DISPATCH EDITORIALS

Our view: A Bridge to Somewhere?

Posted 11/21/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

Our view: Ward 2 votes face no-Wynn solution

Posted 11/21/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

The big story from Tuesday's Starkville Board of Aldermen meeting was supposed to be about compromise. However, the board's defeat of a proposal that would have banned cellphones at board meetings was overshadowed by Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn's childish attack upon Greater Starkville Development Partnership CEO Jennifer Gregory.

Our view: Government of and for the people

Posted 11/20/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

Our view: The Gettysburg Address: Timeless, complete

Posted 11/19/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln rose to deliver a short speech as part of the dedication ceremony of The Gettysburg National Cemetery, located on a part of a battlefield where more than 50,000 soldiers had died than five months earlier.

Our view: Borsig has provided quiet, effective leadership as MUW president

Posted 11/15/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

On Wednesday, the state college board made a decision to extend Dr. Jim Borsig's contract as president of Mississippi University for Women for another four years. That has to be one of the easiest decisions the board has made this year.

Our view: Fair and impartial? Clinkscales must go

Posted 11/7/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

In her role as municipal court judge for the City of Columbus, Nicole Clinkscales is expected to perform her duties without bias or prejudice. By either word or conduct, she should not display bias or prejudice on the basis of race or any number of public issues. This is not a mere expectation or a standard to strive for. It is an absolute requirement.

Our view: A tale of two business owners

Posted 11/6/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

Tuesday night, the Columbus City Council considered a request for a 30-day extension on its agreement to bring bus service to the city.

Our view: When good people remain silent ...

Posted 11/5/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

Jonathan Martin is 6-foot-5 inches tall and weighs 315 pounds. He is not only huge, but athletic. That combination of size and agility led him to a career as a professional athlete: He is an offensive tackle for the NFL's Miami Dolphins. At 24 years of age, he is in the prime of his physical development.

Our view: It's time to stop waiting for the bus

Posted 11/1/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

It's been almost 15 months since the Columbus City Council agreed on a one-year contract that would allow an Indiana bus company to operate routes in the city. We are happy to report there have been no bus crashes, hijacking, traffic congestion, rate hikes or complaints about the service in that time. Of course, there have been no buses, either.

Our view: Setting the record straight with Mike Chaney

Posted 10/31/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

From time to time, we receive calls and emails from people who take issue with the position we have taken on our editorial page. There are also occasions when that person will challenge the accuracy of our assertions.

Our View: Clinkscales' Facebook comments inexcusable

Posted 10/29/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

Nicole Clinkscales has an active interest in the Columbus schools. She is a PTA leader and the sister of Columbus Municipal School District board member Angela Verdell. She regularly attends at CMSD board meetings and frequently speaks at those meetings. There is nothing wrong with any of that. But on Oct. 24, Clinkscales turned to her Facebook page to attack CMSD Board Member Aubra Turner, inferring that Turner, who like Clinkscales is black, is an Uncle Tom. Later, engaging with a commenter, she referenced abolitionist Harriet Tubman's quote about a mindset that kept blacks mentally enslaved. Tubman's comment, which Clinkscales quoted, compared such thinking to a snake that should be killed. Public figures are often the object of bitter criticism, of course, but what makes this incident different is one specific detail: Clinkscales is a municipal judge in Columbus. And that makes a huge difference.

Our view: Fisher has become the Ted Cruz of Columbus Schools

Posted 10/24/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

It's a sad state of affairs, an institution so bitterly divided that problems aren't solved; they are simply kicked down the road. It has created a landscape dominated by obstructionists who, lacking the votes necessary to impose their will on the issues, can do nothing but delay, distract and seek to destroy.

Our view: No time for guerrilla warfare

Posted 10/18/2013 in Dispatch Editorials

In the waning days of the Confederacy, when defeat was inevitable, the only remaining question for the CSA commanders and administration was whether to surrender or disperse its crippled army into hundreds of guerrilla units and fight on in a effort to wear down the U.S. Army's resolve.