New Jobby-Job!

Pending results of a drug test, background check and approval by the board of supervisors, I will be a part time 911 dispatcher in Neshoba County! Public safety is something that has been in the back of my mind for sometime now and this could be a stepping stone to something bigger later. I'm still going to do radio part time. I'm not ruling anything out at this point but it seems like this coune be the path I'm supposed to be on for now. I've also thought about going to EMT school sometime next year and some other possibilities. We'll see!

With that in mind, I found this on myspace and I wanted to share it. Hope you enjoy it!

--Jonathan

The Dispatcher's Prayer

Dear Lord, help me keep safe those who depend on me. Give mehealthy ears, for they are my link with those who need me. Keep mymind sharp and alert, my fingers quick and nimble. Grant that I neverforget how to do ten things at once, and do them all equally well.Bless me with patience Lord. Patience to deal with the public, with theofficers, with the boss, and with everyone else who makes me want togrit my teeth and yell.

Give me nerves of steel, that I may listen to a mother screaming forher child to live, the man with a gun, or an officer yelling for backup, and not give way to panic.Grant me empathy, that I may help the battered wife, the rape victim, the abused child, and not cause them more pain than they already have.God, give me the ability to learn what I need, to remember it quickly, and give me the wisdom to use the knowledge properly.

Bless my family Lord, for they will have to make sacrifices to shiftwork, overtime, canceled plans, and times when I just can't take onone more thing. Help them understand the missed ball games, schoolprograms, and dinners for two.

Lord, give me courage. Courage to persevere when I feelundervalued, unappreciated, overworked, and unrecognized. Courage to keep trying when I feel in my heart it's hopeless.Last of all Lord, help me to never forget why I chose to do this job inthe first place, to never lose sight of what is important in the midst ofthe stress. Help me to remember that I make a difference, howeversmall it may seem some days, and that I matter.

I am a dispatcher, Lord, grant me peace.

by Nadine Clark

Are You Ready?

Let's take a break from politics for a moment. I found this video on a bulletin posted on Myspace and it is amazing. It's short, sweet and makes you think.

What if Christ were to return right now to rapture His church: Would you be ready? What would happen to you if this happened right now? Would you be taken to meet Christ or would you be left behind? Watch the video and really think about it for a moment. If you're not sure what would happen, email me and we can talk about how you can make sure you're ready.

--Jonathan

Reflections of Apthy on Sunday

Apathy: ap·a·thy Noun.
1. absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
2. lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting. (source: dictionary.com)

The above word would describe the attitudes of voters in Lauderdale County when it comes to the recent behavior of Lauderdale County District 5 supervisor Ray Boswell.

If one surfs to the Letters To the Editor section of the Meridian Star's website (which you can by clicking here), you may notice that people are pretty fired up about parades supposidly not going well (lady, I am sorry that your kids did not get any candy from the floats but please do not waste the Star's ink by crying about it; by the way the floats are not even supposed to throw out candy according to the parade rules) or the high price of popcorn at Bonita Lakes Cinema 9 (I only wish I were kidding about that--another waste of ink by stating the obvious). There are also those who are fired up about people saying "happy holidays" instead of "merry Christmas", the possibility of parking fines in Meridian going up $10, renaming the Senior Citizens' Center and the return of lost pets. However, when it comes to issues that really matter one word mentioned in the opening of this entry can sum up the attitudes of Meridian/Lauderdale County voters.

Apathy.

Voters do not seem to care that the actions of one of their leaders have given them yet another black eye. They do not care that this man who was more worried about shutting down a bar than hurricane relief and who acted like a fool to a Philadelphia (MS) police officer represents them and their community. They do not care that this racist is a leader in their govornment.

But the price of popcorn sure can spur a healthy debate.

Apathy.

The fact that one letter to the editor was written about Boswell's behavior (and by someone who does not even live in Lauderdale county or even Mississippi) tells me that Lauderdale County voters are content to allow this foolishness in their county. In fact, click here to read how some reacted to Boswell's actions. "Ray is just being Ray." So, what you are saying is that since he's just naturally a hotheaded biggot and alcoholic then it's ok and we should just accept it.

I' am sorry but that is not good enough and I refuse to accept "Ray is just being Ray" as an acceptable excuse; there is no excuse for an elected official to behave in such a manner.

Apathy.

As I stated in my last posting, the only way to change the way things are is to change those who are making the decisions. I implore voters who are tired of excuses, biggotry in our city halls and other chambers of govornment and "good ole boy" politics to vote accordingly in the next election. To do otherwise shows that you have no desire to see things change for the better.

Ultimately, you decide the direction of how a city, county, state or country by your vote. If you do not vote than you have no right to complain. If you vote for these people and you are tired of their consistant record of idiocy then why do you keep voting for them? Remember, it is your decision and you can help things move in a different direction.

Forward sounds like a good direction to me.

--Jonathan

Circus Tricks, Flower Beds and "Good Ole Boy" Politics

Maybe you missed it but I've talked about in the past how the "good ole boy" way of running things in the south no longer works. For those of you who don't see the need to change, I simply say:

Wake up.

This is the year 2006, soon to be the year 2007. In other words we are past the 20th century and well into the 21st century; we should act accordingly. Cotton can no longer buy land and a bottle of whiskey can no longer be considered a "fair deal" for a bull. The same type of statement can be made about politics, most specifically the politics in the south.

First, let's talk about the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of Philadelphia, Mississippi. Actually, I prefer to call them the "Country Club Circus." Mayor Rayburn Waddell is your ring master. Oh sure, he's friendly and has a good speaking voice but he's also not afraid to let you know that he's in charge. On a regular basis he and the clowns known as the Board of Aldermen stick their noses into the affairs of the police department. Ray-Ray also likes to let the police department know that he doesn't appreciate the fact that they are "messing with" one of his friends. There's also the "secret" known around town that the police department is under standing orders not to touch the biggest drug dealer in town because he owns a ton of property, therefore pays a ton in taxes.

His donations to the local youth sports programs are also a really cute touch.

Then there's Janice Payne, or as I like to call her the "flying trapeze artist" because her job is to distract the citizens from the real issues by performing tricks. Her favorite trick is being all worried about planting a flower bed around City Hall and not worried at all about the garbage in the neighborhoods she serves or about the poor condition of some of the streets in town. Oh sure, downtown looks all pretty but what about the other (read: "black") areas of town? They look like a warzone. Coming in from the west, you'll see flower beds and nicely decorated benches. Coming in from the north, east or south you see run down houses and poorly maintained streets. You'll also see that the streets leading into town from these city gates are poorly lit if at all. There's also the matter of the crack houses and the illegal bar owned and operated by a local football hero, not to mention the increase of violent crime in Philadelphia.

At least the flower beds on Main Street are well maintained.

And the latest flap: The "honorable" William R. "Ray" Boswell. Willie is the supervisor for District 5 in Lauderdale County and he recently had a run-in with the Philadelphia Police Department. While he was following his mistress (I'm assuming that's what she is--I highly doubt he'd drive all the way to Philadelphia so he could exchange soup recipes with her) she was pulled over... twice. The second time, Willie interfered with the police officer's work so he was arrested for disorderly conduct and failure to comply with an officer. Apparently this is not Willie boy's first run in with the law. Click here to read about the Philadelphia arrest and of his previous bumps with the badge. Better yet, click here to see the video of his confrontation with Meridian (Mississippi) police officers. Please note, this video contains very crude language including use of the "N" word and other profanity so please use discretion if you decide to view the video.

In the video, Mr. Boswell is clearly (and admittedly) intoxicated and has been kicked out of a bar. This is just days after hurricane Katrina hit and he's more worried about closing the bar (where he had been drinking, no doubt) than about the recovery efforts.

It should also be noted that the bar, JJ's, is a notorious strip club (topless dancing and alcohol are not allowed in the same establishment under Meridian ordinance). I'm sure he was just conducting a thorough investigation... with plenty of dollar bills to assist him.

I have to applaud Philadelphia police chief Richard "Dickie" Sistrunk for his stance on this matter. After he viewed the Meridian police video, he stated that had his officers not arrested Willie for his actions in the vid (which he wasn't) he would have fired them. He also said that Willie will receive no special treatment in Philadelphia because he's "nothing special up here." Kudos! However don't be chanting "no special treatment" just yet. Click here to see how Willie got out of jail. Remember Ray-Ray? He bonded him out as a "professional courtesy." In other words, he undermined the work of the police department that he's supposed to oversee and support because the "good ole boy" network is apparently alive and well.

Actions like this are why the Philadelphia Police Department has lost 24 officers in the last 22 months (source), most citing the mayors interference and other unprofessional behavior from department brass as the reasons for their depature.

The only way we can change this is to change those in City Hall. To whomever runs against this circus in the next election: You have my vote. Voters in Lauderdale County would do well to take the same stance on Willie.

--Jonathan