Jackson Jambalaya

Won't be blogging today. Finally read the newspaper stories about the problems at the crematorium. I recognized Mr. Seepe REALLY well as he sold my Grandfather on using his services. He was cremated by Seepe's company when he died in 2000. Needless to say, I've been very tied up with this today, as well as being VERY nauseated AND ready to kick some ass.

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=16676_0_27_0_C

http://www.othorcainreport.com/b2/?p=190#comments

This is the controversial movie about Islam that has been banned in Europe and has earned death threats against the websites that carry it, forcing them to pull it. Keep in mind that under Islam, there is no render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. Under Shariah, there are no crimes, just sins. Islam has never had an Enlightenment, a Reformation, or other movement that brings it into the 21st Century. Its no different than the 'isms faced by the West in the 20th century that sought to destroy it except this one has the label of religion over it, thus playing to our tolerance for freedom of worship and belief.

See: http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/3084

http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/messagetopic.asp?p=7646270

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=1b147a797e9e46b884bd2455bcc15a67&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a1b147a797e9e46b884bd2455bcc15a67Post%3afd3b91d1-8bfd-4d8b-9dac-242f842f227d&sid=sitelife.clarionledger.com

She is apparently in ICU right now.

This should be fun to watch. I bet he can walk on water too.

http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/messagetopic.asp?p=7648689

http://www.wlbt.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2330723&h1=Point%20of%20View%3A%20Charges%20Dropped%20Against%20Bell&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=87066&LaunchPageAdTag=Homepage&activePane=info&playerVersion=9&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D8080153%26nav%3Dmenu119_2_5&rnd=56117177

Well, I DID go see the guy (see earlier post: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2008/03/dwf-my-life-as-soap-opera-diva.html). When he saw me, I thought he was going to faint. He said "Dang, I didn't know you would look THAT good!" Of course I was flattered, but unfortunately I could not reciprocate the compliment. He is 50, but looks 60 and while not overweight, is horribly out of shape. (sag here and there, protruding middle). Now, I'm not in perfect shape myself, but since I'm writing the story I can say what I want.

He told me he wanted to marry me way back many years ago when we were both in Oxford and still does now. HUH I say to myself? He had a single red rose, a bottle of Silkwood syrah, assorted chocolates, a cheese and cracker tray and mood lighting all ready when I arrived to see him. There was also a small box with a bow sitting on the table.

I agreed to a glass of wine and we sat and talked about so many things from the past 20-something years. I couldn't get past the fact he looked so much older than me. After a while, he gets up and hands me "the small box". I freak and open it. Inside is a sweet 1/2 carat white gold engagement ring with small diamonds on each side. Hey, it probably came from Wal Mart! (He has little money) But it was sweet.

I sit there, take another sip of wine, and ask "What am I supposed to do with this?", to which he replies, "I want you to marry me, the sooner the better. I don't want to be without you again."

Now, I can't make this up. In my head, I'm asking "God, do I get up and run out?" But instead, I give him a hug and tell him how sweet it is for him to ask, but that I am not ready to get married to him or anyone else. He looks as if I've just stabbed him in the heart. He tells me to keep it and wear it when I'm ready. So heck, I just kept it.

The rest of the evening was OK, and I agree to meet him for breakfast the next morning. We ride out to the local lake and sit at a picnic table and talk. It was gorgeous outside, sunny, picture-perfect. After a while we go back to town and hit Wal Mart for a couple of CD's to listen to and ride around some more, all the while talking about 20 years worth of "stuff".

I go back to my friend's for a while and again consider just packing up and going home. But for some reason I don't, and get dressed and have dinner with the guy. He's still going on and on how he is crazy about me and so forth, but we do have a good time. After dinner, I go to his hotel room with him to watch tv. (He has a suite with a sofa to sit on). He starts the kissy kiss stuff, and I'm not quite sure what to do. I eventually beg off and leave.

IN THE MEANTIME, I get a text from the 25-year-old (see post: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/06/if-stella-can-get-her-groove-back-so.html ) now 26, whom I haven't heard from in about 6 months. He wants to get together again! I find myself excited! I answer back by text that I'll talk to him next week. WOW. Why did this happen now?

The next morning I go by to tell the guy goodbye and he is teary-eyed. He doesn't want to leave me he says. What do I do? I get teary-eyed too! We each leave and drive home in different directions.

He calls on the way home while I'm driving down I-55 and tells me to let him know when I start wearing the ring. I say "OK, but I don't know if I will anytime soon or if ever". He says he understands but will wait. "After all", he says, "I've already waited over 20 years." I say good bye and hang up and continue driving home..................

Stay tuned for Episode 3: "Will The Long Lost Former Lovers Reunite?" aka "What The Heck Do I Do, Keep The Ring, Mail It Back, Or Just Forget It and See The 26-Year Old?"

Free advice accepted: dwfinms@gmail.com

Interesting discussion: http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/messagetopic.asp?p=7636344

The Meridian Star reported today "All three candidates currently running for the 3rd Congressional District seat were in Meridian Tuesday to speak, answer questions, and mingle with voters at a Young Professionals of Meridian forum at the Hilton Garden Inn on Highway 11/80.".....

However, Republican candidate Gregg Harper made the following statement:
Of the war in Iraq Harper said, "I think the Republicans did a lousy job of articulating why we're in Iraq...It's about the war against fundamentalist Islamic terrorism," closing his Iraq comments with strong words, "Every time we get bombed then we ought to drop a hard bomb on Iran and Syria where all this garbage is coming from." http://www.meridianstar.com/homepage/local_story_086010200.html

I can almost hear the "yeah buddy" from the necks in the audience.

Jackson awoke this morning to the news that the charges against Robbie Bell had been dropped by Attorney General Jim Hood and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith. Ms. Bell had been charged with "Accessory after the Fact" in connection with the murder of Heather Spencer by her son, George Bell, III. (See earlier post: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/11/wheels-slowly-turn-robbie-bell-indicted.html) More than a few people are shocked and outraged by the dismissal of the case against Ms. Bell as evidenced by numerous comments on blogs and media websites.

In determining whether the dismissal was justified, one must first consider the law, Section 97-1-5 of the Mississippi Code:
"Every person who shall be convicted of having concealed, received, or relieved any felon, or having aided or assisted any felon, knowing that such person had committed a felony, with intent to enable such felon to escape or to avoid arrest, trial, conviction or punishment, after the commission of such felony, on conviction thereof shall be imprisoned in the penitentiary not exceeding five years, or in the county jail not exceeding one year, or by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by both; and in prosecution for such offenses it shall not be necessary to aver in the indictment or to prove on the trial that the principal has been convicted or tried." http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/97/001/0005.htm

Thus, the law states that Ms. Bell could be convicted if she knew her son had committed a felony AND tried to help him avoid a arrest. A reasonable interpretation of such an avoidance would be not calling the police when there was opportunity to do so after the accused had knowledge the felony had been committed.

The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the law in the Dampier case, stating the elements of Accessory after the Fact are:
"(1) a completed felony has been committed; (2) the accused concealed, received, relieved, aided, or assisted a felon, knowing that such person had committed a felony; and (3) such assistance or aid was rendered with the intent to enable such felon to escape or avoid arrest, trial, conviction, or punishment after the commission of such felony." Dampier v. State 973 So.2d 221, 231 (Miss.,2008)

There is little doubt that Ms. Bell knew a felony had been committed. At SOME point, she came home, sees a severely-beaten, unconscious Heather Spencer, at least one four-foot pool of blood on the floor, and other evidence of the murder. There was evidence of the murder in the hallway and at least one of the rooms. She knew a felony had been committed. Maybe not murder but definitely a felony. The law does not say it has to be the felony that the accused is convicted of committing, it says A felony. What is important is that there was a more than strong suspicion that Ms. Bell knew "a felony" had taken place in her home involving Ms. Spencer and possibly her son. At that point, it was her duty under the law to call the police.

It is important to note that there are several Mississippi cases dealing with this law. The Mississippi Supreme Court dealt with this crime in the Smith case. Mr. Smith was driving a car with his girlfriend as a passenger. In a burst of inspiration, she decided to take a crowbar out of his car and steal jewelry from a window display after smashing the window, despite his pleas not to do it. He drove off without her but she somehow chased the car and jumped in. Even though he tried to leave her and had commanded her not to commit the crime, the Court still said: . "Although Smith was present, the proof is uncontradicted that he neither assisted nor encouraged her by any word or act to commit this crime. A jury would have been warranted in finding him guilty as an accessary after the fact to burglary or larceny, but not as a principal to burglary." Smith v. State 523 So.2d 1028, 1030(Miss.,1988)

SOOOOO..... that means the Court said just for driving the burglar in his car KNOWING she had committed a burglary was enough for him to be convicted of "Accessory after the Fact". Given how the couple was caught as the car crashed a few blocks away from the scene of the crime, the Court made no mention of the personal safety of Mr. Smith.

The question remains if the Attorney General should have prosecuted Ms. Bell instead of dismissing the case. What evidence we do know is this:
1. Heather Spencer was beaten to death and sexually assaulted in Ms. Bell's home during the evening hours of that tragic Monday.
2. Numerous media sources have reported that other people were present in the home during the night in addition to George Bell.
3. George Bell, III, left around 6:00 or 7:00 AM and kidnapped Heather's roommate, bringing her back to Ms. Bell's home.
4. The kidnapping victim has testified that Ms. Bell was at the home while Ms. Spencer's body lay in the house and that Ms. Bell was already at the home when she was kidnapped and taken there.
5. Ms. Bell never once called the police or tried to notify the authorities that a crime had been committed in her home.
6. The coroner's report DOES say the time of death was 3:00 AM.

Given these facts along with several others that sources have told me but are unconfirmed, it is HIGHLY unlikely that Ms. Bell had no clue that a felony had taken place in her home. One must wonder exactly why Mr. Hood decided not to prosecute Ms. Bell as one would think that there was enough evidence to send the case to a jury.

What Mr. Hood's actions have done is to make a mockery out of this case. Everyone is familiar with the questions raised about Mr. Hood's character since so many of his friends have been convicted in the Scruggs scandal. Judge DeLaughter and Ed Peters have been implicated in the Scruggs case. The post below spells out how interconnected the Bells are with the Ed Peters mafia that is currently under so much scrutiny. If anything, one would think that Mr. Hood would be doing his best to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Mr. Hood and Mr. Smith, who is also tied to the Peters mafia, have a higher than normal duty to take a case such as this one to trial and then a jury even if they lose. See earlier post: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2008/03/robbie-bell-case-family-tree.html

Unless a civil suit is filed, the public will never know what happened that night in Northeast Jackson. The family will continue to suffer as a case that should have been tried was inexplicably swept under the rug. While Ms. Bell struts around town claiming her vindication, the public will know she was aided by Attorney General Schultz and District Attorney Robert Schultz Smith.

Hopefully justice will still be served. Ms. Spencer has been let down by almost everyone concerned: a boyfriend who claimed to love her while he tried to kill her twice, police that went easy on her boyfriend and reduced the charges, her boyfriend's mother who refused to call the police as she lay dying through the night, and prosecutors who took the decision to let Ms. Bell off of the hook away from us through a jury and instead, spit in the face of justice and the Spencer family.

Also, one last suggestion to the A.G. and D.A.: if you think I am out of line, there is a simple solution. Release the police report, which you could have done at any time.

What "false information" has this website published about The Jackson Free Press? Links and quotes will be greatly appreciated and any corrections sent to this site by you or your publisher will be published in their entirety. The Voltaire Society is alive and well at Jackson Jambalayla as Kingfish does not order people who say things he does not want to hear never to contact him again.

Or is the tree so tangled it should be a wreath?

Tom Royals: George Bell III's defense attorney. Former law partner of Ed Peters. Defended Ed Peters on several occasions when he was indicted or the subject of several investigations. Partner is Mayfield, George Bell III's other defense counsel.
Bobby DeLaughter: Former prosecutor for Ed Peters when he was Hinds County District Attorney. Currently represented by Cynthia Speetjeens and is suspended from the bench. Was supposed to hear Robbie Bell's case until reassigned to Judge Kidd. Heard Robbie Bell's arraignment.
Cynthia Speetjeens: Represents Robbie Bell in this case and represents Judge DeLaughter in the Scruggs scandal.
Ed Peters: Former partner of Tom Royals. Employed Mayfield, George Bell's co-counsel, and DeLaughter as prosecutors while Hinds County District Attorney.
Robert Smith: Hinds County District Attorney. Mayfield's wife is office manager for D.A.'s office. Ed Peters headed his transition team between election and inauguration.
Jim Hood: __________(fill in the blank)

Update: Jim Hood reference has been corrected BUT "Robbie Spencer" remains on the site at 5:00 PM.

Update: The Clarion-Ledger STILL has not corrected the story as of 1:30 PM today. They definitely know about it because I called the reporter and left a message on his voice mail.

Ready for this?

"U.S. District Attorney Jim Hood said Tuesday his office had dropped the charge of accessory after the murder against Robbie Bell."

"Although Hood said he discussed his decision with Spencer's family, not all were willing to accept it. Spencer's Uncle, Dale Spencer said Tuesday he was shocked and displeased with Hood's decision. He said if Robbie Spencer knew about the death she should have told police."
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080326/NEWS/803260359/1001/news

Agnew, Simmons, and Luuuuuuvelady, you owe the family an apology. period. Their number is 601 961 7000. At a minimum, the newspaper needs to suspend Lovelady and the publisher needs to issue a public apology.

F'n idiots.

Charges against Robbie Bell were dropped by the A.G.'s office today.

See bottom sidebar on right side of page for collection of all Heather Spencer posts.

I'm going to kill my neighbors. They live directly below me. My bed is directly over their tv. Normally it would not be an issue as most people are in bed by 11 or so, get up, go to work at seven in the morning, then come home and do the whole routine all over again. Did I mention they manage a bar?

You got it. That means winding down for them is after midnight and if the TV is cranked up, I hear it loud and clear, including the commercials. Last night I was worn out so for once I thought I would try to get some sleep and was in bed well before midnight. Just happened to be their night off so I'm in the clear, right? Wrong. I heard that damn tv as if it were in my room until 2:30 in the morning. I remember one time they pulled this and the tv didn't go off until nearly 5:00 AM.

I've been nice. I really do like them and other than this, they are great neighbors. Couldn't be any nicer. However, right now I'm homicidal as I've had no sleep and am contemplating ways to fix this problem. I've very nicely mentioned the problem to them but here I am this morning after 2:00, reading to begin target practice at close range. What do you recommend?

Calling Entergy and saying they are moving comes to mind but damn, don't know their SSN (nor do I want to. ;-) ). Firebombing, if I used a small enough explosive, is an attractive option right now. If our local panhandler with a prior conviction for burglary was not back in jail, I could pay him some big macs and mad dog 20/20 to swipe the tv. Or I could get one of those sirens or whistles that only dogs can hear (they have a huge dog) and wait until 4:00 AM to start using it. Inviting the old Houserockers or King Edward and his band over to my place for a mid week early morning practice session that will be very loud and real heavy on the percussion and bass might be worth considering. There is always the possibility of cutting their power lines but dumbass here would probably cut the ones to his own place so that is out. Paying the Kappa Sigs at Millsaps to have their swap night or mid-week keg party over here as long as they want to (good thing I'm insured) is a another idea. Wait, just thought of something. I can make sure Frank heard they made threats against him. He'll show up at four in the morning with his posse, shotgun pointed at the ground (with mud in the barrel), to relive his favorite experience as a mayor. Then there is the good ole reliable method of taking out the TV with sniper fire. Wait, I think I know. I will tell the Ridgeland PD they were drinking at Shuckers. That should do it.

What is a jackass to do?

No comment needed: http://www.yourdailymedia.com/media/1206103204/Dumb_And_Dumber_Criminals

Update: See Butterknife's two comments. Very good explanations.

So a friend of mine is a teacher in another part of the state. There are these siblings in the school that well, are inbred. Five kids are the products of a brother and two sisters. Kids have come to school completely unprepared for school. They didn't even know how to hold a pencil when they started. Kids are always sent home with lice. These parents (can I call them that?) are so dumb their idea of how to rid the home of lice was to put all the furniture in the front yard as they figured the sunlight would kill them. I'm not making this up.

Well, DHS has been contacted no less than eight times because of neglect concerns. Unfortunately, DHS has a different standard of neglect than that of most teachers. Yet the kids are growing up in a home where mommy and daddy are um, brother and sister, aunt and uncle, you get the picture. Good job DHS.

Let someone give a lick to a brat in public, here comes DHS. Let some inbreeding and neglect occur, and Colonel Taylor becomes Sergeant Schultz.

Additional thought: Would the family tree be considered a family wreath in this case?

Note: Will Jerry Springer pay me a finder's fee?

Call Bill Featherston in Jackson. Ole Miss grad but I'm not going to hold that against him for now. He has represented several friends of mine over the years and done right by every one of them. Bill is very experienced in DUI's and light criminal defense work, domestic relations, and civil suits. This post is a shameless plug for Bill. I get nothing out of it. This is not a paid advertisement, just a Kingfish recommendation on who to call if you or someone you know needs a lawyer. He doesn't bluster, he's not your therapist or best friend, he's just your lawyer and gets the job done. 601 206 5557.

What exactly is going on with our Mayor? Apparently there was another foreclosure on a property owned by Mr. Melton. According to Smith County land records, there was a Sheriff's sale on the property (It is not his home in Tyler). A phone call to a clerk in the Smith County courthouse revealed that there was a property foreclosed on and sold by the Sheriff in May, 2006. The clerk explained that a sheriff's sale was a foreclosure.

So what exactly is going on with our Mayor? Delinquent taxes, foreclosure notices, Sheriff's sales. Any surprise that Jackson's finances are a joke?

See:Smith County Online Record of Sheriff's sale of Melton Property

If that link does not work, use this one and enter his name:
https://www.texaslandrecords.com/txlr/controller

MySpace Comments: Chromaluna.com

They borrowed a bed to lay His head
When Christ the LORD came down;
They borrowed the ass in the mountain pass
For Him to ride to town;
But the crown that He wore,
And the cross that He bore ...
Were His own.

He borrowed the bread when the crowd He fed
On the grassy mountain side;
He borrowed the dish of broken fish
With which He satisfied;
But the crown that He wore
And the cross that He bore
Were His own.

He borrowed the ship in which to sit
To teach the multitude;
He borrowed the nest in which to rest,
He had never a home so rude;
But the crown that He wore
And the cross that He bore
Were His own.

He borrowed a room on the way to the Tomb
The Passover lamb to eat;
They borrowed the cave; for Him a grave;
They borrowed the winding sheet.
But the crown that He wore
And the cross that He bore
Were His own.

The thorns on His head were worn in my stead,
For me the Saviour died.
For guilt of my sin the nails drove in
When Him they crucified;
Though the crown that He wore
And the cross that He bore Were His own--
They rightly were mine!

~Author Unknown ~

My favorite scene in The Greatest Story Ever Told (even more than John Wayne's oration)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=541109&in_page_id=1770


so sorry.

http://www.othorcainreport.com/b2/?p=186#comments

You know, there is something about a woman who loves the blues......

Few stories in the newspaper have enraged me as much as this one has. As a former soldier, I find Butler's actions in Iraq to be despicable, cowardly, and worthy of the most severe punishment possible under UCMJ. Unfortunately, The Clarion-Ledger wrote a very sympathetic article about the coward and his actions in Iraq. When Butler was called upon to help his fellow soldiers, he refused to carry out lawful orders:
"Butler and 22 other members of an Army Reserve unit refused to go on a fuel transport mission in Iraq carrying nine 5,000-gallon tanks of fuel in vehicles with only cloth tops. Their actions set off an international stir about the equipment U.S. military personnel had to use.
Butler was jailed and faced a court-martial after the incident. He eventually was reassigned and served in five different units before returning to Jackson....
"They gave us no choice," Butler said last week, explaining the action the soldiers on took Oct. 13, 2004, in his first interview about the experience.
"As a military man, I would never just not obey an order," he said. But, "It would have been a suicide mission."..." http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008803210349

First of all, its not his place to decide if the mission is suicidal. His duty was to carry out his orders in the heat of combat if they were lawful. period. There are MANY missions in combat that are considered suicidal. The coward should speak to Rangers who scaled those cliffs in WWII and ask them if that mission was "suicidal" or real combat vets how many times they considered a mission to be hopeless or dangerous. He should ask Special Forces troops how dangerous their missions are: 12 or less man teams, behind enemy lines, no support, heavily outnumbered- you get the idea. Many times orders are issued knowing that there are going to be a high rate of casualties. When a soldier takes the oath to wear the uniform, he swears to put his life on the line when ordered to do so.

Unfortunately, Butler still does not get it. He whines that he didn't have air support or full armour for his hummers. A soldier does not get to pick and choose what level of protection he gets when going out on a mission. At times, he might actually have to take some risks and go into combat with what he is provided. Every commander wishes he could provide his troops with the maximum protection possible but reality forces them to make hard decisions. However, it was not Butler's duty to decide how dangerous the mission was but instead it was to perform the mission to the best of his ability with the means available at the time. (See comments, apparently someone else completed his mission for him WITHOUT incident)

Some people will think I am being too hard on the poor sergeant. To those I reply, what about his buddies who were depending on him for that fuel? Suppose they were in a firefight and needed that fuel to keep alive? If it was your loved one who was killed because of Butler's cowardice, would you think I was too harsh? In combat, others are depending on you to do your job because if you don't, many people can die because of one soldier's cowardice or mistake. As a former member of the military (AIRBORNE!) I can say with no hesitation that if I was one of those guys who was depending on Butler when he showed his true colors, I would have shot him or whipped his ass and been damn glad to receive the punishment for doing so. If I had my way, Butler would've been stripped of his uniform in front of the battalion and then thrown into the stockade. Unfortunately, the Army showed its softness and allowed him to keep serving, setting a dangerous precendent. Staff Sergeant Butler is not a hero or sympathetic figure but is a coward, deserving nothing but scorn and contempt from the rest of us.


Additional Note: In no way does his cowardice excuse the treatment by the VA. That is an entirely separate issue and the VA does deserve criticism.

One of the funniest and best explanations I've seen (click on subprime primer):
http://groups.google.com/group/jackson-jambalaya/files?upload=1

Unreal. Trent Lott. David Baria. John Horne. Billy Mounger. Bobby Sneed (special master before DeLaughter in now famous fee dispute case). They obviously weren't all there together, but just happened to be there. Hilarious

Tomorrow morning from 7:30-8:00 AM, Kingfish will be on Othor Cain's radio show on WJSU, 88.5. Mr. Cain will have me and other local bloggers on for a half hour discussing the local scene. Lori Gregory, local blogger and columnist will be on the show as well. Me, Lori Gregory, Othor Cain. Now THAT is what I call a spicy jambalaya.

"Last week's Federal Reserve deal to finance up to $30 billion of Bear Stearns' assets is bluntly a federal bailout. Last week, it agreed to lend up to $200 billion in Treasury securities to offset bad loans. Its Term Auction Facility - never tried before - selling money to banks may ensure dollar devaluation and inflation, if not recession."
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080319/OPINION01/803190329/1008/OPINION

Note: Given the discussion on race this week due to the Presidential election, I decided it would be a good time to repost this column I wrote on electing more black candidates to higher offices in Mississippi.

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.

I recently ran across an old boyfriend I dated in college from one of those class connections websites. Last time I saw him some 20-something years ago, I yelled and cussed him out. It was about six months after we stopped going out after I was extremely mad at him for leaving me at home after several of us went out one night, and driving a friend home instead of staying with me. (Yes, very mature, huh?) I was so mad I didn't even listen to why he came up to talk to me on campus.

Anyway, he asked by email if I was still mad at him, and of course, I am not. He THEN tells me he was about to ask me to marry him! I said "What the he**? I never knew he even had feelings like that for me! So we exchange a few more emails with pictures of our respective children. I find out he married and been left with his children to raise alone. I was pretty surprised at that to say the least. I tell him I'm twice divorced and just don't think I am made for marriage. Then on Valentine's I get a dozen chocolate covered strawberries delivered to me.

So, this goes one for a couple of weeks, and we exchange phone numbers. He sends gourmet cookies to my house for me and my boys. He calls one day and asks if I'd ever give him another chance. My mouth falls open. I never expected anything like that. Two or so more weeks later, he starts talking how he wishes we could see each other. I put him off for a while. Then about two weeks after THAT, he says he loves me and probably always has. KABOOM.

I became completely whacked after that, and started putting him off when he mentioned seeing each other. He told me he smoked, so I mentioned how much I do not want anyone who does that. He also mentioned he drank a few beers most nights, and again I say I don't think it's right to drink all the time for no reason. So what does he do next? He pours out all the beer at his house, throws out the cigarettes and goes and gets Nicorette. Again, my mouth falls open when he calls to tell me all this. Then, I get flowers delivered to me on my birthday last week.

OK, I'm meeting him this weekend face-to-face and have no clue what will happen. He says this is all romantic and seems meant to be. There have been many times I have my hand on the phone to call him and the phone rings with him on the other end. Too many times I get a text from him while typing one to him. We finish each other's sentences on the phone. YES THIS IS FREAKISH.

I've gotten so nervous now I'm thinking of cancelling this weekend. What do I do? This is not "Days of Our Lives", but oh boy, I need help!

Help me out: dwfinms@gmail.com or post a comment.

See other posts by DWF:

DWF Asks
From DWF to women raising boys
DWF was a cougar before cougar was cool
DWF Introduces Wacko Woman
DWF Wants To Know...
What Women REALLY Think
Election Notes from DWF
Dear DWF
On a date? Please try to relate.
Sunday Morning Coffee w/a Cougar
Packing for a Safari
A Caged Cougar? HA!
If Stella Can Ger Her Groove Back...
DWF Asks

I'm in too good of a mood to worry about jackassery and blog today. See ya.

"The striking spiral galaxy M104 is famous for its nearly edge-on profile featuring a broad ring of obscuring dust. Seen in silhouette against a bright bulge of stars, the swath of cosmic dust lanes lends a hat-like appearance to the galaxy in optical images suggesting the more popular moniker, The Sombrero Galaxy. .." http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080308.html

Leah Rupp reported in The Clarion-Ledger "A bill that would make police incident reports available to the public cleared a Senate committee with little discussion this morning.House Bill 474 now heads to the floor of the chamber for a vote before it can advance to Gov. Haley Barbour."

Good news for supporters of opening up police reports to the public. Only two steps to go until the bill becomes law and Mississippians are allowed to have more access to crime reports where they live.

Unfortnuatly, Senate Bill #2728, which passed the Senate last month makes initial police reports available to the public if enacted, is the subject of an amendemtnt that would weaken the bill's provisions through an amendment. Amendment No. 1 proposes to "AMEND on line 45 through 47 by striking everything after the word "means" on line 45 through the word "include" on line 47."

What exactly is between the words "means" and "include"? Just the heart of the bill:
(e) "Incident report" means a narrative description of an alleged offense, if a narrative description exists and does not contain investigative information, and at a minimum shall include the name and identification of each person arrested and charged for the alleged offense, the time, date and location of the alleged offense and the property involved, to the extent this information is known. http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2008/html/SB/2700-2799/SB2728PS.htm

The point of the bill is to allow the public to see exactly what happened when a crime occurred. It also protect those charged with crimes from unfair speculation. This amendment is nothing but an attempt to kill the bill and should be stopped immediately. Although the amendment will allow the name, date, and location of the incident, as well as the names of the people charged by the police for the alleged crime to remain public, it will take away a major piece of information the public has a right to know. Families of murder victims will also have the details of the homicide in the report kept from them in what is nothing but a cruel twist of the knife in their tragedy. Imagine losing a mother or father to murder and the police telling you that you are not allowed to see the police report. Such callousness is disgusting and shows how sometimes law enforcement officials act more like bureaucrats and not as officers sworn to protect and SERVE!!!

Contact your representative and tell him to get House bill #474 passed in the Senate and sent to the governor. It is time Mississippi joined the rest of the country in giving citizens access to police reports as our government is supposed to be by the people and for the people.

Prior post: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2008/02/call-your-state-senator-today.html

I'm going to try something different and that is add a weekly column or post about mortgage and real estate news. The business reporting in Jackson by the media is pretty bad and ill-informed. Since I have a substantial amount of expertise in these areas, I'm going to take a stab at covering these issues for you. Be patient as I'm going to tinker with it over the next several weeks.

Believe it or not, the housing crisis may be over as a mild recovery sets in according to a report recently published by SMR Research Corp.:
"The recovery is likely to be gradual, with house prices merely firming up or increasing slightly, rather than returning to the strong growth they showed from 2002 to mid-2006, the firm said...
A special section in the study used home price and consumer income data from several sources to show how the bubble grew from 2002 to 2006. The same data now show the bubble has evaporated at current mortgage interest rates after 18 months of rising incomes and falling home values.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080314/nyf036.html?.v=101
The report is available from SMR for $2,850. ;-) ttp://www.smrresearch.com/gmi08press031408.pdf

This column discusses how part of the mortgage crisis was driven by the use of FICO scores by mortgage lenders:
"It’s been 12 years since Fannie and Freddie began requiring FICO scores on every loan they purchased. Interestingly, the subprime industry took much longer to completely wrap itself around the use of credit scoring....
However, when all of the other credit factors were held constant, FICO was dead-nuts on, and that’s perhaps the most critical part of this discussion. The failure was on the part of the industry taking FICO as gospel, and forgetting that it was still necessary to underwite the file as if we really were mortgage bankers..."
http://www.housingwire.com/2008/03/07/fico-the-late-great-credit-score/

The not so secret secret of the mortgage industry is that the underwriting has been primarly based on FICO scores. If you have a 700 score for example, you could qualify for almost any crazy program out there. Fannie approved 100% loans for borrowers with 580 credit scores. Subprime lenders approved mortgages for borrowers with 540 credit scores, regardless of the actual credit history. Late payments on bills were ignored. Down payment requirements were relaxed as the FICO score was considered to be the gold standard. If you were out of bankrputcy 13 months, it didn't matter if you had a FICO score of over 620 (I've seen that actually happen). What happened was the false idol of the credit score was toppled and then the bubble burst as suddenly it was apparent that many bad loans were approved and sold to investors.

By the way, good news for Jackson area homebuyers. FHA recently increased its loan limits for the tri-county area to $271,050. As FHA rates are typicall a quater-point or more lower than conforming mortgage rates, this is very good news for Jacksonians as the limits were approximately $200,000. https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/hicost1.cfm

Controversy over the proposed Civil Rights Museum heated up recently as two different groups actively pushed for the selection of their sites for the museum. One faction that was very vocal and supported by some local media groups as well as downtown Jackson interests promoted three different downtown sites while another group promoted Tougaloo College as it was recognized as the "cradle" of the Mississippi Civil Rights movement. The debate was boisterous at times and many accusations flew back and forth as it was obvious both sides were passionate about their cause.

The online poll gave voters several choices regarding the proposed sites. 129 votes were cast. The choices and their popularity were:
"Announced site near Tougaloo College": 47 votes (36%)
"Downtown Jackson": 54 votes (41%)
"Don't care. just build it somewhere": 3 votes (2%)
"We don't need one"" 24 votes (18%)
"Its all a Frank Melton conspiracy": 0 votes (0%)

Despite the noise made by Downtown supporters in the local media as well as the advocacy of the downtown site by certain media publications, the results were fairly even between Tougaloo and Downtown selections, indicating that perhaps more people support Tougaloo than previously thought. What was surprising was that a sizeable number of people voted on the "We don't need one" choice.

Personally, I prefer the downtown site. I like how Dallas and Mobile organized their downtown areas and arts districts. As Mississippi suffers from lacking many cultural facilities, I support placing them together in Jackson's own "arts district". However, I do understand the Tougaloo selection and its heritage as well. Some of the proposed development was explained to me yesterday and if carried out as planned, it might be a good deal for Jackson. I also did not appreciate some of the attacks made on Tougaloo supporters as at times it got downright personal as their ethics and character was questioned. It should also be noted that apparently the City of Jackson missed the deadline for submitting its proposals to the committee (something that is all too familiar under the Melton administration) and was hoping for a pass due to its negligence. Having said that, the committee made its choice and perhaps its time for Jacksonians to move on to the other challenges facing this city.

Jackson Jambalaya recently conducted a poll on the Senate bill #2793, the "Entergy Bill". This bill was discussed in an earlier post, http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2008/02/if-you-want-entergy-rate-increase-bill.html. 50 votes were cast, a smaller than normal amount for JJ polls, thus indicating possibly a lower level of interest. The poll choices and their results are:
"Don't know, haven't read the bill": 5 votes (10%)
"Its a good bill. Pass it.": 4 votes (8%)
"Bad bill. Kill it.": 27 votes (54%)
"Good bill but rate hike should be placed in escrow and refunded if plant is not built: 14 votes (28%)

Thus, a majority of the voters want the bill killed and over 80% want the bill killed or changed for an escrow and refund option.

Since today is my birthday, my wish is for everyone to say something NICE to someone today, be it someone at home, at work OR on this blog. Some people cringe at turning a year older but I am so thankful each year to still be here!

So, be nice, think twice before you speak, and smile today. It's my birthday, and that's what I want!

Is it me or is Marsha hotter now?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpuQS3Ge9Kk

The American Spectator points out more No Child Left Behind foolishness:
"Shame on you, South Carolina! You have high academic standards compared to other states, and it's making you look bad under the No Child Left Behind Act. It's time to get on the ball, dumb-down "proficiency," and join everyone else in the race to save face! Indeed, your House of Representatives already got the message, passing recent legislation to let you keep down with the Joneses...." http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12887

From Othor Cain's blog:
Othor Says: March 11th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
There is such a divide in this city now……
I walked into Sal and Mookies a couple of weeks ago and Donna Ladd said “well if it isn’t the black power structure…..
she got a kick out of it..I didn’t. I see what is happening..and now that there are people in the downtown establishment pumping money in her pockets..she no longer talks about what is really happening…….
I can really share some things….but at this point I won’t….
http://www.othorcainreport.com/b2/?p=182#comments

How long do you think the mob knew about his hooker habit?

Sigh. Yesterday was a truly historic day in Mississippi as Barak Obama won the Democratic Presidential Primary over Hillary Clinton. However, Madame DeLadd of The Jackson Free Press lived up to her drama queen image with the following comments:
"The Clarion-Ledger is still saying turnout was "light to moderate" this morning! Are they just going to pretend to Mississippians that they didn't screw this up, or that Hosemann didn't!?! This is unbelievable. If the Ledger can't figure out that this was a remarkable turnout, how can we expect national media?
Oh my God, The Clarion-Ledger and reporter Natalie Chandler are embarrassing!?!
She writes:"Turnout was light to moderate in a state with 1.78 million voters."
Oh. My. God.Where are the turnout numbers? Where is the correction of what she wrote last night about Dems and Republicans putting out about the same number of voters? Where is the comparison with past primaries? Is the Ledger trying to hide what happened in Mississippi last night? Are they covering for Hosemann? Why???This may be worse than the Ledger hiding the fact that Melton was lying under oath in a case involving them during his campaign. Maybe not, but it is truly, truly awful reporting and framing of a national story. Do they think no one will notice?"

When she decides to calm down, maybe she will realize a few facts. A little over half a million Mississippians voted yesterday. There are approximately 1.78 million voters in the state. Only 28% of Mississippi voters went to the polls yesterday. At first glance, that is a pretty light turnout. However, it was still a huge increase from 2004 where 100,000 or so people voted (the turnout then was only 5% of eligible voters).

She then tries to accuse Mr. Hoseman of trying to suppress voter turnout by estimating that he expected it to be 150,000 voters, which is still a substantial increase from 2004. How many people do she think are going to be swayed by what some state officials says about voter turnout? Mr. Hoseman was merely estimating what he thought turnout would be based on past primaries. If you look at the historical numbers for Mississippi presidential primaries, they have always been extremely low. It is true that yesterday's turnout was a huge increase but 28% is still considered to be "light to moderate" by most standards although the "state" newspaper should have done a better job of covering the huge increase in turnout. However, it is ridiculous to accuse them of having some agenda to cover up for a Secretary of State and trying to hide racial progress in Mississippi.

True to form Ms. Ladd engages in some propaganda herself:
"People, the word of the name was *turnout*. Mississippi voters have always been racially polarized; that is not news. What is news is that a black candidate was able to get nearly a third of registered voters to turn out to vote for or against him, and that 30 percent of his voters in Mississippi were white." http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=16498_0_27_0_C#109011 (disclaimer: clicking on link will increase traffic on the JFP website.)

Not so fast Ms. Ladd. 30 percent? 400,000 voted in the Democratic primary, give or take a few. 400,000 divided by 1,780,000 equals 22%. That means TWENTY-TWO PERCENT of Mississippi voters cast ballots in the Democratic Primary, NOT thirty percent. Nice try but you've been busted. (She writes in another thread about the primaries: "And bless these reporters' hearts, but can't they find some journalists who can do basic math?" irony)

So let me see, this week you have managed to accuse the CL of engaging in coverups, a Secretary of State trying to mislead voters, the national media of missing the real story here in Mississippi that only you "got", and tried to insinuate that proponents of the Tougaloo site for the Civil Rights Museum such as Beverly Hogan (who is one of the nicest and most ethical leaders in this area, black or white) are somehow unethical or shady (never mind Ms. Hogan, Reuben Anderson, and others WERE fighting for civil rights and blazing trails while you ran off to New York) while you take money from a downtown organization for a publication promoting downtown.

Lets not forget your little barbs last night thrown at Clarion-Ledger reporters for being ignorant or not knowing state politics to your satisfaction, never mind all the times you've used the fact you didn't move here until 2001 when challenged on issues involving Jackson's past as a defense for being ignorant on local politics. I will give you credit though. At least this time you didn't accuse them of practicing racism or sexism, writing in the passive voice, or plagiarizing. This time it was just gross incompetence, awful journalism, and covering up the facts, so we should be grateful for the improvement in our local newspaper. However, the week is only halfway over so perhaps you can manufacture some more drama or find more proof of the great Mississippi conspiracy.

Update: Marshall Ramsey has a cartoon in Friday's edition of the CL making fun of Hoseman's estimates (JFP accusation of plagerism in 10 seconds....) and the paper did write a feature story on the huge increase in turnout yesterday. Guess someone in Fondren doesn't realize that those reporters are covering multiple stories, returns are not finalized until nearly midnight, and they have to get their stories written VERY quickly as the paper has to come out by 3 or 4 in the morning. They can't just sit back and pick and choose what they will cover. Hmmm..... of course, the media expert who has never been a reporter at a major daily newspaper might now know that of course. It should be noted that they wrote further analysis the next day, when they had time. The pattern over the years has been to write the coverage for the day after election edition, and then write the analysis and more in depth coverage in the following issue. It was also funny to see Ms. Ladd criticizing Leah Rupp and saying the reporters could not do basic math when she couldn't even spell Ms. Rupps name right. Maybe Ms. Ladd should try a new experience and write for a daily newspaper and cover a few elections.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=OPINION04

http://search.clarionledger.com/sp?eId=100&gcId=18121048&rNum=3&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clarionledger.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D2008803130374&siteIdType=2

http://search.clarionledger.com/sp?eId=100&gcId=18121048&rNum=6&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.clarionledger.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D200880312029&siteIdType=2

Al Qaida commander complains how tough things are in Iraq:
It is true that we have lost several cities and have been forced to withdraw from others, after a large number of [Sunni] tribal leaders betrayed Islam and when their tribe members joined forces against us.....
Al-Jaza'iri added: "…I do not want to paint a false picture: Our position is very difficult, but we are fighting, and will continue to do so…"
http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD186608

So sorry to hear that.

Michael Yon writes about our "Guitar Heroes" in his latest dispatch from Iraq. Guitar Heroes are the Air Cav (Charlie don't surf!!!) stationed in Iraq that deal death to the enemy on a daily basis:
The Guitar Heroes in Mosul are devastating the enemy and saving many American and Iraqi lives. They got thirty-five confirmed kills in the month of December 2007, although it’s believed they killed many more. From August 2007 to March 2008, their intelligence officer says they have 115 confirmed, with only one collateral fatality caused by an errant missile. Great care is taken before the permission to fire a missile is issued. Since 2005, I’ve seen many enemy get away because commanders were being extremely careful to avoid civilian deaths and injuries. I’m just a writer and observer, but must say it can be frustrating even for me to see armed terrorists getting away, when I am thinking, “Take the shot for chrissakes!!!! There’s not a civilian within 300 yards!!!” Only once did I see a helicopter missile strike ordered that I thought was over the top, and that was a couple years ago. Yet, in reality, this ever-increasing willingness to let a few bad guys get away has played a huge part of turning this war around, and ultimately saving the lives of civilians and, paradoxically, Americans..."
Read the rest of Mr. Yon's dispatch: http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/guitar-heros.htm

Update: All right. Now I'm mad. I write a post blasting JFP's media criticism of the election coverage and it gets a ton of comments. You guys, who raise hell about the media backstabbing the troops in Iraq, have nothing at all to say when you are getting good news from the field? That war affects us and our loved ones (as we all know people who have fought over there) a helluva lot more than what some hack in Fondren thinks.

Considering she endorsed and promoted a Democrat in last fall's election, why should Republicans listen to her when it comes to voting in the Republican primary for replacing Chip Pickering tomorrow?

on the air? This show is HORRIBLE!!!

Watch this video and ask yourself "What would Newt do if he were going into the voting booth tomorrow?" The last minute of this clip says it all as Newt spells out the dangers we face. How many of the candidates for the third district probably get it?

I watch this video and realize what an opportunity tomorrow is. Although I voted for Chip Pickering over the years, the truth is he was a mediocre Congressman. He was rarely heard from in Congress. Rarely did he lead the fight for anything. The Republican lapdog voters supported him because he was one of them, he voted their way, and while the Republicans were in the majority, everything was ok. Then when the Republicans lost control of the House, Mr. Pickering said it wasn't fun anymore and that was one of the reasons he was leaving Congress. Compare that to Mr. Gingrich, who spent all but a few years of his Congressional career in the minority and instead of going home, led the Republican fight to win the House. Do you want to elect tomorrow another Pickering - nice, likeable, votes exactly how you like, shares your values but is fairly quiet and not a true leader in Congress- or someone who wants to truly change things and take the fight to the Democrats or those whose policies will harm this country if enacted? Just a thought.

The New York Times recently published a scary column written by Jeff Stein, the National Security Editor for Congressional Quarterly. Scary in that many of our leaders in Congress and Counterterrorism/law enforcement don't know basic facts about our enemies. Mr. Stein merely asked them what was the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite, important as one is the driving theology for Al Qaida and Wahaabism and the other is the theolody for Iran. Mr. Stein wrote:
if knowing your enemy is the most basic rule of war, I don’t think it’s out of bounds. And as I quickly explain to my subjects, I’m not looking for theological explanations, just the basics: Who’s on what side today, and what does each want? ....
But so far, most American officials I’ve interviewed don’t have a clue. That includes not just intelligence and law enforcement officials, but also members of Congress who have important roles overseeing our spy agencies. How can they do their jobs without knowing the basics?....
It’s not all so grimly humorous. Some agency officials and members of Congress have easily handled my “gotcha” question. But as I keep asking it around Capitol Hill and the agencies, I get more and more blank stares. Too many officials in charge of the war on terrorism just don’t care to learn much, if anything, about the enemy we’re fighting. And that’s enough to keep anybody up at night....
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/opinion/17stein.html?pagewanted=2&_r=4

We go to the polls in Mississippi this week and there are going to be opportunities in the next 48 hours to ask candidates questions as they appear radio talk shows begging for your votes. While they are on the air bragging about their support for the troops and fighting terrorism, ask them if they know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite? If they can't even tell you that, they don't deserve your vote. One expects someone asking for the power to vote on sending your children in harm's way or making decisions regardings our safety to at least take the time to learn basic facts about the enemy. If any of them show such little respect for you, why should you should them any respect?

From "Britain's Got Talent".

Opera's Rocky. If Heaven had a sound on earth this would be it. One can almost see this ariatic Balboa, with his dreadful suit, shaky interview, features not Hollywood, saying if he was a boxer, "I just want go do what no one else has done, I don't care if he splits my head open, if when that bell rings I'm still standing, I'll know I was not just another bum". Humanity, so dreadful at times, can be so beautiful as he showed in this performance.

http://www.wlbt.com/global/story.asp?s=7977837

There are times when one must take a stand and the election to replace Congressman Chip Pickering is one of them. As we live in turbulent times with much uncertainty while the Republicans are rudderless and afflicted with a malaise, it is clear that the best choice to replace Congressman Chip Pickering next week is Charlie Ross.

In war, goals and needs determine what personnel, weapons, and strategies are used to fight the enemy. In politics the same holds true as different situations require different types of leaders. A leader that is great for a time when domestic policies are important may not be a great wartime leader.

The temptation for voters is to elect someone who is "just like them" or "reflects our values". However, Conservatives in the 3rd district must consider the current state of the Republican Party and the challenges facing America as it is clear the Democrats will retain control of Congress and possibly win the Presidency. If a Republican elected, is he going to Washington to just send back the pork and vote right so he can stay there for 20 years or is he actually prepared to go into congressional combat?

The winner will have to deal with these issues:
1. The Democrats will fight to undercut the War in Iraq despite the current success of General Petraeus's strategy. The same Democrats that backstabbed Petraeus and called him a liar in much more polite terms. The same Democrats that said the war was lost and said success in Iraq would hurt their chances in the elections. The Democrats will seek to withdraw the troops as quickly as possible, forgetting how their immoral decision to cut off the South Vietnamese government resulted in a bloodbath.

2. If the Bush tax cuts expire, Americans will suffer from one of the largest tax increases ever even though the economy is in much turmoil right now, thus making a shaky economy even more unstable. If capital gains tax rates are raised (as Obama has mentioned), expect the markets to go into a deeper tailspin. Economic sages in Congress are rare these days.

3. The House Democrats currently seek to take away from the President the ability to intercept terrorist communications overseas without a warrant. Their position is so extreme and reckless that in their minds, if Muhammed in Damascus is calling Khalid in London to plan an attack against America, the government must obtain a warrant even though both callers are overseas if the packet somehow is routed through the U.S. In their ivory tower, fighting paperwork is more important than fighting overseas terrorists.

4. The Republican party and Conservative movement are unfocused and adrift. While pockets of hope exist, the Conservative movement has lost most of its Congressional leaders. Gone are Conservatives such as Gingrich, Armey, and Gramm who were not just intellectuals but also warriors. There is no drive as in 1994 to win Congress. Where once Newt and his young turks went on CSPAN every night and talk shows to educate the American public on Conservative principles, Republican leaders now dash off to the cocktail and lobbying circuits. The Republican party needs Warrior Jesuits: Better educated, dedicated, and deadly. (This phrase was my original choice for the title of this post.)

Too often the Republican Party in the last decade has been led by Republicans who bragged about bringing home the bacon and having a conservative voting record even though they were usually missing in action when the battle was fought. Who can forget Phil Gramm standing up on the floor of the Senate saying Hillary's health care plan would pass "over my dead body" while Dole prepared to surrender or Newt bucking the Bush White House on tax hikes? Are David Landrum and the other candidates Doles or Gramms? Can Conservatives afford to vote and merely hope for the best?

Charlie Ross is the best candidate given our national politics. It is time we start electing our best and brightest. Mr. Ross graduated from the Air Force Academy, no small feat as Academy graduates are definitely a notch above everyone else. His degree in economics gives him the intellectual tools he needs to fight the Democrats and me-too Republicans who try to raise taxes and spending. Mr. Ross graduated from Harvard Law School and was a leader in the Mississippi Legislature. As a leading Republican in the legislature who knew the ins and outs of the rules, he proved himself to be a smart street-fighter, not just a policy wonk or staffer who looked good on tv.

The other candidates are all good men and will probably cast the same votes on issues Conservatives hold dear. However, it is important that we send someone prepared for battle as he will be jumping directly into a combat zone and not a country club.

Mr. Ross may not be the fuzziest and prettiest candidate. What is needed is not the nicest guy or the one who shares "our values" but someone who is smart enough to beat the Democrats at their procedural power plays and give Republicans a kick in the butt when they need it. Conservatives need to elect pit bulls, not poodles. As the Conservative movement seeks to rebound from its current state, it needs pit bulls like Mr. Ross in Congress.

Note: see poll at the right side of the page.

Recently, the location committee and the executive committee of the full Civil Rights Commission accepted the recommendation of LaPaglia & Associates (google them). LaPaglia recommended to locate the Museum at Tougaloo College although many respectfully - but strongly - disagree.

The process used to make this decision is questionable. First, LaPaglia told the City of Jackson that it did not want a public demonstration before a recommendation was made to the location committee. So, a very private meeting was held between LaPaglia and a few individuals from the city. LaPaglia initially insisted only one person attend, but at prodding, relented to four persons. Unfortunately for supporters of Downtown Jackson, LaPaglia allowed Tougaloo to hold a public demonstration for the Museum, supposedly including public dignitary attendees. Lo and behold, Tougaloo miraculously jumped up the list of proposed locations from tenth to first, ahead of three downtown locations. The reason cited for the jump ironically was so-called public support from the general public and prominent public officials for Tougaloo, but not for Jackson - after Jackson was told it couldn’t have a public demonstration in support of the Museum. You can’t make this stuff up. “Hoodwinked” if I’ve ever seen it.

The location committee that just happened to be composed of numerous Tougaloo alumni, (including the President of the College, and current and former trustees) somehow accepted the Tougaloo recommendation. Although the members of the commission are widely respected members of the local community, such esteem does not prevent others from disagreeing with what they judge to be the wrong decision and the perspective of the committee members.

The Museum should be located in downtown Jackson, preferably in the Farish Street Historic Neighborhood or a nearby site. There are numerous reasons the Museum should be located in downtown Jackson. At the forefront are pragmatic, economic considerations as museums usually do not make money. All museums need to be placed in an area that most ensures their ability to draw visitors and make it most likely to meet their budgets.

Numerous people (Jackson IS a college town) already visit the downtown museums, such as the Mississippi Museum of Art, as well as other historic locations, such as the Governor’s Mansion and the Capitol. It makes the most sense to emulate other cities such as Washington, D.C. and make the central city a “one stop shop” for museums as it makes the museums more accessible to the public and tourists.

In addition to the proposed economic development, there are $814 million dollars currently invested in ongoing downtown projects such as the Pinnacle Building, the King Edward, the Standard Life Building and others. The Electric Building and Plaza Building (where I live) have already been completed as well as new lofts on Tombigbee and the residences at the Iron Works Building which are all filled to capacity. Adding the value of the proposed projects increases the value of the investments to well over $2 billion. Yes, $2 billion.

Over the next three years, traffic is estimated to increase on the following downtown streets
(1) High Street will increase from 18,000 commuters a day to 37,300 commuters a day
(2) Capitol Street will increase from 8,900 commuters a day to 25,500 commuters day
(3) Court Street will increase from 1,300 commuters a day to 18,300 commuters a day.
These are just some of the examples and is what we are talking about when we say we want to put “rears in the seat” in the Museum in downtown Jackson.

The “critical mass” needed for this Museum to guarantee visitors, both before all of this development, and particularly after its occurrence, is a downtown location.

Another important consideration is a symbolic one. Some of the sins committed in our state during the Civil Rights Movement are unforgivable. Some of the triumphs are unforgettable. I can think of no greater memorial to that era than placing the Museum in the heart of our Capitol City – right around the corner from where legislature passed Jim Crow laws and the Governor’s Mansion where Ross Barnett lived. As Councilman Leslie McLemore said, Ross Barnett and the Legislature play a part in the narrative of the Civil Rights Movement, as do many others involved in the ugly past of our state government, and that is part of the story that needs to be told in great and graphic detail.

Imagine, for instance, placing the Museum at the Sun-and-Sand, as one potential site among many worthy, a location that housed Jim Crow Legislators, and where the Sovereignty Commission schemed. Moreover, at that site or the other proposed ones, it would be near or part of the Farish Street Historic Neighborhood which has one of the most significant African-American histories in the nation.

Tougaloo’s importance to the Movement is to be commended. However, its importance should not be the most important factor in reaching this decision as it apparently was where some of the committee members are concerned. Tougaloo’s role can be properly recognized in the Museum, as it must be pointed out 25 of the major 55 events in the Civil Rights Movement occurred within walking distance of downtown. Irrespective of that, the Museum should be placed in a location based upon its ability to tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement to the largest number of people, and that place is downtown.

One must wonder if a disconnect has occurred between the committee and the public it is supposed to serve. Having talked to many people about this issue, 99.9% of the people want this Museum downtown. The .1% who want it at Tougaloo are Tougaloo grads who are older than 50. The younger Tougaloo grads approached about this agree it should be downtown. This points to something else here, which is that no one under the age of 40 is on the Commission. Its not even clear that anyone under the age of 50 was on this committee. With all due respect, the older generation is a little out of touch when it comes to urbanization and the urbanization movement taking hold across the nation as shown by some of their public comments.

The recommendation of the location committee and executive committees will go to the full Commission for a vote. Contact them as well as the media and recommend placing the Museum downtown.

Wounds heal, but they often leave scars. We have a lot of scars in Mississippi from our Civil Rights History. Some aren’t even yet scars, but wounds still left open. Only by placing this Museum in downtown do you make this issue omnipresent and help those wounds and scars heal.

I will leave you with this thought: tell a conventioneer at our new Convention Center to “get on the interstate, travel about ten miles north, and then take a left at the Target, Red Lobster, and Home Depot,” or, “it’s right around the corner. Right by the Farish Street Historic District and near the King Edward, which originally closed because of integration, but is now open again – by the National Civil Rights Museum!” Enough said. It is a new day. Let’s just make sure we realize it.

Kingfish note: There is no copyright or claim to exclusivity on this column by Jackson Jambalaya although it was first published on this site. Mr. Allen is free to submit to whatever media outlet he desires.

"Sarah Palin, the beautiful conservative Republican governor of Alaska, would be an ideal choice to help McCain slay this unholy ObamaOprah beast which is set to rake in nearly $50 million a month in campaign donations alone, and has intense auxiliary support coming from the unions, George Soros's billions-infused Democracy Alliance organization, and other rich Democratic networks.
Mrs. Palin is one of conservatism's own, and would be the first female vice president. She's young being only 44 (two years behind Senator Obama), she is wildly known to despise government corruption. She defeated a horribly entrenched and corrupt Republican political machine in Alaska. She has a son in the U.S. military. She's strongly pro-life, belonging, in fact, to Feminists for Life...." http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=12800

Fred Barnes wrote about her in The Weekly Standard last summer:
Her rise is a great (and rare) story of how adherence to principle--especially to transparency and accountability in government--can produce political success. And by the way, Palin is a conservative who only last month vetoed 13 percent of the state's proposed budget for capital projects. The cuts, the Anchorage Daily News said, "may be the biggest single-year line-item veto total in state history."...
Palin's tough spending cuts drew criticism from Republican legislators whose pet projects were vetoed...
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/851orcjq.asp

Even right-wing NPR broadcast a short five minute segment on the Alaska Governor:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6685837

So is Governor Palin someone McCain should consider for his Vice-Presidential nominee?