Haley Barbour Pardons Murderers & Rapists... And I'm Not Surprised

Yesterday, most of the country read in absolute shock that former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour pardoned over 200 convicted felons as his last act of office. Yes, Haley of "let's merge all MS HBCUs" infamy. The Haley who publicly stated that the White Citizen's Council (a hate group) was for integration (wrong) and that he doesn't remember the Civil Rights Era as "being that bad." (source) The Haley Barbour who only released (not pardoned) the Scott Sisters due to health conditions and on condition. This man, who was an early favorite for the Republican presidential nomination, decided to show how many damns he didn't give by not only letting these criminals--many of whom were convicted of murder, manslaughter, and rape--go free, but by not even speaking with the victims/victims' families.

[caption id="attachment_2040" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="former (hallelujah) governor Haley Barbour"][/caption]

It is unclear why he chose to give the pardons to the people he did, and he has not released any statement concerning the pardons. It was announced that ten of those who received pardons lived and worked at the governor's mansion as trustees as privilege for good behavior.  Pardons were also granted for Karen Irby, a wealthy white woman who killed two doctors while DUI in 2008 and Ernest Scott Farve (Brett's brother) who killed his friend while drunk driving.

My speculation? Payoffs. Do I have any kind of proof to back that up? Nope, that's why it's speculation. Others have said he did it to say that crime increased after he left office, while still others assume it was a series of favors done for his network of good ol boys. Whatever the reason, I can't even say that I'm surprised. As the end of his term drew near, Haley started showing more and more how much he just DGAF. What does surprise me is that other major Republicans have stayed rather silent on the issue. In today's crazy "up is down" political climate, I was so sure someone would speak out in defense of his actions. So far, "mum" is the word. Has he tarnished his reputation with his own party? One can only hope, to avoid a Barbour presidential ticket in 2016. But if he has not done irreparable damage and does get the nod for candidacy in the next presidential election (or any election for that matter) I hope that our collective memory is not so short that we forget this act of cowardice.

(You can view the eight pages worth of names here.)

Thoughts on the Mississippi Elections

On yesterday, Mississippi voters came out in surprisingly high numbers to cast their vote. It is speculated that the proposed initiatives are what boosted voter turnout. Here are my brief thoughts on last night's results:

Initiative 26: The Personhood Amendment

Y'all already know how I felt about this. I wasn't sure how this would turn out; after all, Mississippi is a really conservative state in the middle of the Bible Belt. So it was a relief to see that MS 26 was defeated with 58% of voters rejecting the idea. Actually I'm surprised the numbers weren't closer. Mississippi is showing some progress! Although I don't think we've seen the last of these amendments to essentially make abortion illegal, the rights of women and families are safe for now.

Initiative 27: Voter ID

This one shocked the hell out of me. Mississippians overwhelmingly voted in favor of this amendment, which stated that voters would need to present a government issued ID to vote. How overwhelmingly? Try 62%. 62%. I have to wonder what was going through the minds of those who voted for this. Of course there were some that knew exactly how this would affect future elections. But I have to think that the reason this didn't pass is because people were unaware of what this really means. I believe that many people simply bought the "voter fraud" excuse (which, by the way, has failed to materialize) and thought "well we have to show ID at other places (businesses) so it's the same thing." They didn't consider the disenfranchisement on those who do not have government-issued ID (which happen to be way more blacks and Hispanics than whites). It's proof that you can't just blindly go in and press yes or no. These issues are important and need to be taken seriously; due diligence must be done.

Gubernatorial Election

I can't say I was disappointed here. To be disappointed means that there was some expectation, and as much as I wanted Democratic candidate Johnny Dupree to win, I knew the odds were not in his favor. Republican Phil Bryant won with 61% of the vote. (Sidenote: he has such a slimy, sleazy, "good ol boy" vibe. Which means he'll fit right in with most of these politicians.) One thing that did amuse me was the fact that so many people thought Dupree (who was the first black mayor of Hattiesburg and first black candidate for MS governor) would have won if all the black people in Mississippi had voted. This kind of thinking is similar to those who felt that African-Americans "won" the vote for President Obama. As of 2010, African-Americans only make up 37% of the state's population. So even if every eligible black voter came out and pressed JOHNNY DUPREE, it would not have been enough on its own. And guess what? Not all of them would have voted Democrat! Shocking (and confusing), I know, but it's true. In fact, I know a black man who said he doesn't vote along party lines and voted for Bryant because he felt he was best suited for the job. Again, I didn't understand it, but it just goes to show that you can't assume that all black people are voting Dem, or for the black man. It is what it is.

However, I will say this: the fact that Mayor Dupree made it as far as he did and had such a strong grassroot campaign (pushed by younger voters) shows that we are making some strides. And I am thankful for that.

So those are my two cents on the matter. Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings on this election (or the elections in your state).

NO on MS 26

Like many people with liberal leanings, I am pro-choice. Although I only agree with abortion under certain extreme circumstances, it is my belief that every woman should be in charge of her own body and make her own decision concerning whether to carry a child to term. It is neither okay for me to impose my own morals onto someone, nor for the government to mandate what a woman can and cannot do to her own body. Of course, this gets into the argument about abortion being an act against another and at what point a fetus is considered a person.

Under the proposed Personhood Amendment, a fetus in Mississippi would be considered a person from the moment of conception. The proposed amendment would read:

Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Mississippi: SECTION 1. Article III of the constitution of the state of Mississippi is hereby amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION TO READ: Section 33. Person defined. As used in this Article III of the state constitution, "The term 'person' or 'persons' shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof."

While this may sound well and good for those who are anti-abortion, consider this: the amendment in question would also undermines access to safe and reliable infertility medical treatments. After all, for in vitro fertilization (IVF), embryos are created (at which time, under the proposed legislation, they would be "people") and frozen. If an embryo is considered a person at the time of fertilization, IVF would be virtually impossible to administer in this state. Resolve.com, the site of the National Infertility Association, ask these questions:

• If one or more microscopic embryos from an IVF cycle do not develop normally in the lab or fail to result in live births after transfer (all natural events), could the physician, lab, and/or patient be criminally liable?


• Would non-IVF treatments such as simple inseminations be threatened because they carry a risk of miscarriage? (5)  Would clinics with high miscarriage rates after inseminations be at risk for criminal liability?  Could the miscarrying women be subject to criminal charges?


• Not all frozen embryos thaw successfully.  Could embryo freezing be prohibited as too risky?


• Will patients be prevented from donating their frozen embryos to research after they complete infertility treatments?


• Will patients’ medical records be subpoenaed to ensure that no one violated the embryos’ constitutionally guaranteed right to life?


• May women who live in states where personhood laws pass travel to other states for IVF, or would their embryos still be restricted by the law of their home state, such that doctors in no other states would offer her treatment?  Would she be forbidden to move any currently frozen embryos to another state to continue her treatment?


• If infertility patients in personhood states cannot afford to live in another state during treatment, will they simply have to forego the dream of having a family?

There are other issues as well:

Under state law, there are many places where "person" is referenced.

If more than five unrelated embryos/persons are housed in a single building, will it have to be licensed as a child residential care home?

In Pearl, there is an ordinance limiting occupancy to two persons in a bedroom. If a pregnant woman is two people, can she be in the same bed as her husband?

Moreover, IVF is not the only medical treatment that could be prevented by passage of the Personhood Amendment.

Effective treatment of tubal pregnancies, severe preeclampsia, and molar gestation could be prevented.

New stem cell treatments for patients with Parkinson's, Lou Gehrig's disease, and cancers like leukemia and choriocarcinoma would also be at risk.

If a physician is faced with the choice of saving a woman's life or refusing to harm an embryo/person, could he or she be sued for malpractice no matter what choice was made?

Do Mississippians really want more lawyers interfering in a family's personal medical decisions? (source)

On November 8 I will be voting NO on MS 26. Not just because women deserve the right to terminate if that's their choice, but because women should have the right to have a family even when natural means of doing so are out.

Why I'm Still Conflicted About 'The Help'

Since its publication, Kathryn Stockett's The Help has been getting major coverage. That is especially true here in Jackson, MS, where the story is set and a good chunk of the movie adaptation was filmed. For those who are unfamiliar, The Help takes a look back at the relationship between white families and their black maids in the 1960s. The synopsis from Goodreads:

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

For some reason, this book has rubbed me the wrong way, which is irrational given the fact that I have not read it yet.

I don't know how I feel about a white woman telling a black woman's story. True, as a writer you won't always be writing about characters who look, act or think like you. (How dull would that get to be?) But at the same time, I am a fan of "staying in your lane." Think of it this way: Am I qualified to write the story of a Jewish Holocaust survivor? Sure, I could do it, but would I be doing their story justice? And the attempt at "black" southern vernacular is so trite. It just seems a little pretentious to me. But this is minor compared to what really gets to me.

It (appears to) romanticize the time period and the conditions of the maids. And some people--particularly southern white women--seem a little too happy and eager to give this story props. It's almost like their longing for "the good ol days," which, as it turns out, wasn't good at all for the black people living in that period. I think this is what really sticks in my craw. On top of that, it seems to be heavy with the white (wo)man's burden. *sigh* I'm just not good with either of those facts.

For all the negative I feel about it, I'm still going to give it a try. I'll look for it in the library (or as a swap on Goodreads) and try to evaluate it objectively. I may be 100% wrong, and if I am I have no problem admitting that. For what it's worth, I have heard that it is a well-written story, minus the "black folks' talk." And since my mother wants to see it we may have to go see it. I will try to keep an open mind about it!

Have you read The Help? If so, what were your thoughts? Does anyone else give this book/movie a slight side-eye, or is it just me?

MS Woman faces life in prison over stillbirth

Rennie Gibbs is accused of murder, but the crime she is alleged to have committed does not sound like an ordinary killing. Yet she faces life in prison in Mississippi over the death of her unborn child.

Gibbs became pregnant aged 15, but lost the baby in December 2006 in a stillbirth when she was 36 weeks into the pregnancy. When prosecutors discovered that she had a cocaine habit – though there is no evidence that drug abuse had anything to do with the baby's death – they charged her with the "depraved-heart murder" of her child, which carries a mandatory life sentence.

Gibbs is the first woman in Mississippi to be charged with murder relating to the loss of her unborn baby. But her case is by no means isolated. Across the US more and more prosecutions are being brought that seek to turn pregnant women into criminals.

"Women are being stripped of their constitutional personhood and subjected to truly cruel laws," said Lynn Paltrow of the campaign National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW). "It's turning pregnant women into a different class of person and removing them of their rights."

Bei Bei Shuai, 34, has spent the past three months in a prison cell in Indianapolis charged with murdering her baby. On 23 December she tried to commit suicide by taking rat poison after her boyfriend abandoned her.

Shuai was rushed to hospital and survived, but she was 33 weeks pregnant and her baby, to whom she gave birth a week after the suicide attempt and whom she called Angel, died after four days. In March Shuai was charged with murder and attempted feticide and she has been in custody since without the offer of bail.

In Alabama at least 40 cases have been brought under the state's "chemical endangerment" law. Introduced in 2006, the statute was designed to protect children whose parents were cooking methamphetamine in the home and thus putting their children at risk from inhaling the fumes.

Amanda Kimbrough is one of the women who have been ensnared as a result of the law being applied in a wholly different way. During her pregnancy her foetus was diagnosed with possible Down's syndrome and doctors suggested she consider a termination, which Kimbrough declined as she is not in favour of abortion.

The baby was delivered by caesarean section prematurely in April 2008 and died 19 minutes after birth.

Six months later Kimbrough was arrested at home and charged with "chemical endangerment" of her unborn child on the grounds that she had taken drugs during the pregnancy – a claim she has denied.

"That shocked me, it really did," Kimbrough said. "I had lost a child, that was enough."

She now awaits an appeal ruling from the higher courts in Alabama, which if she loses will see her begin a 10-year sentence behind bars. "I'm just living one day at a time, looking after my three other kids," she said. "They say I'm a criminal, how do I answer that? I'm a good mother."

Women's rights campaigners see the creeping criminalization of pregnant women as a new front in the culture wars over abortion, in which conservative prosecutors are chipping away at hard-won freedoms by stretching protection laws to include fetuses, in some cases from the day of conception. In Gibbs' case defense lawyers have argued before Mississippi's highest court that her prosecution makes no sense. Under Mississippi law it is a crime for any person except the mother to try to cause an abortion.

"If it's not a crime for a mother to intentionally end her pregnancy, how can it be a crime for her to do it unintentionally, whether by taking drugs or smoking or whatever it is," Robert McDuff, a civil rights lawyer asked the state supreme court.

McDuff told the Guardian that he hoped the Gibbs prosecution was an isolated example. "I hope it's not a trend that's going to catch on. To charge a woman with murder because of something she did during pregnancy is really unprecedented and quite extreme."

He pointed out that anti-abortion groups were trying to amend the Mississippi constitution by setting up a state referendum, or ballot initiative, that would widen the definition of a person under the state's bill of rights to include a fetus from the day of conception.

Some 70 organizations across America have come together to file testimonies, known as amicus briefs, in support of Gibbs that protest against her treatment on several levels. One says that to treat "as a murderer a girl who has experienced a stillbirth serves only to increase her suffering".

Another, from a group of psychologists, laments the misunderstanding of addiction that lies behind the indictment. Gibbs did not take cocaine because she had a "depraved heart" or to "harm the fetus but to satisfy an acute psychological and physical need for that particular substance", says the brief.

Perhaps the most persuasive argument put forward in the amicus briefs is that if such prosecutions were designed to protect the unborn child, then they would be utterly counter-productive: "Prosecuting women and girls for continuing [a pregnancy] to term despite a drug addiction encourages them to terminate wanted pregnancies to avoid criminal penalties. The state could not have intended this result when it adopted the homicide statute."

Paltrow sees what is happening to Gibbs as a small taste of what would be unleashed were the constitutional right to an abortion ever overturned. "In Mississippi the use of the murder statute is creating a whole new legal standard that makes women accountable for the outcome of their pregnancies and threatens them with life imprisonment for murder."

(read the full article here)

This is absolutely disgusting to me. If there is no evidence that Ms. Gibbs' drug use caused the death of her baby, why is she being prosecuted? This case sets a dangerous precedent for future mothers everywhere. What if, instead of illegal drugs, she had been taken doctor-prescribed medication with known potential side effects and the outcome was the same? What if the child had died because she was unable to get proper prenatal care? (After all many Planned Parenthood offices offer affordable prenatal care, but pro-lifers are trying to shut them down.)

This is not an isolated incident either. This is happening, rather quietly, all over the country. Women's rights are surreptitiously being usurped by Conservatives, and will continue to be unless there is an outcry to say "Enough is enough." How much bullying will we allow? How far will it go before we see that some things are getting out of hand? Regardless of where you stand in the pro-life vs. pro-choice debate, it's clear that one side is starting to play dirty.

Do you feel that this punishment is justified? Will this type of legislation do more harm or more good? Speak on it.

Rally for the Scott Sisters

On this past Wednesday, hundreds of people marched onto Mississippi's state capital demanding the pardon and release of Gladys and Jamie Scott. They have served 16 years for a robbery netting $11. A robbery for which they maintain their innocence.

 

I was at work when they marched by my office building downtown. I didn't know the details of the march before hand, but quickly grabbed my phone and caught up with the crowd. It was inspiring--electrifying, even--to see that so many people were gathered together in a call for justice. Young and old, black and white, HBCU students, Greeks, professionals, politicians, folks from across all classes and economic statuses... All united for a good cause. Anyone who says Civil Rights is dead simply has not seen it in action. The spirit of peaceful protest and demand for justice and equality did not die in the 70s.

 

 

 

 

 

There were many speakers, making many points about how this is an injustice and it's impact not just here, but country- and world-wide. Someone noted that we go around fighting wars to bring democracy, but we have such injustice here. Someone made mention of judges not only following the letter of the law, but the spirit of it, and how this case does not follow the spirit of the law. A priest compared Jesus' unfair trial and execution. A city councilman expressed that Governor Barber would get a chance to show that MS is not the ass-backwards place so many believe it is (which would behoove him considering he is expected to run for the Republican candidate for president or vice-president in 2012).

Unfortunately I was not able to stay for the entire rally.... I am still looking for an account from someone who participated from start to finish.

It will be interesting to see what comes about from this rally. As of today, there has been no response from the Governor.

Dear Haley, Kiss Ass

This week Haley Barbour, governor of Mississippi, has proposed merging several of the state-funded universities as an answer to the growing budget constraints. He wants to merge Mississippi University for Women with the much larger Mississippi State University. He also proposed that Alcorn State University and Mississippi Valley State University be merged with Jackson State University.

Really, Haley? You just happen to want to shrink the number of public HBCUs in Mississippi from 3 to 1? And it just so happens to be the one school that has gone back and forth for several years about becoming "The University of Mississippi at Jackson"? Interesting...

Needless to say, students, alumni and even faculty are up in arms, and as an alumna of Jackson State University, I am too. Of course I have nothing against the other institutions (other than the rivalries during football season) but I could not think of a worse thing (other than completely shutting down) for either of these schools. Each institution was set up with their specific purpose. Each has their own unique history and culture that they identify with. Everyone who attended these universities has a special connection with that school. Why should that be taken away from students and would-be students of ASU and MVSU?

 

 

On top of that, the proposed merger just doesn't make good sense to me. If schools need to be consolidated, why not try to find a more reasonable solution? What I would suggest is dividing the state up into either the northern & southern halves or north, central and southern regions. Then, have a set standard that the separate colleges at each university must meet (possibly number of students that graduate from the program?). Leave the top two or three of each program in each region open. 

For example, while JSU's College of Business turns out hundreds of graduates, one of the liberal arts programs may only have a handful of graduates. In comparison, USM may have a great English department but their science department may not be stellar. So in the southern half, there may be one less liberal arts and one less science program due to their discontinuation (temporarily, preferably) at these particular schools. (BTW, this is just an example. I can't speak for the performance of any other university or other programs at Jackson State. The College of Business is, however, on point.) 

Forgive me if I didn't make my example clear. It's early and I haven't had my coffee. 

My point is there has to be some alternative to completely shutting down these universities. Although Haley proposes that the schools will remain open as part of JSU, their unique heritage would be lost. 

I do not believe this will pass. As I stated, many people are upset over this. We have determined that our schools will not go down without a fight. Numerous FB groups have formed, rallies are being planned/held, and a petition has just recently been created. Although this is not the first time an idea like this has been presented to the legislature, never have we been in a position like this where everything is being considered. If there was ever a time to put up or shut up, it's now. 

Jackson fair, Jackson dear

Thee I love, My dear old college home

Thee I love wherever I may roam

Jackson fair, Jackson dear... 

Links:

Petition to stop the proposed merger

Clarion Ledger article on the proposed merger (the comments about us "crying" and not needing HBCUs burned me up! There would be rioting if he even hinted at merging Ole Miss and Miss State!)

Save MS HBCUs

Notes from the Mississippi Delta

This post was actually supposed to go up several weeks ago after momma and I made a trip to Shaw, MS and ended up at a community picnic. Buuuut I'm just getting around to it now, so... yeah!

 

1. There is NOTHING like actual homemade ice cream! Nope, not even Bluebell Homemade Vanilla (and my people know I am a Bluebell girl to the heart lol)


2. This is mean, I know; I am so tickled when middle-aged and older people talk about not being able to figure out stuff on their computer. IDK why, but it's just funny to me!


3. My 99-year-old grandfather dreaming about being in 3rd grade: priceless! ^_^


4. I met one of my grandfather's childhood friends (on her 98th birthday) and my aunt's "old boyfriend" (not really her BF, but one of their older brothers' friends who she claimed). How cute is that? It's really rare that I get to see that "we were young once" side of my older relatives.


5. Chivalry is not dead! There was a guy there (an Omega, no less ^_^) with his son who looked to be high school aged. His son was so well-mannered! Getting up to help older people to their seats, giving up his seat for a lady, helping with cleanup, even rushing to my aid after an incident with red cream soda & my cute lil outfit. He didn't know anyone there other than his father (they'd just moved there) but he was so respectful and so sweet! Proof that it's not the time that we're in, it's the training these kids receive that makes the difference.


6. Is there such a thing as bad fried catfish? I don't think there is! I'm just sayin'....


7. Funniest moment: Little girl walks up to the table where we were sitting. Random woman asks my mom, "Who's little girl is that?" The little girl gets loud and says "My daddy! I'm his girl!" and walks off. All of us sitting there with our faces broken. I cried laughing! Crying laughing thinking about it now!


8. I didn't think it was possible to be country AND ghetto, but ummmm, it is! I couldn't help but SMH at some of the things I heard and saw from girls not that much younger than me. Craziness.

Aight, that's it for now. I'm sure there were some other things I meant to share, but since it's not in the BlackBerry, it's gone!