Story
Whitlow Comes Out Swinging
May 12, 2005 Even as Frank Melton savored his Democratic primary win—and presumed shoo-in candidacy for mayor—his Republican opponent said it ain't over until it's over. In a press conference …
Story
City & County
'Tired, Frustrated': Rape Charges, Festival Funds Roil City Council
The Jackson City Council amended the agenda at its Tuesday meeting to have a discussion with Jackson Police Chief James Davis regarding events that occurred over the Memorial Day holiday …
Story
Crime
'Anti-Gang' Bills: One Alive As Experts Warn About Downside
Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, did not want to debate the "anti-gang" bill for long this morning, and after about half an hour, he tabled House Bill 541, noting that the …
Story
SUNSHINE WEEK: Even as Political Spending Explodes, Disclosure Remains Hazy
Politicians in Mississippi have used campaign money to pay for such things as a BMW, an RV and $800 cowboy boots.
Story
Politics
After Mississippi Stops, 2020 Presidential Candidates Emerge, Patrick Out
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick was among potential Democratic presidential candidates who recently campaigned for Mike Espy in Mississippi, but now says he will not run, even as others who …
Story
Immigration
Bryant Urges Trump to Close Border, Threatening 40,800 Mississippi Jobs
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant cheered on President Trump’s threats to shut down the border between the U.S. and Mexico, even though such a move would threaten $2.5 billion in trade …
Story
Crime
Talamieka Brice’s Film Honors Her Children, Faces Brutal History of Race Violence
Talamieka Brice wrote, directed and illustrated “A Mother’s Journey,” a film that follows her process in addressing traumas of the past in a quest to seek healing.
Story
Story
Cover
Are Judges Up for Sale in Mississippi?
In October, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to address an appeal by convicted Mississippi attorney Paul Minor and former judges Walter "Wes" Teel and John Whitfield, who a U.S. District …
Story
Jackson's Eleven: The JFP's Young Influentials of 2007
On the following pages, you'll find profiles of the JFP'S 2007 11 Young Influentials. These outstanding individuals are 40 and younger, and each has significant impact on the people around …
Story
"Don't tase me, bro!"
That's what Andrew Meyer yelled out while police officers restrained him at a John Kerry campus forum. The reason: asking too many questions.
Story
Business
The Payday Playbook: How High-Cost Lenders Fight to Stay Legal
Outrage over payday loans, which trap millions of Americans in debt and are the best-known type of high-cost loans, has led to dozens of state laws aimed at stamping out …
Story
City & County
And LGBTQ Rights March On: The Who, What, How in Mississippi
Although there is growing support for equal rights in both Jackson and the state, legislation like SB 2681 has the potential to encourage and legalize discrimination, harking back to Jim …
Story
It's P-Day! Debate Party in the Red Room!
Here at the office, I'm referring to today as P-Day. Take that as you will. To celebrate it, we are gathering tonight to watch the vice presidential debate in the …
Story
Protect Yourself From Auto Burglary
Why am I typing this at 4:30 AM? My sister called and said that someone broke into her van and stole her car radio. Before you say, "I'm leaving Jackson," …
Story
Cover
The Circus is in Town: 2013 Legislative Preview
Gov. Phil Bryant has big plans for the 2013 legislative session. For the past few months, he’s been busy selling his agenda.
Story
Politics
GOP Kills Tort Reform Amendment Requiring 'Reasonable' Safety Efforts
Businesses no longer would have to "take reasonable steps" to prevent violence on their premises after Republicans defeated a proposed amendment to a "tort-reform" bill working through the Mississippi Legislature, …
Story
Food
What to Do on New Year’s Eve '14
On New Year's Eve, Hal & Mal's hosts its fifth annual 'Sippi the Catfish Drop. The event begins at 11:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Story
Politics
Legislative Update: Tort Reform, Heartbeat Bills, Teacher Pay Moves Forward
On Feb. 13, the House and Senate passed "fetal heartbeat" bills, which ban abortions after a heartbeat is detected. Doctors can detect heartbeats as early as six weeks, making it …
Entry
Why does the Ledger's Brian Eason ooze contempt for so many Jacksonians?
By Donna LaddOK, Snark King, it's your turn.
I've had it in the back of my head to blog about a really offensive post by The Clarion-Ledger's city reporter Brian Eason for weeks now, but it had fallen to the side in the need to report actual news. But while cleaning up my desk today, I started noticing a pattern—first from a clipping of another snarky thing he wrote calling a whole city office stupid, and then I saw a blog post belittling an enterprise story by our staff this week, but without actually saying what was in it or linking to it. So here's my Friday afternoon round-up of what I've been noticing about Mr. Eason's snark, which I assume is meant to be humor, except none of it is funny.
No. 1. Don't dare compare crime to terrorism, dumb little council candidate. After 20-year-old minister Corinthian Sanders decided to get involved enough to run for City Council, he made the mistake of saying that the "terrorism" of crime was one of his top priorities (as if he's the first to ever say that here). Sanders told the Jackson Free Press: "Let’s talk about getting our lawbreakers, criminals—I call them terrorists….(If) you can’t go anywhere without killing someone or robbing someone or terrorizing someone, that’s terror, (and) you’re a terrorist; you’re a domestic terrorist.” The mention of the word terrorism tickled Eason's funny bone. He snarked:
"To my knowledge, no major terrorist attacks have occurred or been planned on our streets, and the Jackson Police Department reported no terrorist incidents in 2012, according to its published crime stats. But maybe that’s what the terrorists want us to think.
"Lest anyone think Sanders is trying to politicize the Boston Marathon bombing, rest assured, his commitment to fighting terrorism on the streets of Jackson predated the explosions at the marathon.
"But while Sanders listed counter-terrorism as his No. 2 priority, right behind “protect, improve and increase affordable housing,” none of his competitors — or, indeed, any other candidates in the entire metro area — mentioned local terrorism as a problem worthy of their consideration.
Eason's blog post shows he later clarified what Sanders meant, and quoted Sanders' above words from the JFP in an addendum to the snark-post, but that nasty horse was out of Eason's barn by then. That's what you get for running for office in Jackson, Corinthian. The ire of a native Dallasonian. And I really don't know what all his references to monkey videos on your Facebook page were about, and don't care.
No. 2. In a post called "Common sense? Not at clerk's office," Eason showed the entire staff of the Jackson city clerk's office not to mess with him, no sir. He was irked that he couldn't get election results from the clerk's office at 11 a.m. the day after the primary. They didn't have certified results available, yet, and gave him a bit of a runaround. OK, it's fair to …
