Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Mississippi Paddler Announces Camellia Home Health and Hospice as Gold Level Sponsor for Alzheimer’s Fundraiser
“I am extremely excited to welcome Camellia Home Health as a partner for this project,” said Plunkett. “They understand firsthand the toll Alzheimer’s is taking on our seniors, and the need to fight this disease.”
In Mississippi alone, 53,000 people have been diagnosed with the disease with an additional 148,000 caregivers providing unpaid care.
“As Keith begins his journey, it is our hope to get our local offices involved in drumming up support and participating in the paddling experience,” said Camellia President Abb Payne. “I look forward to working with him, and the Alzheimer’s Association to further their efforts.”
The effort will begin in July on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and will take Plunkett on a journey across 5 regions of the state to paddle waterways that are both popular destinations and underutilized opportunities. During the trips, the Yazoo County native and Flora resident will tell the stories of Alzheimer’s patients and caregivers in each region, and will highlight ongoing efforts by the Alzheimer’s Association and medical professionals to defeat the disease.
Over the next two months leading up to the kickoff on July 10 in Ocean Springs, Plunkett will speak with groups across the state to raise awareness, and to secure donations. He has set a goal of 600 miles, or roughly 120 miles per region, and hopes to entice a few others to join him on some of the excursions, including Payne.
“Abb told me he would like to join me on a few trips, and I look forward to it,” said Plunkett. “Paddling is a great family friendly sport, and we have so many resources in Mississippi to enjoy. I welcome anyone that wants to join in.”
Work is ongoing to outfit the current website, www.lucysrevenge.com, with a real-time map that uses GPS to track Plunkett’s whereabouts, and a website has been setup by the Alzheimer’s Association to begin collecting donations. A Paddling Partners Program has also been established for those who would like to form paddling teams and compete to raise money for the project.
The project is named in memory of Lucy Plunkett, who suffered from Alzheimer’s before succumbing to the disease in 1994. The matriarch of the Plunkett family reared six children, and oversaw the upbringing of 9 grandchildren. She was a housewife and an active member of her church and the rural community of Little Yazoo in Yazoo County.
Here is your MAGIC diet pill!
In eight easy steps you can get rid of those unwanted extra pounds!
Just one problem . . . your too lazy to do it and too set in your ways to stop your pitiful eating habits!
This is why American's (especially Mississippians) are so fat. We're all about hard work, as long as somebody else is doing it. Most of us won't even walk to the mailbox. And we refuse to eat much of anything not loaded down with grease, fat, butter, salt and sugar. Heck, even our vegetables are unhealthy!
Bottom line is if what you're doing isn't working, then you should stop what your doing. The Chinese have it right. I knew there was a reason I was always hungry walking around NYC China Town.
Eight Reason Why The Chinese Are Skinnier Than You
Items 1, 3, 4 and 6 are pretty obvious.
Item 2 is, as well. But, the thought of it has me seeing visions of my Mama standing over me threatening to make me eat the unfinished morsels for breakfast. I'm working through that with self counseling (Thanks Mama!).
Item 5 is a no brainer, too. But so hard to do when you work until 9 on the days your not taking your kids to soccer or baseball game double headers.
Number 7? Please. I know people that will have the driver drop them off at the front door of the All-You-Can-Eat, so they don't have to walk that long 30 yards from the parking lot to the front door.
Number 8 is the only one here that is absolutely NOT going to make it in to any of my diet plans. One thing I know about good Ole' Mississippian's, we'll love you to death with food, literally. But, if you tell us we look fat in that new outfit we picked up from Wal-mart, your likely not going to see our happy side, and may, in fact, leave the whole exchange with something Ajax won't take off!
Harper discusses FEMA flap in Yazoo on Fox and Friends (Video).
U.S. Representative Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) joins Steve, Gretchen and Brian live on FOX & Friends to discuss a recent incident in Yazoo County involving local volunteers and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees. Volunteers with faith-based organizations were asked to change their shirts because of a religious message on the shirt, before they were allowed to proceed with an interview with a FEMA employee. This interview hits on the details of this episode and Congressman Harpers encouraging conversation with FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate.
Related Posts: Gregg Harper upset with FEMA over T-Shirt Flap
Michelle Malkin addresses FEMA T-Shirt Flap
Related Posts: Gregg Harper upset with FEMA over T-Shirt Flap
Michelle Malkin addresses FEMA T-Shirt Flap
Michelle Malkin addresses FEMA T-Shirt Flap
A few years ago, economist Arthur Brooks wrote a must-read book on volunteerism in America titled, “Who Really Cares.” An excerpt:
The conventional wisdom runs like this: Liberals are charitable because they advocate government redistribution of money in the name of social justice; conservatives are uncharitable because they oppose these policies. But note the sleight of hand: Government spending, according to this logic, is a form of charity.
Let us be clear: Government spending is not charity. It is not a voluntary sacrifice by individuals. No matter how beneficial or humane it might be, no matter how necessary it is for providing public services, it is still the obligatory redistribution of tax revenues. Because government spending is not charity, sanctimonious yard signs do not prove that the bearers are charitable or that their opponents are selfish. (On the contrary, a public attack on the integrity of those who don’t share my beliefs might more legitimately constitute evidence that I am the uncharitable one.)
To evaluate accurately the charity difference between liberals and conservatives, we must consider private, voluntary charity. How do liberals and conservatives compare in their private giving and volunteering? Beyond strident slogans and sarcastic political caricatures, what, exactly, do the data tell us?
The data tell us that the conventional wisdom is dead wrong. In most ways, political conservatives are not personally less charitable than political liberals—they are more so.
…People living in conservative states volunteer more than people in liberal states. In 2003, the residents of the top five “Bush states” were 51 percent more likely to volunteer than those of the bottom five, and they volunteered an average of 12 percent more total hours each year. Residents of these Republican-leaning states volunteered more than twice as much for religious organizations, but also far more for secular causes. For example, they were more than twice as likely to volunteer to help the poor.
I bolded that last part as a segue to this stomach-turning story from the Associated Press about how a FEMA official taping interviews with volunteers helping tornado victims in Mississippi was so sick of meeting faith-based volunteers in the area that he asked two women to change their shirts to hide their religious affiliation:
The top officer for FEMA said one of the agency’s videographers was “absolutely wrong” to ask Mississippi church volunteers not to wear religious T-shirts for a video about tornado cleanup.
Angela Lott and Pamela Wedgeworth, who are sisters, told The Associated Press that the FEMA worker videotaping the cleanup on Saturday in the small town of Ebenezer asked them to do on-camera interviews but requested that they change out of their T-shirts because of a Salvation Army logo.
“He said, ‘We would like to ask you to change your shirt because we don’t want anything faith-based,’” Lott said Tuesday.
Lott said she asked him why he didn’t want to feature faith groups.
“All he said was, ‘We’ve done that hundreds of times,’” Lott said.
No surprise there.
If only the religious volunteers had worn ACORN or SEIU or “God is Dead” t-shirts, the FEMA employee would have featured them in full-length documentaries and bought them steak dinners.
Michelle Malkin
Work progressing on new station
By the end of the year, the Adam Weisenberger Memorial Fire Station should be in operation on Stribling Road.
In the planning stages for several years but delayed by snags over landing a location, the station becomes the second one operated by the South Madison Fire Protection District and should mean a drop in insurance rates for homeowners in the district.
"I can't wait to see a brand new truck sitting in that brand new station," said Bill Weisenberger, head of the fire district board and the father of Adam.
Adam Weisenberger, 19, was killed when he was tending to victims of a wreck on I-55 in 2002. He became an official volunteer with the South Madison district when he was eligible at age 18 but had spent years hanging around the Gluckstadt station where his father was, and still is, a volunteer. County officials agreed to name the new station in his honor.
"This is a wonderful tribute to our son," Weisenberger said at the recent ground-breaking for the station, located just past Lake Caroline.
"By naming this for one volunteer who gave his life is something we should all appreciate," Supervisor Karl Banks said at the recent groundbreaking.
Read the entire story at The Madison County Herald
In the planning stages for several years but delayed by snags over landing a location, the station becomes the second one operated by the South Madison Fire Protection District and should mean a drop in insurance rates for homeowners in the district.
"I can't wait to see a brand new truck sitting in that brand new station," said Bill Weisenberger, head of the fire district board and the father of Adam.
Adam Weisenberger, 19, was killed when he was tending to victims of a wreck on I-55 in 2002. He became an official volunteer with the South Madison district when he was eligible at age 18 but had spent years hanging around the Gluckstadt station where his father was, and still is, a volunteer. County officials agreed to name the new station in his honor.
"This is a wonderful tribute to our son," Weisenberger said at the recent ground-breaking for the station, located just past Lake Caroline.
"By naming this for one volunteer who gave his life is something we should all appreciate," Supervisor Karl Banks said at the recent groundbreaking.
Read the entire story at The Madison County Herald
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
TEA Party Victories show organization has worked
In Tea Party Victory, Rand Paul Takes Ky. Senate Primary
WASHINGTON – Rand Paul, one of the early leaders of the Tea Party movement, won the Republican nomination for Senate from Kentucky Tuesday night, delivering a powerful blow to the party’s establishment and offering the clearest evidence yet of the strength of the anti-government sentiment simmering at the grass-roots level.
Mr. Paul, the son of Representative Ron Paul of Texas, easily defeated Trey Grayson, the Secretary of State from Kentucky. Kentucky voters turned against Mr. Grayson even though he had the support of the state’s best-known political leader – Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader.
The result appeared less a rebuke of Mr. McConnell – who by most indications remains popular in his home—than a message to the political establishment in Washington. Mr. Paul’s campaign was specifically directed against what he said were the abuses of Washington insiders in the form of excessive spending and government regulation, as he gave voice to the Tea Party movement
It remains to be seen how big a difference Tea Party support means in a general election; many Democrats, and some Republicans, believe that Mr. Paul’s views are enough out-of-the-mainstream to make him an easier target than Mr. Grayson against the Democratic nominee in the fall.
Still, it is the latest development suggesting the sway of the Tea Party movement in the Republican Party. It followed the defeat of an incumbent Republican senator, Robert Bennett of Utah, by conservative forces in that state. And it came after the recent decision by Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida to drop out of the Republican primary for Senate in the face of a surge by a Tea Party favorite, Marco Rubio.
The early verdict in Kentucky came on one of the most active political nights since the presidential election of 2008, one that was being watched nervously in Washington signs of just how strong the anti-incumbent winds are blowing across the country.
Read the entire story at The New York Times
Liberty is not Just About Economics
by Phil Russo
There is a very important and interesting conversation taking place amongst tea party groups right now. It can sometimes be uncomfortable and awkward but we, as tea partiers, are not afraid to tackle big issues, right? The conversation I’m referring to is about civil liberties, how important they are, and their relationship to the Constitution.
When I wrote a blog post about the Times Square bomber and how he should have been read his rights I expected to be blasted by my fellow tea partiers – but I wasn’t. Most people agreed that John McCain was wrong.
I have also heard others talking about the Obama decision to assassinate American citizens and how unconstitutional it is. And, there’s plenty of talk about denying people on the “terrorist watch list” their second amendment rights even though they have not been charged with, let alone convicted of, any crime. The progress being made on the right with respect to civil liberties is very encouraging.
Many tea partiers ask me how they can reach out to younger people like myself and I have been telling them that younger people are with us on economics; it is when we get to civil liberties that they look at the GOP and they see big government, Big Brother, unconstitutional hypocrites.
One of the reasons Ron Paul’s following was so young was for this exact reason. Young people don’t want higher taxes or bigger government. They believe in free markets. What they also don’t want are things like a national ID card, even if the Republicans say it is needed to “fight terrorism.” In fact, many young people don’t want to give up their constitutional rights for any reason.
I am with Patrick Henry, “I know not what course others may choose but as for me, give me liberty or give me death”! A lot of folks my age, who would vote Republican on economic issues, look at the constitution and don’t see anything about gay marriage. They see no power granted to Congress to create a Federal Reserve Bank. They see no power in the Constitution giving congress the power to regulate marriage. Similarly, they see no power there giving Congress the power to prohibit pot smoking.
There is a thick libertarian streak in the under-30 crowd and especially in the under-20 crowd. If we tell them that freedom means the government staying out of the economy, they rightly think that the government should also stay out of their homes, personal lives, and bedrooms. They also think that the bill of rights should apply to every American citizen regardless of the charges against them. This should make sense even to my post-40 tea party friends.
If we allow the government to assassinate an American citizen overseas the next step will be assassinating American citizens on our own soil. If we allow the government to assassinate American citizens accused of “terrorism” the next step is allowing them to assassinate anyone accused of being a “threat to national security.”
Imagine if Obama had decided to assassinate the members of the “Christian” militia that was busted a few months back. They were “terrorists” – they were going to use a bomb to kill a police officer and then set off more bombs along the funeral route. That’s a tactic straight out of Bin Laden’s playbook. Should these men be held without charge in Gitmo and tried before a military tribunal?
I obviously don’t speak for all young people, but I do talk politics with a lot of them. There are neo-cons that are under 30, less of them under 20, and they think that if you have brown skin and the government (that they claim to distrust so much) deems you are a terrorist, it is ok to suspend your constitutional rights for “national security.”
I find this particularly ironic since these neo-cons claim to hate socialism and collectivism so much but then they preach about the “greater good” which is textbook socialism talk. Giving up our constitutional rights in the interest of security is no different from the commies that used to say “better Red than dead.”
So to answer the question – how do you reach the younger people in this country? The answer is simple – if we really want to reach them we should continue this conversation about civil liberties and we should not shy away from it because it makes us “uncomfortable.”
When I think of my favorite Founding Fathers like Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and Thomas Jefferson, I see those men more in Ron Paul, Gary Johnson, Barry Goldwater, and Jim Demint than I do in George W Bush, John McCain, Eric Cantor and the others.
If we present young people with a consistent message of economic and personal liberty, and if we elect people who follow the constitution and repeal the tens of thousands of pages of laws that are unconstitutional, we will not have a problem turning young people to our side. That will happen naturally.
Phil Russo is a grassroots activist and co-host of the radio show, “Tea Party Patriots Live” which can be heard on Saturdays on 660 WORL in Orlando, FL. Visit his website at http://www.teapartypatriotslive.com/.
The Tenth Amendment Center
Obama's Aunt ordered deported, refuses, appeals, then granted asylum. What Changed?
What changed was that her nephew was elected President. And, exactly how believable is it that she was here, and he didn't know? Not very.
She refuses to follow a deportation order--which is very easy considering the federal government doesn't enforce immigration law--lives off of the taxpayers of Massachusetts in public housing, and she's not going to try to get help from her nephew, a sitting Senator?
Sorry. I'm calling BS on that one.
Read more at CNS News
She refuses to follow a deportation order--which is very easy considering the federal government doesn't enforce immigration law--lives off of the taxpayers of Massachusetts in public housing, and she's not going to try to get help from her nephew, a sitting Senator?
Sorry. I'm calling BS on that one.
US Court Grants Asylum to Obama's African Aunt
Cleveland (AP) - A U.S. immigration court has granted asylum to President Barack Obama's African aunt, allowing her to stay in the country, her attorneys announced Monday.
The decision was mailed Friday and comes three months after Kenya native Zeituni Onyango, the half-sister of Obama's late father, testified at a closed hearing in Boston, where she arrived in a wheelchair and two doctors testified in support of her case.
The basis for her asylum request hadn't been made public. People who seek asylum must show that they face persecution in their homeland on the basis of religion, race, nationality, political opinion or membership in a social group.
Her lawyer, Margaret Wong of Cleveland, said last year that Onyango first applied for asylum "due to violence in Kenya." The East African nation is fractured by cycles of electoral violence every five years.
In a November interview with The Associated Press, Onyango said she was disabled and was learning to walk again after being paralyzed from Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder.
Onyango moved to the United States in 2000. Her first asylum request was rejected, and she was ordered deported in 2004. But she didn't leave the country and continued to live in public housing in Boston.
Read more at CNS News
Flora police investigate death
FLORA, MS (WLBT) – Flora police are investigating a death.
Chief Judy Tucker confirmed the investigation Saturday night and said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations was also working the case.
Chief Tucker said Sunday that the investigation revealed that the Flora resident died of a self inflicted injuries.
Residents told WLBT that it happened in the 200 block of Bannerman Drive, off Main Street in Flora.
They said Flora Police and Madison County deputies were on the scene throughout the day.
The victim's identity has not been released.
Chief Judy Tucker confirmed the investigation Saturday night and said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations was also working the case.
Chief Tucker said Sunday that the investigation revealed that the Flora resident died of a self inflicted injuries.
Residents told WLBT that it happened in the 200 block of Bannerman Drive, off Main Street in Flora.
They said Flora Police and Madison County deputies were on the scene throughout the day.
The victim's identity has not been released.
Monday, May 17, 2010
WJTV: Congressman Gregg Harper Upset With FEMA Over T-Shirt Flap (Video)
WJTV Reports:
Mississippi’s 3rd District Congressman is demanding answers from FEMA. More than 300 people spend their Saturday volunteering to help Mississippi tornado victims. A FEMA photographer showed up to take pictures but asked a church group to change their t-shirts. The reason, the shirts included the Salvation Army logo and the photographer told volunteers faith-based organizations could not be profiled. The church volunteers were members of Crossgate Baptist Church in Brandon, Mississippi. Harper is a member of Crossgates Baptist Church.
Mississippi’s 3rd District Congressman is demanding answers from FEMA. More than 300 people spend their Saturday volunteering to help Mississippi tornado victims. A FEMA photographer showed up to take pictures but asked a church group to change their t-shirts. The reason, the shirts included the Salvation Army logo and the photographer told volunteers faith-based organizations could not be profiled. The church volunteers were members of Crossgate Baptist Church in Brandon, Mississippi. Harper is a member of Crossgates Baptist Church.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
After the storm
Christ Life ministry responds
When there's a disaster in the area, Tam Mayfield of Flora springs into action. As the founder and executive director of CHRIST Ministries, Mayfield helps those in crisis following natural disasters, including those in the Yazoo City area who are suffering following the deadly tornado there a couple of weeks ago.
Donations for Mississippi tornado relief are being taken at Christ Life Highlands Church Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The church is located at 670 Highland Colony Parkway, about a half mile south of the traffic circle, in Ridgeland. Items being collected are bottled water, canned goods, toilet paper, soap, diapers, baby wipes, baby food, work gloves, garbage bags and cat and dog food. "We are not collecting clothes any longer," Mayfield said. "The Salvation Army is much better equipped to distribute clothes." Mayfield said the ministry will distribute items to those affected by the tornadoes for the next month to six weeks.
Read the entire story at The Madison County Herald
When there's a disaster in the area, Tam Mayfield of Flora springs into action. As the founder and executive director of CHRIST Ministries, Mayfield helps those in crisis following natural disasters, including those in the Yazoo City area who are suffering following the deadly tornado there a couple of weeks ago.
Donations for Mississippi tornado relief are being taken at Christ Life Highlands Church Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The church is located at 670 Highland Colony Parkway, about a half mile south of the traffic circle, in Ridgeland. Items being collected are bottled water, canned goods, toilet paper, soap, diapers, baby wipes, baby food, work gloves, garbage bags and cat and dog food. "We are not collecting clothes any longer," Mayfield said. "The Salvation Army is much better equipped to distribute clothes." Mayfield said the ministry will distribute items to those affected by the tornadoes for the next month to six weeks.
Read the entire story at The Madison County Herald
Friday, May 14, 2010
52 percent of adult Latino immigrants are drop-outs
The Pew Hispanic Center released a sobering report this week reminding us about the bleak education outlook for the nation's largest minority group.
The most worrisome stat? More than half of all foreign-born Latino adults in the U.S. are high school drop-outs. That's compared with 25 percent of native-born Hispanics.
The implications of this trend are huge for a host of socio-economic reasons. But one of the most significant? It could lead to a more illiterate and ill-equipped workforce that's precisely what an information and technologically driven economy doesn't need.
From the report:
The most worrisome stat? More than half of all foreign-born Latino adults in the U.S. are high school drop-outs. That's compared with 25 percent of native-born Hispanics.
The implications of this trend are huge for a host of socio-economic reasons. But one of the most significant? It could lead to a more illiterate and ill-equipped workforce that's precisely what an information and technologically driven economy doesn't need.
From the report:
Some 41% of Hispanic adults age 20 and older in the United States do not have a regular high school diploma, compared with 23% of black adults and 14% of white adults.
Among Hispanics, there are significant differences between the foreign born and the native born in high school diploma attainment rates and GED credentialing rates. Some 52% of foreign-born Latino adults are high school drop-outs, compared with 25% of the native born. And among Hispanic drop-outs, some 21% of the native born have a GED, compared with just 5% of the foreign born.
Government Spending Definitions: Social Security: Pass it On
The costs of Social Security might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. In this case, the camel is The United States Economy. Due in large part to irresponsible management of the Social Security Trust Fund, the account where social security tax dollars are deposited.
How did this happen? Let’s keep this in a real world scenario by using the example of a large family of five.
Five kids are all working. Each one chips in $500.00 per month to an account for their retired parents. The parents receive $2,500 each month to live on which is amble amount for them to eat and live. Several years later, three of the kids also retire. These kids didn’t not have children of their own. They can no longer afford to chip in $500.00 per month to the parents retirement account. Thus, the parents account shrinks to $1,000 per month to live and eat on. However, the three kids also need to live off of the $1,000 per month. Now five adults are living off of $1,000 per month to live and eat.
This example is much better than what has happened to Social Security in this country. Since 1935, workers have had money taken out of their paychecks to be put away in a Social Security savings account for them to retrieve when the worker retires. However, the government spent all the money on government programs. Since the Social Security Account is empty, Congress has borrows or prints the money to put money back into the Social Security Account for the benefactors to receive payments each month.
To illustrate what our government has done, lets use our family as an example again.
When all five children were working they put $500.00 per month into a retirement account for the parents to live on. Instead of giving the money to the parents, the children borrow $2,500 each month. They used the $2,500 per month in cash to pay for the loan payments which at first only cost a few hundred dollars a month. This way they had extra cash in the account each month. So they used the extra money to help other elderly couples in the neighborhood pay their expenses.
Soon, the interest payments on borrowing $2,500 per month grow to equal the $2,500 in cash the kids put into the account. Thus, the cash put into the account only paid for the interest on the loans. The bank stopped lending money and parents suddenly lost their $2,500 per month retirement checks to live on.
Where are we today with the Social Security System? Say three of the kids retire. They can’t afford put in $500 per month. Thus, the cash account that received $2,500 per month and was being used to pay off the $2,500 per month in loans payments is not going into a cash negative position. With three kids retiring, they can't put $500 per month into the account. The account and bank payment is now a negative $1,500 per month due to their retirement.
The bank will soon be looking to foreclose on the kids assets like taking their homes to pay off the loans. The situation is even worse. The parents have no money to live on. The three kids have no money to live on. The two remaining kids are going to retired soon as well with no money to live on.
That's good way to illustrate the state of our Social Security Account today.
The kids made a very bad mistake that effected their retirement. Taking out the loans to pay for other elderly neighbors is valiant and moral ideal, but their actions resulted in dire consequences in the long-term for themselves.
The United States Government is facing a similar scenario. They spent all the Social Security tax money on government programs. They borrowed money to pay for the recipients Social Security benefits. Today, the tax money taken in each year is now less because more people are retiring. Thus, Congress has to borrow more and more money to pay for benefits and interest payments.
This situation will add trillions of dollars to the National Debt, that is if we can borrow and print this much money. If we can’t, take a look at Greece today.
Miss. court rejects appeal over conviction of Flora woman's murder
JACKSON, Miss. -- The Mississippi Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by death row inmate Justin Underwood, who said prosecutors withheld polygraph test results that could have helped his case.
Underwood was convicted in 1995 in Madison County in the slaying of a Flora woman, Virginia Ann Harris, whose body was found near a lake in Madison County.
Underwood had been arrested on an unrelated burglary charge but allegedly confessed to killing the woman. He allegedly claimed Harris begged to be killed.
In his appeal, Underwood said polygraph tests on the victim's husband were inconclusive and that could have helped his case.
The court disagreed in a ruling Thursday, saying the tests weren't inconclusive and weren't admissible in court, anyway.
Underwood was convicted in 1995 in Madison County in the slaying of a Flora woman, Virginia Ann Harris, whose body was found near a lake in Madison County.
Underwood had been arrested on an unrelated burglary charge but allegedly confessed to killing the woman. He allegedly claimed Harris begged to be killed.
In his appeal, Underwood said polygraph tests on the victim's husband were inconclusive and that could have helped his case.
The court disagreed in a ruling Thursday, saying the tests weren't inconclusive and weren't admissible in court, anyway.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Yazoo City bustling with signs of healing
Sounds of swinging hammers fill the air along U.S. 49 and Old Benton Road. It seems like every other building has a roofing crew crawling atop it.
Yazoo City appears to be healing - less than three weeks after a tornado struck this community.
Nearly 200 homes in Yazoo County were destroyed by the April 24 tornado or suffered major damage - the most of any of the counties hit. And nearly half of the $1.2 million in individual disaster grants distributed by the federal government has gone to residents of the county.
State Sen. Kenneth Wayne Jones, D-Canton, who represents the area, said he is satisfied progress is being made. Jones said some of that has to do with the coordinated effort of the federal and state government, but most of the credit for the speed of the cleanup goes to the local communities.
Despite the damage, morale is high, he said.
"From what I can see, it's been overwhelming with communities supporting each other," Jones said.
Most of the struggles of individual homeowners revolve around insurance claims.
Alberta Harris was among those at the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery center in Yazoo City this week trying to figure out her next steps.
It is bad enough that Harris' home was severely damaged by the tornado, but it comes just a few weeks after the death of her mother. Harris, who hid under her bed when the tornado roared past, said the problem is the home belonged to her mother and the insurance policy still is in her name.
She applied for disaster assistance but said FEMA sent her back to her insurance company. Mostly, she has relied on help from local charities.
"I'm starting from scratch," she said. "I thank God for the churches. They helped me out."
FEMA spokeswoman Diane Allen said the disaster center in Yazoo City has processed 655 claims and was averaging about 55 claims a day.
Yazoo City Mayor McArthur Straughter said he believes some of his citizens' housing needs may be met with the arrival of one- and two-bedroom cottages originally constructed to house victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Read more at The Clarion Ledger
Yazoo City appears to be healing - less than three weeks after a tornado struck this community.
Nearly 200 homes in Yazoo County were destroyed by the April 24 tornado or suffered major damage - the most of any of the counties hit. And nearly half of the $1.2 million in individual disaster grants distributed by the federal government has gone to residents of the county.
State Sen. Kenneth Wayne Jones, D-Canton, who represents the area, said he is satisfied progress is being made. Jones said some of that has to do with the coordinated effort of the federal and state government, but most of the credit for the speed of the cleanup goes to the local communities.
Despite the damage, morale is high, he said.
"From what I can see, it's been overwhelming with communities supporting each other," Jones said.
Most of the struggles of individual homeowners revolve around insurance claims.
Alberta Harris was among those at the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster recovery center in Yazoo City this week trying to figure out her next steps.
It is bad enough that Harris' home was severely damaged by the tornado, but it comes just a few weeks after the death of her mother. Harris, who hid under her bed when the tornado roared past, said the problem is the home belonged to her mother and the insurance policy still is in her name.
She applied for disaster assistance but said FEMA sent her back to her insurance company. Mostly, she has relied on help from local charities.
"I'm starting from scratch," she said. "I thank God for the churches. They helped me out."
FEMA spokeswoman Diane Allen said the disaster center in Yazoo City has processed 655 claims and was averaging about 55 claims a day.
Yazoo City Mayor McArthur Straughter said he believes some of his citizens' housing needs may be met with the arrival of one- and two-bedroom cottages originally constructed to house victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Read more at The Clarion Ledger
Good Cop, Bad Cop: Bipartisan Failure to Control Spending
By Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson
Economic error knows no partisan bounds. Republican Herbert Hoover and Democrat Franklin Roosevelt both adopted foolish, harmful policies during the Great Depression. Republican George W. Bush’s stimulus plan made no sense, and neither did Democrat Barack Obama’s.
The greatest threat to our country’s future is chronic overspending by the federal government. We are racing toward national bankruptcy. Once again, bipartisan economic ignorance is the problem. Neither political party seems ready to tackle the spending problem.
This is not to say, as some do, that there are no significant differences between Republicans and Democrats. Such assertions are either intellectually lazy or an expression of extreme exasperation. That being said, neither party is sufficiently grounded in the philosophy of freedom and free enterprise to propose a freeze in government spending, much less a quantum reduction in the power and scope of government intervention into economic matters. Instead, the party of Big Government—the Republicans—and the party of Bigger Government—the Democrats—both support continued increases in federal spending.
Under the leadership of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid troika, Democrats have embarked on a reckless, dangerous spending splurge. Republicans are enjoying a resurgence of popularity by virtue of their opposition to the Democrats’ attempts to expand federal control over healthcare, energy, education, etc. But would Republicans cut spending, balance the budget, shrink government, and begin to reduce the gargantuan national debt if voters gave them the chance? I have my doubts.
We saw earlier this decade that, given majority status, Republicans went wild with earmarks and produced gushers of red ink in Washington. It seems to me that the best thing one could say about the Republicans is that might take us down the path toward national bankruptcy more slowly than the Democrats.
What we have here is a classic case of the “good cop, bad cop” routine. In terms of controlling government spending, Republicans may seem far more pleasant for us to deal with than the other guys, but in the final analysis, they’re both part of a statist system that would curtail our economic liberty and penalize us with diminished prosperity.
We may regard Republicans as the “good cops” insofar as they seem more aware that if they redistribute wealth too rapidly, the system may collapse. However, the GOP has a long track record of redistributing wealth (some to different special interests than Democrats and some to the same but to a different extent) and they never question the fundamental legitimacy of government power trumping property rights.
Here are a few timely questions: What do Republicans want, other than to unseat Democrats? What is their vision? What are their principles? What concrete, coherent programs have Republicans offered to shrink government? What challenge are they posing to the practice of redistributing wealth?
Few Republicans talk about shrinking the leviathan state. They may talk about the need for fiscal responsibility, affordability, and slowing the growth of the state, but few question the premise that the state must continue to grow.
Economic problems abound. Weak job prospects, a shaky housing market, concerns about affordable healthcare, ongoing bank closures—take your pick, they’re all serious and large numbers of Americans are affected by each one of those problems. But the biggest, most menacing, economic problem of all—the one that jeopardizes the economic well-being of almost all of us—is reckless overspending by the federal government.
Years of unjustified and unaffordable government spending have brought us to the precipice of national bankruptcy. When investor demand for government debt falls below the bloated supply, interest rates will surge and the Fed will probably inflate like mad. We will suffer massive business failures, surging unemployment, a colossal debt implosion and/or a severely depreciated (if not utterly ruined) currency, and significantly lower standards of living.
Who got us into this parlous predicament? The facile answer for conservatives is to blame Democrats. Certainly, Democrats are not innocent in this matter. But are Republicans blameless? No. Out-of-control government spending has been a bipartisan failure.
— Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson is an adjunct faculty member, economist, and contributing scholar with The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College.
Economic error knows no partisan bounds. Republican Herbert Hoover and Democrat Franklin Roosevelt both adopted foolish, harmful policies during the Great Depression. Republican George W. Bush’s stimulus plan made no sense, and neither did Democrat Barack Obama’s.
The greatest threat to our country’s future is chronic overspending by the federal government. We are racing toward national bankruptcy. Once again, bipartisan economic ignorance is the problem. Neither political party seems ready to tackle the spending problem.
This is not to say, as some do, that there are no significant differences between Republicans and Democrats. Such assertions are either intellectually lazy or an expression of extreme exasperation. That being said, neither party is sufficiently grounded in the philosophy of freedom and free enterprise to propose a freeze in government spending, much less a quantum reduction in the power and scope of government intervention into economic matters. Instead, the party of Big Government—the Republicans—and the party of Bigger Government—the Democrats—both support continued increases in federal spending.
Under the leadership of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid troika, Democrats have embarked on a reckless, dangerous spending splurge. Republicans are enjoying a resurgence of popularity by virtue of their opposition to the Democrats’ attempts to expand federal control over healthcare, energy, education, etc. But would Republicans cut spending, balance the budget, shrink government, and begin to reduce the gargantuan national debt if voters gave them the chance? I have my doubts.
We saw earlier this decade that, given majority status, Republicans went wild with earmarks and produced gushers of red ink in Washington. It seems to me that the best thing one could say about the Republicans is that might take us down the path toward national bankruptcy more slowly than the Democrats.
What we have here is a classic case of the “good cop, bad cop” routine. In terms of controlling government spending, Republicans may seem far more pleasant for us to deal with than the other guys, but in the final analysis, they’re both part of a statist system that would curtail our economic liberty and penalize us with diminished prosperity.
We may regard Republicans as the “good cops” insofar as they seem more aware that if they redistribute wealth too rapidly, the system may collapse. However, the GOP has a long track record of redistributing wealth (some to different special interests than Democrats and some to the same but to a different extent) and they never question the fundamental legitimacy of government power trumping property rights.
Here are a few timely questions: What do Republicans want, other than to unseat Democrats? What is their vision? What are their principles? What concrete, coherent programs have Republicans offered to shrink government? What challenge are they posing to the practice of redistributing wealth?
Few Republicans talk about shrinking the leviathan state. They may talk about the need for fiscal responsibility, affordability, and slowing the growth of the state, but few question the premise that the state must continue to grow.
Economic problems abound. Weak job prospects, a shaky housing market, concerns about affordable healthcare, ongoing bank closures—take your pick, they’re all serious and large numbers of Americans are affected by each one of those problems. But the biggest, most menacing, economic problem of all—the one that jeopardizes the economic well-being of almost all of us—is reckless overspending by the federal government.
Years of unjustified and unaffordable government spending have brought us to the precipice of national bankruptcy. When investor demand for government debt falls below the bloated supply, interest rates will surge and the Fed will probably inflate like mad. We will suffer massive business failures, surging unemployment, a colossal debt implosion and/or a severely depreciated (if not utterly ruined) currency, and significantly lower standards of living.
Who got us into this parlous predicament? The facile answer for conservatives is to blame Democrats. Certainly, Democrats are not innocent in this matter. But are Republicans blameless? No. Out-of-control government spending has been a bipartisan failure.
— Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson is an adjunct faculty member, economist, and contributing scholar with The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Minor fire at Madison County jail
No major damage occurred Wednesday when a fire broke out in a crawl space at the Madison County Jail.
Workers installing an air conditioning unit on the roof sparked the 3 p.m. fire when a blowtorch they were using caused a piece of hot metal to drop into the four-foot space above the ceiling of the laundry, Deputy Chief Eddie Belvedresi said. The fire did not spread.
“It couldn’t have happened at a better time,” he said. “It was right at the shift change so a lot of officers were already on the scene.”
No one was injured, but the 144 inmates housed on the other side the building, which also includes the visiting center, were moved to another unit.
“No cells were affected by this,” Madison County emergency management director Butch Hammack said.
Belvedresi said the federal and county inmates housed in the building weren’t aware there was an ongoing fire as they were being shifted. Even after they learned of the blaze, “they were real calm,” he said.
The fire was extinguished by the Canton Fire Department in about 30 minutes. The inmates were expected to be returned to their cells in the building later Wednesday evening after the water was mopped up and the smoke cleared away.
The county will have insurance adjusters in to assess the damage, Belvedresi said. There appeared to be no damage to the roof, he said.
Clarion Ledger
Workers installing an air conditioning unit on the roof sparked the 3 p.m. fire when a blowtorch they were using caused a piece of hot metal to drop into the four-foot space above the ceiling of the laundry, Deputy Chief Eddie Belvedresi said. The fire did not spread.
“It couldn’t have happened at a better time,” he said. “It was right at the shift change so a lot of officers were already on the scene.”
No one was injured, but the 144 inmates housed on the other side the building, which also includes the visiting center, were moved to another unit.
“No cells were affected by this,” Madison County emergency management director Butch Hammack said.
Belvedresi said the federal and county inmates housed in the building weren’t aware there was an ongoing fire as they were being shifted. Even after they learned of the blaze, “they were real calm,” he said.
The fire was extinguished by the Canton Fire Department in about 30 minutes. The inmates were expected to be returned to their cells in the building later Wednesday evening after the water was mopped up and the smoke cleared away.
The county will have insurance adjusters in to assess the damage, Belvedresi said. There appeared to be no damage to the roof, he said.
Clarion Ledger
New law ups the Arizona ante
The newest law signed by Arizona governor Jan Brewer has upped the rhetoric in the brewing conflict between her office and the state's large Hispanic community.
The new law approved late Tuesday is tailored to ban ethnic studies programs run by school districts in Arizona. It's especially targeted against the Tucson school district and its Chicano studies program. The law's proponents say these programs promote division and racism. Others believe this is evidence that Brewer is attacking Hispanics, especially in light of her recent signing of a bill allowing police to more easily investigate if people are illegal immigrants.
The new law approved late Tuesday is tailored to ban ethnic studies programs run by school districts in Arizona. It's especially targeted against the Tucson school district and its Chicano studies program. The law's proponents say these programs promote division and racism. Others believe this is evidence that Brewer is attacking Hispanics, especially in light of her recent signing of a bill allowing police to more easily investigate if people are illegal immigrants.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Dead dolphins wash up on coast; oil's role unclear
Associated Press
SHIP ISLAND, Miss. — Federal wildlife officials are treating the deaths of six dolphins on the Gulf Coast as oil-related even though other factors may be to blame.
Blair Mase (MACE') of the National Marine Fisheries Service said Tuesday that the carcasses have all been found in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama since May 2. Samples have been sent for testing to see whether a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico helped kill the dolphins.
Mase and animal rescue coordinator Michele Kelley in Louisiana said none of the carcasses has obvious signs of oil. Mase also said it's common for dead dolphins to wash up this time of year when they are in shallow waters to calve.
The Associated Press found dolphins swimming and playing in oily waters off Louisiana last week.
Cross Posted at Lucy's Revenge
SHIP ISLAND, Miss. — Federal wildlife officials are treating the deaths of six dolphins on the Gulf Coast as oil-related even though other factors may be to blame.
Blair Mase (MACE') of the National Marine Fisheries Service said Tuesday that the carcasses have all been found in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama since May 2. Samples have been sent for testing to see whether a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico helped kill the dolphins.
Mase and animal rescue coordinator Michele Kelley in Louisiana said none of the carcasses has obvious signs of oil. Mase also said it's common for dead dolphins to wash up this time of year when they are in shallow waters to calve.
The Associated Press found dolphins swimming and playing in oily waters off Louisiana last week.
Cross Posted at Lucy's Revenge
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