MISSISSIPPI! Take one giant step forward!

[Starbuck]

No one has said much about what happened earlier this month in Mississippi, but we Republicans are crowing about the shift of the Mississippi state legislature to Republican control for the first time since U.S. Grant was President. That's big.

Going back in history, Mississippi was just shredded by the Civil War. Before the Civil War Mississippi was the jewel of the south. It had commerce, growth, everything.

Then after the war Mississippi was punished by sending black federal troops to enforce voting rights, and uninformed freed blacks voted themselves into power. It had been illegal to teach black folks to read. In the town of Okolona, for instance, there was not a single member of the town council who could read law.

In about 1875, Grant grew tired of continuously sending troops to Mississippi and refused to do so any longer. I'm being a little brief, but that's the root of the events. Democrats took over, and I mean big time.

No more::)
http://www.39online.com/news/local/s...,4716236.story

That is one more than the party needed to wrest majority control from Democrats for the first time in 140 years.

State Representative Donnie Bell's announcement after the election that he was switching political parties to become a Republican brings that party's total count in the House to 64 seats compared with Democrats' 58 seats.

Hederman said he was confident the majority would hold steady after the final vote counts were tendered.

"We've looked at the numbers, and they're just not there for the Democrats," Hederman told Reuters. "It's a great day for the state of Mississippi."

Rickey Cole, executive director of the Mississippi Democratic Party, could not be reached for comment on Monday.

[noonwitch]

The voters of Mississippi also were smart enough to reject the proposal that gave full human rights to a fertilized egg. It would have made IVF unaffordable, except to the very wealthy. It also would have definitely made IUDs illegal, and could have resulted in women with cancer being denied chemotherapy, as chemo can cause a miscarriage.

[Rockntractor]

, and could have resulted in women with cancer being denied chemotherapy, as chemo can cause a miscarriage.

I'm not buying that.
Has your microwave door been closing properly?

[MrsSmith]

The voters of Mississippi also were smart enough to reject the proposal that gave full human rights to a fertilized egg. It would have made IVF unaffordable, excpet to the very wealthy. It also would have definitely made IUDs illegal, and could have resulted in women with cancer being denied chemotherapy, as chemo can cause a miscarriage.

The law has always allowed doctors to use their judgement to save the life of a mother. As things stand today, the difference between an unborn child with the right to life and an unborn child without a right to life is...Mom's opinion. Period. If Mom wants it, it has a right to live. If Mom doesn't, it doesn't. This isn't a legal stance, this is madness.

[Novaheart]

Before the Civil War Mississippi was the jewel of the south.

I'm sure if Mississippi were my home, I would love it and I don't begrudge anyone that feeling about their home state. However, from the POV of an outsider who has been to Mississippi in August, it's rather hard to think of it as a jewel, but then I haven't been to the coastal area of Mississippi.

[Starbuck]

I'm sure if Mississippi were my home, I would love it and I don't begrudge anyone that feeling about their home state. However, from the POV of an outsider who has been to Mississippi in August, it's rather hard to think of it as a jewel, but then I haven't been to the coastal area of Mississippi.

May be hard to think of it as a jewel today, but it certainly was before the civil war. During the period 1840 - 1860 the population of Mississippi doubled. It was hard to beat the fertility of Mississippi delta soil, and agriculture was king in those days.

But by 1875 it was a lawless hell hole. Federal troops had been there over and over and the rest of the U.S. had begun to see Mississippi as sort of an Afghanistan, with no end in sight to the troubles Mississippi had started.

Mississippi never recovered.

Mississippi in August? Can you imagine what it was like before air conditioning arrived?:)

The good news is - and it is good news, indeed - that Mississippi has finally established a Republican legislature. We, the people of Mississippi, may never catch up in the minds of most Americans, but at least now we have one of the tools we need.