Jackson Jambalaya

Yes, you read that right. The President snubs a true hero, someone who actually earned the Nobel Peace Prize.  He just risked his life standing up to Breshnev and the rest of the Kremlin is all.  Not just his life but the lives of his family, friends, and anyone else whoever said hello to him. 

 The Polish government wanted Mr. Walesa to receive a Medal of Freedom on behalf of Jan Karski.  Who was Jan Karski? He just snuck into a death camp and the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942 and then personally warned FDR about the Holocaust (to no avail as no one really believed him.).  Matthew Kaminski writes in the Wall Street Journal:

"The mood soured a bit before Tuesday's award ceremony. The Poles wanted Lech Walesa to receive the medal on Karski's behalf, but the White House nixed the choice. Last year, during Mr. Obama's visit to Poland, the hero of Solidarity refused to attend a large gathering to meet the younger leader. Mr. Walesa felt entitled to a tete-a-tete. Administration officials told Polish journalists that Mr. Walesa's presence was too "political" for this week's occasion. Poles read something else into it: Mr. Obama holds grudges. The counter-snub was the talk of Poland last week." Column

I never thought I would see an American president do something like this.  Despicable.  

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Check this WAPT story at 1:30. To think this woman sits on the city council. WAPT story.

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The Lampton family and Ergon Properties settled last month a lawsuit filed by Mark Culver on behalf of his son Walker. Mr. Culver filed suit in 2011 in Hinds County Circuit Court after his son was injured in an accident on Kearney Park Farms. Dennis Sweet represented Mr. Culver. Several Lampton family members serve as President and directors of Kearney Park Farms, Inc. The settlement amount was not disclosed but court records state Mr. Culver rejected a settlement offer of $500,000.

Mr. Culver filed his first lawsuit against the defendants on January 14, 2011. The case was assigned to Judge Tomie Green. She re-assigned the case to Judge Winston Kidd on June 1, 2011. The complaint alleged 17-year old Walker Culver was with 16-year old Lewis Lampton and several other teen-agers at Kearney Park Farms, a hunting camp adjacent to a lake. Mr. Culver alleges there was an accident involving a truck that injured Walker. The complaint states Walker broke his back, an suffered a L1 burst fracture and of course, psychological suffering took place. Eight hours of surgery was required and young Walker stayed in the hospital for two weeks. The complaint states he had to wear a TLSO brace and bone growth stimulator for two months. It states he still suffers pain from his injuries that will remain with him through the rest of his life.

The complaint accuses Lewis Lampton of "negligently" operating a truck owned by his father and is thus responsible for the injuries and damages to Walker Culver. The complaint charged the Lamptons with counts of negligent entrustment, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and negligent supervision. Mr. Culver accused the teens of drinking and blamed it on the Lamptons. He argued allowing Lewis Lampton to operate a "motor vehicle" was a breach of "his duty to exercise reasonable care in the supervision of his minor child in that his own negligence" when he should have it "would pose an unreasonable risk of harm to others with him or on the road." The complaint also asked for punitive damages.

However, this was not the first time this complaint was filed in Hinds County Circuit Court. The Culvers filed suit on October 18, 2010. The case was assigned to Judge Swan Yerger. The Culvers withdrew their case three days later before anyone was served but after they knew which judge would hear the case. The complaint was then refiled on January 14, 2011 and assigned to Judge Winston Kidd. The Lamptons objected and filed a motion to reassign the case to Judge Jeff Weill since Judge Weill assumed Judge Yerger's caseload ( p.16 of the documents posted below). They argued it was the same complaint and the rules did not allow the plaintiffs to "judge-shop" (my phrase). Judge Kidd denied the motion on April 18, 2012.

The Culvers claimed in their response they withdrew the suit because Progressive Insurance made a settlement offer and wanted to settle the case on that day. No final agreement was signed but the Culvers state since offers were made, they removed the complaint. Progressive then later that year raised the offer to $330,000, then $400,000, then $500,000 but to no avail as the plaintiffs rejected each offer. The plaintiffs admit they refiled the same claims (#17 on p. 31) but only because the settlement negotiations collapsed. A Progressive representative stated in an affidavit (p.54) he did not know about the lawsuit filed on October 18 when he spoke to the attorney for the plaintiffs on October 21 nor did he ask for them to dismiss the complaint.

Judge Kidd dismissed the case with prejudice on May 8 after the parties notified him they settled the case on May 7. The settlement terms were not disclosed.

Editorial comment: That was the news now for the opinion. I think Dennis Sweet knew what he was doing the whole time. He drew Judge Yerger, didn't like it, so he pulled the case. Filed again and got Judge Green, who then gave it to Judge Kidd. It doesn't take a genius to figure this one out. And for any Judge Green defenders, all Judge Green had to do to avoid any appearance of impropriety is put the case back before the original judge or his replacement. But then, respect for Judge Weill is not something she has show much of lately.



I always did love this song, btw.

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Bill Cosby talks about "slow class". Just click on the button below or this link if the button does not work.

Slow Class (Album Version)

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"Please contact me as soon as possible." So ended an April 19 letter from Hinds County attorney Crystal Martin to Derrick Johnson regarding redistricting. Jackson Jambalaya obtained through a public records request correspondence between Mr. Johnson and Hinds County. Needless to say, the correspondence was rather one-sided as Mr. Johnson did not respond in writing. Mr. Johnson is the President of the Mississippi NAACP.

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors hired Derrick Johnson to submit a redistricting plan to the federal government. The deadline was March 1, 2011. The Justice Department notified Hinds County in a May 31, 2011 letter:

"our analysis indicates that the information sent is insufficient to enable us to determine that the proposed redistricting plan has neither the purpose nor will have the effect of denying or abridging the right to vote.... The following information is necessary so that we may complete our review of your submission:" (see documents below for the rest of the letter).

The list is rather extensive in nature as Mr. Johnson failed to provide a great deal of information in his submission.  The Justice Department sent another letter to Hinds County on October 21, 2011. The Justice Department stated in a sentence that was so understated one almost thought a Brit wrote it: "The information provided is not, in all instances, complete and fully responsive to our specific requests."  The Justice Department again asks for a long list of information Mr. Johnson failed to provide:

1. Election returns for all county elections since 1999 and registered voter information for each precinct. Mr. Johnson turned in information that was lacking in population, registered voter, and racial information for each precinct.  He did not even included the race of the candidates.

2. This is the sad part.  Mr. Johnson provided "a listing of the constituent (There he is using big words again) precincts for each plan is contained on the discs which are enclosed."  Um, the Justice Department said no such information was provided by Mr. Johnson:

"We did not receive a disc that contains these precinct listings with the submission received on September 15, 2011.  Instead, we received one disc containing election returns and six discs containing recordings of meetings of the Board of Supervisors."  (Trying hard not to make an editorial comment here.). 

Mr. Johnson did not provide any additional information to the Justice Department until after Ms. Martin sent him several emails in April 2012.  She sent him a short email on April 12 stating she was "getting repeated phone calls with respect to Hinds County redistricting. PLEASE let me know when we get this last submission in." 

Mr. Johnson did not respond.  She sent him another email on April 19:

"I hope all is well with you.  I am writing to advise that I have received numerous calls and inquiries regarding the status of the Hinds County redistricting plan with the U.S. Department of Justice.  There have also been persistent calls and emails from the media regarding the status of the plan.  As you can imagine, members of the Board of Supervisors are very concerned that this issue has not been resolved.  Some of them were under the belief, after speaking with you, that the final plan had been submitted months ago..... Please contact me as soon as possible to discuss this matter." 

Mr. Johnson submitted the information shortly after this email.  It is not known if the information is what was required by the Justice Department. Controversy has arose in Jackson after Mr. Johnson did not sign his contract until the city council threatened to revoke it. Mr. Johnson did not work on the redistricting for months and the city council debated replacing him with another vendor. Earlier post. Wilkinson County withdrew a plan he created after it discovered the plan was very incomplete and drafted in a "slipshod" manner.

Here is the background of this case from an earlier post:

Sooooo............. Hinds County illegally approves a contract for Derrick Johnson to draw new voting lines for Hinds County. Illegal because the contract was not opened up for bidding and the law requires Mr. Johnson is licensed as an attorney in Mississippi if he obtains a no-bid professional service contract. Mr. Johnson has not passed the bar exam in Mississippi or in any other state. Mr. Johnson then charged Hinds County $40,000 for his work. The fee was double what Central Mississippi Planning and Development District charged Rankin and Madison counties - $20,000 apiece.

The Board of Supervisors then held a hearing with no notice posted on the county website, at the courthouse, or in the Clarion-Ledger. The only notice was posted twice in the little read weekly the Jackson Advocate. Mr. Johnson came to the hearing with no maps, little census data, and a ton of rudeness to anyone asking questions. The supervisors then did not make plans available to the public until the day of the final hearing a week later and even then did not provide the map eventually approved by the board until the meeting itself started. Earlier post with maps and video.



Here is the editorial comment from the post about Mr. Johnson and the Jackson City Council a few weeks ago. It still applies:

That was the news, now for the opinion. This meeting only reinforces my view that Derrick Johnson is a con artist. He travels around the state promoting himself as a redistricting specialists. Now it turns out that the Jackson redistricting he brags he did ten years ago was actually a joint project with CMPDD. Anyone want to bet CMPDD did the work while he claimed a check as a "minority vendor"? This was the same Derrick Johnson who according to several Supervisors, told the board he was an attorney when in fact he is not licensed in any state. Video of Hinds County redistricting public hearing. Worth watching again.

The problems with Wilkinson, Hinds, and Jackson show the same thing: refusal to return phone calls, sloppy work when it is actually done, and redistricting plans not even submitted to the Justice Department. Mr. Johnson's action or I should say lack of action, appear to be someone who is in over his head, does not know what to do, and hides. Mr. Johnson appeared at a public hearing last year for Hinds County redistricting with no maps and no data. At the time I thought he was just plain arrogant and trying to pull something shady, now I wonder if the man had no maps because he frankly didn't know what he was doing. He then claimed he had to correct the maps he made because he used the wrong census data, blaming someone else of course.

The contracts for Hinds and Jackson alone are $60,000. It is unknown what the contract is for Wilkinson County. Mr. Johnson saw green and got mean but when it came time to do the work, he is nowhere to be seen. the city should terminate the contract with DL Consultants and move forward with CMPDD since it has already done the work and can have it done in a matter of weeks.

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Yup. He's back again with another video. Enjoy. Or get mad. He's serious today as he did not smoke a cigar.

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Time for an Old Capitol Green update. In case you forgot, the developer for the project came before the Hinds County Board of Supervisors asking for $17 million to build the parking garage. Keep in mind the site is over by Commerce and Silas Brown streets. The Supervisors at first balked because the county has been asking for some financial documents before it gives Full Spectrum one penny. The sort of documents any lender would ask for before lending $17 million: tax returns and audited financial statements for the last three years as well as commitment letters from tenants. The county has asked for this information for over six months yet Full Spectrum has done everything but let the county have a peek at its financial records. In other words, give us the money but don't worry about if we have any money or not, you can trust us.

The money is available through the Mississippi Development Authority. The legislature authorized MDA to provide up to $20 million to the county for the project. All Full Spectrum can see is $20 million as not one shovel of dirt has been turned but don't worry, they promise to start digging in August. The supes said enough, if you turn in the requested financial documents by last Friday at 5:00 PM, we will send a non-binding letter to MDA asking for the money. So Full Spectrum posted this message on its Facebook page yesterday:

"Old Capitol Green is moving forward! The developers submitted the required financial documentation to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors on Friday, May 25, 2012 before the 5pm deadline, as planned, and now it's full speed ahead! Thank you all for your continued support! We will continue to keep you posted on progress as it develops!"

Not so fast. Full Spectrum sent to the count a confidentiality agreement late Friday afternoon. It would not submit any financial records until the county signed the agreement. A bit redundant as the public records law already allows the county to keep such documents secret. Then right at 5:00 PM Friday, Full Spectrum turned in a bunch of documents. Thus no one had a chance to review them until yesterday. Over the last week, Full Spectrum has not exactly told the whole story. Let me count the ways. WLBT story

When pressed by the Supervisors last week for financial records, Malcolm Shepperd told the board he had already provided them to JRA and the city of Jackson. JRA informed this correspondent no such documents were ever submitted. Mr. Shepperd then offered this excuse to the Clarion-Ledger Sunday:

"Malcolm Shepherd, Full Spectrum's development director, had said the information would be submitted Friday. He said there was a delay in providing financial information because the project has been downsized. The parking garage initially was to have 800 parking spaces but is expected to be reduced to 450." Article

Oh really? What the heck does the size of a parking garage have to do with providing tax returns or income statements from two years ago? Does the parking garage affect his bank statements? Is there some reason a CPA can't audit his books if the project changes? Projects change all the time, basic lending requirements don't. The county is the lender and is doing what every lender should do: ask to see the books to see what kind of shape the developer is in before lending one dime of taxpayer money. More smoke and mirrors from Full Spectrum. Then there is this explanation last week to the Jackson Free Press:

"Malcolm Shepherd, development director of Full Spectrum South, said he has already received more letters of interest in renting retail space than the development will hold. Full Spectrum will not make any official deals with retailers until they break ground on construction, though, Shepherd said..."

Um, these are not commitment letters. But keep reading.

"Shepherd is working on the final step before the purchase of the property: a tax increment finance application. After the developers downsized the original plans for 1822 Square from the original $350-million proposal, Shepherd had to rework the value and size of the development for the application. He hopes the TIF will fund infrastructure improvements for the development.

"It is not an easy (application) to fill out. It's kind of complicated because they ask you questions that you have to calculate for them," Shepherd said earlier this month.

Shepherd said Monday that he finished the application and submitted it to Michael Davis, deputy director of the Jackson office of Economic Development, Friday, May 18. " Article

What TIF's? No TIF's have been mentioned at the meetings of the supervisors and I have every discussion recorded on video. I've talked to JRA and there are no TIF's. Notice how the story and Mr. Sheppard say nothing about asking for a $17 million loan from the county.

Anyone seeing a pattern?

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New revelations took place in the De Mon McClinton case in Hinds County Chancery Court this morning. Chancellor Dewayne Thomas held a hearing on whether Thomas McClinton, the father of De Mon, should be found guilty of contempt of court. The Chancellor imprisoned attorney Mike Brown and cemetery owner Linus Shackelford for the same charges after finding they embezzled from the guardianship of De Mon McClinton. Brown and Shackelford are free on bond and have filed a notice of appeal with the Mississippi Supreme Court.

De Mon is the grandson of Mississippi civil rights legend Aaron henry. His mother, Rebecca Henry, left him $3.5 million when she died in 2000. Then-Chancellor Stuart Robinson appointed Thomas as the guardian and ordered the money to be deposited into an FDIC-insured bank account. Judge Robinson also ruled the money could not be withdrawn without court approval. Unfortunately for De Mon, a great deal of money was spent without notifying the court.

Judge Thomas ruled at a February hearing Mr. Brown never deposited the money in an account nor was one ever established. Judge Thomas threw Mr. Brown in jail after he could not account for the money. A special master reported at a March hearing the money was deposited in several bank accounts, but the banks were never informed the accounts were restricted by the court. Special Master Paul Rogers reported Mike Brown, Thomas McClinton, and Linus Shackelford removed large sums of money which belonged to De Mon. Mr. Shackelford borrowed $550,000 from the estate in 2001 but never repaid any of the money. Judge Thomas ordered him to repay the money with interest but Mr. Shackelford failed to do so.

Enough of the background, now for the main event today. Judge Thomas scheduled the hearing after Special Master Paul Rogers reported Thomas McClinton spent a great deal of De Mon's money and directed funds to girlfriend Lottie Campbell. After sending the BS twins packing, McClinton and Campbell got to face Judge Thomas today. Irony filled the room as McClintons, father and son, sat on opposite benches facing each other. Young De Mon sat through it all, wearing a nice suit, trying to get his money back. The other side said it all. A father clad in a faded green t-shirt and faded khakis while Ms. Campbell dressed in a nice black business suit, looking like an elderly paralegal than a defendant. Judge Thomas banned all cameras, cellphones, and ipads from the courtroom as the bailiff threatened to jail anyone caught violating the order.

Mr. McClinton's lawyer opened the hearing by filing a motion to dismiss. He said the statute of limitations had long expired since De Mon had turned 18 in 2003 and the guardianship was closed in 2006. De Mon's attorney Precious Martin, brought the discovery rule to the gunfight as he invoked the rule.. The discovery rule (in layman's terms) says the statute of limitations does not expire if a fraud is later discovered as the court ruled took place in this case. Mr. Martin demanded an accounting from Thomas McClinton and said he was "trying to figure out what happened to De Mon's money." He said something about "roaches" and "disinfectant", showing no mercy as he made his argument. He said the accounting provided by the senior McClinton was "insufficient" and asked for additional discovery.

Mr. Martin told the court he wanted to depose Thomas McClinton and Lottie Campbell. He said "cars were bought" for Lottie Campbell's children and the funds used was "sourced and seasoned from De Mon's money." Mr. Martin said Trustmark and Regions banks at first said they didn't keep records past seven years and the bank statements for money was "long gone" but that they "miraculously appeared" after receiving subpoenas.

Mr. Martin said he would soon submit a settlement with Trustmark to the court. Mr. Martin then said he had received "information" that Linus Shackelford would repay the money owed to the court "plus interest" (Don't say it.).

Attorney Loraleigh Phillips then addressed the court, representing a pawn shop. Mr. Martin served her client with a subpoena for records Saturday. Ms. Phillips said the records were for items pawned by Mike Brown and they were protected from disclosure by federal law. She also argued she had no time to review the subpoena. Judge Thomas quashed the subpoena and ordered Mr. Martin to issue another one. Judge Thomas then continued the hearing to June 26 at 9:00 AM. The Chancellor authorized Mr. Martin to move forward with discovery.

Collection of related posts

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Charlie Smith, Editor of the Greenwood Commonwealth, will be on the show to discuss the Dr. Smith/Lee Abraham case. 1180 AM at 8:05. Should be interesting.

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Note: document below is fixed.

Hatfields & McCoys have nothing, and I do mean nothing, on the Smith-Abraham feud. With all of the hit men, anonymous letters, and court fights, it gets kind of confusing at times to figure out exactly what happened and when it happened. No problem. Here is a timeline that makes it easier for you to keep track of this case:

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Judge Thomas. 9:00 AM. Thomas McClinton gets his turn in front of the Iron Chancellor. Word on the street also is De Mon McClinton attorney Precious Martin subpoenaed records from a pawn shop. Interesting.

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I've posted this show for a couple of Memorial Days now and still like it, so I'm posting it again. While looking for Memorial Day stuff for this website a few years ago, I came across these videos about what is now a little-known rescue of American soldiers in a Bataan Death Camp in the Philippines. The Mission was to rescue 500 soldiers. There were 1000 Jap soldiers a mile to the east and another 7,000 soldiers 4 miles to the west. 120 Rangers were selected to carry out the mission. The camp was 30 miles behind enemy lines. Quit watching the crap on tv or surfing the net and watch these videos. The story is quite riveting.






Part 2
Part 3

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This limp-wristed host over at MSNBC has a hard time calling soldiers "heroes":




Probably gets botox and facials.

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The AP's Jeff Amy reported last week the Quitman School District is in danger of losing its accreditation from the Department of Education:

"A dispute between the Quitman school district and a school board member who believes her twin autistic sons aren't getting the services they need could lead to a downgrade in accreditation for the district.

A hearing on the district's accreditation status opened Wednesday in Jackson. A hearing officer will make a recommendation to the state accreditation commission, which could in turn recommend to the state Board of Education that it lower Quitman's status.

The Quitman district has about 2,000 students and covers the southern two-thirds of Clarke County, south of Meridian. It's not to be confused with the Quitman County district in the state's Delta region.

School board member Rebecca Watkins and husband Amos say the district has illegally withheld copies of their sons' educational records and is denying them required input in planning their sons' education. Quitman administrators say they fairly treated the Watkinses, that the family has been uncooperative, and that the district doesn't have to cater to the parents' desires. The district also says that if it withheld records, no harm was done to the boys or parents.

The Mississippi Department of Education has recommended the sanction, saying Quitman has failed to meet state standards on special education.

"The Quitman Consolidated School District has demonstrated a continual pattern of noncompliance for over a year," said Heather Deaton, a lawyer for the state.

The district disagrees, saying there's no evidence of a required pattern of violations, or that the district's actions have done anything to harm the children or the parents.

"The state department is looking at no more than procedural requirements," lawyer Jim Keith told a hearing officer Wednesday. "The only reason we're here today is the complaints of one parent. If the parent had simply worked with the district, we wouldn't be here today...."

The dispute escalated to a formal hearing that stretched over eight days last fall. The hearing officer found that the Watkins family hadn't met their burden of proof and that although there had been a failure to provide educational records, that failure was harmless..."

The parents also filed a lawsuit in federal court against the district. Copy of lawsuit. The parents claim the district has spent over $300,000 in attorneys concerning this dispute.

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There is a campaign to associate the red poppy flower with Memorial Day. The idea is based on this poem:

"In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields."

So if you observe Memorial Day tomorrow, wear a red poppy. It was a national tradition for some years after the Great War.

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Israel's ambassador to the United Stated penned this column in the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago:

"This year Israel is celebrating . . . a series of accomplishments that have surely exceeded the expectations of its most visionary founders. It is one of the most powerful small nations in history. . . . [It] has tamed an arid wilderness [and] welcomed 1.25 million immigrants. . . . The Israelis themselves did the fighting, the struggling, the sacrificing in order to perform the greatest feat of all—forging a new society . . . in which pride and confidence have replaced the despair engendered by age-long suffering and persecution."

So Life magazine described Israel on the occasion of its 25th birthday in May 1973. In a 92-page special issue, "The Spirit of Israel," the magazine extolled the Jewish state as enlightened, robustly democratic and hip, a land of "astonishing achievement" that dared "to dream the dream and make that dream come alive."

Life told the story of Israel's birth from the Bible through the Holocaust and the battle for independence. "The Arabs' bloodthirsty threats," the editors wrote, "lend a deadly seriousness to the vow: Never Again." Four pages documented "Arab terrorist attacks" and the three paragraphs on the West Bank commended Israeli administrators for respecting "Arab community leaders" and hiring "tens of thousands of Arabs." The word "Palestinian" scarcely appeared.

There was a panoramic portrayal of Jerusalem, described as "the focus of Jewish prayers for 2,000 years" and the nucleus of new Jewish neighborhoods. Life emphasized that in its pre-1967 borders, Israel was "a tiny, parched, scarcely defensible toe-hold." The edition's opening photo shows a father embracing his Israeli-born daughter on an early "settlement," a testament to Israel's birthright to the land.

Would a mainstream magazine depict the Jewish state like this today, during the week of its 64th birthday?

Unlikely. Rather, readers would learn about Israel's overwhelming military might, brutal conduct in warfare and eroding democratic values—plus the Palestinians' plight and Israeli intransigence. The photographs would show not cool students and cutting-edge artists but soldiers at checkpoints and religious radicals.

Why has Israel's image deteriorated? After all, Israel today is more democratic and—despite all the threats it faces—even more committed to peace.

Some claim that Israel today is a Middle Eastern power that threatens its neighbors, and that conservative immigrants and extremists have pushed Israel rightward. Most damaging, they contend, are Israel's policies toward the territories it captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, toward the peace process and the Palestinians, and toward the construction of settlements.

Israel may seem like Goliath vis-à-vis the Palestinians, but in a regional context it is David. Gaza is host to 10,000 rockets, many of which can hit Tel Aviv, and Hezbollah in Lebanon has 50,000 missiles that place all of Israel within range. Throughout the Middle East, countries with massive arsenals are in upheaval. And Iran, which regularly pledges to wipe Israel off the map, is developing nuclear weapons. Israel remains the world's only state that is threatened with annihilation.

Whether in Lebanon, the West Bank or Gaza, Israel has acted in self-defense after suffering thousands of rocket and suicide attacks against our civilians. Few countries have fought with clearer justification, fewer still with greater restraint, and none with a lower civilian-to-militant casualty ratio. Israel withdrew from Lebanon and Gaza to advance peace only to receive war in return.

Whereas Israelis in 1973 viewed the creation of a Palestinian state as a mortal threat, it is now the official policy of the Israeli government. Jewish men of European backgrounds once dominated Israel, but today Sephardic Jews, Arabs and women are prominent in every facet of society. This is a country where a Supreme Court panel of two women and an Arab convicted a former president of sexual offenses. It is the sole Middle Eastern country with a growing Christian population. Even in the face of immense security pressures, Israel has never known a second of nondemocratic rule.

In 1967, Israel offered to exchange newly captured territories for peace treaties with Egypt and Syria. The Arab states refused. Israel later evacuated the Sinai, an area 3.5 times its size, for peace with Egypt, and it conceded land and water resources for peace with Jordan.

In 1993, Israel recognized the Palestinian people ignored by Life magazine, along with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the perpetrator of those "Arab terrorist attacks." Israel facilitated the creation of a Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza and armed its security forces. Twice, in 2000 and 2008, Israel offered the Palestinians a state in Gaza, virtually all of the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. In both cases, the Palestinians refused. Astonishingly, in spite of the Palestinian Authority's praise for terror, a solid majority of Israelis still support the two-state solution.

Israel has built settlements (some before 1973), and it has removed some to promote peace, including 7,000 settlers to fulfill the treaty with Egypt. Palestinians have rebuffed Israel's peace offers not because of the settlements—most of which would have remained in Israel anyway, and which account for less than 2% of the West Bank—but because they reject the Jewish state. When Israel removed all settlements from Gaza, including their 9,000 residents, the result was a terrorist ministate run by Hamas, an organization dedicated to killing Jews world-wide.

Nevertheless, Israeli governments have transferred large areas to the Palestinian Authority and much security responsibility to Palestinian police. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has removed hundreds of checkpoints, eased the Gaza land blockade and joined President Obama in calling for the resumption of direct peace talks without preconditions. Addressing Congress, Mr. Netanyahu declared that the emergence of a Palestinian state would leave some settlements beyond Israel's borders and that "with creativity and with good will a solution can be found" for Jerusalem.

Given all this, why have anti-Israel libels once consigned to hate groups become media mainstays? How can we explain the assertion that an insidious "Israel Lobby" purchases votes in Congress, or that Israel oppresses Christians? Why is Israel's record on gay rights dismissed as camouflage for discrimination against others?

The answer lies in the systematic delegitimization of the Jewish state. Having failed to destroy Israel by conventional arms and terrorism, Israel's enemies alit on a subtler and more sinister tactic that hampers Israel's ability to defend itself, even to justify its existence.

It began with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat's 1974 speech to the U.N., when he received a standing ovation for equating Zionism with racism—a view the U.N. General Assembly endorsed the following year. It gained credibility on college campuses through anti-Israel courses and "Israel Apartheid Weeks." It burgeoned through the boycott of Israeli scholars, artists and athletes, and the embargo of Israeli products. It was perpetuated by journalists who published doctored photos and false Palestinian accounts of Israeli massacres.

Israel must confront the acute dangers of delegitimization as it did armies and bombers in the past. Along with celebrating our technology, pioneering science and medicine, we need to stand by the facts of our past. "The Spirit of Israel" has not diminished since 1973—on the contrary, it has flourished. The state that Life once lionized lives even more vibrantly today."

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Today is the 86th birthday of Miles Davis. Here are two of my favorites:



Starts getting real good at 3:50.

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Representative Miles Patrick Nelson announced on Facebook this morning he is running for the Senate seat formerly held by Merle Flowers.

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A 2012 actuarial report states the city of Jackson has an unfunded liability of $61,685,944 in its municipal retirement account. The unfunded liability increased $1.2 million from the 2011 report. The retirement account covers police and firefighters hired by the city prior to April 1, 1976. The funding level is currently 51.6%.

Retirement systems for policeman and firemen were managed by municipalities for decades. Enrollment in these retirement accounts ended in the late 1970's as new employees were enrolled in PERS. The municipalities were given the option of converting these accounts to the PERS system in the 1980s but nearly 20 chose not to do so. The municipalities, not PERS, are responsible for these accounts although they are managed by PERS. 2011 post on this issue.

The report states there are only two current city employees enrolled in the system and 654 beneficiaries- 453 retired employees and 191 surviving family members. 10 are on disability. The annual benefit to a retiree is $22,328 and $14,662 to a survivor. The total payment in fiscal year 2011 to beneficiaries was $13,050,754. The average age is 72 years old. A member is paid 50% of his average compensation and an additional 1.7% of average compensation for each year of service over twenty years (the maximum level is 66%.).

The total liability for Jackson is $127,472,064 but the plan has $65,786,120 in assets. The plan assumes a rate of return of 8.0% BUT the report does not state the actual rate of return. The plan was funded on September 30, 2011 at a level of 51.6%.

Councilmen Frank Bluntson, Tony Yarber, and Quentin Whiwell all told this correspondent the city did not tell them about this account nor did it notify them of the unfunded liability. Mr. Whitwell said he spoke to PERS and was told the plan as in no danger of failing to meet its obligations. Information regarding the plan starts on page 73 in the Jackson comprehensive financial report.

Jackson faced a similar problem in the mid 1990s. Jackson's plan was below a funding level of 50% from 1991 (38%) to 1996 (46%). The unfunded actuarial liability was $73,861,000 in 1996 and after reaching $80,568,000 in 1994. Jackson issued $50 million in retirement bonds (actually $49.8 million) that were paid off in 2009. The interest cost was $23 million of the bonds. The average interest rate paid on the bonds was 6.3% (not a weighted average) and the average annual principal payment was $4.1 million. The proceeds gained from the sale of the bonds paid the unfunded liability down to $15.8 million in 1997 and improved the funding level to 88%. The plan had a surplus of $6.2 million in 2002 and was funded at 104%. Unfortunately, the funding level has declined since 2004:

1998: 90%
1999: 98%
2000: 102%
2001: 104%
2002: 94%
2003: 88%
2004: 83%
2005: 76%
2006: 73%
2007: 72%
2008: 70%
2009: 59%
2010: 54%
2011: 52%

Jackson dedicates 5.75 mills (slightly over $1 million per mill) to funding the plan. The funds generated by the property taxes were used to retire the bonds. Thus Jackson only contributed $280,482, 7.9% of the PERS-required contribution of $3,563,516. However, Jackson paid more than the required amount in 2010: $5,735,113 while PERS required $5,005,779 - a payment of 114%. Jackson is scheduled to end contributions in 2020 as it projects the system to be fully funded as it winds down to zero beneficiaries.



Some facts from the reports:

1997
Assets: $120.4 million
Liabilities: $137.5 million
Unfunded liability: $17.1 million
Average monthly benefit: $2,034

2004
Assets: $119.7 million
Liabilities: $144.6 million
Unfunded liability: $24.8 million
Average monthly benefit: $2,543

2009
Assets: $79.1 million
Liabilities: $133.2 million
Unfunded liability: $54.0 million

2010
Assets: $70.8 million
Liabilities: $131.2 million
Unfunded liability: $60.4 million

2011 PERS report on all municipal retirement systems
2010 PERS report on Municipal Retirement Accounts
2010 PERS report on Jackson's Municipal Retirement Account
2009 PERS report on Municipal Retirement Accounts
2004 PERS report on Municipal Retirement Accounts
1997 PERS report on Jackson's Municipal Retirement Accounts
1997 Jackson Special Obligation Bonds

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Seems that things got out of hand recently at a neighborhood pool over in Madison. The HOA sent out this email:

Pool update:

On May 23, 2012, a joint Board meeting was held of the ********** Board (the "big" association), the ******* ****** Board, and the ****** ******* Board. The main issues before the group centered around the "happenings" at the ********* pool last weekend (May 19th and 20th), and how to preclude a recurrence in the future.
First, here's what happened last weekend!

1. There were 2 separate reports of semen in the pool;
2. Used condoms were found in the pool and on the pool deck;
3. Lady's red thongs were abandoned in the Men's Restroom;
4. Lady's used tampons were left on the floor of the Lady's Restroom;
5. Garbage containers were left completely full both days;
6. Pool furniture was thrown in the pool and left;
7. Two chaise lounges were completely destroyed
8. Pool water was contaminated and created a health hazard;
9. Pool pumps shut down due to clogged filters caused by excessive contamination (food, cigarette butts, clothing items, and other trash thrown in the pool);
10. Automatic refill float stuck and lines clogged from detailed contamination;
11. Trash (beer cans, soft drink cans, pizza boxes, KFC remains, personal clothing items, plastic utensils, paper towels, napkins, etc.) in the flower beds, parking lot, and thrown over the pool fence into adjacent common area;
12. Food items, plastic spoons, forks and knives, chicken bones, pizza crusts, etc. thrown in the pool;
13. Many...many cigarette butts thrown in the pool, on the pool deck, and into the flower beds;
14. Clothing, children's play items (toys, rafts, plastic beach ball), towels, etc. discarded in the pool and
on the pool deck;
15. Ceramic tile in Lady's Restroom broken and damaged;

These inconsiderate and irresponsible actions caused the pool to have to be closed for cleaning and sanitizing (shocking) for a minimum of 48 hours, and costs your Association excessively...which costs you, the members personally and individually.
Your assistance is essential! Help your Boards insure that such does not occur in the future! If you see anyone acting in a disrespectful nature to persons or property (loud abusive voice or aggressive actions, trashing the area, breaking anything, throwing anything in the pool, leaving anything on the pool deck, throwing anything over the fence, bringing glass items into the pool area, hosting more than two adult guests and their children, entering the pool in any way other than using their own family pool card, engaging in unacceptable displays of public affection, please take action...ask them to cease and desist. Should they fail to act in a more respectful and acceptable manner, please call the Madison County Sheriff's Department at 601-859-5972 for assistance. It's your pool...treat it as if it were in your backyard...do not allow ANYONE to abuse your pool!

Starting Friday afternoon (5/25) and continuing on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Memorial Day) your Boards have decided to employ a private security firm to provide a pool security guard to insure compliance with *********'s Pool Rules...ZERO TOLERANCE. Anyone showing disrespect to ********* members and their families by trespassing, or otherwise violating the pool rules will be asked to leave the premises. Failure to do so will result in a call to the Madison County Sheriffs Department, and the issuance of an arrest warrant. Additionally, violators may be subject to cancellation of their pool privileges for up to the balance of the 2012 swim season—cancellation period to be determined by the ********** Board.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

Board of Directors of ******* Owners Association, Inc.
Board of Directors of ********* ****** Owners Association, Inc.
Board of Directors of ******** ******** Owners Association, Inc.


KF note: Yeesh. Whatever happened to just skinny dipping in the pool?

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Mississippi Supreme Court agreed with Auditor Stacey Pickering and said the $14 million given to now-disbarred attorney Joey Langston was "public funds". The court remanded the case to the trial court for further "disposition" of the case. In other words, decide how much money the Auditor should recover from Langston if I am reading this correctly. Copy of decision.

The court also also issued a similar opinion in the Microsoft case.

State Auditor Stacey Pickering issued the following press release:

"(Jackson, Miss.) The Mississippi Supreme Court released 2 opinions today on cases before them involving State Auditor Stacey Pickering, Attorney General’s Office, MCI and Microsoft. The Supreme Court released an opinion that is shared by former State Auditor, now Governor Phil Bryant and State Auditor Stacey Pickering, fees paid to outside counsel as a part of contingency fee contracts are public funds and must be appropriated either by the Mississippi Legislature or through the Attorney General’s contingency fund.

In both cases, MCI and Microsoft, The Supreme Court’s opinion accepts the Auditor’s arguments and every defense is dismissed with only one Justice dissenting, and then only partially.

Excerpt from today’s opinion in “Stacey Pickering, in His Capacity As Auditor For the State of Mississippi v. Langston Law Firm, P.A.; Joseph C. Langston; State of Mississippi; Lundy & Davis; And Aylstock Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz”:

The plain language of Section 7 – 5 – 7 mandates the outside counsel retained by the Attorney General be paid only from the Attorney General’s contingent fund or from funds appropriated to the Attorney General by the Legislature,” – NO. 2010-CA-00362-SCT, Supreme Court of Mississippi.

“The Supreme Court agreed that the Mississippi Statute uses the mandatory term ‘shall,’ and we view this mandate as declaratory that all fees paid through contingency fee contracts are public funds and must be appropriated by the Mississippi Legislature,” said State Auditor Stacey Pickering. “These rulings today are a victory for open government and transparency as well as for the taxpayers of Mississippi. These opinions set a clear precedent in Mississippi ensuring that the purse strings of the State of Mississippi are to be controlled by the Mississippi Legislature. These funds are public funds, subject not only to control by the Legislature but also subject to audit by the State Auditor’s Office. I appreciate my predecessor Governor Bryant for his leadership on this issue when it began in 2007, and I am overwhelming pleased with today’s action by the Mississippi Supreme Court.”

###

Elected as Mississippi’s State Auditor in 2007, Stacey Pickering has recovered more than $4.9 million in embezzled, misspent or misappropriated funds. He is a seventh generation Mississippian from Jones County. Auditor Pickering currently serves on the Domestic Working Group for the Office of the Comptroller General of the United States. He also serves on the Financial Management and Intergovernmental Affairs and Performance Audit Committees for the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers and is a member of the National State Auditors Association. Prior to serving as State Auditor, Pickering served as a State Senator from 2004-2007 representing Jones County and is credited for co-authoring legislation allowing Mississippi to end lawsuit abuse. Throughout his political career, Pickering has made tremendous strides in creating more accountability and transparency in government and continues to promote fiscal responsibility and the need for more efficiency and productivity in government. For more information on Stacey Pickering, visit www.osa.state.ms.us/auditors-bio.htm."

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Senator Merle Flowers has resigned from the Senate this morning.

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I won't even write a lead for this one. Just read and weep. Only comment I will make is it appears the paper was profitable but the chain was not or the chain is cannibalizing the newspaper to keep the company afloat. Newspaper chains were the worst damn things to ever happen to the business as the profitable papers are looted to keep the dying corporate fish afloat. Ugh.

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We had Jim McDowell of The Rez News blog on the show yesterday to discuss all things about the Ross Barnett Reservoir. Senator Josh Harkins called in for about 15 minutes. Threw some major softballs that we borrowed from the Senior Leagues. Enjoy.

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Here are the latest crime stats available online:

Jackson crime stats for week ending May 13, 2012.

Jackson major crimes overview for week ending May 13, 2012.

Overall violent crime is down 49% and property crime down 32% from the same week last year. However, YTD property crimes are only down 13% and violent crime is up 23%.  Armed robbery and homicides are leading the way in violent crime categories.  Unfortunately for Precinct 1, business burglaries led the way in all categories with a 71% increase YTD compared to last year. Ouch. Precinct 3 led the way in violent crime as armed robberies increased YTD 131% compared to last year as well.

Precinct 4. Property crime is down 27% and violent crime down 31% from the same week last year while YTD is down 6% for property crimes and 17% for violent crime. Precinct 4 saw a huge reduction in auto burglary, 30%, YTD compared to a year ago. House burglaries YTD are down 26% from last year. Good job in Precinct 4, JPD. 

City of Madison crime reports through May 22, 2012.

Reservoir patrol for April, 2012.

Byram crime reports through May 19, 2012. 

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Read this story about Old Capital Green in today's Jackson Free Press. Then compare it to the story I posted about the project earlier in the week. Are we even covering the same topic? Oh, that's right, their reporters weren't even present when this was discussed. Carry on.

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Zoning Committee votes 10-1 to deny City of Faith application. City of Faith will appeal to City Council.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

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Jackson Jambalaya needs your help if you live in Jackson. This website has taken an active interest in bonds over the years, providing coverage on bond deals the rest of the media didn't see fit to report. The dirty little secret of state, county, and local governments is bonds are one of the largest sources of sweetheart deals. Competitive bidding? Hardly ever happens as local governments usually hand out all the associated contracts for lawyers, bankers, and various consultants to their friends with no thought given to saving money for the taxpayers. Butler Snow walks in, does some work, quick $50,000. A connected "financial advisor" such as Malachi gets an easy $100,000. The convention center hotel was the last straw. Malachi was going to get $1.5 million in fees (Source: CL), another guy was going to get $2 million to "monitor" the project, and then there were all the lawyer fees, underwriting fees, and so on. Then there is the question of whether the bond deals themselves are good for taxpayers.

City council members and Supervisors unfortunately do not even know the right questions to ask when these deals are presented. I've filed public records requests for all documents about bond packages with the city of Jackson and received more documents than what were given to the city council. Unfortunately, too many of these deals are created just to generate fees for the good ole boys. Mayor Johnson and the city council refinanced nearly $30 million in bonds two years ago. The refinancing gave the Mayor $5.5 million a year for three years in up-front money, allowing him to escape the budget disasters plaguing other cities. Want to know how he is getting away with not laying off employees or drastically cutting services? This is it. However, there is just one problem. After five years, the city has to start paying money on the refinancing instead of receiving money. The city will pay over $4 million a year in the last few years of the bonds. Jackson will thus pay $8 million more than if it never refinanced the bonds. Earlier post with chart.

More packages will come down the turnpike. A new hotel project. A $10 million loan for Farish Street. More bonds for Old Capital Green. Yup, we are going to have a 38% vacancy rate in office space downtown and the JRA recommended selling bonds to build more office space. Nuts.

Well, Harvey Johnson and Kenneth Stokes pointed out something in the law that was unknown to me. They threatened to force a referendum on any bonds used to finance the Byram-Clinton Corridor Project. I was unaware such could be done so I looked at the code and shazam, the law does allow them do so such a thing if they can get 1,500 signatures of registered voters in Hinds County. Hmmm...... you mean there is a way we can scrutinize these bond deals a little bit more when our elected leaders drop the ball, including my councilman and supervisor? Thank you for the idea, Kenneth and Harvey. I checked the code and sure enough, we can do the same thing for the city of Jackson. Section 21-33-307 of the Mississippi Code states:

"Before issuing any bonds for any of the purposes enumerated in Section 21-33-301, the governing authority of the issuing municipality shall adopt a resolution declaring its intention so to do, stating the amount of bonds proposed to be issued and the purpose for which the bonds are to be issued, and the date upon which the aforesaid authority proposes to direct the issuance of such bonds....... If ten percent (10%) of the qualified electors of the municipality, or fifteen hundred (1500), whichever is the lesser, shall file a written protest against the issuance of such bonds on or before the date specified in such resolution, then an election on the question of the bonds shall be called and held as is provided in Section 21-33-309...."

Once the council passes the bond resolution specifying the date for the sale of the bonds, we have 21 days to get 1,500 signatures to force an election. The resolution will need 60% of the vote to pass. Such an election will not kill the bond package BUT what it will do is make our conscript fathers tell us why they should be allowed to max out our credit card. They want to refinance some more bonds and line some pockets? First you have to get our approval. Want to build a convention center hotel while monitors are paid $2 million? Got to come to us first. For too long Jackson residents have been victimized by bond deals and let down by their leaders. It's time to put a brake on some of this foolishness.

Here is what JJ needs. If you are interested in gathering signatures to place bond deals on the ballot, send an email to kingfish1935@gmail.com. Once a resolution is passed, we only have 21 days to gather the 1,500 signatures. That means 21 days to hit the pavement, work the Kroger parking lot, bug your neighbors, and be one of those crazy people walking around with a clipboard. Don't let the city or county whine about the cost of holding such an election. They will pay more than the cost of a bond referendum to one adviser and there are several advisers and underwriters on these deals. So if you want to volunteer and be a Minuteman to hold their feet to the fire, send me an email. Such a referendum will not kill the deal as the voters can approve it. However, it will force officials to actually explain a sale of bonds to us and why we should approve it. The bond issue will need 60% approval from the voters.
The legislature gave you, the voters, the power to inject some responsibility into city finances- if you use it!

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