[Kamikaze] Wrangle the Crazies
OK, I get it. There are varying opinions on the new health-care bill. You have some who are staunchly in favor of the resolution. Others are none too fond of …
[Tatum] My Personal Easter
It's easier to gather a breeze in a basket than to totally grasp the mystery of Easter.
[Balko] Progress and Challenges in Mississippi
Last week Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour signed House Bill 1456, which would require anyone conducting autopsies in the state to be certified in forensic pathology by the American Board of …
For Those We Love
We buried my cousin Anita last week. She was a beautiful, saucy blonde who used to tag around her brother Martie and me back on Fork Road in Neshoba County. …
Bluster Isn't Enough, Governor
Earlier this week, Gov. Haley Barbour announced that he would sue the federal government over the new health-care law the U.S. Congress passed March 21. In his usual windy style …
[Stiggers] Rabid Race Mixers
Mr. Announcement: "On this episode of 'All God's Churn Got Shoes,' members and supporters of Operation White Backlash have organized a Tea Party protest rally and barbeque outside the offices …
[Hutchinson] An Ugly Glare
The throng of angry whites jeered, catcalled and spat out borderline racial insults at the small group of mostly black protesters. The charged racial confrontation happened March 14, 2010, in …
[Balko] Pre-Crime Policing
To hear them tell it, the five police agencies who apprehended 39-year-old Oregonian David Pyles early on the morning of March 8 thwarted another lone-wolf mass murderer. The police "were …
Thinking ‘Locals' First
It's hard to believe Mal's St. Paddy's Parade—and the attendant celebrations both downtown and elsewhere—are already upon us. It doesn't seem like it's been long enough since the Great Snowman …
‘Good Enough' Isn't
Mississippi has not had a state medical examiner for the past 15 years. To fill that hole, the state has relied mainly on Dr. Steven Hayne, a decision that has …
[Stiggers] Vicious Whack
Boneqweesha Jones: "Live from the new Hair Did University television studio, it's time for 'Qweesha Live: 2010 Edition.'
[Kamikaze] A Work in Progress
You'll have to excuse me. I'm writing this column in somewhat of a sleepy haze. You see, sleep has devilishly escaped me for the past few days. I wish it …
[Moore] My Life as a Tree
My life was as normal as it could be my first half-century.
[Balko] The Other Broken Windows Fallacy
One of the central themes of the critically acclaimed HBO series "The Wire" was the pressure politicians put on police brass, who then apply it to the department's middle management, …
[Ladd] Ain't That Something
Not long ago, Todd and I were downtown to see "Groovaloo" at Thalia Mara. As we walked to the car, an obviously homeless man walked up and respectfully asked us …
Bring Development to Earth
Tea-partiers and fiscal conservatives make a lot of noise about how much citizens pay in taxes—income, property, sales and so forth—decrying any effort toward increased spending on health care or …
[Stiggers] Whooty Whoot Time
Mr. Whooty Whoot Man: "Good morning! And welcome to the 'Mr. Whooty Whoot' television show. This program is brought to you by a tiny grant from the Poor Ghetto Children's …
A Yankee Reporter in the Bible Belt
I drove 19 hours to get from New York to Mississippi. Nearly a dozen cans of Coke kept me from falling asleep and drifting into oncoming traffic. The only company …
[Collier] The Sweetest Taboo
This past Valentine's Day I got two things: a single white rose–which every woman older than 18 received at church that day–and a card from my mother. That's it. No …
Happiness Worth Celebrating
In my own relationship with an abusive man, "You're the best" turned fairly quickly into "I'm the only one who loves you," along with overt attempts to demonize my friends …
