Harvey johnson came to my church few weeks ago, and what he tried to say without actually saying it was that if melton wins, then rich white guys will tell him what to do. That sounded stupid to me since Melton has millions of his own.

I got something from bottomlinemelton@yahoo.com that appears to be from a deposition involving Melton. Aren't these legally-related things supposed to be kept confidential? In addition, there appears to be some sort of triangulation occurring between these different email lists. I'm not certain but I have my suspicions as to the origin of the plumbers backing. Developing...

Elvez, you and I must be on the same distribution list. To answer your question, there's no prohibition against disseminating deposition transcripts, although they are customarily kept under wraps. What stinks about that particular e-mail is (1) the anonymous source (who is nevertheless obviously linked to the Johnson campaign), and(2) the implication that Melton has ever denied having a home in Texas as well as a home in Jackson, but was forced to say something different under oath. That implication is quite simply a lie.

And Sandy, I love your point about Johnson "saying things without actually saying them." The execrable Jackson Free Press takes that tactic a step further in the latest edition, by not actually quoting the smears but quoting Melton denying the smears. For the record, JFP is the first and, hopefully, the only metro area media that will touch this garbage. Ladd has evidently decided to switch from Johnson's lap dog to Johnson's attack dog.

Wilson

No, Wilson, I quoted Frank Melton saying what the rumors are. That's called journalism.

Look out: there's a black helicopter just over your left shoulder. Better duck.

Best,

Donna Ladd

BTW, Wilson, you forgot to provide a link to the story you're referring to.

http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/politics/comments.php?id=5551_0_41_0_C
(Pardon the clunky format; it seems that link tags aren't working on this site. Might tweak that.]

Also, Wilson, Frank Melton gave me information on some of the sources of the rumors in a conversation we had about it so that I could look into who is spreading the rumors, which I am doing. So, I suggest that before you start accusing someone of being a garbagewoman that you sniff around enough to know what is actually garbage and what isn't. I assume you would be able to tell the difference.

The fact that Ladd is doing jumping jacks to help Harvey Johnson's campaign is all the indication you need that the Mayor's campaign is in big trouble.

Donna,

Welcome to the site. As professed elsewhere, I hope this won't be your last post to the site. We would even welcome a brief post/feature piece from you - unedited. We have very much tried to reach out to all campaigns and their supporters to look for opinion pieces.

I am a little puzzled in your contempt for me and this site in the posts on JFP. Both in our private emails and publicly, you would be hard pressed to find me saying anything negative about you or JFP. I can look in my inbox or on your front page right now and see some personally nasty things to me and about me in a negative light. No big deal. I just don't know where that comes from.

We have taken extraordinary steps to try to ensure editorial fairness on the site. Upon successive reloads, the headshots even shift order. We ran responses from the campaigns unedited and will have more coming as time goes on. We will be running every print, radio and TV commercial we can get our hands on from all three campaigns.

The links from all local major media are listed daily. Those links are from across the spectrum and have been good/bad to all three candidates. Of course, we cannot control user comments, and I agree, this on balance seems to be a pretty pro-Melton crowd. JFP posters typically lean towards Johnson. Maybe that's reflective of the electorate. Maybe it is just chance. We'll see during the election.

If memory serves, even your die-hard contributors at the JFP expressed disgust with the anonymous emails as addressed in Wilson's piece. You have chosen to use "the plumber(s)" as a source for your content for your forums without knowing who they have come from (I assume). Journalistically, that is surprising. It isn't that the emails don't exist or that some of the data isn't even correct. However, if indeed those are sourced back close to Harvey Johnson's campaign, that might be a little embarassing if nothing more than for the context.

Anyway, door is open, as always. I'd love to have your thoughts.

Alan, feel free to drop the fake politeness. I don't feel contempt for you one way or the other; I never think about you at all until you publish something like you did above on your site or on mine. I don't know you well enough to care what you're like in person. The only things I have responded to from you are posts either on my site or on yours that unfairly disparage the city (not the administration, the city), myself, my newspaper or newsmakers in unfactual and inaccurate ways.

I do not wish to blog on your Web sites, and I am not going to write columns for you. I don't have time to publish on small blogs of any kind; I already have 36,500 (audited) readers a week, without including the Web traffic, and they keep me busy enough. The only reason I posted above is because Wilson is way, way out of line in his posting about my story and my newspaper (and me by name). When someone posts that kind of thing on my site, I mention it and delete it if it's particularly dishonest as this one is. We also run corrections as needed, no matter which "side" it's on. Wilson is clearly trying to hurt my business and my reputation as a journalist above ("lapdog") by twisting my story (without linking it, I note) into something that it wasn't. As the editor of this site, that should concern you at least a little bit.

You are inaccurate about the bloggers on the JFP site; they are a mixture of Johnson-Melton supoprters to date with many undecided. I realize what Knol posted about the anonymous "plumber" e-mail that has y'all all bent; I disagreed with him about it in e-mail. I believe that, as annoying as it can be when inaccurate and filled with personal insults, anonymous speech is important to keeping a democracy honest. As for checking the e-mail's authenticity, that's easy. We called Warren Speed and asked him about it. It's an old journalism trick.

BTW, if you are saying that you and your wife's name were erroneously included on the list of people who are planning the fund-raising event for Frank Melton at Fonden Corner, I will be happy to add that to its Truth Watch entry. I'm sure you realize that we also posted a full listing of people who hosted a fund raiser for the mayor recently. They might not all have liked that, either, but the public deserves to know who is backing the various candidates. This is one of the goals of Truth Watch, in addition to factchecking statements made by all sides.

Alan, you and other Melton supporters can try to hurt my credibility all you want by saying that I'm a Johnson supporter; the truth is, anyone who reports anything remotely negative or questioning about Melton, or who express indecision, are getting painted with that brush by people who want to control the conversation. So, the fact that you and Wilson Carroll (who also has a blog history over at the JFP) are trying to paint me into being a "lapdog" is funny to me personally and says a lot. But it's a serious allegation to make, professionally speaking. I do, though, give Mr. Melton credit; he himself has been forthright and open with me so far even thought I seem to be asking questions no one else is bothering to ask.

Now, I'm done here. In the future, please ensure that your publications contain accurate information about mine.

BTW, anyone who wants to read the article that got Wilson so furious, please click here. And don't miss our City Elections Blog that will include pages for every city candidate, their platforms, links to media (corporate or not), opposition and so forth. The mayor's pages are already up; council's soon to follow. We welcome bloggers who support the various candidates and who are undecided (although not personal attacks). Please join us over at the JFP; Alan hadn't planned to mention our election sites, it seems, so I thought I would.

One last thing. As I don't intend to check here often after this, I encourage anyone who would like to discuss these issues, or our elections stories, to please post your comments on the JFP site on the appropriate story in the Elections Blog. That is, if you want me to see it, that's the place to post it.

Ciao.

So you can delete it !!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahaha. So much for the First!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the comic relief. You don't want to blog here huh? You have more words written than anyone else. You don't blog unless you CONTROL.

Hi Donna.

Over the top, as usual. If I was "furious," as you claim, I wouldn't be grinning from ear to ear right now. I obviously touched a nerve by suggesting that you're flacking for the Johnson campaign -- so why don't you surprise us all by endorsing anybody but Harvey? Of course you won't, and all of the pretended open-mindedness on your part is just so much hokum. JFP is the most predictable paper I've ever read or seen, hands down. Spare us the righteous indignation and endorse Harvey now.

You've admitted that Melton spoke with you about the rumors, and suggested ways you could get to the source, but your intrepid staff has simply been unable to crack the case. So, rather than criticize the sleazy tactics being employed by Johnson, you run an article with Melton denying the rumor and blaming the Johnson campaign himself.

That is the lamest excuse for journalism I've ever seen, and is obviously a ploy to give the story legs when you have absolutely no substantiation or corroboration. It takes a ton of nerve to print smears like that, then launch an attack on this meager little blog for having the temerity to call you on it.

So Donna, any luck figuring out who the plumber is? I'm pretty sure if I started sending out blast e-mails attacking Harvey, you'd figure it out and make a big deal out of it faster than I can say "kneejerk liberal."

Ciao.

Wilson

Donna:

I am glad to see you continue to post. I would encourage everyone to visit the JFP Elections Blog for some compare & contrast (links above).

However, you seem to be confused. I am not denying that an email existed or that it's correct. I am challenging where you got it from and whose axe the "plumber" is grinding. My bet is that news will break here soon. Whatever the plumber has sent (and trust me, I have seen all of them) winds up somewhere on your site, somehow. Like I said, from what I know about journalism, the data AND the source are BOTH part of the story. Data is good, but source is context. Data without context is just stuff. In this case that stuff is just irresponsible, loose inuendo bent on painting Melton as this or that without context. You either don't know/don't care about the source or know and are not telling.

Regarding comments re: you and the JFP by Wilson (not me), they are his opinions. I have learned when you put yourself out there as you and I do, you are going to make some people mad and some people are going to say things, and I guess that just goes with the territory. God knows my name has popped up many times on the JFP in a less than flattering light. I again challenge you to find where I have done the same by name on JCO or JNM. It just hasn't happened.

Wilson is nothing if not informed, and his opinions are just that . . . his opinions. He happens to have built up some credibility in this community. However, seeing your views of him, if I thought as little of him as you did, I just wouldn't worry about it.

I know the great unwashed that lurk on small, insignificant blogs like this can now go back to watching a NASCAR race or using 60's racist anti-crime rhetoric or whatever it was we were doing before you graced us with your presence. Thank you and have a nice day ;-)

As always.

Donna Ladd can dish it out but can't take it. Note the comments she's made regarding Wilson and Alan being mean to her. She throws stones constantly and then complains when she's struck by one. Glad she's out there though. She and her ilk are why the GOP keep winning elections nationwide. Thanks Donna, you do more for our side than we could ever repay for. Keep it up.

Ladd and that JPF bunch DO NOT speak for all of the black community. As a black woman, I'm insulted by this notion. She thinks she does...But, then she also believes she invented Fondren, Belhaven and The Farish St. District. Much like Al Gore believes he invented the internet.

Donna, Just curious, who invited you to the tea at Bravo in which you had your "interview" with Frank Melton?

The whole JFP thing is such a joke. That woman that owns it makes her living off other people's misery. Kind of like a lefty version of Richard Barrett.

Donna Ladd said . . .
"I don't have time to publish on small blogs of any kind; I already have 36,500 (audited) readers a week"

That's rich. I guess we now know what all of those ex-WorldCom auditors have been up to.

Amazing. I took a quick tour of JFP's web site, and it seems Ladd is so concerned about the prospect of dirty campaign tactics that she's set up a new thread to specifically discuss misleading push polls . That's right – push polls -- not anonymous, dishonest, character-assassinating blast e-mails. Let's have a contest to name the strange parallel universe she inhabits.

On a different thread, though, she does speculate on the plumber's identity. After noting that Alan Lange and I are two of the angriest men she's met in Jackson, she theorizes,

"Has it crossed their mind [sic.] that somebody in North Jackson who is afraid to be jumped by these guys for not supporting Melton -- like someone's spouse? -- might have made up an e-mail address to pass around announcements?"

Hmmm. I know Alan pretty well, and he's probably the least angry guy I know. And I'm laughing right now. But, having said that, if any of you spouses out there are worried about being browbeaten by Alan or me, I hereby promise to be sweet and demure if you'll come out of the closet. In fact, I'll promise to behave just like Ladd.

Or maybe I'm just making that sh*t up.

Wilson

OK, Alan, I tried to link but they don't seem to work. Maybe you can clean that up for me. You're the one with the propeller hat, not me.

Wilson

OK, everyone - auto-link has now been turned ON. You can post URL's and they will automatically be made "hot." We had initially turned it off as a spam-prevention measure.

Wilson and anyone else - please re-post any comments with URLS in them.

Funny comment about the ladd/gore invention club.
Another thing that annoys me about ladd's so-called "editorials", is the condescending tone towards ayone who doesn't agree with her 100%. Recently and often while giving these lectures to us she uses the term "Our children...." It's always "Our children this...and Our children that...." Just how many children does donna ladd have? Must be alot..Right? Nope..Z-E-R-O.
Which makes her all the more silly in her use of the "It's for the children..." rhetoric. Remember Billy Clinton? Change a few years worth of diapers before you shovel anymore crap our way donna.

Be on the lookout for a muscled up dirty blonde walking around this afternoon over in Fondren. Donna Ladd is doing some mighty heavy lifting for Harvey Johnson this afternoon. Without a doubt she's gone way past pretense.

Maybe one of the plumbers dropped off the latest bad poll news.

Or she may be setting the stage for an early endorsement since you don't wait until the ship actually sinks to start bailing.

Commentary on the media coverage of the Jackson Mayor's race is 100% the OPINION of the FedUpJacksonian. You can send email to FUJ here.

Take a look at this banner.

GRAPHIC:
Whitlow and Melton in Red
-- in poses that are positioned to make it look like they are looking at the Mayor
-- presented to make it look like it is Johnson who is being chased, the objective to paint Johnson as the leader in the race

Johnson in Blue
-- in a pose that appears to be looking past Whitlow, certainly not in Melton's direction and not directly at either challenger. In other words, and this is born out in the heavy water Ladd has already been carrying for Johnson, Johnson is focused on Jackson while his challengers are focused on Johnson.

Whitlow and Melton are in smaller cropped photos, Johnson's looms larger over them. The photos of Whitlow and Melton are red, as in red-staters, as in conservatives (wink, wink anti-CR), and in Melton's case as in Republican running as a Democrat which is in keeping with what has been coming out of the Johnson campaign as well as the Jackson Free Press. Johnson is in blue, the message being he IS the only Democrat in this primary race regardless of what Melton states, also in keeping with the message out of the Johnson campaign that he is the real Democrat.

In numerous posts in the JFP's hit section on Melton, TruthWatch aka the Truth as Ladd sees it, Ladd herself is highly fixated on those Jackson civic leaders more often associated with the Republicans, who are supporting Melton, though she herself wails of her own disdain for labeling, especially that of party affiliation. In Ladd's world it is supposed to be about the candidates, except when an opportunity avails itself to brand the candidate opposing the one you are supporting. Then labels are a great tactic.

TEXT:
"Are They Telling the" in Blue, the word "Truth" in Red
-- begging the question if the candidates in red are telling the truth
-- answering the question that it appears that the candidate whose photo appears in blue is more likely telling the truth

TEXT:
"Get Facts" in Blue, "Not Rhetoric" in Red
-- the candidate in blue is providing facts
-- the candidates in red are only providing rhetoric

If you think this banner ad is not purposefully sending a message you are naive. This is a borderline push-ad dressed up to appear like an invite to a special section on the city elections. The ONLY thing this banner doesn't do is say 'Re-elect Harvey Johnson'.

WOW.

All along I just had these campaign provided headshots loading at random. I apparently didn't have near the thought into my site than they did. Whew!

I would be glad to share the code on the auto-switch just so fairness would abound.

FUJ: looks like you've got WAY too much time on your hands.
analyzing sinister motives behind a banner ad?
i'm in tears, laughing.
seriously.

ok. gotta run! there are some black helicopters in the distance. and look! frank's riding shotgun!

good grief.

My time is my own. Independently wealthy. Probably time you get back to work. Seriously.

Commentary on the media coverage of the Jackson Mayor's race is 100% the OPINION of the FedUpJacksonian. You can send email to FUJ here.


Donna, it isn't over yet, sweetie.

As a professional graphic designer, I have to say this about the banner thing that was brought up on JacksonsNextMayor.com and trickled into this site. I registered here just to say this one thing:

THE JFP BANNER WITH THE JACKSON MAYORAL CANDIDATES IS BIASED.

And it doesn't take some complicated, convoluted justification to see that. Johnson is the only one with an attractive picture selected, he is bigger than the others, and is in the foreground. That is all.

Either your intern has yet to grow into his/her position and doesn't understand the principles of design that make it obvious who the favorite of the banner is, or is really good at taking direction.

Posted by: JDGJR on Apr 07, 05 | 12:17 pm

Of course it is biased. The Editor's mocking protests hide only the regret of having been caught. She believes she can pull off the obvious by hoodwinking with denials and claims of design innocence. When that doesn't work she'll act disdainful and dismiss the matter as a non-issue. When you think about it the attitude is very similar ... to Harvey Johnson's.


Commentary on the media coverage of the Jackson Mayor's race is 100% the OPINION of the FedUpJacksonian. You can send email to FUJ here.

I thin the banner may be justified. Clearly, it was well thought out with the proportions based on the candidates chest, waist and inseam measurements.

Oops, they did it again. Just another accidental, purely innocent placing of Johnson in blue and Melton in red.

Your work is marvelous!!
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