Jackson Free Press

"To address the (board) president with all that bass in your voice is just wrong."

—Hinds County District 5 Supervisor Kenneth Stokes to Byram Fire Chief Marshall Robinson for angrily addressing Board President Robert Graham

Why it stinks: In southern culture, telling someone to take the bass out of their voice is a way to admonish an individual for being unjustifiably aggressive, insubordinate or otherwise disrespectful. But in this case, it was Graham who was being disrespectful. Byram has been trying to get new radios for its volunteer fire department, but Hinds officials have not responded to request. At Monday's meeting, Graham said there was no rush to supply the radios because Bryant's fire department is all-volunteer. If Robinson raised the level of bass in his voice, it was because he was defending what he considered an attack from Graham on the professionalism of his firefighters. On that point, District 3 Supervisor Peggy Hobson Calhoun sided with Robinson. She said: "Hinds County would not have a fire department if not for volunteers. Why can't we honor them by providing them with the proper equipment?"