Jackson Free Press

To Live and Die in Dixie

Sometimes the light comes from unexpected places. Last week, I sat down in front of my monitor and my e-mail blooped in. There was one from Jill Conner Browne, the …

Bennie G. Thompson (Democrat, Incumbent)

"/> A native of Bolton, Mississippi, Congressman Thompson was educated in the public schools of Hinds County, Mississippi. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Tougaloo …

City Buzz: Remember The Alamo

[City Buzz] The Jury is Out, Way Out

The Mayor and the Cowboy

Hundreds of Jackson citizens poured through the doors of the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center to hear Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. give the annual State of the City address …

Former Gov. Kirk Fordice Dead at 70

Here is a statement from his family, following by a statement from Gov. Haley Barbour: "It is with a sad heart that our family announces the death of Daniel Kirkwood …

The Death of Conservatism (As We Know It)?

Conservative columnist David Brooks rethinks today's Republican Party in the cover story of this week's New York Times Magazine: "Democrats may imagine that the G.O.P. is an amalgam of fat …

Bush Again a ‘Compassionate Conservative'

AP is reporting: "For months, President Bush has been courting his core conservative supporters. Now, in a New York minute, he's shifting his focus to moderates, independents and Democrats not …

This Here Alternative Universe

I'm sitting here, OK lying here, in a humongous, brick-colored sofa far away from Jackson in the Pacific Northwest, counting my blessings about life in Mississippi. I didn't start out …

‘Merit' in Mississippi

The teacher merit-pay mindset is attracting more believers here in Mississippi, despite hesitation on the part of teachers' organizations and many lawmakers who worry that it's just another way to …

‘Merit Pay:' So Many Meanings, So Little Time

Some people might find it confusing that so-called liberal Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., supported President George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" act, and is pushing for "merit pay" during …

Civil Anarchy

Monica Baldwin, a member of Pro-Life Mississippi, an anti-abortion organization, sued the city on July 15 for its anti-noise ordinance that was stopping her organization from using a keyboard to …

Taking the Long View

Once again, determined legislators beat the Medicaid drum at the Capitol on Monday, Aug. 9, when about a dozen of them gathered to demand that Gov. Haley Barbour reconsider his …

JFP INDEX: Feed, Then Starve, The Beast

•Amount, in billions, of U.S. budget surplus when G. W. Bush took office: $230

•Amount of 2004 U.S. budget that's going to Medicare: $300 billion

Quote o' the Week

— Gov. Haley Barbour, Neshoba County Fair, July 29, 2004

"Mississippi taxpayers shouldn't pay for health care coverage that the federal government will pay for."

Bold New Party?

<b>New Dem Head Wayne Dowdy on Faux Elephants and Young Voters

It's hard to get past Wayne Dowdy's name. Through no fault of his own, the new head of the Mississippi Democratic Party—a Millsaps grad, a grandfather and a U.S. congressman …

No Worry: The Feds Will Pay for Medicare (Maybe)

In a bizarre twist in ideology, Gov. Haley Barbour told Neshoba County Fair go-ers Thursday that the federal government should pick up the tab for the health-care costs of poor …

Where are the Rock Stars?

When Judy Coleman was 16, she watched MTV's "Rock the Vote" special "Choose or Lose" religiously. The rock stars sucked her in.

Of Sin and Politics

I remember being surprised when I got old enough to realize that not everyone had a yearly "giant house party" in their home county. In fact, the Neshoba County Fair …

Index: Your Vote Count?

• The percentage of Americans that voted in the 2000 presidential election: 54.7

• The number of Mississippians between 18 and 35: approx. 692,500• The number of Mississippians who voted in the 2000 election: 993, 571• The number of eligible Mississippi voters who …