Clarksdale, Mississippi, is a lawless town that believes its government is superior to the First Amendment.

It is time they learned otherwise.

The City of Clarksdale, Miss., violating longstanding United States defamation law, sued their local newspaper for defamation. Note for the peanut gallery: the United States has never, and will never, recognize the right of the government to sue for defamation. Only private persons may do that.

Nevertheless, Chancellor Crystal Wise Martin has issued a temporary order which is entirely unconstitutional and a textbook example of prior restraint. Just read this:

Shameful. Horrific. And I hope the newspaper refuses to comply and dares her to come after them.

In the spirit of the First Amendment, I will repost the challenged article in full. If the city of Clarksdale or any of their miscreant political principals wishes to sue me for defamation, they may find me in Texas, and sue me here.

The article is reposted below, for posterity and the First Amendment.

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EDITORIAL: Secrecy, deception erode public trust

By THE PRESS REGISTER
Sat,02/08/25-3:00AM, 1,189 Reads

Your Clarksdale Press Register will be the first to say that a sin tax that would pay police to fight crime in Clarksdale is a good idea.

So why did the City of Clarksdale fail to go to the public with details about this idea before it sent a resolution to the Mississippi Legislature seeking a two-percent tax on alcohol, marijuana and tobacco?

Mayor Chuck Espy has always touted how “open” and “transparent” he is and he is “not like previous administrations of the past 30 years.”

So why did Espy seek a Special Called Meeting of the Board of Mayor and Commissioners to finalize details of this move?

The notice was posted at city hall as required by law and said stated the city would “give appropriate notice thereof to the media.”

This newspaper was never notified. We know of no other media organization that was notified.

But back to what the city was trying to do.

Yes, there are deadlines for submitting legislation to Jackson. But this tax has been discussed in at least two meetings and has been reported in the pages of your Clarksdale Press Register.

Have commissioners or the mayor gotten kick-back from the community? Until Tuesday we had not heard of any. Maybe they just want a few nights in Jackson to lobby for this idea - at public expense.

As with all legislation, the devil is in the details and how legislation often morphs into something else that benefits somebody else.

An idea that sought to pay police higher wages for the toughest job in any community is admirable. But the way the resolution sought by the city of Clarksdale is now written gives us cause for concern.

The money - our money - can now be spent to “support and promote public safety, crime prevention and continued economic growth in the city.”

Does that mean the fire department, 911, Chamber of Commerce and their pet projects?

Does that promotion mean, giving away candy at Halloween, toy giveaways at Christmas and hosting events where politicians can hand out goody bags to votersin the name of safety?

This newspaper feels the original intent serves the purpose of all - putting police on the streets of Clarksdale.

More police will lead to more patrols, more patrols will lead to more arrests, more arrests will lead to less crime and less crime will make us all feel safer in our homes and neighborhoods.

Our Clarksdale Board of Mayor and Commissioners have stumped their toe on this one. They took a good idea, let their focus drift, and made us suspicious.

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