Mississippians want to amend constitution to make Col. Reb the Ole Miss mascot

    I came across an interesting item in a Public Policy Polling poll released Nov. 18.
    In a poll that appears to represent a good cross-section of the state (54-46 percent female to male, 66-30-3 white, black, other), Ole Miss comes up as the least popular sports team. No doubt the poor showing this season didn't help. Despite this fact, people from all over the state support amending the state constitution in order to bring Col. Rebel back as the Ole Miss mascot.
    Most people are willing to defer to university administration, but the scandalous, racist banishment of Col. Rebel has just been too much for people to stomach. So, folks, find a petition to get this on the ballot, sign it, and then vote next year to get Col. Reb restored to his rightful position so we can start winning some football games again!

Q5 Is your favorite college sports team in the state
Mississippi, Mississippi State, or Southern
Mississippi?
Mississippi ..................... 21%
Mississippi State ............... 36%
Southern Mississippi ............ 27%
Not sure ........................ 17%

Q6 Would you support or oppose a Constitutional
Amendment to designate Colonel Reb as the
official mascot of the University of Mississippi?
Support ......................... 52%
Oppose .......................... 22%
Not sure ........................ 26%

Oh, and by the way, don't you hate it when pollsters refer to Ole Miss as "Mississippi." If they don't want to use Ole Miss, then say the whole thing, "University of Mississippi."

Newt: Secure the border first

    Next Gingrich recently outlined his immigration plan. He's under fire for suggesting that a few long-time illegal immigrants not be immediately expelled from the country. My attitude is that everyone ought to be allowed to apply to stay. Those who are a net asset to our country should be allowed to stay. Those who are a drain should be sent back home.
    Newt's plan has one thing right. Secure the border first! Everyone talks about the need to stimulate the economy and create jobs. Okay, let's do it by hiring people to build an absolutely impenetrable fence on our southern border. It won't stop all illegal immigration, but it will help.
    Here's Newt's plan, as quoted in Politico:

First, he would build a fence along the nation’s border with Mexico that would be completed by January 1, 2014. He would suspend environmental impact studies and other regulations to speed the development of the fence. If needed, he would send federal employees from Washington to border states to assist in the construction, he said.

Second, he would make English the official language of the country.

“Third, we establish an understanding of American history as it relates to citizenship and we apply to it the children living here,” Gingrich said.

Spokesman R.C. Hammond said that piece of the proposal had nothing to do with recommendations by some tea party groups that the 14th Amendment of the Constitution does not guarentee citizenship children of illegal immigrants.

Instead, Hammond said, it was part of Gingrich’s general push to ensure that Americans are aware of the nation’s history.

Fourth, Gingrich said he would revise the current visa system. He said currently it take too long, is too complicated and too expensive to obtain a visa to do business or be a tourist in the United States.

Fifth, he would make deportation easier. As an example, he said members of the El Salvadorian gang “MS-13” should be subject to immediate deportation.

The sixth part would include changing the guest worker program, which allows foreigners to come to the United States legally to work temporarily. He said a company like a credit card company should be responsible for running the program instead of the federal government, saying it would make it a “very sophisticated, very clean program.”

The seventh would be his approach to letting people in the country for decades stay here, under select circumstances.

    Any immigration policy is better than what we have now, so long as we secure the boarder first.

Unclean! Unclean!

    I just got back from a one-week cruise, which I took with my extended family. It was a gift to all of us from my Dad. I hope to write a review soon.
    Alas, I contracted some type of virus about mid-way though the trip and spent a good bit of time in bed. I would make it down to dinner but then retreat back to bed. Still had a good time, though.
    I'm actually feeling a bit worse since arriving home. On top of the virus I've got landsickness. There really is such a thing, and for some it can take a while to go away. I've had to be out and about, and every time someone tries to shake my hand I just jump back and say, "I'm sick." Kind of like the lepers in the Biblical days, yelling, "Unclean, unclean."

Penn State coaches not only ones ignoring sex abuse

    Everyone is sick and disgusted with the stories coming out of Penn State. People want to know how a college president, athletic director and head football coach could suspect or know about child sexual abuse and do nothing. But it’s really not limited to top officials at Penn State; apparently dozens of people knew what Jerry Sandusky was up to, but he was such a jolly good fellow that no one wanted to call his hand on it. (Sandusky, by the way, has not been convicted of anything, but by his own admission has engaged in conduct that is way beyond the pale).
    The fact is, though, that this type of things happens again and again. It happened with the Catholic Church. In defense of the Catholic Church, at one time it was believed that these priests might be “cured.” We now know that the only reliable “cure” for those who have taken advantage of children is to make sure they have no future contact with children.
    Whatever mistakes the Catholic Church has made in the past, it is to be lauded for its current efforts to prevent abuse. My children attended Catholic school for several years in Kentucky, and a few years ago every parent who was to volunteer in any fashion with the school had to complete the Catholic Church’s “Virtus” program (not sure if that’s supposed to be pronounced like it’s spelled or like “virtues.”
    I’m not going to go into great detail about the program. It’s designed to help people understand the signs of child sexual abuse. The most important thing is that adults don’t need to be spending a lot of time alone with children and that things which look suspicious are not to be ignored. There's no need to make false accusations, but if a behavior is causing concern that behavior needs to end. The Virtus program provides a set of guidelines for relations between adults and children. One of the most important rules is that an adult who refuses to obey the rules, by that very action, endangers children. Scouting has also had sexual abuse problems in the past and has in recent years adopted stringent safeguards designed to protect young people.
    Unfortunately, all the prevention programs in the world aren’t going to do any good if sexual predators are allowed to be around children while those in authority look the other way. That's what happened at Penn State and is happening all over the country.
    The Catholic Church isn’t the only church with a sexual abuse problem. It's as big or a bigger problem in Protestant churches. The Baptist Church, for example, has some of the same problems and has done exactly the same types of things that the Catholics did, namely looking the other way and covering for abusing clergy.
    Even worse, some Baptist leaders have attacked the victims of sexual abuse and their advocates. Former Southern Baptist Convention President Paige Patterson, now president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, attacked a victim’s support group as “evil-doers.” After Bellevue Baptist Church pastor Steve Gaines learned that an associate pastor -- whose job included counseling victims of sex abuse -- had in fact had sex with his own teen-age son for 12 to 18 months, he kept the man on staff. Apparently he concluded that since the sexual assaults had occurred more than 15 years before it was none of the church's business. The abused son didn't feel that way, nor did many of Bellevue's members, who Gaines labeled "troublemakers."
    Gaines, by the way, is an apostle of Rick Warren, who urges pastors, once hired, to seize absolute control of their churches, while marginalizing those who oppose them. Gaines' tolerance for sex abuse and his willingness to attack those who oppose them has certainly succeeded in running off lots of opposition, but I don't see how emptying Bellevue's church pews actually serves God.
    One Bellevue member who has been upset about what has gone on in that church -- and other churches, has a blog devoted to publicizing wrongdoing. For example, Bellevue finally fired the minister accused of having sex with his son; despite massive publicity another area church, The Warren Community Church in Somerville, Tenn., named his as a Trustee and proudly sang his praises in their newsletter. It's telling that the church proclaims itself a "Purpose Driven Church," and is quite possibly named after Rick Warren. Yuck all around!
    Child sexual abuse isn't just a Catholic problem, a Baptist problem or a Penn State problem. It's going to be a problem whenever children are placed in regular solitary contact with adults. It's going to be made far worse when these adults are authority figures whose authority is not subject to question. When it comes to protecting children, no one should have so much authority that they aren't subject to question -- and everyone should be required to follow rules established to protect children.
    The Catholic Church has been rightly condemned for some of its past actions concerning sex abuse. In my opinion they are leading the way in education and prevention today. This isn't to say there aren't still problems, but at least the Catholic Church is attempting to address these problems. Other churches and organizations would do well to examine and emulate what the Catholics are doing in the way of prevention and education.
    Today a few Penn State leaders are accused of wrongdoing, but there simply are lots of people who knew what was going on and did nothing. Nobody wanted to deal with a big, awful mess. But what's happened at Penn State is no different from what's happening all over the country. Doing nothing isn't the right choice when confronted with child sexual abuse, but it's a choice being made by lots of people, not just football coaches.

Newt Gingrich moving up and Ron Paul holding his own; life is good

    On Oct. 20 I listed "My GOP Presidential Picks, From Best to Worst. I listed my favorite candidate as Ron Paul, with Newt Gingrich coming in a strong second.
    Of Gingrich I said, "The Republican field is weak, and he has just been there week after week, a steady, strong, and incredibly smart and informed candidate." Now with Rick Perry's "Duh" moments and Herman Cain's Bimbo eruptions, Newt is starting to come charging up in the polls -- all on a shoestring budget.
    The latest national poll by CBS still shows Herman Cain barely in the lead, with Gingrich and Romney tied for second with 15 percent each. It's a real improvement for Gingrich. In Ohio Gingrich is in second place behind Cain and in Mississippi Gingrich is currently the favorite among Republicans, leading Cain 28-25 percent, with Perry at 14% and Romney at 12%. With Cain and Perry sinking fast, Gingrich just might sweep the South.
    Ron Paul, meanwhile, comes in at about 10 percent nationally, and generally comes in fourth place in opinion polling. You wouldn't know it from his press coverage, though -- the press pretends he doesn't exist. Ron Paul supporters are likely the most devoted out of all the candidates, and my personal opinion is that Paul could surprise everyone with his showing in Iowa. Iowa rewards commitment and effort and I think Paul just might win, although I'm not sure how that is going to lead him to victories in other states.
    With Gingrich moving up strongly in the polls and Ron Paul holding his own, I'm feeling pretty good about the way things are headed. Oh, and Rick Perry seems to have gone down in flames. Now that makes me feel even better!

I learned a little bit about my Uncle Paul today from government website

    With today being Veterans Day, I decided to look up the official government burial information on my uncle, John Paul Hurdle, who was killed in the run-up to D-Day. I think he was an Army Air Corp navigator.
    The site, for those of you who might want to look up the burial site for relatives buried abroad is http://www.abmc.gov/search/wwii.php.
    According to the site, Uncle Paul was killed May 25, 1944. A much older friend told me that he was aged 10 or 12 and friends with the son of the man who owned the telegraph office and that he was there when the telegram came in to my grandfather. He said they called first and talked to my grandfather and told them they had a telegram with bad news about Paul. They then delivered the telegram. My grandfather was on the porch waiting and crying, like so many parents did during that war.
    About five years after the war a friend of Paul's visited my grandparents. He was apparently traveling the country visiting the families of his fallen friends. He said my uncle helped someone get out of the plane after it began going down, and that he then jumped, but that he was shot while his parachute was still in the air.
    I was unaware until I saw the government site that my uncle, in addition to the Purple Heart, had been awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters. As I understand it, the Air Medal was awarded after a minimum of five air missions, as was each cluster. So my uncle had a minimum of 25 air missions before he was killed.
    According to the government site my uncle was a technical sergeant with the 562nd Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group, Heavy. He is buried at Normandy American Cemetery
Colleville-sur-Mer, France; I hope to visit some day.

    On a more humorous note, my grandmother was a Five-Star Momma; five of her children enlisted during World War II. My father was sent home from training camp because of a bad heart, with instructions to take it easy because he likely didn't have long to live. He was given a package of medical records to take with him to assist his doctors in his future care.
    After a few months of his laying in a hammock my grandfather decided to consult a local doctor. The doctor looked over the medical records, listened to my Dad's heart, and said, "I'm afraid it's true, Jesse." Doctors didn't have much training back then, and this local doctor surely wasn't going to contradict the government!
    After a few months more of my Dad lying in a hammock my grandfather took him to see Dr. Stern at the Stern Clinic in Memphis. Dr. Stern checked out my Dad and looked over the records and said, "These aren't your son's records. I'm sure some poor soldier has had a heart attack by now, but your son is just fine." My father's days of sitting in the hammock were over.
    Dr. Stern is long retired and died in 2006, but his clinic survives with almost 20 doctors on staff. My dad, who is 88, returned to the clinic a couple of years ago as his heart is weakening with age. They asked him if he had ever visited the clinic before.
    "Yes," my Dad said.
    They then wanted to know what doctor Dad had seen.
    "Dr. Stern."
    I don't think they get that answer too often.

All women don't have a constitutional right to abortion, but rape victims do

    Amid all the recent debate on Prop 26, it's worth noting that many of the supporters of this amendment did maintain that the use of contraception such as IUDs and "morning-after" birth control pills was equivalent to murder because it caused an embryo, or person, to be unable to attach to the uterine wall.
    I disagree, but I'll leave this alone for now to note that a large portion of those who are opposed to abortion believe it should be illegal in the case of rape. These people have no problem with forcing a rape victim to bear her attacker's child.
    It's barbaric. And while I've long maintained that I don't believe there is a Ninth Amendment Constitutional right to abortion on demand, I do believe there is a 13th Amendment right to abortion in cases where a woman is raped or unable to give consent.
    What's the difference? The difference is that our laws -- our reservoir or public morality -- traditionally don't recognize a right of rescue unless one's own actions have made that rescue necessary.
    For example, suppose that I am alone on a lake in my anchored ski boat, and one other person is also in the lake in a small fishing boat. Suppose that person capsizes and begins yelling for help. Am I legally obligated to assist that person? The answer is no, I have no duty to random strangers in need of help.
    Now let us supposed that I zip past a a fishing boat in my ski boat and cause it to capsize. Do I now have a duty? The answer is yes, my voluntary actions have endangered the life of another and I now have a duty to rescue that person. A failure to act is manslaughter.
    As a practical matter, most people will attempt to rescue others in need. But the common law recognizes that it may not compel people to essentially be slaves to the needs of others. A dollar a day may be enough to save the life of some starving Third World child, but the law does not compel me to mail a check each month.
    When women get pregnant, it is ordinarily the result of voluntary action. A strong argument can be made against abortion on the grounds that a woman's voluntary action has caused her unborn child to be in need of rescue, and now she has a duty to rescue that child by carrying to term.
    When women get pregnant from rape there is no voluntary action to create a duty to the unborn child. As such there is no legal duty to rescue and the woman has every right to separate herself from this unwanted person, just as we all have the right to refuse to send a dollar a day to feed starving children.
    Forcing a rape victim or a woman who has not given legal consent to intercourse to carry a child to term violates the 13th Amendment prohibition of involuntary servitude. Even if we accept that life begins at conception, when a rape victim gets an abortion it's not murder, it's self defense.
    There's nothing wrong with forcing someone to involuntarily serve another if that person's voluntary actions have made that service necessary. But to force an innocent rape victim to bear the child of another is slavery.
    I've long opposed Roe v. Wade. It was a terrible, poorly reasoned court decision that simply fabricated a constitutional right. I believe states have the right, should they exercise it, to ban abortions in cases where voluntary actions result in pregnancy. That doesn't mean I'm opposed to abortion; it means I'm in favor of state sovereignty, even when my state or other states may pass laws with which I don't agree.
    But state sovereignty doesn't extend to permitting slavery or involuntary servitude. As such women who don't consent to sexual intercourse have an absolute 13th Amendment right to abortion. They may choose not to exercise it, but it must be their choice, not that of society.

Shephard's Pie is quick, easy, good, and cheap. Need I say more?

    I cooked Shephard's Pie for the kids tonight. Ash would be happy if I cooked this every night. Lucy says she doesn't want it so often; I need to be careful that it doesn't fall into the hamburger and spaghetti category.
    You may remember that I posted a while back on Menu Ideas to Please Kids and Protect Wallet. One of the menu items I mentioned was Shephard's Pie.
    I have a little Four-Way test that I use when it comes to cooking at home -- sort of a twist on the Rotary Club version.
First, Is it Good?
Second, Is it Quick?
Third, Is it Easy to Make?
Fourth, Is it Cheap?
    Shephard's Pie passes the Four Way test with flying colors.

Easy Shephard's Pie (Serves 4, Adjust accordingly)
1 lb. ground chuck, round or sirloin
1 small onion
1 small can sliced mushrooms or sliced fresh mushrooms
Some carrots (optional)
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
A few slices bacon (optional)
Some minced garlic and other seasonings
1 package powdered mashed potatoes.

Chop an onion fine. If you wish you may cook three slices of bacon and set aside, then use bacon grease to brown onions. Otherwise just use a tablespoon of oil. Add carrots. If using fresh mushrooms add them now. Saute until onions are soft. If using canned mushrooms add them now and saute a bit more.

You may remove vegetables from pan or just push to one side and add meat. Brown meat. When meat is about two-thirds done add some minced garlic if you wish and stir all together and let meat finish cooking. After meat is brown drain.

Place meat mixture in a baking dish and mix in one can of cream of mushroom soup. This will mix better if you don't let the meat cool too much.

Prepare one pouch of mashed potatoes according to package directions, but add about one-half cup additional water. After the potatoes sit for a few minutes they will be runny. Add four ounces shredded cheddar and stir; this will stiffen them right up. Spoon and spread potato mixture over the ground beef mixture as evenly as possible. Grate a little pepper over the top and add other seasonings if desired, but don't add salt. Sprinkle top with four ounces shredded cheddar and crumbled bacon if you used any.

Cook at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes. Yum!

Cost analysis: The most expensive item is the beef, of course. If you shop the old meat rack or sales you ought to be able to get this for $2, otherwise figure on paying $3. The onion costs about 40 cents and the mushrooms 70 cents (don't use fresh unless they are just sitting around!). The few carrots, if used, add perhaps 50 cents. Shredded cheese was recently on sale for $3 per pound and I bought 10 pounds, so figure $1.50 for the cheese. Cream of mushroom soup always goes on sale at Thanksgiving or Christmas and I always buy about 50 cans at 50 cents each, so 50 cents on the soup. Bacon, if used, 50 cents. I bought a bunch of two-pouch boxes of mashed potatoes for a buck apiece sometime back, but since I haven't seen them on sale lately I'll figure a pouch of potatoes at 80 cents.
Meat $2.50
Onion .40
Mushrooms .70
Carrots if used .50
Cheese $1.50
Potato pouch .80
Cream of mushroom soup .50

Total cost of meal = $6.90

To save money or suit your taste you can omit some or all of the cheese.

So who took down Gadaffi's website -- and who ordered his murder?

    There's no question that America's former enemy Muammar Gaddafi, who Barack Obama and his NATO allies murdered without cause, was a strange bird. He viewed himself a a philosopher king and issued proclamations on everything from the ownership of machine guns, to the need for a single state of Israeltine, to his proposed solution to the Kashmir problem.
    Some of his opinion pieces are a bit disjointed. Perhaps that is due to his own disjointed thinking or due to problems with translating the articles from Arabic; probably both. But his writings are not necessarily anti-Western and he was strongly opposed to Islamic extremism.
    Although Gaddafi's website has been taken down, the website http://africaindependence.com has preserved part of it. Those who denounce him as a "mad dog" ought to at least read some of his opinions. I can't help but wonder why his original website has been taken down as old websites tend to stay up for years. Who ordered its removal?
    For example, in November 2002 Gaddafi wrote or delivered an address on why the European Union shouldn't admit Turkey to membership, entitled Turkey, Europe and the Bin-Ladenists. In this piece he denounces Islamic extremism, capital punishment and Islamic justice, i.e. the cutting off of hands. I quote from Gaddafi's column:

The risk that Europe cannot condone nor take is to have Turkey as its Trojan horse.

The problem does not lie with the older generation of Turkish politicians who continue to hold Ataturk and his teachings sacred. The problem is with the new generation. The youth who have access to the satellite channels and the internet, are learning lessons from the scholars of the Islamic World and from Bin-Laden personally every minute of the day. That influence cannot be prevented.

What if thousands of young Turks get their world view from Bin Laden and his followers or from Mullah Omar and his group? I say “if” just to soften the blow. They will consider Europe as a land of unbelief that deserves nothing but forceful conquest. They will not stop at the gates of Vienna like the Ottomans did. They will wish to cross the Atlantic.

They will follow the example of Uqba ibn Nafie, the Arab commander, who stopped at the Atlantic coast and addressed the ocean saying:” If I knew that there are people living on your other coast, I would cross you to conquer them and force them to adhere to Islam”. Uqba did not [know] of the existence of a continent called America beyond the ocean. Those young people know very well what exists beyond the Atlantic.

Those young people oppose the abolition of capital punishment because it is mentioned in the Koran. Moreover, they maintain that a thief’s hand must be amputated as ordained by God. Adulterers must receive a hundred lashes without mercy. To them, these are the punishments established by God in his Book.

They do not, and will not accept the ban on parties with an Islamic name in Turkey while those with Christian names are not banned in the rest of Europe. [Blogger note: A good point which I've never seen made before.]

The new Islamic extremists, who will come to power in Turkey and will control its streets, will not accept joining an entity whose constitution does not mention the Islamic Sharia or the divinely-ordained punishments. Believing that contraception and family planning are sinful, they will ban them completely. [Blogger note 2: Is he talking about Turkey or Mississippi?] Thus, they could very well have the majority in the European Parliament. With polygamy, Turkey could become more populous than any European country.

The Turkish Islamists, supported by Al-Qaeda, plan to establish Islamic states in Albania and Bosnia. Europe, the land of unbelief, will thus face the pressure of a new Muslim European front that enjoys the backing of the whole Muslim World. Europe will have to adhere to Islam or pay the tribute. Islamists consider this to be their duty because they see it written in the Koran. These ideas might seem ridiculous or laughable to some. However, to Islamists it is their God-given mission.

    Whatever Gadaffi's past crimes were (for which he paid $2.7 billion in reparations), does this sound like a man who has it in for the West? A pan-Arab anti-colonialist, absolutely, but not anti-Western.
    When Gadaffi's refers to Ataturk he refers to the father of modern Turkey, who insisted on a purely secular state which was strictly neutral in regards to religion. The Turkish military has repeatedly forced the government to toe the secular line. For example, as recently as 1997 the army forced an Islamist government out of power. But in July of this year all of the top military generals resigned en masse, effectively surrendering that country to a future of state-sanctioned Islam. It won't happen overnight, but in the next 20 years we will see a Turkey that is far more like Egypt or Saudi Arabia and far less like Italy or Austria. Gadaffi warned us.
    It's interesting that we claimed to have attacked and murdered Gadaffi because he was using too much force in putting down civil unrest that in all likelihood was fomented by the CIA. Several hundred people were killed prior to NATO's attack, and I'm sure Gadaffi has killed plenty more over the years. I have no illusions that his first priority was to remain in power by any means necessary, just like the rulers of virtually any country. By American standards he was ruthless; by Saudi or Syrian standards he was a powder-puff.
    Although NATO was not authorized to seek regime change or to take offensive action, it did, attacking loyalist troops merely defending themselves. Today numerous towns are completely empty, their citizens beaten and murdered for supporting Gadaffi, and told not to return. For example, Tawarga, once a city of 10,000, is empty and ransacked in retaliation for its citizens' support of Gadaffi. Other cities face the same fate, which is odd given that the American propaganda machine would have had us believe that each and every Libyan citizen hated and despised the man. Remember, the first casualty of war is the truth. If our government says it, it is likely a lie. Many, perhaps even most, Libyans loved Gadaffi until the bombs started falling.
    I don't know why the United States attacked Libya. Perhaps we just needed a military base. Supposedly Gadaffi had been publicly advocating a devolution of power from the Saudi monarchy to tribal leaders. Can't make the Saudis mad now, can we? But I think he did so at the 2009 Arab Doha summit, detailed in this news article, Muammar Gaddafi accuses Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah of lying at Arab summit. The video of the event, which I've posted below, is actually far more entertaining.
    I just find it interesting that Gadaffi saw what was happening in Turkey 10 years ago and warned the West of the dangers that lay ahead -- and of his strong opposition to Islamic extremism. He publicly stood down the monarch of the most repressive, anti-woman regime in the world from which most anti-American terrorist funding comes, and for his effort Obama and his NATO goons murdered the man, his children and grandchildren in cold blood.
    I guess we didn't want to anger our Saudi masters.

Longtime sportswriter Caldwell says Dan Jones needs to go

    Longtime sports writer and former sports editor for the DeSoto Times-Tribune Ron Caldwell called for Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones' replacement in a column that appeared in the Friday, Oct. 28 edition.
    The column, entitled "Back to the Future for Ole Miss," begins as follows:

I have covered Ole Miss sports for more than 35 years. I received an undergraduate and graduate degree from Ole Miss and spent hard-earned money doing it. I worked at Ole Miss in media and public relations.

I have out-lasted football coaches Johnny Vaught, Billy Kinard, Ken Cooper, Steve Sloan, Billy Brewer, Joe Lee Dunn (sort of), Tommy Tuberville, David Cutcliffe and Ed Orgeron.

I have out-lasted chancellors J.D. Williams, Porter Fortune, Gerald Turner and Robert Khayat.

Ditto for athletic directors Johnny Vaught, Warner Alford, Pete Boone (round one) and John Schaffer.

And, let’s not even mention basketball and baseball coaches.

I have also out-lasted Johnny Reb (in a real Confederate outfit), Colonel Rebel and the ill-fated Traveler the horse, as well as the Rebel flag, “Dixie,” “From Dixie with Love,” cars tailgating in the Grove, panty raids and streaking.

I have ranged from the inconvenience of almost no restaurants, motels and stores to today’s horrendously, contemptible over-commercialization.

So, what’s the point other than to demonstrate that I’m old?

After seeing it almost all at Ole Miss and experiencing almost every conceivable emotion as a Rebel, I have some ideas of what needs to happen at “paradise on earth.”

First, Dan Jones needs to go as Chancellor. . . more

    You can click on the title above to read the rest of the column. I should note that Caldwell is not alone in suggesting that Jones simply is not up to the job of Chancellor of a major university. Many, if not most, Ole Miss alumni feel that he is way over his head.
    Jones has no one but himself to blame for this mess. It was he who chose to let the Pete Boone situation fester, and to send out an outrageous letter filled with falsehoods and name-calling. It was he who has taken part in public meetings where those who dared to disagree with him were slandered. Most people simply find this behavior repugnant and want no affiliation with a chancellor who is going to behave in such an uncivil manner.
    It takes courage to speak truth to power, but Ron Caldwell has done so. Dan Jones can turn things around both for Ole Miss and for himself. But to do that he has to set his ego aside and start listening to the great mass of alumni and students that he is supposed to serve. If he just can't or won't do this, then he does need to go.