DISQUS

With all due respect, I must say that, unfortunately, justice in Mississippi has not rolled down like a mighty stream. The families of these victims are certainly grateful for the measures of justice that have been achieved, but it would be naive to think that Mississippi is awash in justice when it is clear that the collective will does not exist to pursue full measures of truth and justice in all of the civil rights murders and at all levels of the state-sanctioned terrorism against the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.

Ben, this commentary, with such specific details, really puts the Sovereignty Commission into perspective. It expresses why single prosecutions in these selectively pursued cases do not warrant closure as suggested by Gov. Barbour and the Mississippi p.r. campaign. Moreover, it demonstrates just how many victims there must be who deserve justice and how many perpetrators there must be who should be held accountable.

Speaking of p.r., every speaker at Ms. Chaney's recent funeral stood at the podium in front of the Chaney family to address them directly. Jim Hood, however, apparently did not want to be obscured by the large floral display that had partially blocked the video camera's view of Ramsey Clarke and other speakers who came before and after him. Hood made his way to the unobstructed podium on the other side of the church. There he made a vain speech during which his reference to Ms. Chaney served only to tell his own story. From my perspective, his description of the spiritual experience of touching Ms. Chaney's hand, as he led her to the stand to testify, served two purposes: it provided him with a way to counter Ben Chaney's and others' criticism by stressing Ms. Chaney's forgiveness and compassion while ignoring her own sense of incomplete and imperfect justice and her boldness as she took the stand; and it provided him with a glorious climax for his narrative about his life being somehow ordained to prosecute the case and redeem Mississippi.

Thankfully, there are people like you who are telling the full truth and seeking real justice.