Jackson Free Press

Mississippi may be in the midst of the nation's slimiest political contest, the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Now, a new study purports that Mississippi is indeed the crookedest state in the union. Researchers at Indiana University and University of Hong Kong "studied more than 25,000 convictions of public officials for violation of federal corruption laws between 1976 and 2008 as well as patterns in state spending to develop a corruption index that estimates the most and least corrupt states in the union."

The full article is not publicly available, but based on the study's methods, Mississippi tops of the corruption list—surpassing even Illinois where two of the last three governors served time in federal prison on corruption charges—whose Top 10 is full of other southern state:

1. Mississippi
2. Louisiana
3. Tennessee
4. Illinois
5. Pennsylvania
6. Alabama
7. Alaska
8. South Dakota
9. Kentucky
10. Florida

It should be noted that by some other measures, Mississippi has one of the nation's lowest "corruption risks," thanks to a strong state auditor and insurance commissioner, both of whom are elected in Mississippi, unlike in some other states.

The campaign of state Sen. Chris McDaniel issued the following statement about McDaniel's latest high-profile endorsement for U.S. Senate:

Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Mississippi today announced he received the endorsement of former U.S. House Representative and presidential candidate Dr. Ron Paul.

"Ron Paul has been an inspiration to so many to become involved in politics and to engage the system, which is exactly what our nation needs at this crucial juncture," McDaniel said. "Dr. Paul is a true champion for civil liberties and opponent of government overreach and out-of-control spending, and I'm very excited to have his endorsement in our fight for liberty in Mississippi," McDaniel concluded.

On his endorsement, Dr. Paul said, "Chris McDaniel has been a fighter in the Mississippi Senate for smaller government and more personal liberties. We need Chris McDaniel in the U.S. Senate and I am proud to endorse his campaign."

McDaniel has been endorsed by a wide array of elected officials and organizations, including , Gary Bauer, Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum, Phyllis Schlafly, American Conservative Union, Club for Growth, Family Research Council, FreedomWorks, Gun Owners of America, Madison Project, National Association for Gun Rights, Senate Conservatives Fund, Tea Party Express, and Tea Party Patriots, Coalition to Reduce Spending, and Young Americans for Liberty.

Chris McDaniel is a constitutional conservative running for United States Senate. He represents District 42 in the Mississippi State Senate in his second term where he fights for individual liberty, free markets and fiscal responsibility in government.

I've been asked a couple times recently by national media to comment on the Senate race between Thad Cochran and Chris McDaniel (and, oh, Travis Childers). I begged out of an MSNBC request a couple weeks ago because I just couldn't get excited to talk about it. But when The Guardian wanted to contract me this past Monday to write a column, I said OK. But my main thought was, "I just don't give a damn." I've watched election after election pass with no candidate for even moderate Mississippians to vote for. Our city and state are brimming with good people who want progress for the state, and we get stuck with the worst candidates, brimming with backward ideas, and told we HAVE to vote for the Democrat among them any way.

Meantime, we watch the Democrats lose over and over again.

I don't want "apathy," as somebody accused on Twitter. I want just the opposite: I want Mississippians to demand better from the candidates then the most reasonable one loving all over the NRA and bashing women's reproductive freedom. We need to demand, at least, that Travis Childers, the Democratic nominee not campaign against our rights, and actually address solutions to health care, povery and other vital 21st-century populist issues. If he wallows in the mud with the wingnuts, it's not ME who is encouraging apathy. It is up to him and the Democratic Party to break that apathy and be inspiring, rather than try to out-conservative the conservatives.

I don't identify with any political party (don't even really like the concept), so perhaps it's easy for me to take this stand in an international newspaper. But the response has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from southerners; my Twitter feed and Facebook post on it are filled with cheers. It's as if everyone wanted to say this, but didn't quite know how to say it out loud. But I said it. Read more here, post under The Guardian piece if you want (many great comments of various positions), and then come on back and talk about it here on southern soil.

The Mississippi primary? Frankly, my dear conservatives, I don't give a damn

If you've been itching to see Bruno Mars live, this weekend is your chance. He'll be playing the FedEx Forum in Memphis on 6/6. If that's not good enough, head down to New Orleans and catch his set at the Smoothie King Center on 6/7. Either way, you're sure to have a great time. Why not just go to both shows?

If you need to stay away from the Enormodome and just want some good rock music, check out Better Than Ezra at the Golden Nugget Casino in Biloxi on 6/7.

Tupelo pays tribute to its native son, Elvis at the Tupelo Elvis Festival at the Bancorp South Arena on 6/6.

If you just want to stay home and listen to records, then there's plenty of new stuff to keep you inside all weekend long:

Miranda Lambert - Platinum (Country)

Bob Mould - Beauty & Ruin (Noise Pop)

Fucked Up - Glass Boys (Rock)

Die Antwoord - Donker Mag (Dance)

Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal (Rock)

Meshell Ndegeocello - Comet, Come to Me (Pop/Rock)

Echo & the Bunnymen - Meteorites (Alternative)

Joe Henry - Invisible Hour (Pop/Rock)

50 Cent - Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire to Win (Rap)

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Only Run (Rock)

Camper Van Beethoven - El Camino Real (Alternative)

Dave Alvin / Phil Alvin - Common Ground: Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin Play and Sing the Songs of Big Bill Broonzy (Americana)

Devon Williams - Gilding the Lily (Pop)

Morrissey - Vauxhall & I [20th Anniversary Edition Definitive] (Alternative)

Cypress Grove / Lydia Lunch - A Fistful of Desert Blues (Punk)

Big Smo - Kuntry Livin' (Country)

Harry Dean Stanton - Partly Fiction (Americana)

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/jun/04/17632/

The U.S. Justice Department announced an investigation of the Raymond Detention center. Here's the full release:

The Justice Department announced today that it is opening a pattern or practice investigation of Hinds County Detention Center including both the Hinds County facility in Raymond, Mississippi, and the Jackson Detention Center, in Jackson, Mississippi. The investigation will focus on whether Hinds County protects prisoners from harm at the hands of other prisoners and staff. Attorneys for the County Board and the Sheriff were notified on June 2, 2014. They pledged cooperation with the investigation

The department opened the investigation pursuant to the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. The investigation will include a comprehensive review of policies, procedures, and records, as well as interviews with county officials, jail administrators, staff, and current and former inmates. The Justice Department will also reach out to other stakeholders, including members of the community and groups with knowledge of conditions in the two facilities.

“Our investigation will focus on whether Hinds County protects prisoners from the harm that can result from prisoner on prisoner violence and the improper use of force,” said Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “We have not prejudged this matter, and will seek cooperation from county officials and other stakeholders during the course of the investigation.”

“The Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi will work diligently with the Civil Rights Division to ensure that the investigation into the detention center is one that will ultimately yield results that are helpful to the citizenry of the Southern District of Mississippi, and specifically, Hinds County,” said Gregory K. Davis, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi.

Individuals who have allegations about unlawful conditions in the Jail are encouraged to contact the Justice Department by phone at (202) 514-6255, by email at [email protected] or by mail at:

Here's the new releases for this week...

Mariah Carey - Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse (Contemporary R&B)

Sharon Van Etten - Are We There (Alternative Singer/Songwriter)

Robyn / Röyksopp - Do It Again (Downbeat)

Hercules & Love Affair - The Feast of the Broken Heart (Club/Dance)

Sam Smith - In the Lonely Hour (Pop)

Cher Lloyd - Sorry I'm Late (Pop)

Bruce Robison / Kelly Willis - Our Year (Americana)

Ben Frost - A U R O R A (Experimental Electronic)

Owen Pallett - In Conflict (Alternative/Indie Rock)

Napolian - Incursio (Left-Field Hip-Hop)

Amy LaVere - Runaway's Diary (Americana)

Various Artists - Sound of Siam, Vol. 2: Molam & Luk Thung 1970-1982 (Thai Pop)

They Might Be Giants - Idlewild: A Compilation (Alternative/Indie Rock)

Kiss - Kiss 40 Years: Decades of Decibels (Arena Rock)

Hundred Waters - The Moon Rang Like a Bell (Indie Pop)

Popstrangers - Fortuna (Alternative/Indie Rock)

Crowbar - Symmetry in Black (Heavy Metal)

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/may/30/17571/

The City announced the following people as candidates in the upcoming Ward 6 election for City Council:

• Daniel Myers
• Robert Amos
• Dennis Sweet, IV
• Tim Rush
• Wayne Lewis
• Robert E. Green, Sr.
• Rashaad Crisler
• Tyrone C. Hendrix

The deadline to file for candidacy ended at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. The unofficial list originally consisted of 11 candidates. However, some names were ultimately cast out due to problems with signature filing.

The election is scheduled for June 17, and a runoff election, should it be in order, is set for July 1.

The Florida League of Women Voters released the following verbatim news release Tuesday, May 27, 2014 in regard to a recently-completed study on charter schools across the state.

League of Women Voters Releases State-Wide Study on School Choice

Tallahassee, Fla — Twenty percent of the state's charter schools close because of financial mismanagement or poor academic standards, according to the League of Women Voters of Florida after a year-long study of charter schools in 28 Florida counties.

"Charter schools could fill a niche in Florida's educational spectrum, but for many, their biggest contribution may be to corporate bottom lines," said Deirdre Macnab, President of the League of Women Voters of Florida.

With over 576 charter schools in the state, the League of Women Voters of Florida conducted a study in order to better understand the oversight, management, accountability and transparency of charter and private schools in Florida.

The study found that:

Approximately one-third of charters are run by for-profit management companies. Many screen students, then drop those who are not successful, which public schools are prohibited from doing. Charters also serve particular socio-economic groups, increasing segregation in schools.

Although charters tend to be smaller than traditional schools, there is no consistent difference in achievement for charter school and public school students.

Many charters blur the distinction between religious and non-secular schools. Some churches receive as much as a million dollars in lease payments annually for their facilities from charter schools.

In areas with declining enrollments, neither the charters nor regular public schools are large enough to adequately provide support for staff like nurses or counselors. Retaining teachers is also a problem; most charters offer lower salaries and benefits than public schools.

The League's study produced several recommendations:

Charters should be limited to those that fill unmet needs in identified local school districts.

Stronger local management oversight and disclosure policies are needed.

Financial mismanagement issues must be addressed, as too often the privatization of schools leads to financial abuse.

For more information, including further findings and recommendations, please see the state-wide study, along with the individual studies conducted by eighteen local Leagues across Florida.

The League of Women Voters of Florida, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, please visit the League's website at: http://www.TheFloridaVoter.org.

FLORIDA LEGISLATORS WITH A DIRECT INTEREST IN CHARTER SCHOOLS:

Conflict of Interest Concerns

Senator John Legg Chair of Senate Education Committee is co-founder and business administrator of Daysprings Academy in Port Richey.

Senator Kelli Stargel from Orange County is on board of McKeel Academies. She is on the Education Committee and sponsored the Parent Trigger Bill.

House Budget Chairman Seth McKeel is on the board of McKeel Academy Schools in Polk County.

Anne Corcoran, wife of future House Speaker Richard Corcoran has a charter school in Pasco County. Richard Corcoran is Chair of the House Appropriations Committee.

Senator Anitere Flores …

Miso in Fondren will close this Saturday, with Derek and Jennifer Emerson, owners of Walker's Drive-In, taking over and renovating the space in the Fondren Place building at Duling and State Street. Their new restaurant, which they plan to open later in the summer, will be a wine bar and small plate lounge.

Jackson staple Nick’s Restaurant is closed as of Monday after 31 years as part of the area’s culinary landscape.

Nick’s, previously located in the BancorpSouth building on Lakeland Dr., has called Fondren home for more than four years.

Owner Nick Apostle said on Facebook that his motivation for closing the fine dining restaurant was his family. “This closing will allow me to spend time with those that supported me during all the late nights and long weekend hours,” he said. “Alice and I are looking forward to being together and with our five young grandchildren.”

While Nick’s modern American fare will be missed, Mermaid Café in Lake Caroline, Apostle’s other restaurant, will remain open.

The Clarion-Ledger is reporting that Mississippi Tea Party vice chairman Mark Mayfield appeared in a Madison County court for his alleged participation with a story to that continues to roil the Mississippi Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Mayfield, an attorney in Jackson, was arrested today along with an unnamed suspect, but charges were not released, the paper reported. (Clarion-Ledger political editor Geoff Pender later tweeted from court that Rick Sager, a soccer coach in Laurel, is the other individual arrested)

Mayfield may be familiar to readers of the Jackson Free Press for his participation in a 2012 interview in which then-president of the Central Mississippi Tea Pary Janis Lane said that America took a wrong turn when women gained the right to vote.

Mayfield quietly exited the interview as Lane began her anti-woman rant, but he had some harsh words for sitting U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.

In response to a JFP question about whether Congress's core function is to bring federal dollars to their home districts, Mayfield said:

"They sure think it is. We've got a senator up there right now—Thad Cochran—who's just as guilty as anybody. He's probably the worst one up there in terms of pork-barrel legislation."

Mayfield said he was apolitical for much of his life "until I saw the direction we started taking with the bailouts, the stimulus, TARP, Obamacare--you name it--this endless, mindless overspending and over-borrowing."

He added that he believed certain Tea Party principles could attract more African Americans, among them, he said: "Jobs and economic development. Things like giving voters a choice on where to send their kids to school. They don't have to keep sending them to a failing public school. We want to give them the option of sending them to a successful charter school or perhaps look at vouchers where they can send them to a successful private school."

McDaniel's camp has maintained that the state senator had nothing to do with the blogger who allegedly photographed Cochran's bedridden wife, Rose, and released a statement about the arrests of Mayfield and Sager.

"As we have said since day one, the violation of the privacy of Mrs. Cochran is out of bounds for politics and is reprehensible. Any individuals who were involved in this crime should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," McDaniel said

Mayfield later posted bond, the Ledger reported.

VERBATIM STATEMENT: Seventh Mississippi city to pass diversity resolution recognizing the role LGBT people play in thriving communities

WASHINGTON – Tonight, Waveland, Mississippi unanimously passed an anti-discrimination resolution recognizing the dignity and worth of all city residents - including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT). Waveland becomes the seventh Mississippi city to pass such a resolution and joins Starkville, Hattiesburg, Greenville, Magnolia, Bay St. Louis and Oxford.

“This is another important step forward to ensure that all Mississippians are treated equally and with respect and dignity,” said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Chad Griffin, a native of Arkansas.

Public opinion on equality in Mississippi is far ahead of law in the state. A poll conducted last summer found that 64 percent of residents back workplace non-discrimination protections for LGBT employees and nearly 60 percent of Mississippians under the age of 30 support marriage equality.

“The approved action is important for the people of Waveland. This sends a strong message throughout Mississippi that LGBT citizens are welcome in our fantastic city,” said Mayor David Garcia. “We are proving to the country that our city is on the right side of history.”

Just last month, HRC launched Project One America, an unprecedented effort to expand LGBT equality in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. This summer, HRC Mississippi will open office space in Jackson staffed with a statewide director, community organizer, and faith organizer. The community-based program will focus on changing hearts and minds, gaining enduring legal protections and building more inclusive institutions from the church pew to the workplace.

For details on Project One America in Mississippi, visit http://www.hrc.org/states/mississippi

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Pearl Jam just announced some 2014 tour dates. Looks like Eddie Vedder and company will hit the FedEx Forum in Memphis in October after playing the Austin City Limits Festival. Go here for the full skinny.

There are some heavy hitters on this week's new releases:

Coldplay - Ghost Stories (Adult Alternative Pop/Rock)

The Roots - ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin (Alternative Rap)

Conor Oberst - Upside-Down Mountain (Adult Alternative Pop/Rock)

Oasis - Definitely Maybe [Deluxe Edition] (Alternative Pop/Rock)

Miles Davis - Take Off: The Complete Blue Note Albums (Cool Jazz)

Jolie Holland - Wine Dark Sea (Alternative/Indie Rock)

Brantley Gilbert - Just as I Am (Contemporary Country)

Yann Tiersen - ∞ (Infinity) (Film Score)

R.E.M. - Complete Rarities I.R.S. 1982-1987 (Alternative Pop/Rock)

R.E.M. - Unplugged 1991 & 2001: The Complete Sessions (Alternative Pop/Rock)

Archie Bronson - Outfit Wild Crush (Indie Rock)

Billy Joel - A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (Contemporary Pop/Rock)

Trans Am - Volume X (Alternative/Indie Rock)

Afrojack - Forget the World (EDM)

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band - Goin' Home (Modern Electric Blues)

Mr. Scruff - Friendly Bacteria (Funky Breaks)

Phillip Phillips - Behind the Light (Adult Alternative Pop/Rock)

Comet Control - Comet Control (Alternative/Indie Rock)

Plaid - Reachy Prints (Techno)

Pujol - Kludge (Indie Rock)

John Doe - The Best of John Doe This Far (Roots Rock)

Smoke Fairies - Smoke Fairies (Alternative/Indie Rock)

Syd Arthur - Sound Mirror (Neo-Psychedelia)

Chatham County Line - Tightrope (Bluegrass)

Bo Ningen - III (Alternative/Indie Rock)

FKA Twigs - EP2 (Indie Electronic)

Les Big Byrd - They Worshipped Cats (Indie Rock)

Hank Thompson - Songs for Rounders/At the Golden Nugget (Bakersfield Sound)

Hank Williams - The Garden Spot Programs, 1950 (Honky Tonk)

Bottin - Punica Fides (Left-Field House)

Hollis Brown - Gets Loaded (American Trad Rock)

Hedley - Wild Life (Punk-Pop)

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/may/21/17515/

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel issued an open letter to incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran. The GOP primary race has taken a sharp turn in recent days since allegations surfaced that a conservative blogger and McDaniel supporter photographed Cochran's bedridden wife in a nursing home. Here is McDaniel's letter in its entirety:

Dear Senator Cochran,

When I announced my candidacy for the U.S. Senate I told my supporters that I respected you as a man of honor as well as your longtime service to our state. I emphasized that I decided to run for the U.S. Senate simply because we have fundamental differences on some of the most important policy issues facing our nation today.

Sadly, the actions you campaign has recently taken have forced me to reconsider my position.

Over the past several weeks, your campaign has resorted to shameful slander, even going so far as to call me a “criminal” without a shred of evidence to back up these accusations.

No doubt, many political campaigns resort to juvenile behavior when they are down in the polls, but this kind of slander goes beyond childish pranks. It is, frankly, an embarrassment to our great state. Mississippi deserves better than this.

Senator, if you are inclined to cast aspersions on my honor and integrity then I call upon you to do it to my face in a debate forum. (We are both grown men capable of engaging in a spirited debate about our differences. There is no need to hide behind campaign surrogates.)

Many television stations across Mississippi have extended debate invitations to our campaigns and I remain more than willing to participate in any of the debates we've both been asked to join.

To date, you have refused to come home to Mississippi and debate.

Until then, I will not engage either your campaign or the liberal media in their absurd witch hunt. No matter how many press releases your campaign puts out, I will simply not stoop to your level. Win or lose, I’d like to be able to wake up on June 4th and be proud of the primary campaign I ran on behalf of Mississippi. Trailing in the polls, your campaign has made it apparent they will say and do anything to win.

Instead, we will continue to talk to voters about the issues they care about. And we will also continue to educate voters on your record, including your votes to fund Obamacare, your support for tax increases, your many votes to increase your own pay, and your support for billions of dollars in wasteful spending like the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska.

These are legitimate issues and these are the kind of policy differences this campaign should be about.

Sincerely,

Chris McDaniel Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate from Mississippi

First, August Alsina skipped out on a concert in Jackson—and possibly lost hundreds, if not thousands, of local fans in the process. Now it looks like Lil Boosie won't make it to Gulfport.

Recently freed from prison, Boosie had planned a concert for a Gulf Coast neighborhood baseball park, but was denied a noise variance permit.

Promoters said they would ask the local band of hip-hop aficionados otherwise known as the Gulfport City Council to reconsider.

The Sun Herald (http://bit.ly/TpIIxv ) reported that the promoters pointed to Boosie shows across the South in his native Louisiana as well as Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas.

"Mississippi is the only place he hasn't been able to play," said Walter Malone of Gautier, owner of Magnolia Vivid Productions, the company trying to produce the show, of the Baton Rogue-born Boosie.

It's been rough going for Louisiana rappers and the Magnolia State as of late.

Over the weekend, New Orleans' August Alsina pulled out of a show at the Mississippi Coliseum. Promoters of that concert claim that they held up their end of the deal, but that Alsina pulled out at the last minute.

In a "public-service announcement" posted on Instagram late Friday Alsina said only that "there was a mixup with the date and venue" as the reason he wouldn't be doing the show, but that he looks forward to coming to Jackson during his summer tour.

Apparently, the date-and-venue mixup was that Alsina actually wanted to go to Yo Gotti's birthday party in Atlanta and ride around in a Lamborghini the same night as the Jackson show.

Update: The Sun Herald is reporting that the Gulfport City Council has denied promoters of the Lil Boosie concert the zoning variance they sought to move ahead with the show.

This past week I wrote a Publisher's Note called "AFA Bearing False Witness Against Businesses?" about the American Family Association's "action alert" wherein they called the "We Don't Discriminate" campaign discriminatory, despite the very basic tautological problems with their argument. (It seemed to me they were going to have to define "don't" as "do" in order to make their argument make any sense.)

So I was intrigued this week to see the AFA has now edited that exact same alert from its original headline of "A List of Businesses Displaying Hatred Toward Religious Freedom" to the new headline "Businesses Suckered By Homosexual Reaction to MS Religious Freedom Restoration Act."

The alert is otherwise dated the same (suggesting, falsely, that they wrote the current text on May 9, 2014, when it actually sometime between May 16th and 19th), it has the same URL and it still has the title "A List of Businesses Displaying Hatred Toward Religious Freedom" at the top of the window.

Here's a screenshot of the original:

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/may/20/17455/

Here's the new one:

http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2014/may/20/17456/

Aside from the fact that replacing their earlier statements and pretending they wrote them 10 days ago once again calls into question this self-proclaimed Christian organization's relationship with the Ninth Commandment, it's also instructive to note where they now pretend their argument has been the whole time -- gays are apparently suckering businesses into putting the sticker in their window.

Again, a reminder: The campaign is a reaction to a law signed recently in Mississippi that may allow businesses to discriminate against other based on their religious beliefs. The sticker proclaims a given business' desire to work with all customers despite that law.

Given that the law -- which AFA, partner organizations and Governor Bryant wanted -- is now in existence, the sticker can help people at risk of being discriminated against know that a business won't discriminate against them.

The sticker doesn't say a darned thing about other people or businesses who don't have the sticker.

That said, this is, at least, a slightly better tactic on the part of the AFA for its own sake, since the original plan (still evident) was to simply castigate the businesses for proclaiming their anti-discriminatory stance.

Blaming the businesses, in hindsight, was pretty stupid, as the businesses have a clear right (a.) not to discriminate against their customers and (b.) to tell people about it.

(Pretending that The Gays are using their convince-o-tron on hapless business owners is, at least, a slightly less stupid tactic. Progress!)

Now, the new text calls on those who read the alert to further the AFA's agenda by asking the business owner if they aware the sticker is "part of a plan to bully, intimidate and demean Christians."

Since it's not, then that's false witness, but the AFA seems to operate with a special exemption from the 9th.

Maybe re-reading Proverbs 6:16-19 would help?

Republican Mike Pence, governor of Indiana, has a long history of railing against "Obamacare." But according to the Washington Post, he may become the next governor to expand Medicaid in his state.

Republican Gov. Mike Pence, after months of discussions with the Obama administration, is offering a new plan Thursday morning to expand coverage to low-income uninsured Hoosiers. As expected, he's doing it through an existing state insurance program for adults that's been championed by some conservatives.

The Indiana program offers health spending accounts to folks that are slightly above Medicaid eligibility; Pence is looking to expand that access, much the same way that the ACA was designed to expand Medicaid access for the working poor and those slightly above the poverty line, up to 138 percent.

Pence is getting credit (and criticism) for finding a clever way to accept Medicaid expansion while still saving a little face as an Obamacare denier; any chance Governor Bryant could do the same and help the 300,000 Mississippians in the insurance gap?

After all, his logic that the state would be stuck once Obamacare was struck down seems less and less likely at this point.

Maybe it's time to go ahead and help working Mississippians get access to decent healthcare?

August Alsina, a 21-year rap sensation from New Orleans, was supposed to perform in Jackson tonight. He won't make it after all, which has apparently infuriated his fans in Jacktown.

Promoters of the concert, planned for Saturday at the Mississippi Coliseum want to set the record straight.

In a statement to Jackson media outlets, promoter Yolanda Singleton explained the situation from their point of view:

"We, as promoters, did everything we were legally obligated to do via contract as well as met all financial obligations. After the initial May 10, 2014 date was rescheduled, we were still committed to bringing the artist to the city for those who had purchased tickets and others. We were more than accommodating to the artist with a new date.

Singleton continued: "Although the venue was scaled down to accommodate an audience of 3500 seats for August Alsina's performance, promoters were contacted by management two days prior to the schedule event date stating the 2000 tickets already sold was not a big enough crowd for August Alsina to perform because he did not want to see empty seats while performing. We were told, 'it would not be a good look for him.'"

It was not immediately clear if promoters could issue refunds to people who bought tickets or pursue legal action against Alsina.

In a "public-service announcement" posted on Instagram late Friday Alsina said only that "there was a mixup with the date and venue" as the reason he wouldn't be doing the show, but that he looks forward to coming to Jackson during his summer tour.

Three Mississippi businesses that are participating in the If You're Buying, We're Selling sticker campaign are currently demanding that the American Family Association retract statements that accused them of discriminating against Christians. The three businesses include The Golden Growler, The Keg and Barrel, and La Finestra.

The AFA issued a news release on its website Monday that stated:

"Ironically, this sticker represents the very promotion of discrimination…against freedom of religious convictions. Businesses that display this sticker believe Christians should be forced, by law, to embrace homosexuality and deny their faith in personal business practices."

The entire news release can be read on the AFA's website: http://action.afa.net/item.aspx?id=2147545307.

Attorney Alexander Ignatiev of Hattiesburg, who represents the three businesses, issued the following statements in a cease and desist letter to AFA President Timony Wildmon on Wednesday:

"These statements are defamatory and actionable per se under the laws of the State of Mississippi, because they accuse my clients of unlawfully discriminating against persons in violating of the 14th Amendment and the Civil Rights Act of 1965, a felony . . . subjecting my clients to a penalty of up to ten years in prison. They are also materially false, and provably so, in connection with my clients, The Golden Growler, The Keg and Barrel, and La Finestra. These statements have been published with actual malice, which means that they have been published with reckless disregard for truthfulness, or with actual knowledge of their falsity, which removes any First Amendment protection from those statements."

Ignatiev is demanding that AFA remove the "materially false, reckless, unprotected statements" from the release within 7 days.

On May 14, 1970, two Jackson State University students were killed by Jackson police officers—10 days after the much more publicized Kent State shootings of four students in Ohio.

The victims of the JSU shootings were Phillip L. Gibbs, a junior at the school and father and James Earl Green, a high school senior.

Why didn't the JSU shooting get as much national attention? Well, the most obvious answer is the race of the victims. All four Kent State victims were white; the young men killed at Jackson State were African American.

NPR retells the circumstances of what it calls a "widely forgotten" tragedy at JSU:

On the evening of May 14, African-American youths were reportedly pelting rocks at white motorists driving down the main road through campus — frequently the site of confrontations between white and black Jackson residents.

Tensions rose higher when a rumor spread around campus that Charles Evers — a local politician, civil rights leader and the brother of slain activist Medgar Evers — and his wife had been killed, according to Lynch Street: The May 1970 Slayings at Jackson State College. The situation escalated when a non-Jackson State student set a dump truck on fire.

Police responded to the call. A group of students and non-students threw rocks and bricks at the officers. Police advanced to Alexander Hall, a large dorm for women.

Even if the rest of the nation has forgotten (or never knew), the shootings remain integrated into the curriculum and culture at JSU, where all students learn about the shootings during a mandatory orientation.

In C. Liegh McInnis' freshman composition class, students have to observe in the women's dorm and write a paper on it.

He told NPR: "The tragedy showed the resolve of the students.