Category: Mississippi

Mississippi–The Old Switch-A-Roo

WE all know the game the GOP is playing with gerrymandering….they are making it so that any minority vote is diluted given them a win.  My state did so recently in the Northwestern part of the state to try and nullify the minority vote because it is a bastion of liberal voters.

There attempt went to Federal Court and it did not turn out well for them…

A federal court has ordered Mississippi to redraw its 2022 state legislative maps in several areas after concluding those maps unlawfully dilute the voting strength of Black Mississippians.

Civil rights advocates challenged the maps and showed at trial that the maps violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Plaintiffs presented extensive expert testimony and testimony from Black Mississippians from across the state to show that the political process in the challenged legislative districts was not equally open to Black voters.

The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Mississippi, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, Mississippi Center for Justice, and civil rights attorney Carroll Rhodes filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP and voters from across the state.

The court ruled that multiple new Black-majority districts should have been created — at least two in the state Senate and one in the state House. In the absence of Black-majority districts, stark racial polarization, combined with the history of racial discrimination in the state and other factors, deprives Black voters in the state of the right to participate equally in the political process, in violation of Section 2.

The ruling, issued last night, requires the creation of new Black-majority Senate districts in the areas around DeSoto County in Northern Mississippi and in and around the city of Hattiesburg, and a new Black-majority House district in Chickasaw and Monroe counties.

Federal Court Orders Mississippi’s State Legislative Maps to Be Redrawn

Now the state GOP is asking what to do, what to do?

One state senator thinks he has a ‘good old boys’ alternate plan….

State Senator Michael McLendon has introduced new legislation that would offer state grants to encourage state and local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Senate Bill 2329, known as the Mississippi Glacier (ICE) Act, creates a first-of-its-kind state grant program to support Mississippi law enforcement agencies that partner with ICE through the federal 287(g) program. The bill establishes a dedicated fund to reimburse local agencies for costs tied directly to enforcing federal immigration law, including detention bed space, equipment, training, travel, and lodging.
“Mississippi is not going to pretend illegal immigration is someone else’s problem,” said Senator McLendon. “If you are here illegally, we are going to work with ICE to detain you and send you back to the country you came from, which more often than not is a far greater punishment than jail.”
Under the legislation, only agencies that formally partner with ICE through a signed 287(g) agreement are eligible for funding. Grants will be awarded by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety on a first-come, first-served basis, ensuring fast and efficient support for agencies that are willing to help enforce federal immigration law.
The Mississippi Glacier (ICE) Act creates a special fund within the State Treasury to ensure long-term, stable support for participating agencies.
McLendon said SB 2329 is also a direct response and solution to the burdens illegal immigration places on taxpayers and already crowded local jails throughout Mississippi.
“Housing illegal immigrants is costly,” said McLendon. “This bill will help alleviate that burden on sheriffs and county governments so that money can be used to hire more deputies, buy more equipment or improve infrastructure.”
Currently, the federal 287(g) program allows state and local agencies to assist ICE through task force, jail, and warrant service models. SB 2329 is designed to dramatically expand Mississippi’s participation in all three, effectively creating a statewide force multiplier for ICE.
The Mississippi Glacier (ICE) Act would take effect July 1, 2026, if passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.
(desototimes.com)
Now I look for the lies to start to make it out like that area of the state is a haven for ‘illegals’ and crime riddled….that will be the excuse to bring in ICE to intimidate the citizens of these liberal bastions within a deep red state.
If this is successful look for other red states to implement some form of this tactical lie….
Crafty old farts, huh?
I Read, I Write, You Know
“Lego ergo scribo”

“Buy Bigger Tractors”

My state of Mississippi is dependent on the sell of our major crop, soybeans, and thanx to Donny’s massive tariffs on China our framers are in pain and searching for alternatives….

Members of the state Senate Agriculture Committee were informed Wednesday that the struggles faced by Mississippi farmers are worsening, affecting not only vegetables but also beef.

Agriculture, the state’s largest industry that directly or indirectly employs over 11 percent of the state workforce, has been gut-punched by high inflation, falling prices, drought, and declining exports. Now, many farmers are watching what Washington D.C., especially the White House, will do next concerning tariffs as well as President Donald Trump’s recent plan to import more beef from Argentina.

“Agriculture faces extreme, extreme risk every day,” said State Senator Neil Whaley (R), committee chairman. “When you look at the market volatility and the prices that are returned, the cost of reduction is through the roof. If we do not find ways and avenues to utilize our crops locally and domestically, we are going to lose these family farms, therefore losing independent food. And that is a big problem for us.”

Soybeans, a powerhouse crop in Mississippi, are witnessing a massive drop in sales, largely due to China’s purchase of soybeans from South America, said Duane Dunlap, president of DNS Commodities. Prior to China switching suppliers, Mississippi’s soybeans were a major part of the state’s export, and the Delta was dependent on those foreign orders.

(magnoliatribune.com)

Then the magic of Donny has come to the rescue of farmers…..and they are told to buy bigger tractors(?)….

China has agreed to purchase at least 25 million metric tons of US soybeans annually, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday. Bessent said China will start by purchasing 12 million metric tons of soybeans from the US between now and January, the AP reports. “So you know, our great soybean farmers, who the Chinese used as political pawns, that’s off the table, and they should prosper in the years to come,” Bessent said in an interview on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria. He said the agreement lasts for three years.

he soybean agreement was part of the deal President Trump reached with Xi Jinping at their South Korea meeting, reports the Wall Street Journal. “I was extremely honored by the fact that President Xi authorized China to begin the purchase of massive amounts of Soybeans, Sorghum, and other Farm products,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “Our Farmers will be very happy! In fact, as I said once before during my first Administration, Farmers should immediately go out and buy more land and larger tractors.” Last month, for the first time in almost seven years, China bought no soybeans from the US. The country switched to suppliers in Brazil and Argentina, the latter of which annoyed administration officials by removing its export tariffs after receiving a financial lifeline from the US.

This is great news for our farmers…..but I ask what about the deals China has already made elsewhere since Donny and his magic Sharpie?

Will this be a lasting deal?  Or will Donny get his panties in a twist and nullify it down the road?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Mississippi Declares An Emergency

I have written a lot about my state of Mississippi how it is always at the bottom of good things and the top of bad…..and we are having a rise in infant mortality and the state reacts….

Mississippi has declared a public health emergency as its infant mortality rate climbs to the highest level in 14 years, highlighting urgent concerns about healthcare access and deepening racial disparities. The state counted 9.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, nearly double the national average, per CBS News. State officials say that over 3,500 infants have died before their first birthday since 2014. The emergency declaration is rare, but health leaders argue it’s necessary to treat infant deaths as an urgent crisis.

The declaration is meant to speed up efforts to close gaps in care, including expanding prenatal services in underserved counties, improving emergency transfers, and boosting programs that offer home visits and community health support. “Every single infant loss represents a family devastated, a community impacted, and a future cut short,” said State Health Officer Dr. Dan Edney, per CBS. “We cannot and will not accept these numbers as our reality,” he added, per ABC News, which reports the leading causes of infant death include congenital malformations, premature birth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome.

Racial disparities loom large. Black infants in Mississippi are more than twice as likely to die before turning one compared to white infants, and the gap is growing. National data show similar trends even in cities with better healthcare, highlighting the role of broader social factors—poverty, housing, and healthcare access—beyond clinical care.

What can we expect when every year the state legislature cuts spending especially to the poor and rural hospitals and clinics cannot stay afloat and close….and now some of the leadership of the state…..Mississippi is a deep red State….is scrambling to try and curb a disaster of their own making.

I am looking forward to reading about their solutions for this problem and trend…..I will bet that some other needed program will take the hit so the goofs that run this state can pretend to repair the disparities.

This is what we get when we elect idiots and Repubs….it sucks….but nearly as bad as their fake certain.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Mississippi Reinvents Slavery

Another trip down memory lane, history to be exact, for my state of Mississippi.

A state that still tries to deny the effects of slavery.

There is a common myth that Mississippi fought in the Civil War over taxation…….but in their statement of session tells a different story (and the true reason why)….in their own words….

In the momentous step which our State has taken of dissolving its connection with the government of which we so long formed a part, it is but just that we should declare the prominent reasons which have induced our course.

Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery– the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin.

But do not take my word for it….read the actual document for yourself….

https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_missec.asp

Here when I was in school you could not graduate if you had not taken Mississippi history….but that course left a whole lot out of the class….like the Republic of West Florida, Free State of Jones, and the ‘Black Codes’…..

“Black Codes?  Yep it was Mississippi’s way of trying to reinvent slavery….

On November 25, 1865, Mississippi created the first of the Black Codes. Designed to re-create slavery in all but name, this signified the white South’s massive resistance to the freeing of their labor force and the lengths to which it would go to tie workers to a place under white control.

Remember, the point of slavery was labor. If anything, we don’t talk about this enough. Yes of course it was racist, but the whole reason was to have a permanent labor force. Whites would do anything to create that labor force. And they did, engaging in crimes against humanity for hundreds of years. They had no intention of letting the end of technical slavery get in the way of labor control.

The impact of slavery’s end is hard to overestimate. But the Emancipation Proclamation did not free any slaves immediately, and the ratification of the 13th Amendment did not take place until well after the war’s end. The federal government was woefully unprepared, both in manpower and ideas, for ensuring that the rights of ex-slaves were respected after the war. Sure, slavery might be technically dead as of April 14, 1865, when Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, but was the US military there to enforce freedom on the plantations? Largely, no.

…

The Black Codes thus intended to trap Black labor in place. The plantation elite’s top goal immediately upon emancipation was to corral Black labor, whose core goal was to avoid the plantation labor system, preferably replacing it with small farms they owned. The Black Codes intended to prevent this. Building upon the slave codes regulating Black behavior, and especially Black movement, before the war, the Black Codes were the South’s statement to the North that the end of the war did not mean the end of white supremacy. Black people would have to show a written contract of employment at the start of each year, ensuring they were laboring for a white employer. At the core of the Mississippi code and copied around the South was the vagrancy provision. “Vagrancy” was a term long used in the United States to crack down on workers not doing what employers or the police wanted them to do. In this case, it meant not working for a white person. Decades later, a vagrancy charge was a great way for authorities to imprison union organizers.

Mississippi did not allow Black people to rent land for themselves. Rather, all Black people in rural areas were required to labor for a white under one-year contracts. They did not have the option to quit working for that white person. If a Black person in the countryside was found not working for a white person, the state would contract that worker out to a private landowner and receive a portion of their wages. If a Black person could not pay high taxes levied on them by the state, they would be charged with vagrancy and the same process would result. As during slavery, any white person could legally arrest any Black person.

https://www.wonkette.com/p/that-time-mississippi-reinvented

You see the Emancipation Proclamation may have freed the slaves in word but not so much in deed.

Some of these ‘Black Codes’ hung around until the 1980s and there are still some that refuse to believe that slavery was all that bad to this day.

Few are taught these parts of the state’s history and that is truly sad.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Criminalizing Homelessness

We have officially joined the bandwagon.

Mississippi has joined the list of states that are doing their level best to make homelessness illegal.

There is just such a bill making its way through the legislature…..

Two pieces of legislation aiming to limit where homeless people can sleep and where they can solicit donations from the public have advanced in the Mississippi House of Representatives.

On Tuesday, the House Judiciary A Committee passed two bills, House Bill 1197 and 1203, respectively. Combined, they would require any person soliciting for money or anything of value in a roadway to acquire a permit with a local police department and also prohibit them from “camping on public property.”

“It’s a safety issue,” said Rep. Shanda Yates, I-Jackson. “We limit (HB 1197) to just roadways. We’re not talking about sidewalks or any other areas with that. It’s literally just the roadways and the median. It is a public safety issue.”

…

HB 1197 states: “‘Solicitation or solicit’ means to request money or anything of value as a donation or contribution while standing, sitting or positioned in any manner on any road, street, highway median, traffic island or highway intersection; or to request any other thing of value in exchange for any goods, wares, merchandise or thing of value while standing, sitting or positioned in any manner on any road, street, highway median, traffic island or highway intersection.”

(clarionledger.com)

To help understand….what is homelessness?

In a nutshell:

  • A homeless person is one who is without a home, often one who is living on the streets. The term “homeless” and “homelessness” are most commonly used in lay terms and by government agencies.
  • An unhoused or houseless person is one who has no physical address, whether they live on the streets, in a tent or have temporary lodging at a shelter or other location.
  • An unsheltered person is one who is without shelter, for instance a tent or other place to get out of the elements.
  • Housing insecurity happens when a person does not have stable or adequate housing, including those who are being evicted or regularly come up short when paying their monthly bills.

Here are the stats on the Mississippi homeless…..if anyone cares….

https://www.wjtv.com/news/state/mississippi-has-lowest-rate-of-homelessness-in-us/

Where did all this recent hatred of the homeless originate…..

In June 2024, the US Supreme Court made this promise much easier to keep by overturning a lower court’s decision on criminalizing homelessness. Grants Pass, Oregon, where the case originated, had been punishing the unhoused with fines ranging from $295 to $1,250 and 30 days in jail. Ed Johnson was the initial lawyer who successfully argued this practice was unconstitutional. But after the Supreme Court weighed in, Grants Pass now was able to resume this practice. Other cities are likely to do the same.

Trump has promised to get the homeless off the streets…..and so it begins….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Why So Poor?

In case you did not know it the South is the poorest region of the country……but how are they so poor after all they have the same opportunities as the rest of the country, right?

I will try to explain this situation as best I can…..

Lastly we in Mississippi had our state elections and I wrote a letter to a magazine that covers the state with the hopes that it would make a difference but as usual it was ignored for it did not fit the paradigm that the publication pushes….

This is the letter I sent….

Open Letter To The Voters Of Mississippi

I tried to explain why Mississippi ranks at the bottom of the social ladder….to illustrate my point….WalletHub looked at all 50 states and the District of Columbia

Worst economies

  1. Ohio
  2. Maine
  3. Iowa
  4. Rhode Island
  5. Kentucky
  6. Louisiana
  7. Arkansas
  8. West Virginia (last in “Innovation Potential” category)
  9. Hawaii
  10. Mississippi

This is NOTHING new for the state of Mississippi.

I read an article that also tries to explain the poverty thing in the South…..

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2022, Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana had the highest poverty rates in the U.S. at over 15% each.

However, understanding how these states became so poor requires an examination of their histories and the structural challenges they face. Let’s look at some factors contributing to these high poverty levels.

The economies of these states have historically been less diverse and relied heavily on single industries. For example, a Mississippi Department of Agriculture study stated, “Agriculture is Mississippi’s number one industry, employing approximately 17.4% of the state’s workforce either directly or indirectly. Agriculture in Mississippi is an 8.76 billion-dollar industry.”

When the agricultural sector is suffering due to declining commodity prices, international competition and other factors, these states acutely feel the impact. Industries in these states often also provide low-wage jobs, contributing to the persistent poverty.

Many of the poorest states are located in the South and have histories deeply intertwined with slavery and plantation economies. Post-Civil War, the South struggled to transition to an industrial economy, unlike the North which experienced rapid industrialization. Compared to the North, Southern states kept taxation and government spending at lower levels, which resulted in less development over time.

The economic model of the South remained heavily agrarian, dependent on low-wage labor and slow to adopt technological advancements.

Educational achievement in these states has historically lagged behind national averages. For example, Arkansas has one of the most undereducated populations in the nation when considering the percentage of adults with college degrees. Poorer states often invest less in education due to limited tax revenues, creating a cycle of underfunded schools, lower educational outcomes and a less skilled workforce.

The state of Arkansas explained that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened an already struggling school system, and students are now struggling to recover from earlier learning disruptions. Although non-profits like Forward Arkansas are committed to growing the state’s education system, just like other poorer states, the historical lack of investment continues to hamper economic growth and limits residents’ opportunities to break out of poverty.

Investment in infrastructure is another critical factor. Poorer states often have less developed infrastructure, which can deter business investment. Poor roads, limited public transportation and inadequate broadband access make it difficult for businesses to operate efficiently and for residents to access opportunities.

The poverty of the poorest states in the U.S. is not the result of a single factor but rather a blend of history, economic structures, social inequities, and political decisions. Addressing this complex issue requires comprehensive strategies that include investing in education, healthcare, and infrastructure; promoting economic diversification; and implementing policies that address racial and social inequities.

(Gabriel Vito)

If the South wants to change this downward spiral then they need to learn what real issues are and stop being goddamn stupid and fall for BS issues that nothing to do with their lives.

Sadly this will not happen any time soon….all I can say is “Stupidity Is The Deliberate Cultivation Of Ignorance”……and Mississippi is cultivating a butt-load of stupid.

And the South has ignorance is spades….and they are proud of it.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–10May24

From time to time I give news from my state of Mississippi not that anyone would give a crap but rather to show just how goddamn backwards it is here in the ‘New South’….

After months of rhetoric the legislature passed a bathroom bill….wasted time and wasted days….but let me ask will there be ‘bathroom monitors’ to see who is using the ‘right’ bathroom?  If so is that not a privacy issue?  Who decides who will be the ‘pervert’ of the day?

Then the worthless bunch of panty waste passed a bill on what is known as ‘squatted cars’….I know….HUH?

Squatted vehicles — also called Carolina Squat — are those whose front fenders are 4 inches or higher than their back fenders, making the vehicles appear to be squatting. Lawmakers say the vehicles pose a danger to the driver and to others on the roads.

Several states throughout the South have banned “squatted” vehicles in recent years. Now, Mississippi is included in that list.

Gov. Tate Reeves signed House bill HB349 into law that prohibits squatted vehicles from public streets and highways. The new law takes effect July 1.

Other states that have banned squatted vehicles include North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Tennessee this year enacted a similar ban, which also takes effect in July. Alabama legislators are currently considering whether to ban squatted vehicles.

Fines for violating the new laws vary from state to state. In Mississippi, citations will come with a $100 fine the first offense. Subsequent violations will come with higher fines. Even though the new law goes into effect July 1, the fines will not start until January, to allow squatted vehicle owners time to have their vehicles put back to their original form. Law enforcement will still issue citations, which will count toward the number of offenses when it comes to the amount of the fines.

(aol.com)

First take a look at the states that have banned these tricked out cars.

Is it me or is it the states with a large black population?

Now I ask….what about all these rednecks and their trucks that are 9 feet off the ground?  Why are those not dangerous?

While we are at it….how about a ban on those 20 foot luxury 4 door pick-ups….no one needs a truck that big.

How about our newest 4th district representative?

Our last election saw the do-nothing representative, Palazzo, lose a bid for re-election to some jerk wad and a bigger douche, Ezell….well Rep. Ezell is in hot water for being stupid….

A Palestinian-American activist is pressing charges against U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell of Mississippi for allegedly assaulting her on Capitol Hill.

Ezell, who is currently running for reelection, was shown in a video posted Tuesday with Sumer Mobarak, a member of a feminist political advocacy group based in California called Code Pink.

One of the activists can be heard asking Ezell about the Israel-Hamas war and whether he thinks Israel should accept a ceasefire proposal or if he wants “this genocide to continue?”

Another person off-camera asks: “You want the killing of my people, my Palestinian people?”

“Oh, why don’t you shut up?” Ezell says in response. “Knock it off!” He then appears to reach out with his hand and knock the cellphone filming him to the ground.

“These China-backed protesters want to harass and intimidate Members of Congress into ending our support for Israel and our opposition to Hamas terrorists,” Ezell said in a statement. “I will not be harassed or intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party, Hamas, or their supporters, and I will continue standing with our Israeli allies against terrorism.”

Code Pink says on its site that “China is not our enemy.” According to a 2023 New York Times investigation, the group—which describes itself as a “feminist grassroots organization working to end U.S. warfare and imperialism, support peace and human rights initiatives”

(mississippitoday.org)

This old dinosaur, Ezell, is using a tired old meme of a communist party.  A question was asked….that is no intimidation in my book…why not not give a straight answer instead of some hilly-billy bully reaction?

Apparently he has to wait for his staff to try and cover his ass for he is too dim to do it himself.

This is what us peasants in Mississippi have to deal with…..stupid waste of time on laws that apply to only a certain quarter of the population.

I hope you have a great Mother’s Day weekend….and as always…..Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Once Upon A Time In The South

Many years ago slaves were the norm in the South…..then progress was made and these slaves were free but they had to be equal but separate……black waiting rooms, bathrooms, separate schools, etc etc.

The came the great awakening and civil rights prevailed and from the ashes of the old South rose the promise of the new South.

What a magical story….but do not kid yourself!

All that racism just went underground until the rise of the great pretender…..and slowly all that bigotry has once again arisen to show its ugly face.

Take for instance in my state of Mississippi….

Recently at a protest at the University of Mississippi things got ugly and disgusting…..

Republican Georgia Congressman Mike Collins came under fire Friday over a social media post applauding video of white University of Mississippi students racially abusing a Black woman participating in a campus protest for Palestine.

Collins posted the video—in which numerous people can be heard grunting like apes and one young man is seen jumping up and down like a monkey in front of the Black woman—with the caption, “Ole Miss taking care of business.”

Collins—or whoever’s in charge of his social media accounts—sparred with Black leaders who called out his racism. When former Democratic Ohio state senator Nina Turner said the video showed “anti-Blackness,” the congressman shot back, “*Anti-terroristness.”

When Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) accused Collins of “fueling white supremacy,” the Republican retorted, “Don’t take down any more signs at our workplace, please” along with a photo of the Democrat triggering a fire alarm in a House of Representatives office building last year.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/ole-miss-racist-video

Only a POS would justify the actions of these people….nothing can justify using such tactics whether you agree or disagree with the protest.

This is not an isolated case especially here in Mississippi.

The New South my ass!  It is just the Old South with cosmetic work around the edges.

Update:

There will be consequences for the University of Mississippi student accused of taunting a Black student who was participating in a pro-Palestinian protest by mimicking a monkey or ape last week. The Phi Delta Theta fraternity says the man seen making monkey-like noises on video of the incident was previously a member, but was kicked out on Friday, the Hill reports. Ole Miss also launched its own investigation into the incident; the university’s chancellor said the actions of counter-protesters, who outnumbered pro-Palestinian protesters, included “hostility and racist overtones.” Meanwhile, the far-right congressman from Georgia who originally seemed to endorse the racist jeers heard at the demonstration is backtracking a bit, the AP reports.

n a statement Monday, Rep. Mike Collins defended his posting of video that included the racist jeers (he said he “did not believe that to be the focal point of the video shared at the time”) but acknowledged that he has since realized “that there certainly seems to be some potentially inappropriate behavior that none of us should seek to glorify” in the video. He said that he believes any schools “that [do] not allow the occupiers to run roughshod over the 99% of students who are there to learn and enjoy college are taking care of business,” but that he denounces racism or discrimination

This news will change NOTHING!

The ugliness or racism is still a large part of the fabric of Mississippi and amount of clever words will change it.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–18Apr24

It is April and the gov of Mississippi signed a statement that no one told the media about…..when was the last time a governor of any state did not want PR for his ‘good work’?

Tater Reeves just signed a proclamation celebrating the Confederacy and slavery…..

In the year of our lord 2024, the Confederate States of America are still being honored in Mississippi. 

Continuing a decades-old annual tradition, Governor Tate Reeves declared April as “Confederate Heritage Month,” the Beauvoir museum in Biloxi announced on Facebook Friday. The site is the historic home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. 

The tradition dates back to 1993 but isn’t publicized by any Mississippi state official or government agency. The only organization that regularly does so is the Sons of Confederate Veterans, or SCV, who first requested the proclamation 31 years ago.  The SCV owns and operates the Beauvoir museum, promoting the “Lost Cause” myth of the Civil War that downplays the role of slavery and white supremacy in causing the war.

Reeves’s record on race and Civil War history is checkered. As a student at Millsaps College in his youth, Reeves was part of a fraternity that threw Confederate-themed parties where members wore blackface. The governor says he never wore blackface while in the fraternity. 

In 2020, he signed a law retiring Mississippi’s state flag, which honored the Confederate flag, but criticized Black Lives Matter protesters at the same time. And Reeves has also denied the existence of systemic racism in the United States. 

Mississippi is the only state that has dedicated a month to honoring the Confederacy in the last three years, although six other Southern states have done so historically. Mississippi will also recognize Confederate Memorial Day on April 27, as state law requires. But those seeking to protest against these policies will have a tough time: The Supreme Court just effectively abolished protests in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

(newrepublic.com)

There you have it….the New South looks a lot like the Old South….at least in the case of racist Mississippi.

If you hate brown people then Mississippi is the place for you.

A state that pretends that the Civil War was something noble….when in fact it was solely about slavery…..period.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

2010 All Over Again

This is for those with short memories….

In 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up and cause a massive oil leak that dumped about 200 million gallons of oil into the central Gulf of Mexico….it contaminated sea life, beaches and ruined the economy of many Gulf Coast states like Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi beaches were spared the bad stuff for our barrier islands protected our beaches for the most part but Florida and Alabama were not so lucky.

In case your memory is not what it once was….here are some facts….

Fact #1: More than 200 million gallons of crude oil was spilled into the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Fact #2: Deepwater Horizon was a 9yr old semi-submersible, mobile floating, dynamically positioned drilling rig that could operate in water up to 10,000’ deep.

Fact #3: At 9:45am high pressure methane gas from the well expanded into the drilling riser and rose into the drilling rig, the rig ignited and exploded

Fact #4: Over 16,000 miles of coastline was affected during the spill. The coastlines of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were all affected.

Fact #5: 5.5 million feet of oil spill containment boom was deployed to help collect the oil.

Fact #6: Over 8,000 animals were reported dead 6 months after the spill.

This spill effected the seafood industry as well….fish were not caught, shrimp were not fished, oysters were dead and crabs were contaminated…all of which is a mainstay of the Gulf Coast industry….so why am I going on about past doings that most have forgotten?

Easy.

Deja vu.

Just when the fishing grounds were on the rebound from the Deepwater fiasco….it is happening again….

A leak from an underwater pipeline released more than 1 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico before the flow was shut off, the Coast Guard estimated. The leak was spotted Thursday, about 19 miles offshore of the Mississippi River Delta southeast of New Orleans, Reuters reports. Main Pass Oil Gathering Co. turned off the 67-mile line the same day. On Friday and Saturday, overflights saw the oil moving to the southwest, away from the Louisiana shore, per WDSU. No injuries or shoreline impacts have been reported.

rews are searching for the source of the leak, which was near Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish, using underwater remote-operated vehicles. The Coast Guard said three skimming vessels are trying to remove the oil on the surface. The National Response Team was activated, the Environmental Protection Agency said, which mobilizes 15 federal entities to help

While the spill is dwarfed by previous spills, like the Deepwater Horizon crisis that saw 130 million gallons of crude pouring into the Gulf in 2010, it’s nonetheless a grim environmental catastrophe that could have devastating effects on the local environment.

“Ocean wildlife will almost certainly pay a terrible price for this huge pipeline spill, which is less an accident than an entirely predictable consequence of offshore oil operations,” said Kristen Monsell, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement.

This does not make national news….no one cares if I am honest  those mental midgets do not have to try a eek out a living from the Gulf.

How long must these crises go on before someone cares enough to put a stop tho this insanity?

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”