Jackson Free Press

Johnny Lee Butts went out for his regular morning walk on July 22, 2012 and never came home. That morning, a car struck and killed Butts; later police arrested a couple of teenagers for the crime.

In a recent report, CNN shed new light on what happened that morning . According to statements by two of the passengers-- a teenager and a man named Tony Hopper Jr.-- the passengers and unnamed driver of the car spotted a man walking. Here's an exchange from the grand jury indictment, according to CNN:

We see a walker on the side of the road. The complete left side of the road while we are on the complete right side of the road," the unidentified teen told a police lieutenant. "And I pointed out to say, 'watch out there is a walker there...'" The unnamed teen continued his story: "Whit slightly turns the steering wheel and I saw him. 'Watch out, don't do nothing stupid' and then he just keep turning the steering wheel and eventually before we knew it he ran him straight over." "He didn't slow down," Hopper said in a statement to a deputy sheriff. The deputy asked: "He never hit his brakes?" Hopper replied: "No sir." "Do you think he hit him on purpose?" asked the deputy. "Yes, sir, I do," said Hopper.

The driver is white; Butts was African American. However, the Panola County District Attorney John Champion (he is also the DA for DeSoto County) opted to not seek hate crime charges in the case.

Donny Butts, the victims brother wants to know why. He told CNN "That's the only reason they ran him over because he was black. Point blank."

The Butts family is considering filing a wrongful death suit, which may be the only way for the full truth to come out.

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.

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

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.