contest and a horseshoe-toss using toilet seats. The next day he was making his case at American Legion Post 205 in Augusta, where roughly 40 veterans and family members complained loudly to Mr. Barrow that Congress is broken.

"We could spend all night talking about what's wrong with Congress, but I'll sum it up in a nutshell: Everybody is trying to pick a fight with the other side," Mr. Barrow said. "Folks come from very partisan districts. They get caught up in the herd instinct."

That is Mr. Barrow's pitch—that he isn't a typical partisan politician. It isn't an easy sell here in rural eastern Georgia, where highway signs for Mr. Barrow's leading GOP opponent, state Rep. Lee Anderson, highlight an ideological contrast: "Anderson—Conservative for Congress." Mr. Anderson was the top Republican vote-getter in a July 31 primary, but he faces an Aug. 21 runoff.

Whites, especially in the South, are increasingly voting Republican, while blacks continue to vote Democratic. In Georgia, Republicans get close to 80% of the white vote, while Democrats receive 90% or more of the black vote, according to Charles Bullock, a University of Georgia political scientist. In 1994, Democrats were capturing a similarly high percentage of the black vote, while Republicans were getting a little more than 50% of the white vote, he said.

"Race and party are now running very much co-linear" in the South, Mr. Bullock said.

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R., Ga.), who coordinates Republicans' national redistricting efforts, said Democrats are struggling among white Southerners because of the party's growing liberalism. "If you look at the head of the party—the president—and you look at [House Minority Leader] Nancy Pelosi and [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid, they are to the left," Mr. Westmoreland said. "So, that's where they're bringing the party to."

Mr. Westmoreland pointed to South Carolina as an example of how racial polarization can be overstated as a political force. He cited the recent election of Republican Rep. Tim Scott, one of two African-American Republicans now in Congress, in a South Carolina district dominated by white voters. Nationwide, there are 42 black Democrats in the House, the vast majority of whom are seeking re-election. On the Republican side, in addition to the two black incumbents, a black candidate from Utah is running for House this fall.

The shifting picture has touched off a debate about whether the 1965 Voting Rights Act, meant to protect minority power, is now limiting the influence of African-American voters.

Some black leaders and other Democrats complain that GOP leaders who control many state governments are eliminating some of the biracial districts that once elected white Democrats. Republicans say the Voting Rights Act leaves them few options. They say the law forbids diluting minority voting power, thereby encouraging the creation and protection of majority-black districts to ensure that African-Americans' voices are heard.

The effects on the state level are also striking. Blacks are now being elected in impressive numbers to state legislatures throughout the South—but almost always as part of a shrinking Democratic minority, so their power is limited. Fully 298 black legislators in the broader South are in the minority and just 15 are in the majority, according to David Bositis, senior researcher at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a think tank that aims to increase the political participation of African-Americans.

"It gives them a seat at the table but nothing to eat," says Dick Harpootlian, chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party.

In a floor speech during Georgia's redistricting fight, Democratic state Sen. Jason Carter accused the GOP of dismantling mixed districts to create black and white ones, then inaccurately claiming the Voting Rights Act gave them no choice.

"You want to turn the Voting Rights Act on its head and turn it into a tool of racial division instead of the tool of reconciliation that it is intended, and was always intended, to be," said Mr. Carter, former President Jimmy Carter's grandson.

Republicans say they are only doing what the Voting Rights Act requires.

"When you have to protect the majority-minority districts, then that leaves everything else" more Republican, said GOP state Sen. Tommie Williams, who helped lead Georgia's redistricting effort. "My opinion is the Voting Rights Act has hurt the Democratic Party."

The changes have enhanced the influence of minorities within the Democratic Party. Today, 64 of the 190 House Democrats are minorities—just over one-third—while 12 of 242 Republicans fit that category, according to Mr. Wasserman. He predicts that minorities and women will account for more than half of all House Democrats for the first time after the next election.

Because whites and blacks often disagree on the role of the federal government, the shift may be fueling the ideological battles between the parties. In a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, 77% of African-Americans said the government should do more to solve problems and meet people's needs, while 44% of whites felt that way.

The numbers were even more stark on President Barack Obama's health law. The poll found that 67% of blacks consider the law a good idea, compared with 29% of whites.

For decades, Democrats dominated the South, a legacy of the Civil War era. But in the 1980s white Southerners began migrating to the GOP as a more comfortable philosophical home. Those who stayed Democratic formed a bridge between the two parties. Today, they are pushing hard for a compromise deal to cut the deficit....

In 2010, Mr. Barrow easily defeated his Republican opponent, winning 57% of the vote. But changes to his district will make it more difficult for him to hold his seat. Georgia Republicans last year removed Democratic parts of Savannah from his district and replaced them with GOP-leaning areas around Augusta.

The district's black population fell from 42% to 33%. Mr. Obama won 55% of the district vote in 2008. Precinct voting records suggest that he would have won only 45% of the district as it is now drawn.

Mr. Barrow is given to folksy sayings such as "You need to have a cat at every hole," meaning it is important to defend against every eventuality. In an interview in his office, Mr. Barrow said the South is full of centrist voters who favor his style of pragmatism, but that both parties' insistence on creating heavily partisan districts squeezes out candidates who reflect that.

"The future of our country is people who can reach across party lines and who can reach across racial lines," he said. "If you can't do that, you're not going to be very good at representing this country down the road."

Mr. Barrow frequently deviates from Democratic orthodoxy. He opposed the 2008 bank bailout, Mr. Obama's health law and the cap-and-trade energy plan. He was one of 17 House Democrats to join with GOP lawmakers recently in voting to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. Mr. Barrow supports gun rights and opposes gay marriage, but is something of an economic populist. "That's what I think old-time Southern Democrats used to be," he said..." Article

For your Saturday night viewing pleasure.

Mississippi Republican Party issued the following press release on Mr. Romney's selection of Congressman Paul Ryan to be his nominee for Vice President:

JACKSON- Governor Phil Bryant and Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Joe Nosef released the following statements on Governor Mitt Romney's Vice Presidential choice, Representative Paul Ryan:

“I applaud Governor Romney in choosing Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential running mate,” Governor Phil Bryant said. “The Romney-Ryan ticket will work to defeat the failed policies of the Obama administration and continue to put forward fresh ideas on how to grow the economy and get spending under control. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have proven records of solving problems and will help bring America back to the greatness we all know it can be.”

“Paul Ryan is a terrific choice for a Vice Presidential selection,” Joe Nosef, Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party said. “For years, Representative Ryan has not only vigorously defended conservative principles but he has done it in an appealing, uplifting way. He also has exponentially more foreign policy experience than Barack Obama had when he ran for president. Americans have a clear choice in November: Do they stay with Barack Obama whose only chance to be reelected is to divide America, or do they choose Romney - Ryan and take our country back?”

“The Romney-Ryan team can win on November 6 and our Party will work tirelessly for the next three months to help achieve that goal,” Nosef added.

Kiss buying the Wall Street Journal at a newsstand goodbye. For many years its been sold at local bookstores such as Books A Million and at McDade's. Can't hardly find it now thanks to the Clarion-Ledger. See, the local newspaper took over retail distribution of the WSJ. Now delivery is sporadic. Hasn't been delivered two weekends in a row and BAM said they no longer carry it thanks to the CL. Good job knuckleheads. Its bad enough you turn out a crappy product. Now you take steps to make sure we can't purchase the only decent newspaper in town. Looks like I'll be subscribing. Is there nothing you don't screw up?

South Carolina Senator Jim Demint thinks internet sales taxes are a bad idea and said so recently in the Wall Street Journal:

"Our nation was born from the idea of "no taxation without representation" —that citizens should not be taxed by governments in which they have no political voice. Yet now lawmakers in Washington want to overturn that bedrock principle in order to extract more revenues from American consumers.

The Marketplace Fairness Act recently introduced in the Senate would require online retailers to collect and pay sales taxes to states where they have no physical presence or democratic recourse. Overstock.com, eBay and the like could have to pay sales taxes to any state from which an Internet user placed an order, even if the company's headquarters, warehouses and sales staff are located entirely in other states.

Such online sales tax proposals are taxation without representation. The proposed federal law tells businesses that there is no escape from the clutches of tax-hungry politicians. That concept is antithetical to our federalist system, which promotes competition among our states for the best economic policies.

The Supreme Court ruled (in Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, 1992) that retailers can be required to collect sales taxes only in states where they have a physical presence. The proposal before Congress, however, would give a federal blessing for states to chase revenues far outside their borders.

Consider the absurdity of such a law. When a customer buys a product in a store, does the cashier ask for the customer's home address? Of course not. The store simply charges the state and local sales taxes applicable for its physical location, no questions asked.

The proposed law would hold online sellers to an entirely different standard. Websites would have to add taxes to a sale based on the shipping destination of the product, which may be a state in which neither the seller nor the buyer resides. We would never ask mom-and-pop store owners to do such a thing.....

The burden on Internet entrepreneurs could be staggering. There are already nearly 10,000 state, local and municipal tax jurisdictions to navigate nationwide.

Just complying with a single state's tax laws costs small businesses disproportionately more than larger firms that can afford accounting and technology teams to help them work through these arcane laws. A 2006 PricewaterhouseCoopers study found that tax-compliance costs for small businesses (those having $1 million to $10 million in annual sales) are nearly 2.5 times greater than those of larger firms. For businesses under $1 million in sales, those costs explode to 16 cents on every dollar of revenue.

And woe to online sellers if they have a dispute with one of the many states that will be unleashed to tax them. A small business owner in South Carolina could face simultaneous audits from California, New Jersey and Hawaii, with no political recourse.

Who would want to do business in this environment? That's a problem that the Senate bill's authors implicitly acknowledge, since they included an exemption for companies with less than $500,000 in annual sales. But that is a very low threshold to cross. Businesses will be discouraged from growing, encouraged to locate overseas, or even regulated out of business.

Nor would these new Internet taxes satisfy tax-hungry politicians. Already Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, has called for a 6% tax on all downloads—music, movies, e-books and more—from vendors like iTunes. It probably wouldn't be long before the burdens of complying with myriad state sales tax laws led to talk of a streamlined national sales tax to replace it, with Washington taking a cut and destroying our nation's healthy tradition of state tax competition...." Rest of essay

Abraham Court building in Itta Bena burned down last night. Working on getting more details. Here are some pictures.


































Update: New "Document of Concern" released this morning.

Transcription #666
___ Yeah, I told those stupid N's this would happen. (Laughter), you f___ with me and see what happens? Don't matter. We'd already depreciated that piece of shit building. Bet that stupid bitch president over in Itta Bena (MVSU) ain't laughing now. Bet she goes running to her two boys Willie and David (laughter). What they going to do? Get ____ to help them? Good luck. I own her. Then what was that shit yesterday? Trying to take over the damn hospital. They bring some stupid bitch lawyer up from Jackson, like we don't have friends down there. Dress her up in a pretty little suit for these fools and think they'll give her a hospital. They get too uppity we'll just put it out there how she got "her client". Think its because she so damn good? Shit. Won't matter if its a lie or not. Everyone will believe it because they all know the only thing a female attorney is good for is screwing the clients to keep 'em happy. (laughter) Now don't you say anydamnthing about any of this. Let them learn the hard way like those idiots at Valley learned last night. Only bad part about last night is where are we going to train some black bitches to wipe our asses? No more nursing assistants. Oh well, we can import them from Jackson. Make them earn their pell grant money we gave 'em(laughter). (______ conversing with ____)

(The "document of concern posted here is a parody of some flyers floating around the Delta. THe parody was created by Jackson Jambalaya.)

Hinds County Supervisor Kenneth Stokes cast the only vote against a motion to post the claims docket online. Supervisor Phil Fisher proposed putting the claims dockets on the county website before each meeting of the board of supervisors. Mr. Fisher said he thought it was a good idea to show "how the board is spending tax dollars." Supervisor Robert Graham said it was a good idea and the motion passed 3-1. Supervisor Doug Anderson was absent.

The current and former Sheriff's of Hinds County had a little tussle this week. Someone leaked to the media an opposition research report on Sheriff Mac that was produced during the campaign last year. Mac didn't take too kindly to the "report" and had a few things to say on camera. Words such as "incompetent" and "panties" were used. The report and video are posted below. As for the report, keep in mind it was produced by a Democrat opposition research firm. As such it will present only one side.



Here is a brief table of contents:
P.4 Executive summary and analysis
p.27 Spike in crime
p.37 Can't keep inmates in jail.
p.68 Hinds County kept safe by crooks
p.98 Friends with benefits
p.123 Budget nightmares
p.157 Bad file-keeping led to freed criminals
p.182 Harming the cops
p.187 Excessive force
p.199 Hinds County jail problems
p.238 Tax problems
p. 240 GOP fund-raising


Some of it is legitimate criticism, other parts are pretty weak. The huge spike in Jackson crime after 1992 is blamed on Mac. Hard to take that part seriously when most of the crime was in Jackson and thus under JPD. His handling of the Irby case is mentioned near the front of the report. Criticisms of that case have been made on this website. One interesting part is page 235: It criticizes Mac for opposing an assault weapons ban. Sure you want to go there?

Note: If you are using an Ipad or Iphone and can not read it, the report is in flash.

Lock up your kids. Protect your wife. Do what you have to do to survive. A movie about President Obama is coming to Madison. Schindler's List producer Gerald Molen released the film 2016: Obama's America recently.



Original post (Movie was not on the list):
Jackson is not on the List of theaters. The website does state "If you are interested in booking a theater to show this film, please contact info@2016themovie.com." so we will see. Let the KIM Waaaaade full court press begin. ;-)

Jerry went to the big shroom in the sky. Here is a recording of a 1978 concert in Jackson.

Hinds County Supervisor came on for the first half hour and discussed the latest status of repairs to the Hinds County Detention Center. He left and The Kingfish and some callers discussed the proposed sagging pants ordinance.

This is the first document of concern that was circulated up in the Delta several months ago about Mississippi Delta Community College. The second document was posted on this site a few weeks ago. This is an anonymous letter titled "A Document of Concern". Needless to say, its tied in to the Doctor and the Lawyer. I've removed all names except for the actual presidents. The reason for publishing it is to show you exactly what type of unsubstantiated trash is being spread in the Delta because that is exactly what this stuff is- complete trash as the authors don't care who they smear or trash. Read at your own risk.

Tired of the Olympics? Don't want to watch Sean or Rachel? Here is some viewing for you. This is the video of the complete hearing on sagging pants yesterday at the Hinds County Board of Supervisors. Lets just say it is entertaining. We got to watch short speeches by the ACLU (its freedom of expression), clueless kids, outraged parents, Enoch Sanders in bdu's worn in Vietnam, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and assorted "activists". Enjoy. You can't make this up.

Put Airwave and the Hinds County Supervisors together and what do you get? Fireworks. Hinds County Supervisor Peggy Hobson-Calhoun charged fellow Supervisor Robert Graham with firing Emergency Operations Center Director Jimmie Lewis for raising questions about solvency of the E911 fund at the regular meeting yesterday.

Airwave LLC has a $4.2 million contract for six years with Hinds County to maintain the county radio system. The Board of Supervisors awarded the contract to Airwave in 2008 even though the company did not exist until 2009. Hinds County currently pays Airwave $64,169 every month under the terms of the contract. The county pays Airwave an additional $30,000 per quarter under a separate contract for maintenance of the radio towers. The company was hired on motions by Supervisor Robert Graham. The company is owned by Stacy Stowers.

The Airwave sparring began yesterday during a part of the agenda that is usually pretty boring- the payment of claims. The board did not approve the monthly payment to Airwave at the previous meeting. Supervisors Kenneth Stokes and Robert Graham voted to pay the claim while Supervisors Phil Fisher and Peggy Hobson-Calhoun voted to deny payment. Supervisor Doug Anderson was absent.

Then the fun started. Supervisor Robert Graham said he was not going to declare the motion failed since Supervisor Doug Anderson said he wanted to vote via telephone. He attempted to withdraw the motion. After some debate over procedure, Mr. Graham said he would bring up the matter for a vote later in the meeting when Mr. Anderson could participate (The second half of the first video gets rather colorful.).



Mr. Stokes then took issue with the matter of separating payments to Airwave to from the rest of the claims docket (Second video) Mr. Stokes said the board was "singling out black companies and not paying them. It sends a message we are not fair to black companies trying to do business with the county." Mrs. Hobson-Calhoun said she had voted against black companies, I have voted against white companies. I vote for what I think is in the best interest of Hinds County taxpayers." She said she requested for some time proof they were actually performing any work under the contracts from Airwave and Airwave had not provided any information.

Mr. Graham told Mr. Stowers to address the board, stating "I don't like for anyone to be attacked without allowing an individual an opportunity to speak." Mr. Stowers responded to Mrs. Hobson-Calhoun's charge that he was not certified to work on Motorola equipment. Mr. Stowers said "What is certified? It goes back to the saying they've been doing for years and years that minority people are not certified to do anything." Mr. Stowers said there was equipment that needed to be repaired but the company could not pay for the repair unless the county made the payment. Ms. Hobson-Calhoun said "I am just as black as anyone else" and she had not been given the records she requested. The board later voted to pay the claim 3-2 after Supervisor Anderson was contacted via telephone.



However, these were the preliminaries. EOC Interim Director Joey Perkins told the board the E911 fund was scheduled to run out of money in March 2014 (Third clip. Earlier post). Mrs. Hobson-Calhoun said Jimmie Lewis raised this issue. Mr. Fisher said it "presented the issue of using the fund to make payroll in the later months."
Mrs. Hobson-Calhoun said Mr. Lewis made the board aware of this problem and was going to "recommend to this board" when he submitted his budget to "terminate the contract with Airwave" and use them on an as-needed basis. She said "he met considerable opposition". Mr. Graham cut her off and said "that is the reason he is not here Ms. Calhoun." He said "I am not going to sit up here and let this continue any further like this." Mr. Graham then turned his back to her and started signing documents as she continued to speak. She said the E911 fund did not have the money to pay its expenses and "it was imperative" the board start addressing the issue.



Earlier Airwave posts
BOS refuses to bid out Airwave contract
Hinds paid $2.2 million to Airwave since 2008
WLBT shines light on Airwave and Hinds
Hinds did not advertise for bids on Airwave
Hinds awarded $4 million contract to Airwave
Brown: Stowers & Hargrove stole from his company
Not so fast, Robert Graham

He's bad, he's black, and he's BACK!!! Noted and esteemed Jackson community activist Enoch Sanders had a few things to say about sagging pants to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors today in this video. Enjoy.

Here are the latest crime stats available online:

Jackson crime stats for week ending July 29, 2012.

Jackson major crimes overview for week ending July 29, 2012.

Property crime is down across the board except for Precinct 1- business burglaries up 44% YTD. However, home burglaries in Precinct 4 are down 33%. Violent crime is up in all precincts.

City of Madison crime reports through August 2, 2012.

Byram crime reports for week ending July 28, 2012.

The Mississippi Congressional delegation unanimously asked the Commerce Department in a letter on June 5 to allow Mississippi to activate a statewide LTE network created to transmit video and data packets between first responders. Congress passed a law in February creating FirstNet, a separate national broadband system that will perform a similar function. However, the federal government is literally years away from starting construction of FirstNet even though Congress appropriated $7 billion for the project.

The federal government prevented Mississippi from using its new LTE system despite the fact the federal government awarded Mississippi a $70 million grant in 2010 to build the network.Copy of order. Officials at the Mississippi Wireless Communications Commission told JJ the state had two years to spend or commit the funds or else it would have to repay the grant. The state spent or appropriated 70% of the grant. The state also spent an additional $17 million of its own money to be used as matching funds to build the network.

The LTE system supplements the voice-only MSWIN system. MSWIN is a land mobile radio system (LMR) created after Hurricane Katrina and covers two-thirds of the state. It allows first responders throughout the state to communicate on the same radio network* Hurricane Katrina revealed holes in the first responder network when those deployed to disaster areas used equipment that was incompatible with local networks. The dispute will not affect the voice portion of MSWIN.

The letter is addressed to Lawrence Strickland, Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce. Mr. Strickland told the Wall Street Journal last week "he sympathizes with Mississippi's plight, "but we don't want to spend taxpayer money on equipment that can't be used in a few years." Earlier post. The new law created the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. NTIA resides in the Department of Commerce and is virtually non-existent. The letter states:

"On May 11, 2010, Mississippi was granted a waiver by the FCC to operate a broadband network using the public safety broadband spectrum;, and on July 30, 2010, the WCC executed a lease with the Public Safety Spectrum Trust for use of the public safety spectrum. After execution of the PSST lease, Mississippi was granted $70 million in BTOP stimulus grant funds for the deployment of a statewide public safety LTE network. Mississippi is required by statute and NTIA regulation to substantially complete its project in no more than two years and the project must be fully completed in no more than three years..."

The letter also points out the NTIA action will "block the expansion of Mississippi MED-COM, a 24/7 medically-staffed communications center" at UMC. It will support "emergency medical response agencies, hospitals, and first responders throughout Mississippi. The LTE system will allow emergency responders to transmit life-saving data to providers and hospitals.."

State Representative Scott Delano sits on the advisory board of the MWCC. He told JJ "I certainly hope someone in Washington wakes up soon to realize how irresponsible the NTIA’s recent actions are. Mississippi has invested millions of tax payer dollars to build a statewide data network and now Washington wants to deny us access to the bandwidth. This makes no sense. Our State is positioned to be one of the first states in the union to implement this type of data network (which is a complement to our statewide radio system). It would be an absolute shame for NTIA and FirstNET to not use Mississippi as a test case for developing a nationwide first responder network. At the very least, the FCC should grant our state an irrevocable wavier for use of the 700 MHZ spectrum until which time the FirstNET standards are established."

The statute does permit NTIA to grant a waiver to the state. However, the waiver is good for only six months. Officials at the MWCC said it most leases for towers are for at least five years and there was no guarantee the federal government would renew the waiver. They said Mississippi has already purchased the equipment for the system as well as had started leasing tower space.

*For example, MSWIN allows an EMT or police officer from Tupelo deployed to the Gulf Coast after a natural disaster to use his own radio equipment in that area. Editorial comment: No surprise all six members signed it. I suspect Bennie doesn't want to defend this decision to his hospitals, police and fire chiefs when they want to know why they can't turn on this network.

This blog post shows yet again what is wrong with public education in Mississippi. This teacher for Jackson Public Schools apparently doesn't think teachers should be held responsible for the work they do but please give us mo money, we deserve it. Read on:

"Please don’t be offended, but there are some bad teachers in Mississippi. There are absolutely some folks who should not have entered the teaching field. However, let me be perfectly clear, the good teachers outnumber the bad.

Once again, the politicians in this state have it wrong. Gov. Phil Bryant has made it known that he supports merit pay. I am certain he is working with others in the Mississippi Legislature to craft certain bills and policies. But, I would like to caution them to follow solid research that supports the belief that merit pay will result in increased student achievement.

Yes, teachers need a raise. Yes, teachers need to make more money. Yes, teachers are the hardest working professionals in the world. But, teachers shouldn’t be paid based on student achievement. It is not a fair game because every teacher will not be on the same playing field.

There are some teachers who will teach their hearts out, go out of their way to reach every child and provide innovative teaching strategies. But, because of the student population they serve, those teachers won’t get merit pay.

Mr. Governor, it’s been a long time since you were in a school, and the students have changed. Most students come to school with baggage that is far beyond the teacher’s control. While good teachers are doing all the things I mentioned above to ensure student success, there are many students across this state who are more concerned with where their next meal is coming from or where they will sleep at night or whether or not they will be beaten or have to babysit siblings. Their minds may be on what a good teacher is teaching them, but whether or not it is retained is another thing. These students couldn’t care less about me teaching them context clues or what is x or y. Do you mean to tell me I wouldn’t receive a pay raise because I couldn’t get them to pass a test, although I have seen growth in the child from the moment he or she entered my room?

We have too many issues to fix in our public school system to try to base pay on student performance. Most good teachers do not get in the profession to make money. Most good teachers get in the profession to make a difference in the lives of children. So, I suggest to you, Mr. Governor, to find ways to pay teachers, period. Not only do teachers need it, but teachers deserve it. With the new statewide evaluation system coming out and Common Core State Standards coming to fruition, these will be enough to rid districts of teachers who aren’t doing their jobs. But, do not base my pay on a bunch of teenagers who are up and down, in and out, haven’t found themselves yet, and are more concerned about their circle of friends than academics. Doctors don’t lose money if a patient dies; lawyers still get paid if they lose a case. So, why should teachers’ pay be based on the performance of students?

Instead of meeting with lawmakers about merit pay, meet with them about fully funding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program and raising starting teacher’s pay to $40,000 a year. Then, we will be headed in the right direction. Blog post

So tell me, teachers, do you support any accountability for the job you do in the classroom?

The New Republic published a story on Mississippi native and campaign sensai Stuart Stevens. Mr. Stevens is the point guard for the Romney campaign. Let's just say he is not your typical political consultant. Some excerpts:

" As an adolescent in an affluent, liberal enclave of Jackson, Mississippi, Stevens idolized British travel writers like Evelyn Waugh and Peter Fleming (brother of Ian) because their stories offered a temporary escape from the provincialism of the Deep South. These authors would implant themselves in the harshest locales on the planet with little knowledge of the terrain or culture, even less in the way of equipment, and no particular expertise in survival. (Graham Greene’s contribution to the genre is titled Journey Without Maps.) And yet somehow they would always find their way back to civilization with a wry expression and a charming narrative to convey.

It is impossible to miss the influence of these writer-adventurers on Stevens, who has published three books about his journeys across Europe, Asia, and Africa. In 1984, he decided to complete all ten races on the Worldloppet circuit, a series of cross-country ski marathons, in a single eight-week stretch. Twice, he finished a race on a Saturday afternoon and had to catch an overnight, transatlantic flight to compete in another one Sunday morning. In preparation for the legendary Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, a 1,200-kilometer odyssey, he once put himself on an elaborate steroid regimen and documented the experience for Outside magazine. In 1997, he published Feeding Frenzy, a chronicle of his month in Europe dining at each of the 29 restaurants with claims to three Michelin stars. “It seemed like a ridiculous notion,” Stevens told Charlie Rose. “I think by doing things to excess, you kind of, like, can crack them open and have fun.”

Stevens approaches politics the same way: as an all-consuming, quasi-physical challenge that he can play for laughs when the election’s over. Though his sensibilities suggest a faint Toryism––in his travel books, he periodically bemoans the influence of modern civilization and its corollary, the bureaucratic state––he is far too idiosyncratic a character to embrace an ideology or align with a movement...

FOR THE 2008 ELECTION, Mitt Romney hired an all-star team of strategists representing some of the finest minds in Republican politics––and, when he lost, he concluded it was a terrible idea. With so many smart people in the room, it was nearly impossible to stick with a decision.

The next time around, Romney knew he wanted one chief strategist. And he knew he wanted that person to be Stuart Stevens, whom he first considered hiring while running for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and had briefly employed during his previous run for president. Romney was impressed by Stevens’s smarts and felt they had more in common than met the eye.

There was a minor hitch, however: Stevens had gradually been losing his appetite for politics. He complained that campaigns were taking longer and longer, crowding out his extracurricular thrill-seeking, while critics increasingly panned his firm’s ads as formulaic. “I got the sense that, after the Bush campaign, he might be thinking about hanging up his six-gun, hanging up his spurs, and doing something else,” says Peter Matson, his literary agent. But Stevens was up for one last romp if he would be leading the mission. “He wasn’t going to do [the Romney campaign] unless he was going to be The Guy,” says one former colleague.

As it happens, the relationship between Romney and Stevens has proved remarkably stable. They’re both hyper-literate and often pass books back and forth. “Stuart sort of has this intellectual connection with Romney,” says the colleague. They’re also fond of quoting movies to one another––Annie Hall and O Brother, Where Art Thou? are favorites––and share an impish sense of humor. Getting off a plane in New Hampshire in 2011, Romney turned to Stevens and, according to an e-book by Mike Allen and Evan Thomas, cracked: “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done by, like, twenty times. ... I just had no idea. Why didn’t somebody tell me?” Without missing a beat, Stevens replied, “You didn’t ask me.”

Romney and Stevens spend hours together working on speeches, which both men take pride in, and on debate prep, which Stevens essentially masterminds. When Stevens comes across a detail he deems useful for Romney—as when he discovered that Rick Perry had advocated eliminating Social Security in his campaign book, Fed Up!––it’s only a matter of time before Romney transmits it to the world. .."
Rest of article

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce (not to be confused with the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce) withdrew its sponsorship of the weekly Friday Forum held at Kiononia Coffee House on West Capital Street in a letter posted below.

The Mississippi Wireless Communications Commission issued the following press release:

State Senator Chris McDaniel submitted this column to JJ yesterday on Chartered Financial Analysts. It is published in its entirety. Oops, I messed up. Its about Chick Fil A. Here it is.

Last Wednesday, (August 1, 2012), thousands of people visited their local Chick-fil-A stores, buying sandwiches to show their support of the restaurant president's right to freely oppose same-sex marriage. For most, their actions were an expression in support of free speech - that is, free speech without retaliation.

When Chick-fil-A's president dared to speak his mind, the backlash against his company was nasty. Just after the mayors of Chicago and Boston ridiculed his company, the mayor of Washington, DC, actually claimed it was selling “hate chicken." Liberal students from at least two colleges called for their campus Chick-fil-A restaurants to permanently close. Making matters worse, officials in several cities expressed their desire to keep the restaurant out of their towns.

Such leftist nonsense usually works to silence conservatives - But not this time. The left picked a public fight, and they lost in dramatic fashion.

The nationwide demonstrations were as much a stand against liberal intolerance and political correctness as they were a defense of traditional marriage, with turnout so diverse and widespread that many were surprised.

But the affirmation of what is generally a Christian position should come as no surprise to students of American history.

After all, it was French historian and author Alexis de Tocqueville who remarked 170 years ago, “There is no country in the world, where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America.”

He was not unique in his defense of Christianity's place in a free society.

Remember, it was President Harry Truman who told an Attorney General's Conference in 1950, “The fundamental basis of this nation's laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don't have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State.”

During his campaign for President, Woodrow Wilson expressed: “A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about. America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the tenets of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scripture.”

Our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, pointed to a Bible as he lay sick near death in 1845 and said, “That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic rests.”

These distinguished leaders, along with others including Roosevelt and Reagan, were simply verbalizing the shared universal language that has always enlightened the republic.

United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay also shared such sentiments when he wrote in 1816, “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

In 1892, the Supreme Court case of Holy Trinity v. United States specifically noted the religious history of our country. After an examination of our traditions, declarations and customs, the Court wrote: “These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.” The Court’s finding that “this is a Christian nation” was followed by another ruling in 1931 which found that Americans are a “Christian people” and a 1952 opinion where Justice William O. Douglas, wrote that “we are a religious people and our institutions presupposes a Supreme Being.”

The national motto remains, “In God We Trust,” and it is proudly enshrined in our currency. In verse four of our National Anthem, we sing “In God is our trust” and “Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a Nation.”

To be sure, the republic does not have an official or legally-preferred religion or church, since the Constitution specifically and rightly forbids such intrusion.

But the lack of an established religion does not mean that Christians should be declared irrelevant. It is the responsibility of good people to exert cultural influence by speaking their minds and spending their money.

Fed up with being bullied, people of faith finally sent a powerful political message - one chicken sandwich at a time.

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.

"I love our culture: famous writers, incomparable musicians, world-class athletes, cutting edge inventors/innovators, and well-mannered citizens who love their mothers." So wrote Leigh Reeves in her new publication Social South Magazine. The founder of VIP Magazine rolled out the first edition last week. Social South will cover social events, culture, travel, and fashion in the Jackson area. Mrs. Reeves said Social South will expand its coverage and distribution to major cities in the Southeast such as Memphis and Atlanta in the next twelve months. The magazine printed 15,000 copies in its first run.

Mrs. Reeves created VIP in 2004 and then sold the magazine to Gannett. She returned to the magazine business since she "liked working with customers, developing a product my readers enjoy, and creating avenues for customers to advertise.

The magazine is available in print and digital editions. Mrs. Reeves said Social South will launch an app for Iphones and Android in the next sixty days. She said the market has changed a great deal since 2004 when people hardly even texted each other. Now we get text messages, emails, and photos sent to our phones. We were one of only three niche magazines in the market. There were no blogs or Eat Jacksons. I wanted to create a product that was creative and changing with the times but people could enjoy and read in a variety of platforms. You can access it from paper to desktop to table to smartphones." Mrs. Reeves said the competition is much tougher than in years past as "advertisers have more choices now than they did several years ago. I'm lucky in that I have a loyal following that can trust me with their advertising dollars.

The magazine currently has a staff of six employees. Crave Branding designed the logos and the website. The magazine will be published bi-monthly. Readers can follow the magazine on Twitter @socialsouthmag.

Editor Lacey Cain said "We have quite the talented team here at Social South! Our publisher, Leigh Reeves, has the ideal combo of impeccable style and keen business sense and serves as a great leader for our group. Casey McGraw, our graphic designer, is a bright new talent whose creative eye makes all of our jobs easier! The lovely Ellen Skrmetti and Lisa Gray serve as our dedicated and enthusiastic account executives – there's never a dull moment when these two are at the office!

Whether its traveling to New Orleans to shoot Fashion Week, interviewing a Mississippi artist, or blogging about a favorite restaurant in Birmingham, I have truly relished every minute of this new adventure and am looking forward to sharing more of our enthusiasm for Southern culture."

Here is the text of the Lieutenant Governor's speech at the Neshoba County Fair this week. If any other officials send their speeches to JJ, they will be posted as well.

Thank you for welcoming me back to the Neshoba County Fair! It’s always an honor to participate in this special Mississippi tradition.

My wife Elee is here. Elee and I appreciate the fair organizers giving me this late speaking slot, because we had a late night in Jackson with our two older daughters Tyler and Emma at the American Idol concert. Maddie, our newest addition, stayed home.

Like most everyone in Mississippi, our girls became big Skylar Laine fans. She put on a great show.

I have to tell you that being in a coliseum full of screaming teenage girls was a little challenging. With three young daughters, I guess that’s a preview of what’s to come at my house in the next few years.

And I have to say … I am NOT ready for that!

But after going through my first legislative session…how much worse can it be?

You’ve heard from Commissioner Lynn Posey and Commissioner Dick Hall on all the ways they’re working to keep the lights on and the roads safe.

You’ve heard from Stacey Pickering about how he’s working hard to protect our tax dollars. And you heard from our Attorney General Jim Hood.

General, my girls have been watching so much American Idol if they were here Tyler would’ve said your speech “was a little pitchy,” and Emma would’ve said it was “just alright” for her. But I’m sure they would invite you back and give you one more shot!

Neshoba Countians, you should know that your Senator Giles Ward is doing an excellent job representing you and leading the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee.

I have been a hunter my entire life, and I have put Senator Ward on notice that if we don’t have a good season next year, I will hold him personally responsible.

We put together a solid leadership team in the Mississippi Senate this year to represent the entire state. We didn’t just appoint leaders from central Mississippi where I’m from – and we didn’t limit leadership to just members of my party. We put a team together that reflects all of Mississippi.

It was a pleasure working with the first Republican Speaker of the House since Reconstruction. As a team, Speaker Gunn, Governor Bryant and I passed strong, conservative legislation.

We completed the session on time and saved you money. There were several Fridays and Mondays when the Legislature took off because we got our work done and everyone went home. We saved taxpayers more than $375,000 by getting the job done and getting the politicians out of town!

And, for the first time in ten years, the Legislature passed a balanced budget on time.

If only Washington could do that we would all feel better!

We also did something good for our economy. We cut the taxes businesses pay on their inventory. What a difference a conservative majority makes!

The liberals have opposed this tax cut for years. But it’s just common sense. Now, our small businessmen and women can AND WILL invest more in growing their businesses and putting more Mississippians to work.

I campaigned last year on cutting government waste, and one of the most egregious examples has been our spending on state cars.

Taxpayers have paid for about 7,500 vehicles – that’s one for every four state employees – even buying cars for the government in a recession, when most Mississippi families couldn’t afford to buy one for themselves.

That is far too many government cars. So we placed a yearlong moratorium on state car purchases and ordered a two percent annual reduction in the fleet for three years. That’s going to save you, the taxpayer, $12 million.

You may also remember that I stood here a year ago and promised not to slap every legislator’s favorite pet project onto the state credit card and burden your children and grandchildren with unnecessary debt. I said it, and I meant it.

For the first time in the memories of most people, we did not have a bond bill this session. It was time to draw the line and take a break from the borrowing.

There are some good projects, some projects that we need. And I hope we get some of those funded next session. But I can promise you this – just like the Senate did this year – we are going to offer a conservative borrowing plan for only the most essential needs.

We must permanently change the mindset in the Legislature about borrowing money. Every dollar we commit to servicing debt is a dollar that can’t be invested in public safety, healthcare and education every year.

We cannot let feel-good debt threaten our priorities.

Another accomplishment in the last session is that our budget set aside money in the Rainy Day Fund for only the second time in eight years, and we ended the fiscal year with $268 million more dollars than we anticipated.

Now there are some people in Jackson who are mad that we didn’t spend more of your money. They see it as THEIR money and believe we have to spend all of it. I don’t see it that way.

Our state economist predicts that our revenues will not return to pre-recession levels for another two years. He described our economy as weak and vulnerable. That should be reason enough for us to continue saving and watching what we spend.

But if that’s not enough, we now have ObamaCare as the law of the land, and we’re going to need every dollar we can find if it remains the law. If we expand Medicaid like the President wants, we’ll have to find another $1.6 billion over the next seven years. Clearly, we can’t afford that.

I don’t know about you, but that’s one more reason why I’m hoping for some change in Washington this November!

Speaking of change, we are taking the first steps toward real reform in our public schools.

First, we invested nearly $30 million more than last year into K-12 education.

Did you catch all that? We saved money, we stopped borrowing, we cut taxes and we STILL were able to put more money into our schools.

That is conservative leadership at work!

Next year, we will put an even brighter spotlight on education.

We must support our school system, but we must also raise the level of expectations for everyone – for administrators, for teachers and most importantly for our students.

Raising our standards won’t be easy. Unfortunately, some in our education establishment have too often become more focused on the appearance of success than on achieving real results. There are some who are more worried about protecting their positions or their turf than they are about graduating more students and getting more students into college.

This was obvious two weeks ago when the state Board of Education removed graduation rates from the state’s accountability system for rating schools.

Let me repeat that: Our state Board of Education told school districts that they need not worry about graduating students to earn a good rating.

So while we’re struggling with a 17 percent dropout rate – which experts say is probably much higher in reality – those who shape our education policy are saying, “Don’t worry about graduation rates. That’s not important.”

Why did this happen? Because the Legislature tried to raise the bar.

We revamped the way our schools are rated to create a clear, easy-to-understand system: A, B, C, D and F.

Beginning in September, we will do away with the current system that lumped school districts into SEVEN different categories that never clearly communicated how those districts and the schools in them were performing.

For example, we have about 50 districts labeled “successful,” but some of those have a majority of their schools rated below “successful,” and two districts labeled “successful,” had NO SCHOOLS rated as being “successful,” or better.

The new A through F grading system will create transparency. Students and parents will know what those ratings mean. We all know what we expect from an ‘A,’ and we all know we can do better than a ‘C.’

Some of our education leaders are more worried these grades could embarrass principals or administrators…but I’m more worried about the opportunities for our children than bad P.R. for the adults.

When you compare Mississippi’s average ACT scores to other states, we show the lowest percentage of students displaying college readiness in all four ACT exams.

That’s not good enough.

According to ACT standards, we adequately prepare only ten percent of our students for college-level work.

That’s not good enough.

We shouldn’t hide these dismal results – we should change them.

The education status quo is failing us. The way up is not to bury our heads in the sand. It’s to confront the hard truths – and change our approach.

When it comes to the new grading system, we didn’t just make this stuff up. We’ve seen it work with our neighbors in Louisiana. We spoke with Governor Bobby Jindal and others around the country who said this system made a difference in their states.

Former Governor Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education said they started this grading system in Florida in 1999, and their student achievement has skyrocketed. At first, they had 500 schools graded As and Bs. Today, they have more than 2,300 schools earning top grades. As Jeb Bush would say, “What gets measured, gets done.”

We know the new grading system is not a cure-all. That’s why we’ve also allocated $500,000 to accreditation review teams to go into our school districts and closely evaluate where they are on all 37 standards set by the state. For us to improve, we must know what needs improvement and what standards aren’t being met.

Other positive steps taken this year include the consolidation of some failing school districts. In Sunflower County, we had three separate school districts all under state control. We consolidated those into one district and required an appointed superintendent. That will free up $1.2 million that can be spent in the classroom instead of the central office.

In Bolivar County, they had fewer than 7,000 students in SIX school districts. We are trying to reduce those districts to three, which would free up $1.3 million in administrative costs that can be re-directed to classrooms. That consolidation effort is currently in the hands of the Justice Department – if anyone has any connections there, I hope you’ll put in a good word.

We are not done yet.

I will not stop pressing for public charter schools until they are a reality in Mississippi. The Senate passed it; the House did not. I’m not quitting.

Charter schools give children better options in Memphis, Arkansas, and Louisiana. We know they work. There’s no good reason for denying parents a voice in the education of their children.

Some of our education administrators view charter schools as a threat.

I, on the other hand, view public charter schools not as a threat to our school districts but rather as a tremendous opportunity to reach students who aren’t being well served in the traditional system.

Public charter schools will provide a choice for parents and students – a choice that could help keep more of our children in school, that could help increase our graduation rates, that could help increase student achievement and that could help increase the overall education attainment level of our citizens.

I have a message for people in both parties who are scared of the future of education reform: buckle your seat belts. Reform is coming to Mississippi!

Our families depend on us to improve our economy. And our economy depends on improving our education system. It’s not more complicated than that. Everyone involved knows it. Everyone involved agrees with the objective.

Surely, we can come together….and work together…and embrace a better future together. Our people deserve nothing less.

I look forward to continuing to work with educators, legislators and citizens to achieve those goals and to keep Mississippi the best place in America to raise a family.

John Blalack, who was in the vehicle with John Aaron Rice the night of the Deryl Dedmon murder of Mr. Anderson, was out at the American Idol concert Tuesday night with his girlfriend to see local star Skylar Laine.  (The reports of the incident have his name spelled incorrectly as John Blaylock).

I guess some of the guys really did get off without any punishment.

The Clarion-Ledger starts the pay wall today. $10 per month for digital-only access and $22 per month for print and digital access seven days a week. The price of the print edition went up to $1.00 and they moved the price from the top of the page to the bottom below the UPC code. The cost of a Sunday/Thursday only subscription (with digital access) is $12 per month.

By the way, the Wall Street Journal print subscription is $119 per year.

This is just plain nuts. The federal government gives Mississippi $70 million to build a wireless network so first-responders and law enforcement can send video and data packets to each other regardless of location and then says oops, never mind. Sorry about that $17 million you spent in state funds but oh well, that's just the way it is. The Wall Street Journal reports:

"Mississippi spent millions of dollars on equipment to help police and fire departments send video and other data to each other. But now the state can't turn its wireless network on.

Federal officials recently pulled the plug because of concerns the Mississippi system and others like it won't be compatible with a national public safety network called FirstNet, which was authorized by Congress in February but is not scheduled to roll out for several years.

Mississippi's case is an early example of the skirmishes likely during the years-long implementation of FirstNet, an idea that has been discussed since the 9/11 terror attacks but only now is getting off the ground. At a cost of at least $7 billion, the network is to supply common airwaves for use by local officials in an emergency and give them the ability to share videos and other large data files.

Many regions already made plans for such networks and previously were backed by the same federal entities that are now putting on the brakes over concerns those networks won't be compatible with FirstNet.

In May, Commerce Department officials froze $341 million in funding from the 2009 economic-stimulus law that had been awarded to seven locations for public-safety networks. And the Federal Communications Commission in July proposed cutting off states' access to some public-safety airwaves until FirstNet is operational.

"We're in limbo right now. All the rules seem to have changed," said Vicki Helfrich, executive director of the Mississippi Wireless Communication Commission, which oversees the state's public-safety networks.

Mississippi spent about 70% of its $70 million federal stimulus grant, plus an additional $17 million in matching state contributions, before funds were frozen. Now, the state has equipment sitting in warehouses and on towers that it can't turn on.

Commerce Department assistant secretary Larry Strickling said he sympathizes with Mississippi's plight, "but we don't want to spend taxpayer money on equipment that can't be used in a few years." The agency is working with states on how the stimulus funds can be used for network planning, he said. Apart from Mississippi, the affected projects are in Adams County, Colo.; Charlotte, N.C.; Los Angeles, San Francisco, northern New Jersey and New Mexico.

First responders around the country have long used a patchwork of often incompatible systems to communicate. The 9/11 attacks exposed the inability of New York City's police and fire departments to exchange information. Since then, Congress has allocated at least $13 billion to help states build regional networks that allow local officials to talk to each other during disasters, according to a January report by congressional researchers.

In February, Congress went further with the new national network. Groups representing local police and fire departments lobbied for the law, saying they wanted newer wireless technologies like two-way video and remote video monitoring. They also hoped a national standard would reduce costs by allowing manufacturers to sell the same devices across the country to police departments and other emergency responders.

Congress allotted $7 billion in proceeds from future airwaves auctions to build FirstNet. A new entity within the Commerce Department will run the network, which is expected to take at least several years to become operational.

Commerce asked the FCC, which controls public airwaves, to stop states from turning on any broadband-data networks for public safety until the new FirstNet organization is up and running. In July, FCC officials circulated plans to do so, while leaving open the possibility that some regions, like Mississippi, could get temporary waivers to operate... Article

This is just plain crazy. The state did what the feds told it to do and spent quite a bit of money. Then the feds say oops, never mind. Several legislators and state officials spoke to this correspondent and the response was the same: they are furious.* This project required a great deal of time and money to build. If the feds want to pull this crap, then they need to pay Mississippi the $17 million it spent.

*This system is not to be confused with the voice-only MSWIN system.

Mike is back and has a few things to say about the Aurora shootings in yet another colorful, classic video.

Here is the video of the emergency meeting of the Hinds County Board of Supervisors yesterday. Sheriff Tyrone Lewis briefed the supes and county officials on the latest information about the riot. The discussion grew lively at times as the board wrestled with the problem of what to do with incoming prisoners since the capacity was reduced by nearly 200 spaces in the detention center.

Inmates took over and completely destroyed the "C Pod" at the Hinds County Detention Center in Raymond yesterday. The pod contains four housing units holding 183 inmates. The riot started around 3:00 AM yesterday when an inmate escaped during a cell transfer and turned on a fire-fighting water house. He was able to flood the pod very quickly. Once prisoners obtained control of the control panel, they were able to start releasing other inmates. Sheriff Tyrone Lewis said law enforcement regained control of the pod at 12:30 PM yesterday.

This correspondent toured the pod last night and took several pictures available at this link (I apologize for their poor quality. They were taken with a Blackberry and there was no lighting in the pod. The picture posted to the left is a perfect example of how extensive the damage is. This room was the control room for the pod, replete with monitors and computers.  The room is now destroyed. Ceilings are ripped out. All the hi-tech equipment destroyed. All wiring ripped out. Water and mud are the new flooring as the floor was still flooded over twelve hours later. There was no object that escaped the wrath of the inmates Compare the photo to the left and others in the album to the video recorded less than two months ago. Needless to say, the room is nearly a complete loss. Sheriff Lewis said the pod looked like "Katrina came through it."



Sheriff Lewis told the Hinds County Board of Supervisors at an emergency meeting yesterday there were 183 inmates in C-Pod that have to be housed elsewhere Inmates were transferred to MDOC and jails in Madison and Rankin counties. However, the Sheriff said the pod would be closed indefinitely and it would be a long time before it could be repaired. The Sheriff said the facility can not take suspects arrested by JPD. The Sheriff, Supervisors, and Judge Tomie Green said they would look at placing those held for nonviolent crimes on house arrest. The supervisors went to the facility to view the damage after the meeting adjourned. Supervisor Stokes repeatedly said throughout the meeting the city of Jackson needed to build its own jail. There was no estimate given for what it will cost to house the prisoners in other facilities nor has any formal announcement been made about what will be done with suspects arrested in Hinds County.

Emergency meeting of Hinds Board of Supervisors over Raymond Detention Center riot right now. See twitter at kingfish1935 for updates.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

A bunch of you sent me this essay from Gawker.com written by a former Millsaps student. It's pretty long, but is a rather um, interesting and colorful read.

"I've had guns pulled on me by four people under Central Mississippi skies — once by a white undercover cop, once by a young brother trying to rob me for the leftovers of a weak work-study check, once by my mother and twice by myself. Not sure how or if I've helped many folks say yes to life but I've definitely aided in few folks dying slowly in America, all without the aid of a gun. ....

A partner of mine hooks me up with a partner of his who lets me hold something. I get the gun not only to defend myself from goofy brothers in red Corollas trying to rob folks for work-study money. I guess I'm working on becoming a black writer in Mississippi and some folks around Millsaps College don't like the essays I'm writing in the school newspaper.

A few weeks earlier, George Harmon, the President of Millsaps, shuts down the campus paper in response to a satirical essay I wrote on communal masturbation and sends a letter to over 12,000 overwhelmingly white Millsaps students, friends and alumnae. The letter states that the "Key Essay in question was written by Kiese Laymon, a controversial writer who consistently editorializes on race issues."

After the President's letter goes out, my life kinda hurts....

I enroll at Jackson State University in the Spring semester, where my mother teaches Political Science. Even though, I'm not really living at home, everyday Mama and I fight over my job at Cutco and her staying with her boyfriend and her not letting me use the car to get to my second job at an HIV hospice since my license is suspended. Really, we're fighting because she raised me to never ever forget I was on parole, which means no black hoodies in wrong neighborhoods, no jogging at night, hands in plain sight at all times in public, no intimate relationships with white women, never driving over the speed limit or doing those rolling stops at stop signs, always speaking the king's English in the presence of white folks, never being outperformed in school or in public by white students and most importantly, always remembering that no matter what, white folks will do anything to get you.

Mama's antidote to being born a black boy on parole in Central Mississippi is not for us to seek freedom; it's to insist on excellence at all times. Mama takes it personal when she realizes that I realize she is wrong. There ain't no antidote to life, I tell her. How free can you be if you really accept that white folks are the traffic cops of your life? Mama tells me that she is not talking about freedom. She says that she is talking about survival...." Essay

Spoke to HCSO this morning. The disturbance is in only one pod. SWAT team is in the pod. Older female jail employee was taken to the hospital but not for injuries suffered in disturbance.
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We are giving Jackson Jambalaya a facelift. We rolled out new logos last week. What you see below is the new cover for the JJ Facebook page and the Flavicon used for the Twitter page (Kingfish1935). These were created by Stacy Putnam and her team at Crave Branding. If you look up at your tab in the browser window, you should notice the new Kingfish flavicon. If you don't see it, clear your browsing history and refresh. There is a new logo at the top of this page but we are still playing with it as we have to deal with both Blogger and the template JJ currently uses. There are more changes coming to this website so stay tuned. If you open this post, you can see the different concepts and artwork we looked at before settling on the final design. I thought it would be fun for y'all to see how it evolved. Thanks.