This is probably my favorite essay written by a Vietnam Vet:
"I begin to weary of the stories about veterans that are now in vogue with the newspapers, the stories that dissect the veteran's psyche as if prying apart a laboratory frog-patronizing stories written by style-section reporters who know all there is to know about chocolate mousse, ladies' fashions, and the wonderful desserts that can be made with simple jello. I weary of seeing veterans analyzed and diagnosed and explained by people who share nothing with veterans, by people who, one feels intuitively, would regard it as a harrowing experience to be alone in a backyard.....
Still, to me Vietnam was not what it was to the jello writers, not a ventilation of pious simplisms, not the latest literary interpretation of the domino theory. It left me memories the fashion writers can't imagine. It was the slums of Truong Minh Ky, where dogs' heads floated in pools of green water and three-inch roaches droned in sweltering back-alley rooms and I was happy. Washington knows nothing of hot, whore-rich, beery Truong Minh Ky. I remember riding the bomb boats up the Mekong to Phnom Penh, with the devilish brown river closing in like a vise and rockets shrieking from the dim jungle to burst against the sandbagged wheelhouse, and crouching below the waterline between the diesel tanks. The mousse authorities do not remember this. I remember the villa on Monivong in Phnom Penh, with Sedlacek, the balding Australian hippie, and Naoki, the crazy freelance combat photographer, and Zoco, the Frenchman, when the night jumped and flickered with the boom of artillery and we listened to Mancini on shortwave and watched Nara dance. Washington's elite do not know Nara. They know much of politicians and of furniture. ........."
Read the rest of the essay at: http://www.fredoneverything.net/HarpVet.html
at 2:20 its just priceless.
and for a certain Catholic I know, she will love this one.
After a long weekend out of town, I returned to work and the simple life once again. The second occurence of my day Tuesday was finding out a brother of my former 25-year-old hottie has moved to town! He is 30 and "almost" as hot.
My question is: Do I go after him? Or is that "date-cest" or "nepo-cest"? ..............
Let me know what you think. dwfinms@gmail.com
Other posts by DWF:
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/08/wacko-woman.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/08/ok-dwf-wants-to-know_22.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/08/dwf-presents-what-women-really-think.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/08/dear-dwf.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/on-date-please-try-to-relate.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/sunday-morning-coffee.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/if-you-want-to-join-safari-better-pack.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/07/this-cougar-will-never-be-found-caged.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/06/if-stella-can-get-her-groove-back-so.html
Is Chris Epps, Commissioner of the Department of Corrections, in violation of Section 47-5-47 of the Mississippi Code that prohibits nepotism in the MDOC? (Note: Reply by Mr. Epps in the comments section at end of post.)
Mr. Epps' biography listed on the MDOC website states: "Commissioner Epps is married to Catherlean Sanders Epps and they have two sons, Chris and Tracey."
http://www.mdoc.state.ms.us/christopher_b.htm
A copy of a phone list that is the Central Office Directory of the MDOC from February, 2007 lists under the Administrative Remedies Program in the Dickson Building, Suite 207, a Tracey Sanders at ext. 5673. Sources at MDOC have informed me that Mr. Sanders is indeed the same Tracey Sanders that is listed in the biography of Mr. Epps on the MDOC website as his son. A call to the extension has a Tracey Sanders leaving a greeting on the voicemail. Apparently he holds the rank of Sergeant as well according to a search of the MDOC's website (He is included in this picture on the website: http://www.mdoc.state.ms.us/News%20Letters/2005NewsLetters/May%202005.pdf).
One would think that the Mississippi Code is clear on this issue:
"It shall be unlawful for any person related by affinity or consanguinity within the third degree computed according to the rules of the civil law to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor or commissioner to accept any employment in the state correctional system, neither shall the commissioner or other officer or employee of the state correctional system be directly or indirectly interested in any contract, purchase or sale for or in behalf of or on account of the state correctional system." Mississippi Code of 1972, Section 47-5-47.
http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/47/005/0047.htm
What exactly is going on at the Mississippi Department of Corrections? Did Mr. Epps hire his son contrary to the statute? Has there not been enough turmoil and violence in the MDOC system? Now one must ask if nepotism has occurred as well.
Note: Before you Democrats celebrate too much, keep in mind that Mr. Epps was appointed by Governor Musgrove.
Here are some reports from Iraq. One is by Ralph Peters, a New York Post reporter who was embedded in Iraq until recently:
THERE is no substitute for being on the ground if you want a sense of where Iraq may be headed. The reality is almost always different when you smell it up close. ...
Given the complexity of the situation in Iraq - problems that date back not just to 2003, but to biblical days - no one can guarantee success, however humbly we measure it. But quitting will guarantee failure, with gruesome long-term costs. .....
Given the strategic bravado and operational inconsistency - the battlefield fecklessness - of the Bush administration in the past, it's essential to avoid gushing optimism. But, based upon what I saw, from the dust of Anbar Province to the streets of Baghdad, during Infantry patrols and in interviews with generals I trust, I believe that sober optimism is in order. .......
That doesn't result in a fully cohesive effort. Our allies in Iraq are well aware of what happened in Vietnam in 1975, when we last abandoned those who put their faith in us.
THE bottom line? Our troops are doing their job, and they're doing it brav ely and brilliantly. If only we could say the same about Washington . . .
Can we achieve a favorable outcome in Iraq? Yes. But achieving it depends on politicians behaving like statesmen - in Baghdad and in Washington.
We're winning in the streets of Baghdad, but we may lose in the corridors of power. ...
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09042007/postopinion/opedcolumnists/iraq_inspection.htm?page=0
The other dispatch is from Jeff Emanuel, a former special ops soldier who blogs from Iraq and is also embedded with American units. In this story he writes about the training of Iraqi SWAT teams. I'm not surprised at their success as they are trained by Special Forces troops who train them not passing them along according to a schedule but when they met a particular standard:
"These men are in the process of joining quite an exclusive group within their profession. Some are already Iraqi Police, while others are simply recruits off the street; however, for those who successfully complete the training laid out for them by their Green Beret-wearing taskmasters, they will be an elite group within their region's security apparatus: members of the Tal Afar SWAT team....
PROSPECTIVE TAL AFAR SWAT team members are put through a two-part training course by U.S. Special Forces. First is a four-day “smoke session,” characterized by very little sleep and a great deal of physical activity.
"We try to test their desire," said the Special Forces team commander. "They have to want to be here. ....
Unlike the training of conventional Iraqi and National Police, which is done in a one-size-fits-all, strictly-scheduled manner, the training of SWAT candidates is done "not to time," but "to standard," as a Special Forces sergeant so succinctly put it. "Once they can go through the shoot-house with live rounds, without us worrying about them killing us or each other, then they'll be done – however long that takes. ......."
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/global.php?id=1298091
http://www.understandingwar.org/IraqReport/IraqReport06.pdf
The Institute for the Study of War published a report by Dr. Kimberly Kagan, Fellow at the Olin Foundation. While the report is 32 pages, do not quake at the thought of reading 32 pages of boring bureaucratese as the actual report, excluding charts, pictures, and endnotes, is a little over 20 pages and worth reading as it documents the Iranian involvement in the insurgency in Iraq. A chart (page 11) explains the relationships between the leadership in Iran and the Iraqi insurgency while another chart (page 8) lists the important events involving Iranian intervention in Iraq. There is also a map (page 23) that shows the major supply and communications routes used by the Iranians. An executive summary of the report is included as well: http://www.understandingwar.org/IraqReport/IraqReport06ExecSum.pdf. The summary makes the following points:
"Executive Summary
This Iraq Report summarizes evidence of Iranian involvement in Iraq.
Iran, and its proxy Lebanese Hezbollah, have actively supported Shia and even Sunni resistance groups since 2003, providing arms and training so as to target Coalition and Iraqi forces and forment sectarian violence.
Iranian influence has increased since 2003, spanning from Kurdistan to Basrah; currently, roughly half of all attacks on Coalition forces are now attributed to Shia insurgent groups.
In response to mounting Iranian intervention, Coalition forces have conducted an increasing number of special and conventional military operations targeting Iranian-backed secret cells. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker has conducted tripartite meetings with his Iranian and Iraqi counterparts.
Iran has continued to deny that it promotes violence in Iraq. ......
Iranian Intervention in Iraq 2003-2005
Iranian preparations for Iranian intervention in Iraq date from as early as 2002.
Beginning in 2003, Iran has worked to create a vast network to transport and distribute Iranian arms to insurgents across Iraq.
Iranian and Hezbollah agents in Iraq began to recruit and train Shia militia members, including the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr, in 2003.
These groups of twenty to sixty Iraqis trained, armed, and funded by Hezbollah and Iran are known as ‘Special Groups’ or ‘secret cells.’ (The report states that these groups return to Iraq intact and thus able to function as cohesive units.)
With the creation of militia training facilities in Iran in 2005, the number of secret cells in Iraq has grown and they have become much more deadly. Today, there are three of these training camps outside Tehran to train Iraqis for four to six weeks.
Undermining the Government of Iraq: Special Group Activities in 2006
In May 2006, the Qods Force and Hezbollah reorganized the Special Groups in Iraq along a Hezbollah-like model. Ali Mussa Daqduq, a Lebanese Hezbollah operative, became the chief advisor in Iraq.
By June 2006, Qais Khazali, an Iraqi and former Sadrist, became the head of Special Groups in Iraq.
The precise aims of the IRGC-QF remain unclear, but the results are not. They developed a Hezbollah-like secret cell network dependent on Iranian support. They developed an organization that could operate within the umbrella of government institutions to undermine or replace the elected government of Iraq.
Special Groups have actively undermined the Maliki government since its inception in May 2006. They have targeted important government figures, Coalition forces, and Iraqi Security Forces.
Special Groups have kidnapped or assassinated Iraqi government officials; individuals working for the government (including the November 15, 2006 mass kidnapping of employees from the Ministry of Education); and U.S. soldiers at the Karbala Provincial Joint Coordination Center.
Iranian-funded and made explosively-formed projectiles (EFPs), rockets, and mortars flowed into and around Iraq via the Special Groups’ transit routes.
Special Groups have escalated attacks on Coalition forces in the Diyala province and the Green Zone in Baghdad. ...."
The report makes clear that we are fighting an Iran that seeks to take over Iraq as it has used Hezbollah to control all or part of Lebanon, not just Al Qaida, Sunnis fearful of Shia domination, or Baathists.
Dr. Kagan's bio:Kimberly Kagan is a military historian who has taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Yale University, Georgetown University, and American University. She is currently an affiliate of the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University. Dr. Kagan previously held an Olin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Military History at Yale International Security Studies in 2004-2005 and was a National Security Fellow at Harvard’s Olin Institute for Strategic Studies in 2002-2003. She is the author of The Eye of Command (University of Michigan Press, 2006) and editor of The Imperial Moment (under contract with Harvard University Press). She received her Ph.D. in History from Yale University
Click Here to Read More..
http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/messagetopic.asp?p=5312286
Written by LSU fan:
Ok here goes...I apologize for writing a freaking book.
It was as ugly as I have ever seen it.
My LSU buddy from Flowood, Mississippi invites me to sit with his group at the game. He's in the MSU section ,seventh row, 40 yard line and I have upper deck tickets in the LSU section, so I take him up on his offer. The group is a mixture of ten people with loyalties to both schools. I was with an employee and my business partner.
On the way in, we get a random beer poured on us for no reason which lands on an MSU fan in our party. This guy doesn't play (he is sixty as well) and rushes the twenty year old punk. I'm a Tiger fan, I think it's classless but I've seen worse. Nothing is gonna ruin my day and I just keep smiling and enjoying the festivities...
Until we get to our seats. At that point three eighteen year old totally wasted punks take the seat behind us and frothily scream "F You". Not "F LSU" but FU. They are in our personal space. We ask them to stop. We plead with them to stop. They say "You are in OUR house MFer". My biz partner, who is a big guy and the guy who gave us the tickets (five years out of minor league ball) are trembling with rage. There are ten of us and three of them and they WON't stop.
All of a sudden, my biz partner just snaps, grabs the kid who is the biggest prick by the neck and tells him he is gonna die. He shoves him down three rows and starts pounding him. My buddy is forty and twice this punks size. Pushing/shoving ensues. It goes on for a full ten minutes. No cops, no ushers, nothing. We struggle to maintain composure as we don't want to get thrown out of the game. The kids lick their wounds and leave.
Ten minutes later they are back with a couple more punks. These guy are less articulate than Kevin Federline on a meth binge. The crap resumes. They are one/two rows above us raining down an ENDLESS BARRAGE of profanities. We point out two children three rows down and they respond with "F you Mfer and F you you little LSU freaks" to the kids.
This is going on for two full quarters. Then the kid makes the fatal mistake. He throws a bottle(!) that hits an LSU fan below us.
As I turn, the other kid tosses a bottle as well. As we turn to rush two of the kids this big BEAR of a guy in an MSU shirt lumbers up the rows and just DESTROYS this one punk. We hammer the other two. Everybody who put up with this crap for two quarters took the opportunity to run over and get a shot in. The cops come, by this time these guys are shirtless and bloody and still screaming. The cops haul them off in choke holds and arrest em. The whole section (overwhelmingly MSU) cheers.
These punks were a special breed of redneck I had never seen before. True sociopaths.
Throughout the entire hour + that this happened we had maybe two dozen MSu fans apologize to us, but a cop never came. We waved them down and they just ignored us. And these punks wouldn't stop screaming profanities AT us. Not near us, but AT us. From ONE/two rows back.
We should have jumped them en masse at the beginning. Giving ONE guy an ass-whipping instead of all of em just emboldened them. And we didn't want to end up explaining to our kids why we were in Jail in Stark Vegas. Big mistake. Some people just need an ass-whipping.
Mike the Tiger is home. Here are some pics and video of Mike VI:
Got back from Starkpatch at 1:30 this morning. Sorry but I'm mailing it in today although a long conference call later today will probably provide a nice posting opportunity. Here is Michael Yon's latest dispatch from the field in Iraa. Mr. Yon is a former soldier in Special Forces and a writer. He has been living with the troops in the field for months, not hiding in the green zone for a weekend and then coming back home as other reporters do. From the field:
As I mentioned in an earlier post, my co-workers tend to act more like high school students than as adults. A recent incident just reaffirmed that to me.
I was on a conference call with 2 prospective customers, when a female co-worker opened my door and stood there talking about another call for me. I was quite embarassed, knowing the 2 people on the phone with me could hear the commotion. I quickly put the phone on mute and asked her to please tell them I would call back or take a message. She continued to talk and I began to ignore her to continue my conversation on the call.
She finally walked away, and sent snippy little IM's to me, with the final straw being the line that said "if your call is so important why were you talking to me". I got up and went straight to her office and asked her to please not interrupt me again as it was very rude.
Her eyes went straight to psycho, with a litany of "I'm going to whip your a**, you skinny b***", etc., with her index finger stuck in my face the entire time. I asked her to please get her hand out of my face. She became even more enraged, and I walked out.
Management was out of town, and no one in charge was there, only a male employee who did nothing. Having a first cousin shot and killed at her workplace several years ago, I was afraid for my safety. I stayed on my side of the office until I reached management by phone and kept my door locked.
The resolution of this incident was the sum total of having a phone meeting with she and I and a male who missed the incident while out for lunch, with management on speaker phone. She was not fired for threatening me and only warned.
It was more like being in the principal's office and having someone sent to detention. With all the workplace violence, murders and school shootings, you would think someone in company management would take this seriously.
Why do men treat these type incidents as "cat fights" between women and not as valid workplace problems? I would bet money if it were between two men, the end result would be a totally different resolution, more like firings and/or an arrest. This just goes along with my last post: http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/08/ok-dwf-wants-to-know_22.html
The only positive point in the whole episode was I was called a skinny b****, not a fat b****. :-)
P.S. - This is my therapy post to get past this . I'll lighten up in my next and return to Cougar-esque activities.............
I'm available for further conversation: dwfinms@gmail.com
Tomorrow night will be in Starkpatch to see my Tigers beat up on the MSU Bulldogs. Its going to be ugly. The Milagro Silver Tequila is already packed and chilled. No margaritas for me. I drink the stuff straight. Its going to be war and no prisoners will be taken. In honor of tomorrow night here are my tailgating pics from the last few years. Enjoy. Tomorrow night its time to take care of the rednecks. November we take care of the NJamer's up in Oxford. Later.
http://public.fotki.com/prplhze2000/
Some websites, locally and nationally, have a hard time dealing with defeat when their candidates lose. One common trait, especially among the liberal ones, is that it was due to trickery, fraud, and smear tactics. This piece from the Wall Street Journal discusses how the netroots crowd doesn't pack the punch they think they do. Does any of this sound familiar?
"Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar is today fond of quoting a famous Lyndon Johnson line: "You know the difference between cannibals and liberals? Cannibals only eat their enemies."
Mr. Cuellar would know, having found himself the main course on liberals' election menu just last year. A centrist Democrat who is pro-business, free-trade and strong on law enforcement, the congressman was designated an apostate by the left-wing Netroots crowd. They decamped to his district and bankrolled a liberal primary challenger. Mr. Cuellar triumphed, though Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas would later swagger on his blog: "So we didn't kill off Cuellar. But we gave him a whooping where none was expected and made him sweat."
Which is the point. If the liberal blogging phenomenon deserves to be known for anything, it is the strategy to intimidate or silence anyone who disagrees with its own out-of-the-mainstream views. That muzzling has been on full display in recent weeks as Mr. Moulitsas and fellow online speech police have launched a campaign against the centrist Democratic Leadership Council. DLC Chairman Harold Ford, Jr. was even thwacked last week for daring to speak to this editorial page (my sincere apologies, Mr. Ford)--the clear goal to discourage him from making such a free-speech mistake again. ......
Despite all the blogger bravado that they now run the show, Mr. Cuellar's experience has been more the norm than the exception. The press may adore them, but the Netroots simply haven't notched many concrete victories. "Every time I see [Sen.] Joe Lieberman in the hall, we like to say 'we're still here, aren't we?'" says Mr. Cuellar, a spunky tone in his voice. California's Jane Harman, reviled as a "warmonger," last year whipped antiwar activist Marcy Winograd in a primary, 62%-38%. Ellen Tauscher, who heads the New Democrat Coalition in Congress, was savaged by left-wing blogs for her votes authorizing Iraq and free trade, and in particular for her warning to her party not to "go off the left cliff." She walked away from her re-election with 66% of the vote.
Mr. Cuellar goes so far as to argue that instead of cowing Democratic moderates, the left-wing attacks have united them. More middle-of-the-roaders now believe that if the bloggers were to win a high-profile primary, it would only energize them to go after others. "This has brought us together to say, 'this is us, and we've got to stick together,'" he says. ...
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/kstrasselpw/?id=110010486
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA38207
In late June 2007, the Iranian government launched a comprehensive gasoline rationing policy, necessitated, in part, by the growing demand for gasoline in Iran's domestic market that could not be met by its oil production infrastructure.
Although Iran is among the world's major exporters of crude oil, it has limited processing and refining facilities, and thus must import most of its refined oil for domestic use. There has been no significant investment in developing its oil refining facilities since the Shah's era, and Iran depends entirely on imported gasoline. .......
Iran has recently extended the duration of the rationing. Originally, a monthly ration of 100 liters per private vehicle was imposed, for a period of four months. However, in July 2007, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's advisor Ali Akbar Mehrabian, the newly appointed minister of industries and mines who is in charge of implementing the rationing, announced that the new policy would remain in effect until March 2008. [4] In late August, 2007, Mehrabian announced that the monthly gasoline ration would be increased to 200 liters until the end of summer.[5] ......
The decision to ration gasoline sparked riots in Tehran, resulting in the arrest of 80 individuals. According to reports, over 40 gasoline pumps were torched, public facilities were severely damaged, and shops were looted. The conservative new agency Fars posted a video showing a mob looting a supermarket following the authorities' announcement of the rationing program (http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=1140593&ak=null ). [9] There were also unconfirmed reports that a number of people had been killed during the riots. [10]
By order of the authorities, the Iranian media is not permitted to cover the negative effects of the gasoline rationing, or to publish analyses or criticism on this issue. In a July 5, 2007 article in the reformist daily Rooz, dissident journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi condemned the government censorship, saying that "the restrictions have increased to such an extent that it is no longer possible to write or to publish [articles] on any issue that affects [life] in Iran. These days... in addition to the prohibition against [publishing] reports or op-eds on the nuclear crisis [or] on the possibility of an American [military] attack... there is a prohibition against writing [anything] serious about the gasoline rationing, about Ahmadinejad's visits [to the provinces], about the inflation - or, in short, about any important issue that affects the fate of our society..."
Just got word inmate stabbed to death at Parchman on U32 today. I think that is death row which would be maximum security.
Update: Now reported by all media outlets. Leaving this post up due to good comment. see below.
Over at the JFP, there is currently a headline accusing Robert Smith supporters of vandalizing the JFP racks. Ms. Ladd writes:
"Smith Supporters Vandalize JFP Racks (headline)
OK, Robert Smith told me repeatedly that he is not "Melton's candidate," but some overnight actions are not exactly helping convince me. This morning, we found an "Elect Robert Shuler Smith" flyer duct-taped to our JFP rack in front of Cups with red duct tape. This little action is suspiciously similar to flyers duct-taped to our racks and boxes the day after the Melton acquittal for the Ridgeway duplex massacre. That one read "The Bottom Line: NOT GUILTY!" and was taped on with purple duct tape. When the tape was removed, it ripped off lettering from our property.
Here we go again. Beyond juvenile and destructive, why is Robert Smith aligned with such people who play these kinds of games with other people's property? And the vindictive part against the JFP is pure Melton. I get more and more afraid as this day goes on about what lies ahead should he win.
Please, everyone, vote for Faye Peterson and against the forces that are working so hard to get Smith into office. Like the Melton election two years ago, this is a pivotal point in our history—and we have the chance to make a smarter choice this time."
(http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=14648_0_67_0_C#94841)
First of all, the headline states there were "racks" vandalized but when you read the story it reports only one rack was vandalized. One. not several or many. One.
Second, MOST news organizations that follow the best practices of journalism refrain from publishing so-called scoops or stories on election day so that they are not set up to report a false story in order to influence an election. This story should have been published tomorrow, if it all. Ms. Ladd doesn't know who exactly did it. Since she did not report the particular Cups location, assume it is the one in Fondren. Some knucklehead slaps a Robert Smith flyer on their newsrack. It could have been a Robert Smith supporter, someone that just hates Ms. Peterson, OR someone who just REALLY wanted to irritate Ms. Ladd. However, she uses such juvenile behavior as an opportunity to smear Mr. Smith's supporters as a mob of vandals engaged in seek and destroy missions against the JFP. One would think that she is above such tactics in support of her candidate, Ms. Peterson. I understand why she supports Ms. Peterson and have no problem with her reasons for doing so. Unfortunately, this crap I'm seeing on their website should not even be an issue and should be dealt with after the election, not while it is taking place.
Best practices of journalism? I report. You decide.
1. Peggy Hobson CALHOUN, wife of CREDELL CALHOUN, endorsed Ms. Peterson for D.A. in Hinds County.
OF COURSE she would endorse Ms. Peterson. It was Ms Calhoun's NEPHEW through her husband who took a stolen sanitized gun onto the Jackson State University Campus and shot another student. It was Ms. Peterson who DID NOT call the victim or the arresting officer to testify before the grand jury nor did she charge with him possession of a gun on a school campus.
This thug was in his early 30's and had a prior FELONY conviction related to cocaine. Ms. Calhoun even went so far as to write a letter, along with her husband, to the judge involved in the case pleading for leniency for the former coke-using shooter who apparently still has some connections (remember the stolen sanitized gun?).
After her nephew got off the hook in Hinds County due to a prosecution that looks awfully like it was tanked, it is no surprise at all that Ms. Hobson-CALHOUN endorsed Ms. Peterson.
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/05/when-it-comes-to-criminal-justice.html
2. The JFP claims that Mr. Patton (http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=14647_0_27_0_C), featured in one of Robert Smith's ads, recants his statements used in the ads and accused Mr. Smith of lying. Without getting into the veracity of the ad, it is interesting to note that Mr. Patton's lawyer is Precious Martin, a strong Faye Peterson supporter. Very interesting. Considering Mr. Smith is an eperienced trial lawyer but a political novice with no real experienced campaign managers, it probably would not be hard at all to pull a trick like that if one was so inclined.
3. The JFP also hit Smith with the charge in the same story that he was trolling for critics of Ms. Peterson. As if that publication has not been digging through all of his clients and posting the names of the most daming cases. He is a CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY!!! That means he will have more than a few unsavory cases and defendants. Choose ANY such attorney: Kirksey, Merrida Coxwell (OH MY GOSH, he defended a RACIST!!!), Vic Carmody (He gets drunken child killing drivers off of the hook, can't have that), et al, and you could make a similar case. What is next? Digging through the lists of patients seen by a doctor the next time one runs for office?
That lead sentence is nothing but a smear as that is plain old fashioned hardball politics. Ms. Peterson has engaged in such tactics as well as just about any other serious candidate for most offices. Of course, never mind he is defending the kind of clients championed by most of their readers.
Here are a list of posts regarding the D.A.'s race today:
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/08/blog-post_23.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/08/dont-forget-tuesday-hinds-county-da-did.html
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/05/when-it-comes-to-criminal-justice.html
Michael Yon, providing the best coverage of Iraq from the field, sends another dispatch. He does not work for any organization. He is a former member of Special Forces and has been living out in the field with the troops, eschewing the hit and run style of our media, which typically sends in a reporter for a few days or weeks who usually stays in the Green Zone, then brings him home. :
"Part One: The Paradox of Counterinsurgency
The principles and imperatives discussed above reveal that COIN presents a complex and often unfamiliar set of missions and considerations for a military commander. In many ways, the conduct of counterinsurgency is counterintuitive to the traditional American view of war—although it has actually formed a substantial part of America’s actual experience....
Any premature history of this war will be as simplistic as a woven carpet, but some patterns are clear even today: crushing Fallujah backfired. If only because the timing assured a near total Sunni boycott of the first and most important national election, the start of nation-building politics, the same process that is now so widely acknowledged as the only path to a secure and self-sufficient Iraq.....
Ironically, in Anbar Al Qaeda has become our best ally for killing al Qaeda. They’ve managed to do this directly, just by being al Qaeda. Despite the promised carrots, what Al Qaeda consistently delivered here was mostly stick, and with a special kind of hypocritical contempt that no sensible person would believe possible. (Not unlike the notion of baking the children of resistant parents or ordering shepards to diaper the corrupting genitals of goats.)
Al Qaeda has a management style—doing drugs, laying up sloppy drunk, raping women and boys, and cutting off heads, all while imposing strict morality laws on the locals—that makes it clear that they have one set of principles for themselves, and another for every one else.
In that kind of scheme, it didn’t take long before people in Anbar realized that any benefits from Al Qaeda having control would not be distributed equally. Once that realization spread, the tribal sheiks—almost all Sunni—had to consider the alternatives.
The sheiks of Anbar turned against al Qaeda because the sheiks are businessmen, and al Qaeda is bad for business. But they didn’t suddenly trust Americans just because they no longer trusted al Qaeda. They are not suddenly blood allies. This is business, and that’s fine, because if there is one thing America is good at, it’s business.
Reframed thus from a position of strength, this stage of the Anbar-war is more a sort of business transaction, where alliances beneficial to all sides—except Al Qaeda—are formed. From this perspective, there is now a moment of genuine ground-floor opportunity in Anbar, if the people here can see that by doing business with the Coalition, everyone benefits—except Al Qaeda—an exclusion that most can live with...."
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/the-ghosts-of-anbar-part-1-of-4.htm
The Jackson Free Press is reporting that the budget deficit for Jackson has ballooned from approximately $4 million dollars to $13 million dollars. As Adam Lynch reported:
"The city administration updated an earlier estimation of a $3.9 million budget deficit today at the 3 p.m. budget meeting. “The city is currently out of budget about $13.1 million,” said city Director of Administration Rick Hill...."
So how did this happen? The budget deficit TRIPLED in only a few months? In April the administration was stating it was only a $4.1 million deficit. Now four months later it is $13 million dollars? What the hell happened in four months? Did he put his flag football expert Melvin in charge of the finances? To their credit, some of the City Council members pressed for further details and were given short shrift by the administration. The Mayor will not even provide them with detailed budgets, as Mr. Lynch reported:
"The council had been expecting a phone book-sized collection of numbers, including itemized salaries and annual pay for each city employee, among other things. What they got was a 30-page budget summary."
The City Council has been unable to look at solutions to the deficit as the Mayor has refused to provide them with an itemized budget along with the appropriate explanations. Before a problem can be solved, it first has to be identified. The Mayor works for us, the citizens of Jackson. It his his job, no, his duty, to provide us and our representatives with a detailed budget, which is certainly more than 30 pages (Hell, audited financial statements for a medium-sized business can run 50 pages easily), so that it can be determined what needs to be done. Promises, accusations, and talking point memos aren't going to come up with $13 million dollars. What we need is a damned budget that is itemized that tells us EXACTLY what the projected revenues and expenditures are.
However, there is apparently a reason for the deficit. In typical fashion, Melton blamed someone else, this time the Johnson Administration. He claimed that "his internal auditors have discovered the city has run a deficit for years. He passed around a sheet composed by his staff that showed his first budget, fiscal 2006-07, inherited a $5.6 million revenue shortfall" (The Clarion-Ledger, August 21, 2007). Incidentally, his proposed solution is to raid the City's $7 million dollar rainy day fund, leaving Jackson with no reserves should an emergency like Katrina or one of Melton's so-called state of emergencies face Jackson again.
Even if one takes Melton's claims at face value, which experience shows is foolish, that still does not explain why the deficit is $13 million. If there was mismanagement by the prior administration Mayor, why don't you call in the state auditor's office? They are pretty good at finding corruption you know. Hmmm...I wonder if that is why they have not been called. An independent audit of the city finances could be done, which would show the public how bad they were when Melton assumed office. Sorry Mayor, but considering how you have repeatedly blamed everyone else and were found guilty of lying under oath in court, some of your citizens aren't so quick to take your claims at face value, especially when Mayor Johnson was required by law not to have a budget that was at a deficit.
Of course, Melton's blaming Mayor Johnson follows the pattern he set with reporting crime. He first refused to release any crime statistics, then junked the reporting system the city used. The media had to go to court in order to get any information at first on the crime problem while he accused the Johnson administration of providing false crime statistics, something that was never proved. Meanwhile, the FBI investigates and the budget spirals out of control.
The more this mayor is in office, the more apparent it is he has no friggin clue and is running this city by the seat of his pants.
related story:
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=13145_0_27_0_C
Update: hmmm...just had a thought. Ongoing FBI investigation, Mayor refuses to release an itemized budget, huge deficit, Mayor blames everyone else............
Update: Got some clarification. The JFP wasn't clear on one thing. There is a 13 million dollar deficit. However it is for NEXT year's budget (called the intentions), not the current budget. However, that is STILL a disaster.
For those of you who think Barbour has totally botched Mississippi's recovery from Katrina, there is always Blanco. From The Times-Picayune:
"Gov. Kathleen Blanco's administration had valid reasons to complain when Louisiana didn't get its fair share of federal money for alternative housing such as the so-called Katrina Cottages.
After all, the 2005 hurricanes laid waste to more than 200,000 homes in Louisiana, almost three times as many as in Mississippi. Yet FEMA gave Mississippi almost four times more money for alternative housing than Louisiana. To this day, the federal agency has stubbornly refused to correct the inequity.
But now Gov. Blanco's administration is shooting itself in the foot -- and hurting families who need housing -- by moving too slowly in launching the program
Eight months after FEMA distributed the federal allocation, our state doesn't even have a deal with contractors to spend the $74.5 million it received. By contrast, 108 Mississippi families are already living in alternative housing units, with almost 700 other families identified as potential recipients....."
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-4/118793565353280.xml&coll=1
http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/family_epics/marcello/1.html
Carlos grew into a squat, tough and muscular image of his father. He was always the leader of the pack among his siblings, who learned to accept the fact that he was the boss and gave him their untiring loyalty and support. He left school at the age of fourteen. By then, he was entrusted by his father to deliver the farm produce over the ferry to the market in New Orleans, and fight there for the best prices among the produce dealers and wholesalers. The vegetable and fruit markets had long been under the control of the Mafia and it was inevitable that young Carlos would become involved with people connected to the dreaded secret society that was already well established in this part of America.....
Although it cannot be stated with absolute certainty, it is highly probable that the Mafia established itself here in America for the first time. In the years to come, men of a similar nature and criminal predilection would form into clans, or borgatas, in the major cities of America such as New York, Cleveland, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and even smaller urban areas such as Denver, Minneapolis, Rochester and San Jose. But in the latter half of the nineteenth century, the "honoured society" was growing and consolidating its power base in Louisiana. ....."
Pour yourself a drink, relax in a comfortable chair, and enjoy this article. It is long, but it is a fascinating read. If you like this story, read Murder, Inc.
Apparently in the interest of diversity NW Rankin H.S. is going to have a Black Student Body President and a White Student Body President along with corresponding vice-presidents.
I wish I were making this up.
Why is it, when I voice my opinion at the office to a male, I am labeled a “b” word, when moments later, he states the same exact opinion to another male, and it is readily accepted.
I recently read an article in the paper, Clarion Liar, I mean Ledger, about how some women are constantly torn in their careers between being assertive and moving up the corporate ladder, and at the same time, trying not to appear as a “b” word to their cohorts and upper management. I SO understand the problem, as I experience it on a daily basis in my own office.
I am probably older than 90% of the males in my office and I’ve worked for over 20 years. Needless to say, I’ve seen all kinds of personalities and behaviors. One behavior never ceasing to amaze me is how women are so quick to draw criticism for just doing their job. Offering suggestions and even stating the obvious makes her a witch on a broom.
There is no answer or solution to this I know. It still remains a mans’ world in the workplace, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Now, when I am assertive and ask a guy out, even a younger guy, I hear NO complaints. In the bedroom, I have never had a guy complain when I am assertive. Would YOU complain if you are male? How many Southern belles have you been with who still believe in the old missionary standard? I won't even venture into the oral debate.
In those assertive times, I’m called no bad words and I even get a smile offered back to me, and yes, several callbacks. Perhaps that is why I will wear the Cougar label proudly, because at least in the dating and relationship world, I am allowed to be myself and I am accepted for it.
It’s your turn. Answer the poll and let’s see what YOUR favorite female personality type is. Also as always, let me hear from you: dwfinms@gmail.com
You know things are wrong in Astro-land when even a wedding proposal can't go off smoothly.
During Monday night's 7-0 loss to the Nationals at Minute Maid Park, a fan failed in his public attempt at asking his girlfriend to marry him, the Houston Chronicle reported on its Web site.
With the couple on display on the stadium's jumbotron, the male fan got down on one knee to present the ring. The woman, wearing a replica Astros jersey, appeared to dump a bag of popcorn on the man before hastily making her way up the stairs amid a chorus of boos, the newspaper reported.
The man left after the top of the sixth inning, cheered and consoled by an apparently sympathetic crowd.
"If it was an act, she put on a good one," Astros manager Phil Garner was quoted as saying after the game. "She looked totally surprised and then totally mad. We couldn't even get a proposal right down here tonight.
"We lead the league in marriage proposals, and we couldn't get that one right tonight."
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7141730
The New York Police Department recently issued a study on U.S.-based Islamic terrorism that is worthy reading by serious-minded people:
The NYPD’s understanding of the threat from Islamic-based terrorism to New York City has evolved since September 11, 2001. While the threat from overseas remains, terrorist attacks or thwarted plots against cities in Europe, Australia and Canada since 2001 fit a different paradigm. Rather than being directed from al-Qaeda abroad, these plots have been conceptualized and planned by “unremarkable” local residents/citizenswho sought to attack their country of residence, utilizing al-Qaeda as their inspiration and ideological reference point.....
Where once we would have defined the initial indicator of the threat at the point where a terrorist or group of terrorists would actually plan an attack, we have now shifted our focus to a much earlier point—a point where we believe the potential terrorist or group of terrorists begin and progress through a process of radicalization. The culmination of this process is a terrorist attack.
Understanding this trend and the radicalization process in the West that drives“unremarkable” people to become terrorists is vital for developing effective counterstrategiesand has special importance for the NYPD and the City of New York. As oneof the country’s iconic symbols and the target of numerous terrorist plots since the1990’s, New York City continues to be among the top targets of terrorists worldwide......
An assessment of the various reported models of radicalization leads to the conclusion that the radicalization process is composed of four distinct phases:
• Stage 1: Pre-Radicalization
• Stage 2: Self-Identification
• Stage 3: Indoctrination
• Stage 4: Jihadization....
The NYPD’s understanding of the threat from Islamic-based terrorism to New York City has evolved since September 11, 2001. Where once we would have defined the initial indicator of the threat at the point where a terrorist or group of terrorists would actually plan an attack, we have now shifted our focus to a much earlier point—a point where we believe the potential terrorist or group of terrorists begin and progress through a processof radicalization. The culmination of this process is a terrorist attack.....
However, as al-Qaeda’s central core of leaders, operatives, and foot soldiers shrunk, its philosophy of global jihad spread worldwide at an exponential rate via radical Internet websites and chat rooms, extremist videotapes and literature, radical speeches byextremist imams—often creating a radical subculture within the more vulnerable Muslim diaspora communities. This post-September 11 wave of militant ideological influences underpins radicalization in the West and is what we define as the homegrown threat..."
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/pdf/dcpi/NYPD_Report-Radicalization_in_the_West.pdf
The study also contains a report by the Rand Corporation that is worth reading as well. The NYPD study contains some very valuable insights, focusing on how Al Qaida has shifted its tactics and seeks to radicalize Americans in order to further its jihadist goals. The way to deal with this threat is to bring it out in the open as the NYPD has done, making society aware of the threat instead of ignoring it as CAIR would prefer.
One may wonder why the NYPD issued such a report. As Peggy Noonan wrote:
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told me, "I want a better understanding on the part of all law enforcement as to how radicalism takes place. This report connects the dots." It is also meant to heighten awareness. If the terror of the future is homegrown, local eyes will see it first. Cofer Black, former director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, told me that an important message of the report is similar to the signs on New York subways and in train stations: "If you see something, say something.".....
All who follow American antiterrorism efforts closely wind up looking to what they call "the New York model." The city consistently seems more advanced than the feds in this area. There are reasons New York is so good. They've already had a catastrophe, which sharpens the mind. They know they're still and always a target. .."
They are still a target. That pretty much sums up the reason for the study and why we should pay attention to it.
Additional commentary by Peggy Noonan of The Wall Street Journal:http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110010480
Related article written by Counter-terrorism expert:
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/06/knowing-al-qaida.html
Just looked through the Mississippi Bar's website: http://www.mslawyer.com/.
There is no section publicizing disciplinary actions taken against lawyers, which are published in the Bar's magazine. Is anyone surprised?
Update: Well, credit this to Mark Lyon, who gave the proper links below:
http://www.msbar.orghttp://www.mssc.state.ms.us/Ethics Opinions: http://www.msbar.org/ethic_opinions.phpSearch S.Sct. Opinions for "Discipline": http://www.mssc.state.ms.us/ISYS/isysquery/B1804FDB-D7B6-4ACE-B153-B4513F929F30/1-10/list/
Now, I could have just deleted the post altogether or just left the post alone along with the comment. However, the site does have the jackassery label on it and sometimes being a jackass also turns you into, you guessed it, a dumbass. I went to mslayer.com because that is the publication where the opinions are printed. Credit to Mr. Lyon for showing me up and posting the proper information. I stand corrected and offer my sincere and public apologies to the legal profession. Unlike other pundits, I don't ban posters or offer some logical labyrinth worthy of a 200 year old yogi playing twister to justify my mistake. Nope, I offer the apologies and take the ass-whipping.
Now, what is brown and black and looks good on a lawyer?
a Doberman. ;-)
I was surprised as everyone else at Congressman Pickering's decision to not run for re-election. One thing that caught my attention was his statement reported in the August 18 edition of The Clarion-Ledger:
" Republicans lost power in Washington last November and Pickering became the assistant minority whip.
The change had "some" influence on his decision.
"It is different being in the minority," he said. "For my temperament and personality, probably being in the majority and building the coalitions to govern - I'm more suited for that."
This is a perfect example of why Democrats beat the Republicans in Washington on a regular basis. Politics is in reality a street fight. It is about serving the public and the national interest but too often it is a fight requiring brass knuckles and the willingness to use them. Compare Congressman Pickering's statement with Newt Gingrich. Gingrich served in Congress when the mere idea of a Republican Congressional majority was considered to be proof of insanity. Gingrich didn't care as he spoke out every night on CSPAN during the special orders period, went on the cable news shows, taking on the Republican establishment, the Democrats, and the media. Can anyone imagine Gingrich making such a statement? Better yet, can anyone imagine Pickering taking the path of Gingrich?
Then there is this gem from Mr. Herring, Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party:
"(Democrats) will say they're like you. They'll say, 'I go to church with you,' 'My kids go to school with yours,' " he said in the McComb Enterprise-Journal. "But when they go to the Legislature, they'll vote with the black caucus and support Hillary Clinton."
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=14574_0_67_0_C
What Mr. Herring said was pretty stupid. He will probably claim he was referring to liberal interest groups. However, there are plenty of liberal interest groups that are not Black. It makes him look like he is engaging in race-baiting even if he didn't intend to do so. Someone as experienced as he is in politics knows better, which makes any denial suspect. As one can see from the linked thread, it merely gives the conscience of Jackson, Donna Ladd, and her allies the opportunity to beat you up with the race card.
However, before The Jackson Free Press gets tooooo carried away in bashing Mr. Herring, it STILL has not published any criticism of the Black Wizard, Democratic Party Committee Member Ike Brown for his letter to The Clarion-Ledger in which he declared war on all White Democratic office-holders:
"As a result of Judge Pepper's ruling, progressive Democrats will control all statewide and local Democratic nominations; they constitute 85 percent of the party base. "Blue Dogs" like Eric Clark and Jim Hood, Sheriff Malcolm McMillin, Barbara Dunn, Jack Gordon, etc., have won their last Democratic nomination.'
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2007/06/ike-brown-democrat-party-official.html
Ike Brown, recently found guilty in court of racial discrimination, made quite clear his intention to run out of office all White office holders in his own party. While the JFP has criticized him for his antics in Noxubee County, it has remained silent on his letter. It is somewhat hypocritical to sit there and accuse Herring of race-baiting while giving Ike Brown a pass when he explicitly does the same. However, I am sure there is some logical reason for it. They are a local paper, they don't cover all state issues, they have criticized Ike Brown on other things, they _______________ (fill in the blank ye trolls).
What is this about Frank Melton traveling around Jackson like Idi Amine or some other two bit dicatator? This is from Yallpolitics.com:
"Last Tuesday I was driving north on Ridgewood Drive (a few blocks from Lakeland) in Jackson about 6:30 pm. There was little traffic.
Suddenly, from over the rise, there appeared--a cavalcade, an entourage, a procession of police cars with blue lights ablazing. There were either 4 or 6 police cars; 2 (3) in front, a black sedan, followed by 2 (3) behind. Like big ducks in a row, single file.
The police cars were dark. They were NOT black and whites, or blue and whites. The car in the middle appeared to be a sedan, not an SUV (although I was so startled by the lights I could have been mistaken). At first I thought it must be some really important dignitary in town on his/her way to the airport. I knew it couldn’t be Haley--it was too foolish and fussy and self-important for his style. Could it have been a really important witness in a criminal trial, or worse, a prisoner on his/her way to jail?
I just couldn’t figure out who would require all this manpower, lights, cars, gasoline, and silliness in the middle of the day on the way to where?????????
I described this scene to many folks who rolled their eyes and said, “Don’t you know, you silly goose? That’s Frank!”
I’d heard mention of this nonsense by Kim Wade on his radio show, but I thought Kim might be exaggerating (who, Kim, exaggerate?). "
http://yallpolitics.com/index.php/yp/post/4776/#19470
Anyway, these are just some musings on a Sunday night while listening to the Requiem.
