Jackson Free Press

Obviously, people weren't paying attention when, right after the reelection of Barack Obama to a second term, Mississippi asked for permission to secede from the Union.

(Again.)

Or whenever Gov. Phil Bryant says he doesn't want anything to do with the Obamacare -- which extends to a state health-care exchange that's been in the works since before Bryant took office.

Clearly, people thought Mississippi was kidding last week when Bryant called on state lawmakers to resist any new federal gun regulations.

And today, at the urging of Republicans, the House even passed a bill that lets the Department of Public Safety ignore companies who try to levy fines on Mississippi residents who get out-of-state photo traffic tickets.

So Reps. Jeff Smith and Gary Chism, both Republicans from Columbus, have a bill that make it clear once and for all:

Hey, federal government, leave us alone!

Their HB 490 clarifies that "protected rights under state sovereignty may not be infringed upon by federal action(s)." The provisions of the act include:

TO ASSERT THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE STATE UNDER THE MISSISSIPPI CONSTITUTION OF 1890

TO PROHIBIT THE INFRINGEMENT OF THE CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED RIGHTS OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, OR ITS PEOPLE BY MEANS OF ANY FEDERAL STATUTE, MANDATE, EXECUTIVE ORDER, JUDICIAL DECISION OR OTHER ACTION DEEMED BY THE STATE TO BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL

TO CREATE THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON THE NEUTRALIZATION OF FEDERAL LAW

TO PROVIDE FOR THE MEMBERSHIP AND DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

That Chism and Smith look like a couple of extras out of Django Unchained isn't the only reason their bill has been making the Internet sad all day. It's also because invoking the word sovereignty tends to give thinking Mississippians chills. As Smith and Chism are no doubt fully aware, the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission was a clandestine organization the Legislation created to spy on Mississippi’s citizens involved with the Civil Rights Movement.

For now, HB 490 fate rests with Constitution Committee Chairman Scott Delano, R-Biloxi. We'll see if it has legs.

Several stories about Mississippi's former forensic pathologist Dr. Steven Hayne have cropped up lately in the national media.

I am working on a series of JFP Interviews with Jackson mayoral candidates. I'm looking to interview a candidate for the third installment by Jan. 23. So if you know candidates Regina Quinn, Francis Smith or Chokwe Lumumba, please tell them to call me at 601-362-6121 ext. 22 and set up an interview as soon as possible.

You can read the first two candidate interviews in the series here:

Jonathan Lee

William Bright

Website includes a petition and links to more information about the issue.

Attorney General Jim Hood reminds Mississippians that all claims applications covered by the National Mortgage Settlement are due January 18, 2013.

Every 20 minutes or so, someone says something like "We've got to do something about this outta-control spending!" It occurs to me that these people generally aren't talking about the defense and security budgets, which take up about 2/3 of discretionary spending. Most of the time they seem to want to cut someone else's Social Security or someone else's health care.

Why is this so important? The outta-control-totally-irresponsible Obama Deficit, of course.

But did you know We've Already Done $2.4 Trillion in Deficit Reduction?

Says Matt Yglesias of Slate.com: But don't let anyone convince you that nothing's being done. The economic recovery is reducing the deficit, and measures already enacted are bringing further deficit reductions.

Since we wrote our stinker quote earlier this week pointing out Rep. Steven Palazzo's hypocrisy over not supporting federal Sandy aid (after begging for Katrina aid), he has thankfully flipflopped:

A Republican congressman from Mississippi who voted against the first round of Hurricane Sandy aid is now voting for the second round after having toured storm-ravaged parts of the Jersey Shore and Staten Island.

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), who represents Mississippi's Gulf Coast, will now be voting for the $51 billion in federal aid for New Jersey and New York residents, The Staten Island Advance reports. Palazzo, who had requested federal funds for the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, toured the areas hard hit by Hurricane Sandy following his vote last week in opposition to expanding the federal flood insurance program by $9.7 billion to pay for those affected by Sandy.

The City and Stewpot’s Opportunity Center are teaming up to provide emergency shelter for those in need tonight. The center is located at 845 Amite Street. It will open at 6 p.m.

Stewpot and the City’s Department of Human and Cultural Service’s Homeless Division every year to provide night-time shelter to citizens in need whenever the temperature is 32 degrees or lower. The temperature could drop to the upper 20s tonight.

For more information, you can call Stewpot at 601-949-3540 or the Department of Human and Cultural Services at 601-960-0335.

And perhaps that’s the whole point of the event, to look like one thing while actually being something close to the exact opposite of the thing. It’s a contrivance, as real and unscripted as a reality show, with much the same intent: to appear to be something it is not while selling a message or product.

The judge who sentenced Jared Lee Loughner to "seven life terms plus 140 years in Federal prison" wrote an op-ed in the LA Times this week calling for stricter gun control. Larry Alan Burns is a gun-owner, a Republican appointee, says he didn't vote for Obama and prefers Fox News to DailyKos. And he says we need to bring back the assault weapons ban... and make it stronger.

Bring back the assault weapons ban, and bring it back with some teeth this time. Ban the manufacture, importation, sale, transfer and possession of both assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Don't let people who already have them keep them. Don't let ones that have already been manufactured stay on the market. I don't care whether it's called gun control or a gun ban. I'm for it.

President Obama is expected to address the "fiscal cliff" this afternoon in the aftermath of the House's failure to pass the GOP "Plan B" proposal. The House has adjourned for the Christmas holiday.

Mother Jones posted a piece back after the Aurora shootings that has now been updated in light of the Sandy Hook murders that happened on Friday. Their point -- the country now has 300 million guns in circulation; up from 200 million in 1995. At the same time, there's a definitive increase in laws that have loosened gun owners abilities to carry those guns in more and more places.

The question is... have all of those guns and gun laws made us any safer? The gun lobby says yes. The analysis, however:

In the wake of the slaughters this summer at a Colorado movie theater and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, we set out to track mass shootings in the United States over the last 30 years. We identified and analyzed 61 of them, and one striking pattern in the data is this: In not a single case was the killing stopped by a civilian using a gun. Moreover, we found that the rate of mass shootings has increased in recent years—at a time when America has been flooded with millions of additional firearms and a barrage of new laws has made it easier than ever to carry them in public. And in recent rampages in which armed civilians attempted to intervene, they not only failed to stop the shooter but also were gravely wounded or killed.

So, if we're still waiting for that one time that all of these guns and all of these gun laws actually brings down a mass murderer -- might now be a time to consider other measures aimed at keeping guns out of the wrong hands? (And, perhaps, getting people more mental health help?)

Verbatim statement today from Captain Mark Kelly, husband of Gabrielle Giffords:

I just woke up in my hotel room in Beijing, China to learn that another mass shooting has taken place - this time at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in CT. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the entire community of Newtown, CT. I just spoke to Gabby, and she sends her prayers from Tucson.

As we mourn, we must sound a call for our leaders to stand up and do what is right. This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve leaders who have the courage to participate in a meaningful discussion about our gun laws - and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America. This can no longer wait. Share

President Obama plans to deliver a statement on the Connecticut school shooting at 2:15 p.m. Central time.

Here's the White House's YouTube version:

Cited without comment due to today's biggest story ...

Construction of a skybridge will close part of North State periodically.

Hinds County District 2 Supervisor Doug Anderson has resigned from the board.

Anderson, who has been in poor health since suffering two small strokes over the summer, often missed board meetings and rarely spoke when he did attend.

A former state lawmaker in the Mississippi House and Senate, Anderson joined the board in 1993.

The board members can appoint a temporary replacement until a special election can be held next fall.

"Once again the needle barely budged for women aspiring to top business leadership."

White's party allegiance was the "worst kept secret," Cole said.

When [Jackson State][1] (7-4)meets Arkansas-Pine Bluff (9-2) in the SWAC Football Championship Game this Saturday the Tigers will be looking for their first conference title since 2007 and to add to their 16th conference titles. Only [Southern][2] with 17 titles and [Grambling State][3] with 23 titles have more SWAC titles than JSU.