You are all familiar with Judge Noah “Soggy” Sweat’s whiskey speech, I am sure? Ah, one of Corinth, Mississippi’s most eloquent products.

My friends, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right, here is how I feel about whiskey.

This is my stand, and I will not compromise.

This was re-enacted by a diminutive longtime state representative at the centennial celebration for Mississippi’s (so-called) New Capitol in 2003. It was magnificent.

So … I find myself winging away to Chicago next week. I’ve never been there. Any suggestions on what to see, where to go, that sort of thing?

Felicitations all. As you likely know, Dave and the missus have gone on a lovely beach vacation in Kentucky. Realizing he wouldn’t be able to make the regular postings as required by his parole officer that his adoring public demands of him, he threatened to make certain pictures public kindly invited me to prod some electrons here.

In keeping with the serious nature of this blog and of Dave’s expectations, I’ve decided to tackle initially a subject near and dear to my heart: fiscal irresponsiblity on the part of the state of Mississippi during the 1930s with regard to funding derived from its Section 16 lands and the lessons the USSR was able to glean from our missteps and the resulting strategies they were able to formulate to reinvigorate policy development in re the development of their space program, and more specifically the evolution of exterior pockets on their space suits. I am certain you’re as excited by this as I am, so let’s dive right into it (pushes glasses up nose).

No, you know what the sad thing is? The sad thing is I actually have interesting posts to make. But do I make them? I do not. And, you know, I write and take pictures and translate those to the Web for a living. I have a modest base of technical skills, but sufficient for that endeavor. And my dear friends Shas and Deirie even hooked me up with a spare computer plenty robust enough to be used as a Web server. So that’s covered. Maybe I was just waiting on Dave to go out of town. Regardless …

Okay, here’s my best idea for a Web site. I live in Jackson, Mississippi. It’s not a bad town. We’re about 70% African American. I’ve noticed in my meanderings through town (in search of pawn shops and cheap guitars) some really excellent artwork on many black-owned businesses. It’s usually airbrushed, usually a fairly high level of technical proficiency is evident, and it’s always much more interesting than the stuff generated by professional sign companies and the like. Here’s an example. It’s from the auto detail shop around from my house.

See, I think that’s just great. And what a great site you could put together with pix like that (even ones without the faux-fur-clad models). And that’s not even the best example near my house! But that’s also the downside to these paintings. This one’s in a sheltered spot. Most of them aren’t. I’m not sure what the lifespan of one is, but when I drove by my favorite one yesterday afternoon to take a current digipic, it was substantially faded and badly flaking. I’m lucky to have good shots of that one, but soon that’s all that’ll be left of it. And I think that’s a shame. So–will i be diligent enough to actually get out, get pix of ‘em all, and get those onto the Web, along with accompanying text? That, O public, is the question. But here’s a start.