Be Vigilant
Donna Ladd's "My Kind of Tea Party," which appeared in your July 15-21, 2010, issue, brought back vivid memories of a few people who spoke out against unbridled racist propaganda …
[Mott] ‘Bring On the Rest'
Driving away from Parchman Penitentiary on the night Mississippi executed Joseph Burns, I was having trouble putting my feelings into words. I had just watched a man die in front …
Condemn the Cowardice
Men get a bad rap. Oftentimes we deserve it. But generally—luckily—the many good ones among us overshadow the bad apples. As we look forward to the annual JFP Chick Ball …
Don't Soft-Pedal Domestic Abuse
Under Mississippi state law, it is too easy to get away with abusing animals and spouses. And too often, the same people do both.
[Stiggers] Renegade Runaway
Mr. Announcement: "Controversial independent filmmaker Kunta ‘Rahsheed X' Toby presents a scene from his new epic movie ‘Kunta King James: Runaway Franchise Athlete.' Look for guest cameo appearances from Rev. …
[Purvis] Wasteland of Empty Promises
"Call—call the police!" I stammered through the phone tenuously gripped in my trembling hand. I was kneeling in my mother's living room in the midst of broken glass and a …
Hole-Filled Souls
I know a woman who lives in the house with her children, her husband and his violent temper. She wears a mask. This woman, whenever I see her, has a …
[Balko] Justice For Johannes Mehserle
Early the morning of Jan. 1, 2009, in a now-infamous incident that dozens of cell phones captured on video and then replayed across the globe, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) …
My Kind of Tea Party
Recently, I was asked to appear on a local cable talk show to talk about issues of the day. I didn't think much about it; it sounded easy and innocent …
Find Another Way
Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant is no stranger to right-wing nuttery, but he offered a prime example of conservative hysteria in comments in a July 12 article in The Clarion-Ledger. Suggesting …
[Stiggers] Where is the Love?
Brother Hustle: "Bill Withers sang it best: ‘Sometimes in our lives/We all have pain/We all have sorrow./But if we are wise/We know that there's always tomorrow.' I also like what …
[Beety] The Cost of Death
On July 21, the state of Mississippi is scheduled to put Joseph Daniel Burns Mississippian, murderer and father of three—to death. Our state has executed only 10 men over the …
[Balko] A Case Study in Local News Futility
The Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism recently surveyed 490 hours of local news reports in the Los Angeles area and …
Facing ‘Generation Debt'
About two and a half years ago--a few months before I graduated college--my grandmother said something I'll never forget: "Just wait; after college, that's when your standard of living really …
Start the Apollo Project for Clean Energy
It's time for an "Apollo Project" for clean energy in America.
It's time for an "Apollo Project" for clean energy in America.
[Stiggers] Branding the Unemployed
Boneqweesha Jones: "I heard James Brown paraphrase a Bible verse at the end of one of his songs: ‘If you don't work, you don't eat.' And right now in America, …
[Kamikaze] The Key Ingredient to Growth
Every growing city has major problems. Jackson is no different. It is a blossoming metropolis, but is not without its issues: crumbling infrastructure; old water pipes; bad roads; understaffed police …
[Hutchinson] Michael Jackson: A Threat?
Pop king Michael Jackson has been dead for one year. But the controversy that surrounded his life didn't end with his death. On June 25, the eve of the first …
[Balko] Confirmation Theater
My task this week is to write a column on how criminal-justice issues are likely to play out at the Elena Kagan confirmation hearings, and how her expected confirmation will …
I Punched the Hole
OK, I admit it: I'm obsessed with the gusher in the Gulf. I spend part of every day looking for some new outrage or updated numbers on how much oil …
