Issuu

Tuesday April 3,

2012

50 cents

Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 80

T-storm Today

Tonight

• Corinth, Mississippi • 16 pages • 1 section

Halfway house causes concern BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

A group of residents is concerned about plans for a facility described as a halfway house in northwest Alcorn County. The Board of Supervisors on Monday listened to resident concerns about plans for the property formerly used by

JNCC, a church, in the County Road 772 area. It is described as Jesus Name Community Holiness Church property on the board agenda. The area in question is in the northwest corner of Alcorn County near the Tennessee state line and Tippah County. A neighboring resident, Ron-

ald Norcross, told the board that he was approached on March 14 by church representatives who told him about plans to sell the property to a group that would put in a halfway house for prisoners. He said he learned that the group is associated with a youth organization in the Ripley area that is seek-

ing grant funding for the plan. The residents are concerned about potential crime and increased traffic. “If a halfway house is present and the dormitory were to house only half of its advertised 200 sleeping capacity, there is the potential to have up to an additional 100 vehicles per day on an

unsafe county road,” he said. He also believes a halfway house with people coming and going would “open ourselves up to an opportunity for all sorts of things to take place from Highway 57 to Highway 72.” Another resident, Roger WilPlease see HOUSE | 3

Whittington leads Shiloh driving tours BY JEFF YORK For the Daily Corinthian

Staff photos by Bobby J. Smith

Rebel gunners fight under the stars and bars during the 150th Blue-Gray Shiloh re-enactment Sunday.

37,000 spectators watch ‘huge scale success’ Shiloh re-enactment BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com

The 150th Blue-Gray Shiloh re-enactment was a “huge-scale” success, according to event organizers. In attendance and participation, the Blue-Gray Shiloh event was one of the largest of its kind, said Lee Millar, president of the Battle of Shiloh Association and co-event coordinator. The 150th BlueGray Shiloh re-enactment was held from March 29 through April 1 on land next to Shiloh National Military Park. More than 37,000 spectators attended the two-day “battles” on Saturday and Sunday, when living history re-enactors portraying Civil War-era infantry, cavalry and artillery staged elaborate recreations of key scenes from the historical Battle of Shiloh. Almost 23,000 spectators attended Saturday’s event, and over 13,000 were present on Sunday. Traffic was backed up over two miles on the road leading to the event’s parking area on Saturday during the beginning of the public exhibition.

SHILOH, Tenn. — An opportunity to have a driving guided tour of the Battle of Shiloh will be held on April 5, 6 and 7 as part of the commemoration of the Civil War Sesquicentennial celebration. Jimmy Whittington, an expert on the Battle of Shiloh, will lead the car caravan tours around the battlefield and will take visitors to the key points of the bloody battle. Whittington, former mayor of Selmer, has been leading tours at Shiloh for 20 years. He was the keynote speaker at the 2000 Memorial Day service at Shiloh National Military Park, where the tours will take place. These free tours will take 2 ½ hours to complete and will leave from the Visitor’s Center each day at 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. There will be 10 stops during the tour, where Whittington will explain details about each part of the battle. The tours will be limited to 10 cars each, so advance registration is recommended by park officials. Call the Visitor’s Center at 731-689-5696 to make a reservation. Whittington will explain the key reason for the Battle of Shiloh was the railroad crossing in Corinth. The Confederacy wanted to keep control of the railroad and the Union hoped to seize control of the important crossing. Shiloh was a bloody battle that resulted in over 23,000 soldiers (13,000-plus Union, 10,000-plus Confederate) either dead, missing or wounded during the two-day battle. This doubled the combined total of the four previous Civil War battles in 1862. Whittington said he began his interest in the Battle of Shiloh as a seven-yearold child when visiting a neighbor of his grandmother in Stantonville who had lived during the Civil War. Stantonville is just three miles from the battlefield. “I believe I have read every book written on the Battle of Shiloh,” said Whittington. “I feel this battle is the most misunderstood of any in the Civil War.” He feels one misconception about the battle on the Sunken Road is the majority of the fighting was in the center of the area known as the Hornet’s Nest. Whittington believes there is evidence to believe the Please see TOURS | 2

Over 37,000 spectators attended the staged battle re-enactments Saturday and Sunday. “We had four or five ticket lines on Saturday — and they were still swamping us,” said Millar. Approximately 8,200 reenactors participated in the Blue-Gray Shiloh event, and artillery re-enactors brought 140 cannons. Over 1,000

Boy Scouts held a “Camporee” during the event and used it as an opportunity to work toward a variety of different badges. Members of one Scout troop pitched in with the cleanup after the re-enactment ended to work toward their community

service badges. “It was a good crowd and good participation,” Millar said. “But the main thing was that we had that many people and no serious injuries. Everybody was really safe and

“Shiloh was a tragic battle in a very tragic war. This was a bloody battle where a lot of soldiers lost their lives.” Jimmy Whittington

Please see SHILOH | 2

Battle of Shiloh expert

Twenty-two teams sign up for annual Crossroads Chili Cook-off BY MARK BOEHLER editor@dailycorinthian.com

Ladies and gentlemen, start your cookers. The are already 22 teams signed up for the 5th Annual Crossroads Chili Cook-Off, which also has announced a diverse entertainment lineup for Saturday’s event. Organizers are still hopeful a new Local Favorite category will help generate more local interest in the event, and so far five local teams have stepped

forward with more expected. The popular event will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Corinth Depot

in downtown Corinth in conjunction with the Green Market’s fourth season. “We are hoping for more local interest, but teams still have time to sign up,” said Steve Knight, cook-off chairperson. Out-of-town teams continue to sign up, representing states from Alabama and Louisiana to Indiana and Illinois. The Crossroads Chili Cook-Off added the new Local Favorite Category this year which will be scored by sanctioned judges. The

Index Stocks........7 Classified......14 Comics...... 11 Wisdom...... 10

Weather........5 Obituaries........ 3 Opinion........4 Sports........8

winner gets $300 and a trophy. The fee is $25 and local favorite entries must have two quarts of chili for the judges and another gallon for People’s Choice. The best part for participants in the local favorite -- the chili can be made ahead of time, noted Knight. People’s Choice is one of the most fun parts of the chili cookoff. For a $2 fee to a local charity, people get to sample chili and pick their favorite. The winner gets a trophy.

There’ll be plenty of chili to sample. People’s Choice already has 17 teams entered in the competition. The Crossroads Chili CookOff will also host a sanctioned International Chili Society competition, which promises to draw many chili-cooking teams from around the region. The ICS is a nonprofit organization that sanctions chili cook-offs around the world for the benPlease see COOK-OFF | 2

On this day in history 150 years ago “Soldiers of the Army of the Mississippi: I have put you in motion to offer battle to the invaders of your country. The eyes and the hopes of eight millions of people rest upon you.” — General Albert Sidney Johnston, Corinth.

2 • Daily Corinthian

Local

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Staff photos by Bobby J. Smith

A Union artillery crew braces for the blast during the 150th Blue-Gray Shiloh re-enactment Sunday.

A lone Confederate cavalryman brandishes his shooting iron, above. An officer encourages the men as an infantry column charges across the field in Sunday’s reenactment, right.

SHILOH: Event coordinator said there were several cases of dehydration, heat exhaustion during weekend CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

nobody got hurt badly.” Millar said there were several cases of dehydration and heat exhaustion over the weekend, but no life-threatening occurrences. One thing that helped the event go so smoothly was the presence of a large number of local emergency personnel. “We had good support from all the counties around here, the sheriff’s departments, fire departments, ambulances,” said

Millar. “Everybody was very helpful and prepared.” The event also dodged a bullet from the weather. Early Friday the site caught enough rain to create muddy conditions. On Saturday night hail-storms and thunderstorms covered much of the region. But the Shiloh re-enactment site managed to avoid severe weather or precipitation on Saturday and Sunday, when thousands of spectators turned out for the “battles.” “Some of our guys

went down to Russells in Corinth on Saturday night. They got caught in the rain and were worried on the way back, but when they got to our side of Highway 22 it was completely dry,” said Millar. Millar said he was happy the event turned out to be such a success for everyone involved. “I’m glad everybody came out and had a good, safe weekend — and a good experience seeing the Battle of Shiloh recreated,” he said.

TOURS: Whittington says Confederate Army’s goal at Battle of Shiloh was to protect Mississippi Valley CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

major fighting was done on the left and right flanks as the Rebels fought hard against the Union soldiers. A goal of the Confederate Army was to protect the Mississippi Valley after losing key skirmishes in Middle Tennessee, according to Whittington. He said a group of mostly inexperienced soldiers from Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Tennessee fought valiantly against the Union soldiers. The fighting began at 5 a.m. on April 6 when the Confederate soldiers

began their attack and ended around 2:30 p.m. April 7 when the Rebels retreated to Corinth. The two armies at the Battle of Shiloh were the largest ever assembled in history at that point in 1862. Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant landed his soldiers at Pittsburg Landing (near Shiloh) after coming by boat on the Tennessee River. The Rebels had been camped at Corinth when they made the 20-mile trek to Shiloh to surprise attack the Yankees. “Shiloh was a tragic battle in a very tragic

war,” said Whittington. “This was a bloody battle where a lot of soldiers lost their lives.” The Civil War enthusiast said people in the Crossroads area take for granted the historical significance of the Battle of Shiloh. He said there has been good response to the 150th anniversary of the battle and many people will learn more during the 150th. Whittington was mayor of Selmer from 1991-2005. He is now executive director of Jesus Cares and is a member of Selmer’s First United Methodist Church.

COOK-OFF: The ICS-sanctioned competition will have three categories — Red, Chili Verde and Salsa CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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efit of charities and other nonprofit organizations. The ICS-sanctioned competition will feature three categories — Red (traditional red chili), Chili Verde (green chili) and Salsa. Registration for the Crossroads Chili Cook-Off will continue until 9 a.m. on Saturday. Participants are encouraged to register

early to reserve a space. Knight said a diverse lineup of entertainment will please both teams competing and those sampling the chili. The Courthouse Pickers with their Bluegrass style will entertain from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., followed by Larry Brinkley and the Red Hot and Blue Band from 11 a.m. until 12:30. Brinkley and his band offer a rockabilly style of

music. The Ye Ole Tavern Pickers will entertain from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and offer a Bluegrass and country sound. Country act the R.T. Rinehart Band will perform from 3-4:30 p.m. (For more information or to sign-up, contact the Tourism Office at 662287-8300. Interested chili cooks can also go to the Web site at www. xroadsfest.com.)

Local

3 • Daily Corinthian

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Deaths Ilene Smith

Submitted photo

IUKA — Funeral services for Ilene Smith, 90, are set for 11 a.m. today at Sardis Missionary Baptist Church with burial at Sardis Cemetery. Mrs. Smith died Saturday, March 31, 2012, at her home. She was a member of Sardis Missionary Baptist Church. Survivors include one son, Wes Smith of Iuka; two daughters, Ruby Crider (Dennis) of Iuka and Sue Burton (Frank) of Stockton, Mo.; one sister, Louise Barnes White of Iuka; 10 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Clyde B. Smith; her son, Wayne Smith; her daughter, Wilma Lou Smith; her parents, Wesley and Sally Parsons; and 11 brothers and sisters.

SCV officers chosen

Trudy Reid

The Colonel William P. Rogers Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp No. 321 recently elected new officers for the 2012-2014 term of office. They are (from left): James E. Monroe, chaplain; Dennis M. Brown, 1st lieutenant commander; W. Larry McDaniel, 2nd lieutenant commander; Thomas E. Strickland, quartermaster; and Larry L. Mangus, commander. Not pictured is Bobby F. Dunn Jr., sergeant-at-arms and webmaster.

Things to do Today Volunteers sought Shiloh National Military Park is seeking volunteers to help with activities Saturday. In commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh, park staff and volunteers will be placing and lighting 23,746 luminaries around the battlefield, which will represent the total casualties of the bloody two-day fight. Anyone interested in volunteering at the park is asked to call ranger Heather Smedley at 731-689-5696 or email her at heather_smedley@ nps.gov to sign up. More information on Shiloh Battlefield’s sesquicentennial events is available at www.nps. gov/shil.

Civil War art A collection of “Civil War Impres-

sions” is featured at the Corinth Artist Guild Gallery to coincide with ongoing sesquicentennial activities. Prints and some of the originals will be for sale. Art gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Civil War packets Anyone needing information on upcoming events pertaining to Civil War Re-enactments or other Civil War events can stop by the Alcorn County Welcome Center. Civil War Packets are available with information on the 150th Sesquicentennial celebrations. There is also literature on statewide events and attractions. The Alcorn Welcome Center is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or call 1-662-286-3443 or visit www.visitmississippi.org/wc---alcorn. aspx.

HOUSE: Resident says church no longer has claim to property since it is not actively used for services CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

banks, said the church no longer has claim to the property since it is not actively being used for church services. Wilbanks described himself as an heir to the property. “The original deed states that when it ceases to be a church that it goes back to the heirs of Herman Wilbanks,” he said. Wilbanks said he is an ordained minister

in the United Pentecostal Church International and would like to lead services in the old church building. “We want to have church there,” he said. “I believe my granddaddy’s intentions was for that to be a place of worship for God ... and we certainly don’t want a satellite prison or a halfway house out there.” Charles Tomlinson Jr., who is also opposed to a J7NÂ<H;;Ã?DL;IJ?D= tqxÃ;:K97J?EDÃI7L?D=IÃFB7D <?N;:Ã?D9EC; I H;J?H;C;DJÃFB7DD?D=

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halfway house locating in the area, had a separate but related item on the board’s agenda. He lives on County Road 772A, which he said the church has told him is not a “legal” road and could be closed, even though it has been maintained. The board attorney will research the validity of the road, but the board made no comment on the halfway house discussion.

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Jesse Greer Jesse Onous Greer, 80, of Corinth, died Sunday, April 1, 2012, at Sanctuary Hospice House in Tupelo. Arrangements are pending with Magnolia Funeral Home. practice, Gertrude S. Reid Attorney at Law, where she continued to work until Monday, March 26, 2012, at the age of 84. She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Survivors include two sons, Charles Culpepper Armstrong Jr. of St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Rev. Lt. Col. Robert Norman Armstrong (Gail) of Iuka; three grandchildren, Robyn Adair Beamish (Chuck), Keith Mitcham Armstrong (Miranda) and Bethany Claire Hudson (Jeff); four great-grandchildren, Charles John “Chucky” Beamish III, Faith Anna Beamish, Tristan Garvin Hudson and Aiden Adair Hudson; and other relatives and a host of friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Clifton Shelby Reid, MD; her first husband and father of her children, Charles Culpepper Armstrong Sr.; and her parents, Robert Reed Mitcham and Martha Adair Staton Mitcham. Bishop Ricky Howell officiated the service.

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Elzear “Bill” T. Bonnette, 99, of Corinth, died Saturday, March 31, 2012, at Whitfield Nursing Home. Sansoucy Funeral Home in Southbridge, Mass., is in charge of arrangements. Magnolia Funeral Home handled local arrangements.

The Daily Corinthian include the following information in obituaries: The name, age, city of residence of the deceased; when, where and manner of death of the deceased; time and location of funeral service; name of officiant; time and location of visitation; time and location of memorial services; biographical information can include date of birth, education, place of employment/occupation, military service and church membership; survivors can include spouse, children, parents, grandparents, siblings (step included), and grandchildren, great-grandchildren can be listed by number only; preceded in death can include spouse, children, parents, grandparents, siblings (step included), grandchildren; great-grandchildren can be listed by number only.

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Funeral services for Gertrude S. “Trudy” Reid, 84, of Corinth, were held Monday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with burial at The Mormon Cemetery in Booneville. Mrs. Reid, an attorney, died Saturday, March 31, 2012, at Magnolia Regional Health Center. Born Sept. 10, 1927, she was Reid the fifth woman in the state of Mississippi to pass the bar exam. She served as city judge in Biloxi and was president of the Mississippi Mental Health Association and chair of the Women Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C. Later in life, she married Dr. Shelby Reid, and they moved to Corinth, where she went into law practice with Becky Phipps. She later decided to open her own

Bro. John Stockton will officiate the service. Visitation was Monday evening.

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Opinion

Reece Terry, publisher

Mark Boehler, editor

4 • Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Corinth, Miss.

Americans worry about the Constitution, again BY MICHAEL BARONE “I don’t worry about the Constitution,” said Rep. Phil Hare, Democrat of Illinois, at a town hall meeting where voters questioned his support of the legislation that became Obamacare. You can find the clip on youtube. com, where it has 462,084 hits. That was before the 2010 election, in which Hare, running for a third term in a district designed by Democrats to elect a Democrat, was defeated 53 to 43 percent by Bobby Schilling, owner of a pizza parlor in East Moline. A lot of politicians are worrying about the Constitution these days. Liberal commentators were shocked this past week when in three days of oral argument in the lawsuits challenging Obamacare, five Supreme Court justices — a majority — asked questions strongly suggesting they think the legislation is unconstitutional. And so the Constitution — and the limits it places on Congress’ powers — is once again part of our politics. And will continue to be, whichever way the Court rules. For 70 years, since the court in 1942 said the government could limit the amount of wheat farmer Roscoe Filburn could grow on his own land to feed his own animals, it has been generally assumed that the federal government’s power to regulate the economy had no limits. That assumption survived in liberal precincts even though the court in 1995 overturned a law banning guns in schools and in 2000 ruled unconstitutional parts of the Violence Against Women Act. But the arguments, developed by Georgetown Law professor Randy Barnett and others, that it is beyond the powers conferred by the Constitution for Congress to mandate the purchase of a commercial product — health insurance in Obamacare — were certainly taken seriously by a majority of Supreme Court justices last week. And the government’s lawyers were unable to answer the questions of both liberal and conservative justices: If Congress can do this, what can’t it do? That question is likely to linger even if the court upholds Obamacare. For the justices are not the only federal officials who take an oath to uphold the Constitution. So do the president and vice president, Cabinet members and other appointees, and every member of Congress. Phil Hare may not have been worried about the Constitution, but his constituents evidently thought he should be. Presidents of different parties regularly issue signing statements, saying that they will not carry out provisions of laws they sign that they regard as unconstitutional. Barack Obama decried signing statements when he was campaigning, but as president he has issued them himself. Members of Congress may reasonably regard themselves as bound to vote against measures they conscientiously believe unconstitutional. Barry Goldwater did this when he voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, even though he had integrated his own business many years before, on constitutional grounds. Clearly the two parties are divided on the constitutionality of the Obamacare mandate. Polls have shown large majorities of voters think the provision is unconstitutional, though one can wonder whether many have given the matter much thought. But they’re certainly giving it more thought after this week and will likely give it more when the decision comes down. If the Court overturns Obamacare, Obama may be tempted to attack the court. He should beware. In 1937, Franklin Roosevelt, a few months after landslide re-election, proposed to pack the Supreme Court with new appointees. Gallup polls showed majorities opposed, and in the next election, proponents of FDR’s New Deal lost their congressional majorities. Lesson: Most American voters worry about the Constitution. (Michael Barone, senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner, www.washingtonexaminer.com, is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a Fox News Channel contributor and a co-author of The Almanac of American Politics.)

Prayer for today Loving God, always give us the faith to do your will and to trust you in the storms of life. Amen.

A verse to share Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. — 1 Peter 3:15-16 (NRSV)

Reece Terry publisher rterry@dailycorinthian.com

Failures spark immigration bill opposition STARKVILLE — One truism about immigration reform that should be repeated as earnestly as Dorothy repeated “there’s no place like home” in “The Wizard of Oz” is the fact that immigration enforcement is by definition a federal government responsibility. The border being crossed in violation of federal law by illegal immigrants is the U.S. border, not the Mississippi border or any other state. Make no mistake — immigration enforcement is the responsibility of President Obama, Congress, and ultimately the federal judicial and law enforcement systems. But under the control of Democrats and Republicans alike in the White House or the U.S. Capitol, Congress and every U.S. president has turned a blind eye and deaf ear to aggressive enforcement of existing immigration laws or to reform of those laws to deal with the problems that decades of allowing essentially open borders have generated. Why? It’s political dynamite for both parties in critical states like California, Texas, Florida, Illinois and New York that control the balance of partisan power

in the U.S. government. S t a t e House Bill 488 is a bill that is popuin many Sid Salter lar corners of Columnist Mississippi based on the notion that if the federal government is going to continue to abdicate its duty under the law to enforce the nation’s immigration laws, then at least the state should step up and try to meet the problem. Gov. Phil Bryant’s stance on state immigration enforcement initiatives has never wavered since his days as a state legislator. Asking an old deputy sheriff to “wink and nudge” at one law while enforcing others goes against his personal grain. And after accepting the support of numerous political groups in Mississippi that rank tough state immigration enforcement at or near the top of their political wish lists, he would be somewhat hypocritical to change that stance just because the political flak is flying. But there’s a reason that the Miss, Economic Council, Miss. Farm Bureau, Miss. Municipal League,

Miss. Association of Supervisors, Miss. Sheriff’s Association, and the Miss. Association of Chiefs of Police are opposing HB 488. The bill represents an unfunded mandate for local governments to enforce federal law at a time when the federal government is cutting the size of the existing federal immigration enforcement apparatus and the state is offering only $20 bucks a day as compensation. There are no U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities in Mississippi. The nearest field office of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is in New Orleans. Under HB 488, local governments will be forced to detain illegal immigrants until the feds take custody. That means filling up limited local jail cells with federal prisoners, feeding them, providing their medical care, and absorbing transportation costs. If the $20 per day doesn’t pay the freight — and in most cases, local governments fear it won’t — then local taxpayers will bear the cost of enforcing federal law through likely increases in their local taxes. And what’s the federal government doing? The

record is highly contradictory. On President Obama’s watch in 2011, ICE detained and deported a record 387,000 illegal immigrants — 55 percent of whom were criminals — last year alone. But in February, the Obama administration began shut down an ICE program that deputized local police officers to act as immigration agents as part of a $191 million Homeland Security cut the White House recommended in President Obama’s proposed 2013 budget. ICE also reduced the overall number of ICE detention facilities from 370 to 255 nationwide. Local law enforcement and the local governments that fund them know this. The less effective and expansive the federal immigration enforcement effort, the more expensive any state initiatives become for local governments who are increasingly fighting back against unfunded mandates. That’s why HB 488 has encountered such substantial opposition and appears to lost momentum in the state Senate. (Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at 601-507-8004 or sidsalter@sidsalter.com.)

Too many people riding on the wrong track I opened my paper the other morning, brimming with the hope and optimism that spring (and spring training) always excites in me, and these are the stories I saw: ■ A killer in Toulouse, France had attacked a Jewish school, murdering a rabbi and three young children. ■ A dozen police officers in Mexico were ambushed and killed while investigating the beheading of 10 people. ■ Florida police claimed they couldn’t arrest the selfappointed neighborhood watcher who had shot unarmed black teen Trayvon Martin to death because of the state’s “stand your ground” law, which apparently allows people to shoot other people pretty much whenever they feel like it. Do you sense a trend here, like maybe the world has gone completely bonkers?

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I can feel some sympathy with those people who keep telling pollsters they Donald think the Kaul country isn’t on the right Other Words track. What I don’t understand is why so many of them keep trying to make things worse. For example, Republicans keep complaining President Obama is getting our troops out of Afghanistan too fast. They say they’d stay the course and listen to “our generals on the ground” in forging policy. Say what? Generals on the ground never want to admit they’ve lost a war. Never. Just the other day Marine Corps General John Allen, our commander in Afghanistan, told Congress we could

complete our mission there, whatever that is. If that mission is to “pacify” Afghanistan, we can’t. No foreigner has ever done that, and I’m willing to bet no one ever will. Our mission right now is to get the hell out. Had we elected John McCain in 2008, we’d not only be in Afghanistan, we’d be in Iran. Speaking of Republicans, it begins to look as though Mitt Romney is going to be the Republican nominee for president. The good news is he’s the best Republican available. The bad news is he’s the best Republican available. He keeps trumpeting the fact he’s been a businessman and a businessman is just what the country needs. Really? Since when has a businessman turned out to be a successful president of the United States? Herbert Hoover? Republicans spent

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50 years living down his legacy. What’s he going to do as president, buy Canada, fire all the government workers there, and sell it for a profit to Germany? That’s the kind of businessman he was. Unlike his Republican colleagues, Romney’s problem isn’t he has so many enemies. It’s his friends can’t stand him. If you see people walking into the voting booth in the fall holding their noses, you’ll know they’re voting for Romney. Then there’s Rick Santorum, who sounds as though he’s running to be president of Vatican West, and Newt Gingrich, who thinks he’s uniquely qualified to beat Obama, even though he ran behind Ron Paul in Illinois. Stop the world; I want to get off. (OtherWords columnist Donald Kaul lives in Ann Arbor, Mich. otherwords. org)

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Editorials represent the voice of the Daily Corinthian. Editorial columns, letters to the editor and other articles that appear on this page represent the opinions of the writers and the Daily Corinthian may or may not agree.

Daily Corinthian â€˘ Tuesday, April 3, 2012 â€˘ 5

Local awarded top prize Special to the Daily Corinthian

Photo submitted

Shelana Kellyâ€™s mahogany chair, â€˜Kennedy,â€™ won first place in the MSU student competition.

Shelana Nabors Kelly of Corinth recently won first place in the annual Mississippi State University Student Competitive Show with a cash prize of $500. All students were invited to submit works to be shown. Four of the works Kelly submitted were accepted into the show. Her mahogany chair, â€œKennedyâ€? was selected as first place. Kelly is a Mississippi State University sculpture major. She is a native of Corinth. The work in the exhibit was selected by two jurors outside of the university. The jurors for 2012 were Dr. Lisa Freiman and Brigid McCarren. Dr. Freiman is senior curator of contemporary art at the Indianapolis Museum of Fine Art. She served as U.S. commissioner to the 2011 Venice Biennale, a significant international contemporary art exhibition. Brigid McCarren is the art director for HOW Magazine, a major journal and resource for the field of graphic design.

â€œI knew my setup by heart by the time it finally started coming together. I planned and tested everything multiple times.â€? Shelana Kelly Mississippi State University student Kellyâ€™s work will be featured in â€œSEEKâ€? the MSU Fine Art Thesis Exhibition now through April 13. When instant gratification has become the norm today, where does an artist find the patience to create great artwork? Kellyâ€™s answer is by meticulously planning every aspect. Her large sculpture plays with logic, perspective and optical illusion. â€œI knew my setup by heart by the time it finally started coming together,â€? Kelly commented. â€œI planned and tested everything multiple times.â€? Her sculpture titled, â€œShifts in Perspective,â€? began with her love of making furniture. Now, she disrupts the view of everyday objects such as furniture by taking the objects apart

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and reconstructing them. Her sculpture, while it can be seen from all angles, is only understood correctly as a table and chairs from one angle. Says the MSU art senior, â€œItâ€™s basically a three-dimensional painting, antique frame and all, but itâ€™s big enough to be functional until you realize none of the pieces are actually attached to each other.â€? Kelly, along with 15 other MSU art students will display their final work in the Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition, â€œSEEKâ€? which will be on display in three Missis-

sippi State University galleries this week and next week. A public reception for this exhibition will be held Thursday, April 12 at the Department of Art Gallery downstairs in McComas Hall at 5:30 p.m., with student introductions at 6 p.m. It will move to the Colvard Student Union Art Gallery at 6:15 p.m. and will end at the Visual Arts Center (VAC) at 7 p.m. The 16 senior students in Mississippi State Universityâ€™s Fine Art BFA degree program have spent their undergraduate careers seeking to create the work that demonstrates the skills theyâ€™ve acquired and the journey they have and will continue to take. SEEK relates to the search each artist has taken to find herself/himself through the process of conceiving, making and showing artwork.

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6 • Tuesday, April 3, 2012 • Daily Corinthian

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