Over on Othor Cain's blog, he is reporting sources tell him Tyrone Lewis is being demoted from Deputy Chief to Sergeant and will no longer head the training academy. http://www.othorcainreport.com/b2/.
Little surprise here as the law clearly stated for parties at the academy gym, there has to be a permit, insurance, payment of fees, and a violation of the law is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine.
See earlier post: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/12/so-did-tyrone-lewis-break-law.html
Monday, December 31, 2007
Deputy Chief Tyrone Lewis demoted?
Congratulations General Petraeus
Well, look who got the London Telegraph's Person of the Year award: General Petraeus.
The newspaper wrote:
The critics said it couldn't be done, but the vision and determination of General David Petraeus have brought greater security and cause for optimism to the people of Iraq. He is The Sunday Telegraph's Person of the Year...
He has been the man behind the US troop surge over the past 10 months, the last-ditch effort to end Iraq's escalating civil war by putting an extra 28,000 American troops on the ground.
So far, it has achieved what many feared was impossible. Sectarian killings are down. Al-Qaeda is on the run. And the two million Iraqis who fled the country are slowly returning. Progress in Iraq is relative - 538 civilians died last month. But compared with the 3,000 peak of December last year, it offers at least a glimmer of hope...
But the reason for picking Petraeus is simple. Iraq, whatever the current crises in Afghanistan and Pakistan, remains the West's biggest foreign policy challenge of this decade, and if he can halt its slide into all-out anarchy, Gen Petraeus may save more than Iraqi lives.....
Top of the class of 1974 at West Point Military Academy and the holder of a PhD in international relations, he is the co author of the US military's manual on counter-insurgency, a "warrior monk" for whom the messy intrigues of asymmetric warfare hold more interest than the straightforward challenges of 2003's invasion.
Simply being the best and brightest soldier of his generation, however, would not be enough for Iraq in 2007, where a major part of the "surge" involves reconciling Iraq's warring political tribes..... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=Z05I34JUHL3BXQFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/12/30/nperson130.xml&page=1
Congratulations General. You more than deserved this award.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Should Al Qaida receive better treatment than the SS?
A furious debate has raged for several years over whether enemy combatants captured in the "War on Terror" (a label I am not crazy about, to say the least) are entitled to the protections afforded by the Geneva Convention. One side argues they are prisoners of war and should be treated as such while the other side argues because they target civilians, eschew uniforms and other protections afforded to those who are actual soldiers, their treatment is not covered by the accords.
Perhaps it is time to look at how we treated another foe on the battlefield just as evil and brutal as the terrorists we face, the SS.
The SS was labeled a criminal organization, not a military force, and its soldiers were all labeled war criminals unless they could prove they were drafted or forced into service (which did occur near the end of the war).
Justice Robert Jackson wrote:
" I asked the War Department to deny those prisoners who are suspected war criminals the privileges which would appertain to their rank if they were merely prisoners of war; to assemble them at convenient and secure locations for interrogation by our staff; to deny them access to the press; and to hold them in the close confinement ordinarily given suspected criminals. The War Department has been subjected to some criticism from the press for these measures, for which it is fair that I should acknowledge responsibility. The most elementary considerations for insuring a fair trial and for the success of our case suggest the imprudence of permitting these prisoners to be interviewed indiscriminately or to use the facilities of the press to convey information to each other and to criminals yet uncaptured. Our choice is between treating them as honorable prisoners of war with the privileges of their ranks, or to classify them as war criminals in which case they should be treated as such. I have assurances from the War Department that those likely to be accused as war criminals will be kept in close confinement and stern control. ...
These hearings, however, must not be regarded in the same light as a trial under our system, where defense is a matter of constitutional right. Fair hearings for the accused are, of course, required to make sure that we punish only the right men and for the right reasons. But the procedure of these hearings may properly bar obstructive and dilatory tactics resorted to by defendants in our ordinary criminal trials..."
The indictment stated:
"The following are named as groups or organizations (since dissolved) which should be declared criminal by reason of their aims and the means used for the accomplishment thereof and in connection with the conviction of such of the named defendants as were members thereof: ..... DIE SCHUTZSTAFFELN DER NATIONALSOZIALISTISCHEN DEUTSCHEN ARBEITERPARTEI (commonly known as the "SS") ......"
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/jackson_on_atrocities.html
It should be noted Justice Jackson would later write the opinion overturning Truman's order to seize the steel industry, showing he was no rubber stamp for the government as well as the one that held students could not be forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Having said that, one must ask why Al Qaida, Hezbollah, and other terrorists deserve the protections of the Geneva Convention when the SS, which was an organized military force, was judged to be criminal in nature and thus denied the rights afforded to prisoners of war.
One wonders if these critics would say the same thing if the turbans and masks were exchanged for a Black hat with a death's head insignia on it.
Tonight's Night Flight
Here are some psychodelic cartoons for you. NSFW. I wonder what Marshall Ramsey would come up with if he was in an altered state. This cartoon is a sci-fi cult classic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVay38ao6NU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVYutGmcHhc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyOJD5iFDW8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASv3gtTh8ik&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9R1qyr5y_Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8pJlmOVfQA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwLNhOzr_ts&feature=related
The links are provided in order for the additional segments.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
More cluelessness at the JFP
Madame DeLadd at it again:
"Now, it's just tragic with so many lives lost in a losing war in Iraq, and Pakistan and al Qaeda no better than they were." http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=15844_0_27_0_C#103439
Um, yeah. What rock has she been under? We are winning in Iraq and progress has definitely been made. Even the New York Times has said so recently. Al Qaida was run out of Afghanistan. They are reduced to hiding in the mountains, a far cry from when they actually ran the whole country out in the open. How many top leaders of AQ have been killed? How many ops has AQ pulled off in America since 9/11?
please.
Did Tyrone Lewis break the law?
There is more to the story about how Tyrone Lewis allowed his son to use the JPD training facility for profit without paying any fees.
Jackson ordinance No. 2000-29(14), Sections 176-195, (adopted Aug. 22, 2000), spells out the guidelines for what is considered to be a special event and how a permit for one is to be obtained by a sponsor. http://www.municode.com/resources/gateway.asp?pid=11036&sid=24
Use of the facilities requires an event sponsor to submit an event application to a special events committee (p. 2). A copy of an insurance policy is required and minimum coverage is prescribed (p.3). There are different classes of permits. If the event has over 500 people, than the fees are
$275 for 3 hours. If under 500 people, then it is $50 for 3 hours.
The law also states "Any person violating any provision of this article shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $1,000.00 for each violation of the article."
This is not just a case of Mr. Lewis trying to help his son. This is a case of helping his son avoid paying the city and obtaining permits in violation of the law. The next question is will there be a prosecution for these violations which ARE misdemeanors? Since Mr. Lewis IS the head of the training academy he can not claim ignorance of the law. If HE is not the expert on the law since he is the one in charge of making sure recruits know policies and procedures, then who is?
There is also a provision that exempts events from the permit requirement if they are city-sponsored. If the Lewis's try to claim this exemption, then there is the matter of why the money taken at the door wasn't given to the city? Would that be a felony? For this reason, it is doubtful they will try to claim these parties were sponsored by the city.
The goal of providing young people with a safe venue to have fun is admirable and certainly should be something the city should consider pursuing. However, this sounds more like an end run around the law by someone who knows better to help his son make some money at our expense.
See earlier post at: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/12/should-mac-fire-tyrone-lewis.html
Note: Notice how none of this is mentioned in The Clarion-Ledger. Sigh.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The internet trolls have a meeting (warning: very crude language)
Adult language. If you've been on a few internet forums, this will look very familiar.
Should Mac fire Tyrone Lewis?
The Clarion-Ledger reported today:
Off and on for the past couple of years, the son of the training director who is now a Jackson deputy police chief has thrown disc jockey dance parties for high school and college students in the academy's gym.....
McMillin's primary concern with the dance parties was that neither Terrell Lewis nor his father, Deputy Chief Tyrone Lewis, carries liability insurance. That means if anyone attending one of these parties were to be hurt, the city could be sued for damages.....
The City Council must either contract with whoever wants to use the property or enact a policy that regulates how and under what circumstances public property can be used for private purposes, according to the state auditor's office. Thus, a police department employee can't enter into a contract for use of a police facility....
When questioned about the party on Saturday, Tyrone Lewis said he gave his son permission to use the academy because parents feel safer allowing their children to hang out there as opposed to private clubs. Also, alcohol is not served.
"The liability issue may be something we'll look at in the future," Lewis said.
Lewis said he did not charge his son or any other group to use the academy and screened who used it. However, Lewis could not name any users besides his son who charged people admission or made money off their private functions...
Terrell Lewis said he likes to use the academy because he can get off-duty officers to provide security. He also said the academy's gym is preferable because it is larger than clubs that have charged him $500 to $1,200 to rent their space. A party that draws a good crowd can fetch him several thousand dollars in one night. Lewis, a Jackson State University sophomore, said he uses the money to help pay for college....
Liability also was not an issue for the mayor. He said the city would pay any claim as long as he approved of what kind of private event was being held on the property. However, the City Council must sign off on claims.....
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/NEWS/712270365&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL
The first question to ask is should Mac fire Tyrone Lewis? This is nothing but nepotism and using city facilities to enrich family members. It's no different than awarding a government contract to a family member. However, this is Mississippi, I forgot. A state where Governor's relatives get fat Katrina contracts. Where attorney generals farm out deals worth millions of dollars in fees to campaign supporters who bribe judges. Where mayors try to get school board members removed who don't award contracts to their campaign supporters. Where a Hinds County Supervisor gets contracts awarded to former family members. Forgive me. I forgot where I was. That is what happens when one gets in a rhetorical rut. You just keep rambling along and forget your place.
However, I will forget where I am for the moment and say Mac should take a long, hard look at firing Lewis. I seriously doubt any regular person could have gotten such a party approved. It's a sweet deal. Use a facility for free and make several thousand dollars in one night. As a police commander and leader of the training academy, Lewis definitely knows better and should lead by example. Think I am being harsh? J. Edgar Hoover fired FBI agents for using FBI cars to take their kids to school. This is nothing short of Mr. Lewis using his privileged position to make money for his family. Period.
What is even more sad is Melton, who is supposed to be a sharp businessman, says liability is no concern and the city would pay any claims. Easy for him to say as it is not HIS money but OURS!!! All it takes is for one kid to get hurt. One fight to break out. One accident to happen. Then Dennis Sweet is filing a nice sized multi-million dollar lawsuit the city has to pay. Not the insurance company, the city. Millions of dollars it does not have. But hey, it's ok because Frank Melton assures us it's ok.
Mac needs to investigate this and if Lewis did allow his son to use the gym to make such large amounts of money, fire Lewis. I can hear it now. "Aw Kingfish, you're being too harsh. I know Tyrone. He's a great guy. He's a good cop." Maybe he is a great guy. I'm sure he is. It's always ok to let things slide when it's people we know. That is one of the problems with this area. It is ALWAYS someone we know and the corruption continues.
Issues in the 3rd Congressional District race.
Last week there was a poll question on this website asking what the most important issues are in the current race to replace Congressman Chip Pickering. The issues listed were: education, gun rights, social security reform, aid to cities, Katrina recovery, immigration, Iraq/terrorism/homeland security, tax cuts/reform, free trade, medicare, abortion, civil rights, agriculture, and ending corporate subsidies. 48 people voted and multiple votes were allowed.
The results are:
Firearms/gun rights: 19
Social security reform: 17
Terrorism/Iraq/Homeland Security: 14
Tax cuts/Tax reform: 9
Education:8
Immigration: 8
Katrina Recovery: 3
Aid to cities: 3
Abortion: 3
Agriculture: 3
Civil rights: 3
Medicare: 2
Ending corporate subsidies: 2
The results were very interesting even after allowing for the fact that polls of this type are very unreliable. Based upon current campaign rhetoric, one would expect illegal immigration to top such a poll. Instead, it tied for fifth and received less than half the votes for gun rights and social security reform. I was somewhat surprised by the number of votes for social security reform as it is an issue that is virtually ignored by most campaigns. Is this an issue that the candidates should address in greater detail?
The issue of terrorism (see earlier post about how this issue has been ignored by most of the campaigns, http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/12/3rd-district-candidates-on-terrorism.html ) yet ranked among the top three choices by the participants. Keep this in mind candidates. When talking about keeping the Messicans out and how you share our values, many of us want to know what you are going to do in Washington about protecting us from terrorist attacks. It is surprising that abortion only received 3 votes as that is the issue that tends to draw the most support from single-issue voters (besides gun rights).
More New Orleans craziness
Cop-killer gets released from jail due to paperwork mis-shuffle (is that a word?). You have to read it to believe it. http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/man_who_fled_to_home_of_da_rel.html
Click Here to Read More..Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Sign of things to come?
Councilman Marshand Crisler is retiring from military service. It seems as though his unit, which is in the Mississippi Air National Guard, received orders to deploy overseas. Although I am not at liberty to say exactly where his unit is going or for how long it will be deployed, it is safe to say it won't be in Iraq or Afghanistan but not at a comfortable base in Europe either. Shortly after his unit received its orders for the deployment, the officer put in his retirement papers. In a few weeks when his unit deploys, he will be stateside.
Interesting. If he intends to seek the office of mayor, a deployment of more than a month or two would seriously hurt his chances of winning the election as his ability to raise money and campaign would be severely limited. Since retiring from the service solves this problem, does this mean Mr. Crisler really is going to run for mayor?
Can Israel win a nuclear war with Iran?
While the jello-writers in the media celebrate the conclusion of the National Intelligence Estimate that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, the Center for International and Strategic Studies, which sponsored the Iraq Study Group the same media feted, published a study on November 19 stating that Israel would "win" a nuclear exchange with Iran (Now why would they be studying this issue if Iran was not pursuing nukes?). The report is available on their website at http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/071119_iran.is&nuclearwar.pdf and is more comprehensive than the NIE.
The report makes the following assessments about an Israel-Iran nuclear exchange (p.31):
"Iranian-Israeli Exchange
•Assume mature, dispersed force on both sides. Preemption not an option
•Assume counterpopulation; counterforce and countervalue not an option.
•MAD-like environment; first strike of marginal or no benefit.
•Iranian side:
–Lower fission yields, less accurate forceinto cluster targeting on Israel’s two largest urban complexes.
–Volley strike with all assets. Must seek to saturate or bypass Arrow and Israeli defenses.
–Target to maximize casualties, clear attention to fall out, lasting effects.
–Strike at Haifa and Ashdod-Tel Aviv-Yafoaxis.
–Inflict 200,000 to 800,000 prompt to 21-day dead; long term death rate cannot be calculated.
–Iranian recovery not possible in normal sense of term.
•Israeli side:
–Higher yields, more accurate force allow to strike all major Iranian cities.
–Launch on confirmed warning from Israeli and US satellites.
–Reserve strike capability to ensure no other power can capitalize on Iranian strike; target key Arab neighbors.
–Launch at Syria if struck with CBRN weapons
–Target to maximize casualties, clear attention to fall out, lasting effects.
–Consider "Persian"ethnic strike option; send clear message cannot strike at Israel and survive.
–Inflict 16,000,000 to 28,000,000 prompt to 21-day dead; long term death rate cannot be calculated.
–Israeli recovery theoreticallypossible in population and economic terms."
The synopsis of the report states:
"The analysis indicates that Israeli might have the near to mid-term advantage in such a struggle, at least in terms of the ability to inflict more damage on the Persian ethnic population and economy of Iran. Iran is much larger than Israel, but its population is heavily urbanized and extremely vulnerable to boosted and thermonuclear weapons.
This advantage seems likely to continue until Iran obtained boosted or thermonuclear weapons. The outcome would be so costly to both sides, however, any such advantage would little or no practical value. It is unclear that either nation could reconstitute itself on anything like a prewar basis, if at all." http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_pubs/task,view/id,4172/type,1/
Some may ask, "what about the NIE?" What about the NIE? The NIE two years ago stated that Iran WAS pursueing nuclear weapons. So which is correct as they are completely in opposition to each other, the 2007 or the 2005 NIE? Keep in mind it was the 2002 NIE that was used to justify the invasion of Iraq. That same NIE is trashed by Iraqi War critics who claim it completely false and unreliable. The same critics now praise the NIE as it supports their goals (in an unintended display of the intellectual honesty). This particular think tank is as establishment as one can be as it has former government leaders such as Sam Nunn, Henry Kissinger, Zbignew Brezinkski, William Cohen, and others on its board of trustees.
For additional stories on the report, see:
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2007/me_nuclear_12_20.asp
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3486011,00.html
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847416688&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
The reason why there are no links to mainstream American media sources is because they deemed this news to insignificant to publish. 16 million dead seems not to be worth their time. Now back to who _____ Jamie Spears.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Meaning of Christmas
This is the Christmas message that runs every year in The Wall Street Journal. Enjoy.
"In Hoc Anno Domini
Vermont Royster's annual Christmas message. This editorial was written in 1949 by the late Vermont Royster and has been published annually since.
"When Saul of Tarsus set out on his journey to Damascus the whole of the known world lay in bondage. There was one state, and it was Rome. There was one master for it all, and he was Tiberius Caesar.
Everywhere there was civil order, for the arm of the Roman law was long. Everywhere there was stability, in government and in society, for the centurions saw that it was so.
But everywhere there was something else, too. There was oppression--for those who were not the friends of Tiberius Caesar. There was the tax gatherer to take the grain from the fields and the flax from the spindle to feed the legions or to fill the hungry treasury from which divine Caesar gave largess to the people. There was the impressor to find recruits for the circuses. There were executioners to quiet those whom the Emperor proscribed. What was a man for but to serve Caesar?
There was the persecution of men who dared think differently, who heard strange voices or read strange manuscripts. There was enslavement of men whose tribes came not from Rome, disdain for those who did not have the familiar visage. And most of all, there was everywhere a contempt for human life. What, to the strong, was one man more or less in a crowded world? Then, of a sudden, there was a light in the world, and a man from Galilee saying, Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.
And the voice from Galilee, which would defy Caesar, offered a new Kingdom in which each man could walk upright and bow to none but his God. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. And he sent this gospel of the Kingdom of Man into the uttermost ends of the earth.
So the light came into the world and the men who lived in darkness were afraid, and they tried to lower a curtain so that man would still believe salvation lay with the leaders.
But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.
Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter's star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.
And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Copyright © 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Fannie and Freddie's ticking time bomb?
Fannie Mae recently disclosed that it was suffering from huge losses due to the turmoil in the mortgage markets: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fannie Mae , the largest U.S. mortgage finance company, said on Friday its third-quarter net loss doubled from last year as slumping home prices and a credit squeeze drove down values of mortgage securities. "
Most experts opine that the current crisis in the mortgage markets was due to the turmoil involving subprime and "Alt-A" mortgages as well as a decline in home prices nationwide. Numerous lenders have gone out of business, layoffs in the industry are widespread, and borrowers have found that it is now much tougher to get a mortgage than a year ago as they are required to have higher credit scores and more money for down payments. The specter of subprime ARM readjustments has reared its ugly head as the latest bugaboo to spook Washington and Wall Street. Unfortunately, this may not be the worst of it as there is still another ticking time bomb that has nothing to do with ARM resets or a falling housing market.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made the decision several years ago to lower the requirements approving a mortgage application. Fannie and Freddie mortgages (called conforming) are desirable as they have the lowest rates as compared to mortgages not backed by Fannie and Freddie (called nonconforming. At this point, Fannie and Freddie will be called the agencies.) In the past, a borrower had to put down 3-5% of the purchase price for a down payment, have a minimum credit score of 620, have a debt to income ratio (that is where monthly bills on the credit report, utilities are NOT included, are divided by the gross monthly income) of 36% as well as meeting other requirements.
However, the agencies decided to offer mortgages to borrowers who could not meet those requirements. These mortgages were called expanded approval loans. Credit score requirements were lowered. The agencies started taking credit scores in the 500's. Indeed, if a borrower had enough money to put down on a house (such as 50%), then very bad credit was overlooked. The criteria became more flexible. The minimum credit score was lowered if the borrower had more assets, had a low debt to income ratio, and the loan to value (value of the home) was lower. The agencies offered "flex 100" loans where the borrower did not have to put any money down. The borrower was still required to purchase mortgage insurance, which could be quite high depending on the credit score. The agencies then lowered the credit score requirements. It was not uncommon to see borrowers with credit scores of 590, 600, or lower approved by the agencies for mortgages with no money down. Keep in mind these mortgages are NOT ARMs but are fixed rate mortgages. However, the agencies DID raise the rates on these loans by grading them at certain levels: Expanded Approval I, II, III. Each level had a higher rate. One that was a III usually had a rate that was at least 1.5% above the regular conforming rates so the agencies did try to offset the higher risk with higher rates.
However, the aggressive lending did not stop there as the agencies rolled out their community lending programs in 2003. These weakened the requirements even further. Under the Flex 100's, the borrower still had to have 3% of his own funds for closing costs. Under the community lending standards, that requirement was abolished and replaced with a $500 minimum down payment requirement (It could be a gift from a family member). The mortgage insurance coverage rate was cut from the 35% required for a flex 100 to 20% for a community lending program. The rate was only slightly higher than a regular conforming loan, usually a quarter to a half of a point. The agencies approved these loans for borrowers that had credit scores as low as 570 and in rare instances, even lower. Debt to income ratio requirements were eased as the 100% loan to value mortgages were approved borrowers having ratios of 55%! (remember, that ratio is based off of gross income, not net income after taxes). No one wanted to ruin the party as these new programs became very popular among realtors, lenders, and mortgage companies.
However, this may be a ticking time bomb waiting to explode in the agencies' portfolios as defaults climb. One must ask if the agencies are losing money merely because of falling housing prices and lower levels of business or because of these loans that were approved under much easier underwriting standards. The mortgage insurance companies have quit (or soon plan to do so) insuring mortgages that have a credit score under 620 if the loan to value is more than 95%. This is to be expected as they have suffered huge losses in 2007 and it also tells you where the defaults may be coming from as most of these so-called experts have not realized most subprime mortgages DO NOT require mortgage insurance. Fannie Mae just announced that it is implementing a pricing increase for mortgages that have a credit score below 680 and a loan to value above 95% that will add approximately .500-.750 to the conforming rate. The agencies have also tightened their underwriting requirements (this contributing more to the housing slump) so that borrowers with lower credit scores with
Even with these price increases by the agencies and stricter underwriting guidelines, one must still wonder if they are closing the barn door after the horse has already left as the expanded approval and community lending mortgages sit on their books. If that bomb explodes, it will make the subprime explosion look like a firecracker.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
British Soldiers Come Home To a Lady's Love & A Press' Hate.
Yet another dispatch from Michael Yon, providing the best coverage from Iraq over the last few years. He writes:
Local police estimated the crowd of parade viewers reached 10,000, some of whom undoubtedly turned out because of the press. But I’d heard from the soldiers about a special person who would have been a parade of one to greet their return. Before the parades and publicity, the soldiers knew this one person was always with them. While we were out lurking around the Iranian border, several soldiers talked to me about her, saying things like, “Please write something good about her.” They wanted her to know how much they appreciated her many gestures of support, especially the handwritten letters she sent to the wounded soldiers—who numbered over seventy—and their families....
While the pieces about the parades and medal ceremonies that greeted the returning “Lions of Basra” were accurate, it was impossible to miss the sensational headlines that gave equal weight to the bleating of Zawahiri, al Qaeda’s number two leader and number one propagandist....."
The rest of his dispatch can be read at http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/one-step-forward.htm.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Mac: put this officer to work if he has time to play on the job.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007712220360
Barrett-Simon said Melton's black Chrysler 300 with blacked-out windows drove close to her bumper blaring a loud police siren as she pulled into the parking lot of City Hall shortly before the 10 a.m. meeting.
Barrett-Simon said Melton laughed and told her Michael Recio had sounded the siren and intended to pull her over in the future because she voted at Tuesday's council meeting to rescind Recio's assistant chief's salary. The council voted 4-3 to drop Recio's salary from $70,289 back to the $41,761.20 he earned while classified as an acting sergeant.
"It was extremely unsettling to me. I didn't, for a moment, know what was happening," Barrett-Simon said. "I was told on the steps of City Hall as I opened the door, 'that was Recio,' the mayor said. 'He doesn't like your not paying him ... and he's going to pull you over every time he sees you.'"
The mayor said he could hardly believe Barrett-Simon had taken the well-intended joke so seriously.
"It was just a joke. She can't even take a joke, she's so sensitive," Melton said. "I got out of the car and I was speaking to her and I said 'Margaret. That wasn't me. That was Michael. He was just teasing.' And she said, 'I'm sure you didn't have anything to do with it,' which I didn't. I mean it was just a joke. She just takes everything out of perspective."
Picking on a sixty-something year old woman who was robbed at gunpoint this summer? Nice. If you are so damn anxious to pull over or threaten someone, there are plenty of criminals in Jackson that need such attention. Recio, you are just a punk.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Still Slumming in New Orleans
Update: See her in action at the City Council meeting yesterday that turned violent: http://www.breitbart.tv/html/17714.html
Additional posts on this story:
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/12/slumming-in-new-orleans.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/12/update-on-new-orleans-housing.html Click Here to Read More..
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Charles Manson update
Found on an LSU website. Anyone NOT believe this one?
One of my best friends left the Corps and took a job at the prison Charlie's in. He says it's so weird how the hardest, baddest mf's talk shit knowing he's there, but the few if ever times they're anywhere near him all conversation comes to a screeching f-ing halt. Says even the guards who've been around him for yrs don't even want to mention his name when they're on the outside just for superstition, but also are paranoid some of the nutcases never got rounded up. This is a guy that I personally know went through just about every hardass training there is, including SEALS training. Que "Twilight Zone" music. Me, I'd pass Charlie some really good windowpane, some Godzilla tapes, and ask permission to ignore his ass until the seventh anniversary of doomsday.
Update on New Orleans Housing
Unbelieveable. The New Orleans City Council was scheduled to vote today on the proposed demolition of several public housing complexes. To call the scene at city hall a circus or zoo is being much too kind. Here is the coverage from the Times-Picayune. Read from the bottom.
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/city_hall_girds_for_public_hou.html
See yesterday's post for coverage of the controversy: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/12/slumming-in-new-orleans.html
DWF: My Wish List for Christmas
I have resigned myself to the fact that Christmas this year will be on a much smaller scale. However, I know that my boys and I will still have a great time hanging out and spending some long-needed down town together.
We all daydream and wish for certain things for Christmas, and these are some of the thoughts I've had. If I'd written this while enjoying my latest wine gift, it would have a totally different slant I'm sure.
1.The return of my 25 year old hottie, even for just one night! (actually he’s 26 now). See previous post.
2. A Victoria’s Secret gift card (we all know her secret: overpriced lingerie will make you rich!)
3. A new job with a higher salary and an ethical atmosphere. (Why is it no one likes to pay a woman comparably to a man in Mississippi? Interesting job interviews lately.)
4. Wacko Woman to go away into the sunset (she was strangely quiet at the office Christmas dinner. Perhaps she’s finally intimidated a bit? I doubt it.) See previous post.
5. My parents to live long and to be healthy. (Thank goodness the worst is over for now.)
6. My boys to grow up to be responsible, hard-working young men who respect their girlfriends and wives. (In other words, NOTHING like the female beaters and killers we have seen in the news this year.)
7. A $10,000 deposit in my bank account from a secret admirer to pay for all the upcoming sporting event expenses. (You know who you are.)
8. For my true love, if there is such as thing, to come to his senses. (Again, you know who you are.)
9. For Haley and Marsha to quit talking about “Let’s go walking” and getting Haley to actually walk and drop a few pounds. (After all, he represents our state!)
10. For Kingfish to find the right woman. But then again, there is no match for him around "these parts" that I've seen. (And that's a compliment to him.....)
11. For Ole Miss and the new "Nutt" to build the football program back into something to be proud of.
12. For all parents who have lost children to suicide, auto accidents, illness, murder and other tragedies to somehow make it through the holidays with the comfort of other family and friends.
13. For Mississippi politicians and attorneys to realize how many young people's minds they are negatively affecting by all the shenanigans and illegal activities. STOP IT! (And I'm talking about the guilty ones only. Not those who actually do their job with pride).
So Happy Holidays to you all, and may you each find happiness and success in the New Year.
Email me: dwfinms@gmail.com
See previous posts on the right sidebar.
Plagerism or Punditry?
Did Kamikaze commit plagiarism on The Jackson Free Press website? He wrote this diatribe against Republicans, accusing them for the most part of avoiding military service while sending our soldiers to battle. He wrote:
This Is Why Some Republicans and Talk-show Hosts are Hypocrites...WOW!Start paying attention to who the strongest pro-war pundits are...Some us them are quick to hide behind their faux cloak off patriotism, while never actually being willing to DO anything or have anyone in their family DO anything. If they're so ready to fight, let's give em all a gun and send em to Iraq. Hell, lets send em to the border and see how tough they really are. TELL ME THIS DOESNT MAKE YOU THINK!!
Democrats:Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71. David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72. Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72. Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade. Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor-Vietnam. Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII. John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V,Purple Hearts. Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea. Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam. Paraplegic from war injuries. Served in Congress. Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53. Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve,1968-74. Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91. Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons. Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars,and Soldier's Medal. Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit. Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne,Purple Heart. Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V. Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star. Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57 Chuck Robb: Vietnam Howell Heflin: Silver Star George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII. Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311. Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy. Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953 John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters. Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.
Republicans -(and these are the guys sending people to war-what makes them especially bad is that none of their kids serve either.. Talk about pimpin' these guys have been wrapping themselves around the war flag without ever taking a blow. Only an fool would fight for people like these guys. I am especially disappointed in all those who serve and still continue to vote for a body of people who routinely make budget cuts for vital resources needed by veterans. How many homeless vets do we see on our streets? hell I brought someone some food the other night because these idiots who are listed below talk a good game but aren't willing to back it up... Dick Cheney as well as 'America's Mayor' (Rudy G) who brought terror to Black and Brown people in New York never even volunteered
Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage. Dennis Hastert: did not serve. Tom Delay: did not serve. Roy Blunt: did not serve. Bill Frist: did not serve. Mitch McConnell: did not serve. Rick Santorum: did not serve. Trent Lott: did not serve. John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business Jeb Bush: did not serve. Karl Rove: did not serve. Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism. Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve. Vin Weber: did not serve. Richard Perle: did not serve. Douglas Feith: did not serve. Eliot Abrams: did not serve. Richard Shelby: did not serve. Jon Kyl: did not serve. Tim Hutchison: did not serve. Christopher Cox: did not serve. Newt Gingrich: did not serve. Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor. George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S.Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam,disappeared from duty. Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies. B-1 Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea. Phil Gramm: did not serve. John McCain: Vietnam POW, Silver Star, Bronze Star,Legion of Merit,Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve. John M. McHugh: did not serve. JC Watts: did not serve. Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem, " although continued in NFL for 8 years as quarterback. Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard. Rudy Giuliani: did not serve. George Pataki: did not serve. Spencer Abraham: did not serve. John Engler: did not serve. Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer. Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.
Punkass Pundits & Preachers (these are the guys who talk the most s***... Next time you see them keep them in mind as folks who do a lot of talking but won't back it up with their own actions.. They are the worst type un-patriotic scum of the earth..What makes these idiots so bad is that they are constantly calling other people's patriotism into question... Take special note of some of these cats on the list especially the sexual pervert who picture I put up... Fair and Balanced?? I think not.. How about Unfair and Scared as hell!
Sean Hannity: did not serve. Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.' i.e boil on his a**) Bill O'Reilly: did not serve. Michael Savage: did not serve. George Will: did not serve. Chris Matthews: did not serve. Paul Gigot: did not serve. Bill Bennett: did not serve. Pat Buchanan: did not serve. John Wayne: did not serve. Bill Kristol: did not serve. Kenneth Starr: did not serve. Antonin Scalia: did not serve. Clarence Thomas: did not serve. Ralph Reed: did not serve. Michael Medved: did not serve. Charlie Daniels: did not serve. Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that don't shoot back.)http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=15764_0_67_0_C
Needless to say this list is a fraud and leaves out quite a few Republicans who bravely served. Do you see President George H.W. Bush , who was shot down in WWII? There is no mention of Thad Cochran's naval service. Congressman John Cooksey's military service. Senator Jeremiah Denton, who was in a Vietnamese POW camp. Reagan enlisted in the military in 1937 as a private and rose to 2nd Lt., something Kaze left out. Here are some others that Kaze conveniantly left off of his list:
Duncan Hunter: record was CONSPICUOUSLY ommited. Served in South Vietnam from 1970 to 1971 during the Vietnam War in the Army Rangers’ 75th Ranger Regiment, attached to the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He held the rank of First Lieutenant, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, and service ribbons such as the Vietnam Service Medal. By the way, his son just returned from his THIRD tour of Iraq.
BOB DOLE : lost use of arm in WWII.
Kirk Fordice (If Jeb Bush is included, then why not Kirk?) who was an Army officer and his son was an Airborne Ranger.
Senator Jeff Sessions served in the reserves.
Senator Ted Stevens: served in the Army Air Corps in World War II and was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Air Medals, & the Yuan Hai Medal by the Republic of China.
Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge - US Army. Vietnam War. Awarded the Bronze Star for Valor, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and the Combat Infantry Badge.
Duke Cunningham, founder of top Gun and Naval Commander.
Congressman Porter Goss served several years in the CIA.
Bob Barr was a CIA analyst.
Congressman Norwood was an Army Captain in Vietnam.
Henry Hyde was an Ensign in WWII.
Roger Wicker was an officer in the Air Force reserves.
Tom Osbourne was in the reserves.
Heather Wilson graduated from the Air Force Academy.
Arlen Specter (Air Force)
Floyd Spence (Korean vet)
John Warner (Marines, WWII service)
Craig Thomas (Marines)
There are many others. See http://groups.google.com/group/alt.politics.bush/msg/369a8c188ed91e9a?hl=en&lr=&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dserved%2Brepublicans%2Balaska%2Bjeffords%2Bcarolina%2BBachus%2Bkorea%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26selm%3D3C857A13.7225108E%2540gte.net%26rnum%3D3%26filter%3D0. I checked many of them out online to make sure the list was legitimate and it is.
What is NOT legitimate is the list that Kaze put up on the JFP website. His post was nothing but a smear against Republicans and slandered those who DID serve and PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE FOR THIS COUNTRY, which is more than I can say for our rapper of repugnance.
One must ask how he missed such glaring omissions. Surely he knew that President Bush was a fighter pilot in WWII or about Bob Dole losing the use of his arm. There is one VERY good explanation for how he missed these omissions and that is he didn't bother to read the whole list because HE DID NOT WRITE IT!!!.
I found a VERY SIMILAR list online: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1275604/posts. Does any of this look familiar after reading his post? It was posted back in 2004 and it has been circulating over the internet for several years. Its mighty funny how similar this list is to the one Kaze posted without attributing to anyone else. Its also might funny how many comments that post received and not ONE of the so called citizen journalists or bloggers at the JFP made mention of the very noticeable omissions on the list. You know what they say, never let facts get in the way of bashing Republicans.
Of course, one should not be surprised as Madame DeLadd admits she has seen the list:I've seen the above list before: Something, eh? Nothing like a bunch of chicken-hawk neo-cons sending our young men and women off to be killed without the proper equipment or help when they come home. Posted by: ladd on Dec 19, 07 12:42 pm
So much for her best practices of journalism. Her blogger tries to take something that has floated around on the internet for years, pass it off as something he wrote, and then agrees with it while she and Kaze admit in the comments that it is an internet circulated message. . How many times have I read her bashing the Clarion-Ledger for not doing basic fact-checking? But don't worry folks, because Kaze is a rapper, he is REAL!
Irony. Just plain irony, especially when you read this story, Adventures in Plagiarism, that slammed the CL and former food editor Courtney Taylor for her copying an article from Southern Living and publishing it as her own. http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=10385_0_63_0_C
As a former member of the military and graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School, I am disgusted by Kaze's post. Its nothing but a smear on Republicans and is nothing but a grave insult to brave and honorable men like George H. W. Bush, Tom Ridge, Bob Dole, Duncan Hunter, and others who have paid the price for us.
Kaze owes nothing less than a public apology to these brave veterans who sacrificed a helluva lot more than he ever has. If he has any class whatsoever, he will pull this so-called list and apologize for posting such filth. Kaze asked if that list made you think. Its a shame it didn't make him think as well.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Slumming in New Orleans
"Sharon Jasper, a former St. Bernard complex resident presented by activists Tuesday as a victim of changing public housing policies, took a moment before the start of the City Hall protest to complain about her subsidized private apartment, which she called a "slum." A HANO voucher covers her rent on a unit in an old Faubourg St. John home, but she said she faced several hundred dollars in deposit charges and now faces a steep utility bill. "I'm tired of the slum landlords, and I'm tired of the slum houses," she said" http://blog.nola.com/updates/2007/12/housing_officials_claim_surplu.html
Yesterday a caller from New Orleans called Kim Wade's radio show raising hell about the proposed tearing down of public housing in New Orleans. As Kim Wade does not live in New Orleans and was not as familiar with the topic as was his caller, I am going to give him some help.
The story and picture are from today's Times-Picayune. The picture is of a lady complaining that the house you see is a slum. Nice hardwood floors. Nice big tv. Its a slum. The story also mentions that there is a surplus of public housing in New Orleans. The idiocy continues.
Note: Here is the website for the "slum" neighborhood: http://www.fsjna.org/.
Here is also an editorial on the proposed demolition: http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2007/12/demolition_protests_ignore_som.html
Update: Here is an additional money quote by the ingrate in the photo:
Sharon Jasper sits in the living room of her voucher-backed private residence. "I might be poor but I don't like to live poor. I thank God for a place to live but it's pitiful what people give you." http://www.nola.com/katrinaphotos/tp/gallery.ssf?cgi-bin/view_gallery.cgi/nola/view_gallery.ata?g_id=9467
By the way, if you google her name, she has lived in public housing most of her life. Here is some more information on her: http://pursuingholiness.com/2007/12/03/they-dont-call-them-entitlements-for-nothing/
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Here today, gone tomorrow...or this afternoon.
First David Blount, now John Reeves. The Jackson Free Press just flip-flopped on backing a candidate when he did something on one thing they didn't like. The JFP has supported State Representative John Reeves rather strongly as shown in the following thread, http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=12176_0_9_0_C. In fact, here are comments by Donna Ladd:
"He seems to be the Lincoln Chafee of the local GOP. Hopefully, he won't meet the same fate because he dares to vote against Mr. Lobbyist....
Also, can I tell y'all how classy Reeves was during this whole thing. It was such a contrast to some of our other "leaders," especially from the GOP, but not only. ....
He really came across to us as a class act. I'd certainly call him a leader for the New Mississippi..."
This summer the paper endorsed John Reeves:
House, District 71/Republican — John Reeves. We enthusiastically endorse John Reeves. We like Reeves because he thinks independently of political dogma and cares passionately about the city of Jackson. He helped orchestrate a $2 million one-time legislative gift to the city, helped change a law so the city could make money off traffic tickets, fought to keep the King Edward project going, and even spearheaded a bill to bring recess back to schools and take trans fats out of the cafeteria.... http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/print.php?id=14411_0_27_0\
"We like Adrienne Wooten, but our board still voted for John Reeves due to his devotion, over all, to the city and for his seniority in the House—and because he’s a Republican willing to defy King Barbour. (We encourage Wooten to keep at politics, though, and look forward to endorsing her in the future.)" http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=15336_0_7_0_C
The JFP also got a little miffed when someone accused it of being liberal: "Did they mention, per chance, that we also endorsed John Reeves? Didn't think so. GOP schmucks..." http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=15358_0_67_0_C
Soooooo...... after the lovefest with John Reeves, the JFP threw a tantrum today and endorsed his opponent in the middle of the election itself when it discovered the Republican, gasp, might actually vote for Jeff Smith, who is trying to replace Billy McCoy as the Princeps Senatus of the House. Mr. Smith is backed by Governor Barbour, who is a Republican. It publicly backstabbed Mr. Reeves in headlines at the top of its website:EDITORIAL: Vote Today for Adrienne Wooten
Now that the re-vote for the District 71 race has officially turned into a referendum on House Speaker Billy McCoy, the JFP publicly urges voters in that district to return to the polls today and cast your vote for challenger Adrienne Wooten. The JFP endorsed Reeves in the general election due to his strong recent support of Jackson and despite his conservative record, and we liked that he has been willing to challenge Gov. Haley Barbour, which most Republicans are afraid to do. We believed a strong incumbent could help Jackson get back on her financial feet after a disastrous two years under a fiscally inept mayor. However, we are dismayed to see that Reeves is, essentially, promising his vote to fellow Republicans against House Speaker Billy McCoy, who is an excellent representative of the people's interests against corporations, and who provides a check and a balance for Barbour's too-vast influence on the Mississippi Senate.
If you live in District 71, please go to the polls today and vote for Adrienne Wooten for the House of Representatives. We support change and progressive thinking and believe that Wooten can provide that for Jackson, as well as help ensure that Gov. Barbour, and the special interests he serves, will not gain control of the House. The polls are open to 7 p.m.; spread the word.http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=15752_0_27_0_C
Once again when a candidate doesn't vote the right way on one issue, Madame DeLadd stitches the name of Mr. Reeves on her quilt while issuing a fatwah against the apostate, hoping a jihad by her followers will swamp Mr. Reeves at the polls. It shows a lack of maturity as since she can't get her way with everything, she publicly backstabs her so-called "leader for the new Mississippi." Opposing someone who has worked very hard to support Jackson in the legislature because he opposes someone who looks out for North Mississippi while ignoring Jackson shows that when it comes down to it, its not about supporting Jackson but feeding her hatred for Barbour.
Such treatment of so-called JFP allies is fast becoming the norm. First it was David Blount who saw his endorsement rescinded. Now former JFP paramour John Reeves sees his endorsement taken away as well in the fatwah. One can only imagine the message this sends to future candidates. Unfortunately, the old saying about being here today and gone tomorrow applies to JFP endorsements as well. Click Here to Read More..
Repost: A black governor in Mississippi? Can it happen?
See last Friday's post that discussed electing black candidates to statewide office in Mississippi:
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/12/black-governor-in-mississippi-can-it.html
Here is why the candidates better start discussing terrorism.
Newt makes my point much better than I ever could (see yesterday's post) about how the issue of terrorism and Iraq is virtually ignored in the election to replace Congressman Chip Pickering. Just watch what Newt has to say, especially in the last two minutes. No further comment is needed.
When they start waving the flag and talking about how much of our values they have, tell them to stop pandering and start giving us some straight talk. The time for such a discussion is before the body bags are needed.
Monday, December 17, 2007
The 3rd Congressional District Candidates on Terrorism and National Security
As we are now in the middle of electing a new Congressman from the 3rd District, it is time to examine the positions of the candidates in terms of national security and terrorism. There is no doubt they are all good men and are probably very similar in their stands on most issues. As soldiers are currently in harm's way, one must consider how much thought they have given to fighting terrorism. Are they just going to march lockstep with Bush, regardless of the policy? Will they follow McCain's lead and support the overall policy but then have the courage to offer specific criticism of the Administration when needed? Will they buck the administration when it might be in our interests for them to do so? If they are going to vote on sending our friends and children to battle as well as making decisions to protect us from terrorists, then we need to ignore their statements about loving the flag, protecting our guns, going to church, and how much they love their families. What exactly do they have to say?
Greg Harper published the following statement about fighting terrorism on his website:
"The War on Terror is not a choice or political slogan, it is a reality and is necessary for the security of our country. To avoid another 911 catastrophe, we must:
·Fight terrorists abroad before they bring the fight to us.
·Make our country safe by continuing to address homeland security issues and supporting a missile defense program.
·Provide for the men and women of our military, giving them the tools they need to do their job! They are the guardians of our freedom." http://www.greggharperforcongress.com/
It sounds nice and patriotic but is also pretty generic as a serious Democratic opponent will probably have something similar on his website. One can probably safely assume that the other candidates, regardless of party, make similar claims in their campaigns.
It is also unwise to state we are fighting terrorists overseas so they can't fight us here. This is a war and the enemy will retaliate here as Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations have sleeper cells already placed in this country. Several plots such as the one involving Fort Dix have been prevented. Saying that we are fighting the terrorists over in Iraq and Afghanistan so we don't have to fight them in America ignores the predictions of most terrorism experts. What we need is straight talk from our leaders, not sloganeering that has little thought behind it.
How exactly Mr. Harper will fight terrorism in Congress? Does he think the President should have the authority to intercept phone calls from terrorists overseas to America without a warrant? What does he think our strategy for Iraq should be? Should we expand the U.S. military or keep relying on the model that makes heavy use of the reserves? How should we deal with an Iran that is controlling Hezbollah, killing our troops in Iraq, threatening to wipe Israel out, and enriching uranium and improving its missiles? Has he actually read the National Intelligence Estimates? Before we invaded Iraq, less than ten Senators bothered to read the NIE that was used to justify the war in Iraq. Hopefully the candidates will ignore that tradition.
Although there are flaws in Mr. Harper's website and positions, they are an improvement over David Landrum's website, which says nothing about this issue, http://www.davidlandrum.com/. Yes, Mr. Landrum is a family man, a church-goer, and is a self-made businessman who has "our" values. However, there are troops in the field in a shooting war. We face a high risks of terrorist attacks in this country (see the current Newsmax on possible targets and scenarios. Scary stuff. and likely.) Al Qaida is not going to go away any time soon. After going through the website, one must ask HOW much he has thought about this issue. I know he supports the troops and is for national security, but once we get past the obvious cliches, what exactly are his positions? The same can be said for Charlie Ross, which somewhat surprises me, given his military background. Don't worry, the American flag is prominently displayed on his website so I guess I should feel reassured on this issue. http://www.charlieross.com/ (full disclosure: I voted for Charlie Ross for Lt. Governor.)
What do the candidates think about Bennie Thompson's opposition to giving immunity to anonymous civilians for tips involving terrorists? What do they think about instituting background checks for convicted felons working on the docks in sensitive positions as Bennie Thompson led the fight against such reasonable measures. I am not beating up on the candidates just to score points or for some cheap political theatre as I consider these to be very serious issues and want to know exactly where they stand. Are they going to go to Congress as backbenchers who merely cast votes or are they going to go to Congress seeking to openly oppose views held by Mr. Thompson and his allies? See http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/more-on-bennie-thompsons-approach-to.html
John Rounsaville is more specific on his website, http://johnrounsaville.com/news/newsitem.php?section=ACM&id=5540&showcat=3&seq=4, although it is still pretty weak:"We have learned that fighting Al-Quaida and other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and turbulent regions around the globe means that we will not have to fight them on the streets of our own cities. America also learned that by spreading freedom and democracy to these regions, we give their citizens hope for tomorrow and a stake in their own peaceful and prosperous future......The struggle in Iraq has been difficult, but it is important that we put aside political differences and unite around the common goal of seeing our military defeat the terrorist insurgency and prevent chaos from spreading to an already volatile Middle East. This situation is too important to become further embroiled in partisan politics.We should also agree that under no circumstances should we allow Iran to build or posses nuclear weapons. The Iranian government has made clear their intention to inflict serious damage upon the United States and our allies, so we must act decisively to deny them this capability."
Hopefully as the campaign continues, the candidates will give us more details on how they plan to fight terrorism and improve national security if elected. It is clear that the Jackson media will not ask such questions of the candidates. Don't think one congressman can't make a difference. Right now, the head of the Committee on Homeland Security is Bennie Thompson. One congressman from Mississippi has led the fight against stopping terrorists. Since one congressman can matter, I would rather grill them now and elect the right man, then grill them the day after a catastrophe because I fell for the mom, hot dogs, and apple pie routine.
IF any of the candidates do read this and need source material, here are some links from my blog:
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/counter-insurgency-for-beginners.html (there is a link to a short Rand study. The author wrote the doctrine that is the basis for General Petraeus's current strategy in Iraq that is working. The general thoroughly studied Galula's work.)
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/ (best reporting from the field in Iraq)http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0geu.x698ZGICwB1w9XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE5Mjc4YzlrBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkA1BSMDA0XzgzBGwDV1Mx/SIG=134lpmo4s/EXP=1187531002/**http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/pdf/dcpi/NYPD_Report-Radicalization_in_the_West.pdf, NYPD report on home-grown terrorism.
http://www.zionist.org/archives/000017.shtml, (Bernard Lewis essays. Leading Middle East Scholar)
http://counterterrorismblog.org/ Counter-terrorism blog
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/12/read-nie-ffor-yourself.html, National Intelligence Estimate and commentary
http://www.walidphares.com/, Website of Walid Phares, terrorism expert
Feel free to add any useful links in the comments section.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
"Yes, I'm a terrorist. What's the problem?"
This is a transcript of an interview with a former trainer of Al Qaida in Iraq published by the Middle East Media Research Institute. If you want a quick example of how the enemy thinks, this passage is a good one.
Interviewer: "So you went to Iraq to wage jihad."
Jawhar: "Yes. Did you think I went there to join their bowling or basketball team?"[...] ...
Jawhar:" I trained them in urban warfare, raids, ambushes, and attacks. That's what guerilla warfare is about."
Interviewer: "Did you participate in operations?"
Jawhar: "Yes."
Interviewer: "What kind of operations?"
Jawhar: "Regular things. We used to attack the Americans. We used to carry out operations against the American bases in Iraq. We also used to set ambushes and attack American posts."...
Jawhar: "Everybody was targeted, but the Americans took precedence."
Interviewer: "Who is 'everybody'?"
Jawhar: "Whoever fights against 'there is no god but Allah.' Is there anyone who defends the Americans any better than them? The infidels are one and the same. An infidel is an infidel - whether he is a Palestinian, a Jew, or an Argentinean. The infidels are one and the same, while an American Muslim is a Muslim. So what's the problem? What, an Iraqi who is an apostate and who helps the Americans should be treated like a VIP? He is worse than the Americans." ...
Jawhar: "It is not in the Syrians' interest for Iraq to remain calm even for a moment. They benefit from this. The more Iraq is destroyed, the more pleased they are, because if the Americans feel comfortable in Iraq, they will move on to many other places. For the same reasons, it is not in the Iranians' interest... I don't know if you noticed, but the Shi'ites started fighting the Americans only two years ago. It's not the Shi'ites - the Iranians asked them to fight, and sent them weapons, explosive devices, and so on, because if the Americans feel comfortable in Iraq, they will move on to the other areas. Have you forgotten about the New Middle East?" ...
Jawhar: "We had with us a Tunisian brother, may Allah accept him [as a martyr], who managed to intercept the signals from the spy planes, and he could see everything the Americans were seeing."
Interviewer: "So there were people who specialized in technology?"
"We Had an American Brother a Belgian Brother and a French Brother... They Were All Educated Intellectuals; I Had With Me a Brother With an M.A. in Economics"
Jawhar: "We had an American brother with us, we had a Belgian brother and French brothers with us. They were all educated intellectuals. I had with me a brother with an M.A. in economics. He once conducted a study about the losses incurred following 9/11. He calculated the American economic losses down to the last cent." ...
Jawhar: "I got several death sentences and was also sentenced to life imprisonment. There's nothing to it. What's the problem? They can pile on as many sentences as they like. This is a sign of honor for me."
Interviewer: "Do you consider yourself to be a terrorist?"
Jawhar: "Yes, a terrorist. What's the problem with that? If I want to terrorize the enemies of Allah, what's the problem with that?" .....
Interviewer: "How come Al-Qaeda has the right to execute people?"
Jawhar: "Of course it has. What's the problem? How come those idiots here in Lebanon, in Jordan, or anywhere else have the right to sentence people to death or imprisonment? What, are they any better than me?"....
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD178207
Is it 1957 or 2007?
What was Judge Yerger thinking? In a new plan for assigning criminal cases next year, Judge Yerger decided that major criminal cases would not be handled by the two black judges. Good job Judge. In a county that is majority black you decided that the black judges elected by the people are not good enough to handle criminal cases. I am no fan of Tomie Green and Kidd is reversed more than rarely. However, they are still Hinds County Circuit Court judges and do not deserve such a snub. If the Hinds County criminal justice court system is to function properly, it needs a certain amount of respect from citizens of Hinds County, which it won't receive if its seen by blacks (with some justification after this decision) as being run by white folks for white folks. Way to go. Wasn't Beckwith's mother's maiden name Yerger?
http://www.wapt.com/news/14863683/detail.html
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
A Black Governor in Mississippi? Can it Happen?
Much has been made about the perceived lack of progress of blacks in Mississippi politics after the recent statewide elections. Cries of racism from people like Ronnie Agnew of The Clarion-Ledger over Gary Anderson, who is black and lost in the Insurance Commissioner's race, were published in the media. Such comments were similar to those made after a black candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Barbara Blackmon, lost in 2003 to Amy Tuck. As black candidates have failed to win elections for statewide offices (since reconstruction), one must ask if a black candidate can win such elections in Mississippi.
It must be acknowledged that yes, there is racism in Mississippi. However, some racism will always exist as human nature is not perfect and never will be. It is a bit of a stretch to attribute the losses of Blackmon and Anderson to racism. First of all, Ms. Blackmon ran against an incumbent, Amy Tuck. Beating an incumbent for a statewide office is always difficult even if a challenger is well-financed such as Ms. Blackmon, who is one of the leading trial lawyers in Mississippi. However,such an incumbent has other advantages such as name recognition, political favors to call in since she ran the Senate, and a statewide machine, which Ms. Blackmon had to build from scratch.
Mr. Anderson had a good record as he is widely regarded as being very smart, ran a major state agency, and has a very likable personality. However, he lost for several reasons. He had no insurance experience, which is very important as there is an insurance crisis due to Katrina. The last thing Mississippi needed was an Insurance Commissioner who did not know an actuary table from a coffee table. After reading an interview with his opponent, Mike Chaney who was chairman of the Senate committee that oversaw the insurance industry, in The Jackson Free Press, http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=15049_0_9_0_C%C3%A2%E2%82%AC, I decided he was a stronger candidate and voted for him. It should be noted that Mr. Anderson also beat the White incumbent, George Dale, in the Democratic primary and received more votes in the general election than did Democratic candidates for other offices in a year that saw Governor Barbour steamrolling his way to victory. It is also important to note that Anderson was a weak candidate as he had never held elected office. There is no substitute for experience and that includes running for office. Most successful politicians have lost at some point. Bill Clinton. Haley Barbour. You have to fail before you succeed. Old adages do contain some truth.
However, Mr. Anderson's loss and the resulting discussions beg the question of what must be done in order to elect more blacks to statewide offices. If this discussion is going to take place, then there are some facts that need to be pointed out.
First of all, blacks rarely run for state office. There were only two serious black candidates in 2007, two in 2003, and one in 1999. It is hard to claim racism keeps blacks from winning elections when very few are running in the first place. If you never swing at the pitch, you can't complain about a strike-out. Hoping to be successful and trying to be successful are two different things and that applies to winning elections.
If more blacks are to be elected, then more blacks must run for statewide offices. Using the baseball analogy, where is the farm team? Where is the minor league system for black candidates?
The lack of a farm team is probably the main reason for such failure. Typically most statewide candidates come from supervisors, legislators, and city council members. Although Mississippi has a good number of blacks elected to these offices, its time to scrutinize who is holding these offices.
Consider black office-holders in the Jackson metro area. Most are fossils who have no higher aspirations then the offices they currently hold. How many of them are even under the age of 50? Anderson, Smith, Calhoun, the Blackmons, Harden, Melton, Harvey Johnson, Bluntson, Stokes, McLemore, Tilman, Flaggs. Fossils. They are old and happy to be exactly where they are as there is very little ambition among this group in terms of seeking higher office. Unfortunately, this means that younger blacks who want to be Governor or Treasurer one day have almost no place to start at the local level.
The next question to ask is why these fossils have a stranglehold on their offices. They tend to win elections in districts that are heavily black. This is fine if the goal is to see more blacks elected to a certain amount of offices at the local level. However, when it comes to statewide offices, the demographics change. As blacks make up less than 40% of Mississippi voters, a black candidate in such an election has to have some crossover appeal if he wants to have any chance at winning. However, the typical black officeholder in Mississippi is in a safely black district and thus has little experience in courting White voters. If the Ike Brown strategy of having a black only Democratic Party is followed, that means black Democrats can forget about winning statewide offices. See earlier post, http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/i-told-you.html
"But Kingfish, why should they? white are racist so it doesn't matter." Really? Jerry Moore won the race for constable in my area. He is black. I know EXACTLY who he is as I saw him all in Belhaven, NE Jackson, and other traditionally white areas. Unlike some black candidates, he didn't take anything for granted and worked the white areas just as much as he did the black ones. He went on Kim Wade's radio show. He gave whites plenty of opportunity to get to know him. I still do know who what his white opponent looks like as he was not as aggressive in campaigning. Guess what? Moore won the race.
There are going to be racists and more than a few people will vote for a candidate solely because of race. However, I just watched Bobby Jindal win the Governor's office in Louisiana. He supposedly lost in '03 because of the fact he is considered to be "dark-skinned" and Catholic in heavily protestant North Louisiana. First he applied the lessons he learned campaigning and ran for Congress, winning the election. Then when Katrina hit he came back and actually led while Jefferson had the National Guard take his loot out of his house. Guess what Jindal did for the last two years? He worked North Louisiana as if the grim reaper was at his back. The hard work paid off this year as he won the election while dominating North Louisiana. I refuse to think that racism will stop hard work and intelligence as people like Bobby Jindal have showed how it could be overcome.
Compare that to Gary Anderson. After beating George Dale, he was virtually silent for a long time. While Mr. Chaney went to venues such as The Jackson Free Press that were probably opposed to him ideologically, Mr. Anderson ignored media outlets such as Kim Wade's radio show that were more conservative in nature. He ran a weak campaign and it showed on election day.
"Kingfish, isn't it racist for you to say black candidates should court white voters?" Shouldn't white candidates court black voters?" Of course they should do so. If I was a candidate and facing a black opponent, I would not concede anything. I would be in the black churches, at the NAACP meetings, door-knocking in the black community, you name it. True, the odds would be against my winning their votes (Hell, I'm not so sure I would vote for me) however, there will be some who respect the fact that you reached out to them. Of course, that is just me and I'm sure there are much more politically experienced people who will tell me why that is stupid, but I digress. I focus on the issue of black candidates appealing to white voters because the discussions in the media about the elections have been the failure of blacks, not whites, to win statewide office.
If blacks want to get elected to higher offices, then the fundamentals must be followed. That means running younger black candidates for local offices that give them the experience they need to succeed in bigger elections as well as learning the ropes of how government works. Take some risks and put forth black candidates in districts that are not heavily black. Learn in those races how to court black and white voters. Avoid the trap of running for office in a district that is 90% black and being happy with a title and a little bit of money in your own neighborhood. It is said you play like you practice. If a black candidate is going to succeed in being elected to Governor, Secretary of State, etc, then he has to dare. There should be more candidates such as Marshand Crisler and Robert Smith. Hopefully, they will acquit themselves well in office and have the ambition to move up in Mississippi politics.
Mississippi will have a Governor, Treasurer, or Lieutenant Governor one day that is black. Mississippi has come a long way. However, for blacks to be elected to statewide office, perhaps some fundamental questions need to be asked followed by a much-needed debate.
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Trollfest '09
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
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.