Editorial Action Needed

Why doesn’t the Clarion-Ledger print a list of crimes in the city on, at least, a weekly basis? Ideally, the list would tell us where (street and block) the crime was committed, and what type of crime it was.

I can’t help but think of the needless murder of a Japanese employee of an automobile manufacturer who was staying at a motel where the crime rate was high. Neither he nor his employer could have had foreknowledge of the problem.

Oh yes, reporting the location of the crimes might have an adverse impact on businesses located in the area. If so, the businesses could band together to request immediate action from the city. That would be stronger than one business complaining over and over and over.

If there is a dangerous consumer product on the market, all the news media jump on the story to alert the innocent purchaser of the problem. I submit to you that crime is dangerous to consumers too.

The Memphis paper prints a detailed crime report. They are a much larger city. The Hattiesburg paper presents a “morning” crime report every day and they are owned by Gannett. So apparently it is not a Gannett decision or one dictated by the size of the city.

Yes, I know that weekly statistics are on the City of Jackson website. But that website does not reach as many people, especially those in crime prone areas, as the paper does.

The Clarion-Ledger has a reporter who’s sole purpose is to bring “sunshine” to government so the public will know what’s going on. We could use a few rays of that sun on our crime statistics. Or perhaps, the "crime" reporter could take on that assignment.

This leads me to believe that the editors at the Clarion-Ledger have made a conscious decision to keep the public in an unconscious coma when it come to crime statistics.

What about it Editors Hampton and Agnew? Can you present us some information that just might save a life or two?

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a wonderful celebration. It is so fitting to set aside a time when all of us can think of the blessings we have been so fortunate to receive.

It’s a time for joy; seeing old family members, sharing in favorite foods, good conversation, and lots of hugs and smiles. And unlike many of the holidays, there is no need to exchange gifts.

One thing is for sure. You don’t have to be rich to be thankful. Many of our blessings cannot be bought with money.....family and friends, health and happiness, peace and love, freedom and grace. I continually give thanks for those blessings.

Yes it’s a time to start singing “Over the hills and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go....” or perhaps, “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing....”or maybe, "Come ye thankful people come...." Thanksgiving is a genuinely happy time that I look forward to each year.

May God continue to shower you with blessings, and may your thanks be many, and your celebration joyful. Happy Thanksgiving!

Sausage Gravy and Biscuit

This is a good recipe for those chilly winter mornings. The spicier your sausage, the spicier the result. Have not tried it with deer sausage.

Sausage Gravy & Biscuit

1 pound bulk sausage
1/4 cup all−purpose flour
2 cups milk
salt & pepper to taste
8 prepared biscuits

Crumble sausage into a large skillet.
Cook over medium heat until browned, stirring occasionally.
Stir in flour until dissolved.
Gradually stir in milk.
Cook until thick and bubbly.
Season with salt & pepper.
Serve over hot biscuits.

Little Girls

As a husband, a father of two grown daughters, and a grandfather of a teen age grand daughter, I figure I’ve learned a little about girls over the last two thirds of my life.

Little girls are absolutely wonderful. They tug at Daddy’s heartstrings and regularly play their favorite song on them. Daddy just smiles, hums, and does whatever it is they want. Oh I’ve eaten pretend cakes, drank hot tea at play tea parties, baby sat with dolls upon request, and occasionally turned tears into smiles.

I learned early on that when my daughters teamed up with my wife, my protests were only symbolic. There was no way I could win. But, I still had to put up a good front to preserve the sanctity of manhood. In the end I would either acquiesce or pretend to compromise....sometimes I would even pout about the outcome.

And though they didn’t know it, I could hear the giggles from the other room as they bragged about their victories. I was pleased to help make them happy.

Then they start to grow up. A friend who had daughters older than mine once confided that I need to cherish each good night kiss because pretty soon they would be too old to want to give Daddy a good night kiss. And he was right. I locked them all away in my memory bank and feel much richer as a result.

Daddies don’t always understand their little girls. Boys are different; aloof....independent....happy in the moment. Little girls are hell bent on growing into women. They wear their mother’s high heels as soon as they can get feet into them. They play with purses, comb their hair, play with make up, and play house.

And then there comes the early teen years when they begin to practice their bitching. I learned early on that little girls quit smiling when they turn 13 and frown for at least two years before rejoining the human race. Nothing is right. A hair is out of place. The jeans just don’t look right. This doesn’t go with that. Doesn’t matter that it was purchased as a set. They have no self confidence.

If I looked at them, they would scowl and ask, “What’s wrong now?” They never figured I might be wanting to pay them a compliment. So there’s a lesson for all you would be Daddies....give the compliment before looking....oh how demeaning can you get? Hey anything for peace and tranquility.

About the age of 13, they put on so much make up that they look like old retired streetwalkers. I remember once having three of them in the back seat of the car. I looked into the rear view mirror and noticed that my daughter looked like an Indian in war paint. I didn’t even look around but said, “Get out. Go inside and take some of that make up off.” All three of them got out and re-emerged about ten minutes later looking more like the teenagers they were.

Another tip for Daddies. When you have little girls in the car, play whatever music they like. They will all sing to it and will remain reasonably happy until you can unload them at their destination.

Then there’s the stage when they don’t want to ride the school bus any more, and want you to drive them to school, but they want you to let them out where the other kids can’t see you. Then they stroll on up to school trying to impress their friends that they didn’t ride the bus and they didn’t come with their parents. I guess it was the cool thing to do.

The early teen years with little girls will wear on you like sand in a desert storm. Even if everything is perfect, they will find something wrong. Feelings are easily bruised, and the favorite expression is, “I’m bored” as if you should whip up some name brand entertainment to their liking within the next fifteen seconds or all hell is fixing to break loose.

Now as adults, my daughters still play their favorite tune on Daddy’s heartstrings and he wouldn’t want it any other way. Little girls are absolutely wonderful.

Yes They Will

During the years following Viet Nam, I enlisted in the Army Reserves. The unit I was in was a “direct deploying” unit. That meant we had to be ready to deploy within 48 hours of notification. We were ready. There would be no pre-deployment training; just pick up and go.

We already had our “green” ID cards in our deployment personnel file along with ID cards for our spouses. The Army had already drawn up power of attorney documents which only needed to be signed at the time of deployment. The Army had already drawn up each person’s will and had it ready for signature. Single parents already had legal documents on hand to provide for the care of their children.

Our physicals were yearly rather than every four years. We all had our immunizations up-to-date and the full mouth x-rays needed for identification purposes(This was pre-dna days).

We stayed current in our training with regular briefings on our mission destination and potential conflict scenarios. Since we were a command unit, we wrote war plans covering every potential scenario and updated them with regularity. Our unit had a permanently based forward unit stationed in our deployment country with all the supplies needed, sans weapons and personal gear, in case we arrived on short notice.

As part of our training we regularly received practice alert calls where we were expected to leave work, grab our gear and head to the armory for further orders. But one thing was never completely tested. We never deployed directly to our area of operations as part of the alert. Yes, we would report to the armory, we would pack and inventory everything we needed and be transported to the Air National Guard base in Jackson where everything and everyone would be loaded into the planes. The planes would actually take off and fly around for a while then would land back in Jackson where we would deploy and return to our home armory.

There was always a lingering question as to whether or not, when reality struck, all the troops would be willing to deploy. It was a question we never answered during my tenure with the Army Reserve. We always assumed we would lose a small percentage upon actual deployment.

No longer is that a lingering question. Our Guard and Reserves have been repeatedly called upon to shore up our troops in the middle east. Perhaps a few directly deployed at the initial stages. But I have not heard of any significant numbers of “non-deployables”. I applaud the young people currently serving our country in the military forces. I know they have the guts and determination to do what is asked of them. And I thank them for continuing to give unselfishly of themselves for this great country of ours.

Eternal Elections

The eternal elections of 2008 are finally over. It seems like a long, long time of putting up with rumors, innuendos, lies, accusations, and gossip. In the Musgrove/Wicker race for U.S. Senate it was a classic case of childlike tattling. If the children of either of them ever acted that way, they would be disciplined.

I just don’t know why we can’t be satisfied to hear from the candidates their ideas on the issues of the day and their plans to help solve problems. In fact, we should demand that candidates address the concerns of the electorate.

In the case of one state Supreme Court race, one candidate talked about his accomplishments as the Chief Justice and his interest in children. The other candidate’s wife simply wanted him out of the kitchen. Well, the man is out of the kitchen, because he won. Go figure.

The Presidential race was the worst I have ever encountered. I don’t blame it on the candidates themselves, but I do fault the general public for all the false rumors and innuendos put out about the candidates.

I don’t know why, but some extremists wanted one candidate to produce his birth certificate to prove he was born in the United States. When the document was finally produced, the naysayers swore it wasn’t a real birth certificate. Others wanted the candidate to produce records of college grades. Personally, I don’t care if they made a C or an F in Philosophy, Speech, English, or anything else. If they graduated, that should be sufficient....assuming one thinks a college degree is part of the qualifications. It is not.

There were questions on both sides about the others religion, friends and acquaintances. There were nasty rumors about one candidate perhaps being involved in an affair. People questioned whether candidates were “ready” to be President. Well, they all met the qualifications set forth by law. Nothing in law says one must have experience.

All in all, it was an awful campaign. I’m glad it’s over and I hope never to witness another as trashy as this one.

In the end, it appears the American public was able to sift through all the crap and elect a president. Now I hope that person is successful in leading this country for the next four years.

And guess what. Next year we have municipal elections.....oh yuck!