Europe vs. America
A provocative piece by Tony Judt in the New York Review of Books right now.
Transcript of ‘State of the Union' Address
George W. Bush last night:
Bob Moses
Robert P. Moses, who turned 70 Sunday, is usually surrounded by young people, especially Lanier students and college-age mentors for the Algebra Project, which he runs from his classroom in …
You Are a Jacksonian If ...
1. You eat at Hal & Mal's more than once a month.
4. You shop at Video Library or Video Café before you go near Blockbuster.
The WORST of the New South
In the aftermath of the Edgar Ray Killen arrest, the tough-on-crime stalwarts at The Northside Sun fretted over whether the old Klansman can possibly get a fair trial in the …
* Corrections to Talk of Jackson *
The JFP's Talk of Jackson section has a couple really dumb errors this week. (As a result, two writers are currently hanging in the newsroom from their toenails. Don't tell …
Take Me to Your Leader
Citizens of Jackson looking to strengthen their voices in the community are about to get the chance to learn how. The Pew Partnership of Civic Change, a civic research organization, …
Great Balls of Fire
Traffic was snarled for miles around the Fondren shopping area, on Old Canton Road, early Friday morning. As many drivers took detours on their way to work and school, those …
First, Do No Harm: State Struggles With Record of Juvenile Injustice
At 17 years old, Tommy Croft has grown up faster than most youth his age in Mississippi. Croft conveys the pain and genuineness in his story about his dark past …
Tsunami Benefit Raises $4,311
The JFP-Collective-Rock 93.9 benefit last night at the Red Room at Hal & Mal's has raised $4,311.50 for disaster relief! Hal & Mal's donated 10 percent of sales for the …
I Was a Teenage Curfew Violator
January 6, 2005—For the third time the Jackson City Council is considering implementing a youth curfew law. The recent curfew, which expired in August, affected kids under 18 who were …
Trash Talk: Kim Wade Disses the JFP
"Last week the Jackson Free Press had an interesting article in there where the editor was lamenting the fact that 'hey, you know Lefties are religious, too,' and she was …
DIY: Daniel Johnson on Dreadlocks
Daniel Johnson's face is distinctive: eyes bold and blue, nose prominent. He sat across from me with a comfortable reception of each question, his hair down by his face, fine …
Babes in Liquor-Land
Every day Poindexter Elementary students pass by Super Discount Wine and Liquor. This store poses an interesting dilemma for these under-age students because in the back there is a convenience …
I Resolve, I Resolve, I Resolve
I just took a glorious week off. This hasn't happened to me much since we started the Free Press two and a half years ago. We managed to get away …
Hear No Truth: The 10 Most Censored Mississippi Stories
It's an open secret that here in the Jackson area and in the state at large we suffer from superficial, incomplete, unfactual and sometimes non-existent coverage of vital news stories. …
Happy Holidays from the Jackson Free Press
As we head into the holidays, please accept our sincere good wishes for the holiday. We hope everyone can relax with family and friends, and reflect on what is most …
[Breaking] $100,000 Reward Offered in Civil Rights Murders
You can still sign the JFP petition calling for the speedy prosecution of the murderers of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner. To date, we have collected nearly 700 names.
DLC: Do Democrats Love Corporations?
David J. Sirota writes in The Nation:
Looking out over Washington, DC, from his plush office, Al From is once again foaming at the mouth. The CEO of the corporate-sponsored Democratic Leadership Council and his wealthy cronies …
Rumsfeld to Soldiers: Stop Your Whining
New York Times editorial today:
[Breaking] Judge Charles W. Pickering Retiring
[verbatim] Today, Charles W. Pickering, Sr. made the following statement:
"My nomination and permanent appointment to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has been pending before the full Senate for more than one year. The recess appointment given to me …
City & County
From 2004: Chokwe Lumumba v. Mississippi Bar
Activist attorney Chokwe Lumumba, the founder of the New Afrikan People's Organization, is headed back to court this week to fight for his professional life. Again. The Mississippi Bar is …
Delta to Offer Direct Service Between Jxn and D.C.
[December 6, 2004/Verbatim from Sen. Lott] U.S. Senator Trent Lott, who chairs the U.S. Senate's Aviation Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Thad Cochran have voiced praise for today's decision by the …
Soldiers Challenge ‘Stop-Loss' Extensions
AP is reporting:
Eight soldiers are challenging the Army's policy requiring them to serve longer than the terms of their enlistment contracts. In a lawsuit being filed Monday in federal court, the soldiers …
City Makes Letter to Ledger Public
Letters to the Editor
This (so-far-unpublished) letter to the editor of The Clarion-Ledger about an Eric Stringfellow column came around this week in the mayor's weekly newsletter: [verbatim from here]The letter below is from …
Hollywood on Trial
Danny Goldberg writes:
In a recent Los Angeles Times article Patrick Goldstein said "Hollywood took it on the chin" in the recent election. [...] Goldstein mentioned a handful of harsh references to President …
The Progressive Morality
Professor George Lakoff writes in The Nation:
Up In Smoke
A sure-to-be contentious campaign to raise Mississippi's cigarette tax kicked off Nov. 18 in the rotunda of the state Capitol. A coalition of about 40 county and state groups calling …
White House, Congress Rolls Back Student Loans, Grants
New York Times is reporting:
Dust-Up on Floor of U.S. Senate Today
[Breaking] Apparently, it was just disocvered that Republicans snuck a provision into the 3,000-page budget bill that allows agents of congressional committees to have access to anybody's IRS records. They're …
Imagining a Real Youth Movement
By Raj Jayadev writes for Wiretap about problems with the youth voting movement. "[A] movement is about creating choices. The gulf is about imagination. As Desmond Tutu said, it's not …
Surreal Blog: Stories Too Incredible to Be False
So, I'll start with the story that inspired this Surreal Blog:
Listening to NPR this morning, I decided that we need a place on the JFP site to collect all these crazy stories coming (mostly) out of Washington these days. These …
The Soul of An Elephant
"They will learn to conform to our agenda or they will be driven from our party"
Voting at Black Colleges Hit Record Levels
This year's surge in youth voting—51 percent of Americans 29 and under voted this year as opposed to 42 percent in 2000—was nowhere more apparent than on black college campuses, …
