*his legal problems, which include pending bribery charges, had no effect on the decision.*

hmm...yeah, right. No sense in him supporting something that he/she/they won't be able to enjoy from behind bars.

HB 1589 died in committee. JSU is going to have to raise the money privately to build this...or any other, more reasonable structure.

Oh, goody! I do so want to read about YOUR exceptional understanding of how to be a governor. Please. Imploring your elected officials in Jackson and Hinds County to be proactive and business-friendly is likely to be of greater benefit. And I haven't heard Governor Bryant go out of his way to speak out on other isolated criminal matters, black, white or brown. Spare me that, too.

One would hope that being the mayor of a city entitles one to a bit of "elitism and privilege." They are, in a sense, in the visible position of trying to advance and protect the image of their city. As for the civics lesson on racism, well, one would assume that practically every -ism is practiced in a pro- and con- fashion depending upon one's perception.

As Governor Bryant spends a great deal of his time in Jackson, I'm hopeful that its future is as ever-present on his mind as is the rest of Mississippi - no more and no less than the smallest of municipalities. Its people, his de facto employees, and the other persons in this state are, it is similarly hoped, governed to the best of his abilities. I hope Governor Bryant governs with grace white or black, rural or urban and otherwise.

As one who lives on the periphery of Jackson, I would implore its citizens NOT to elect Lumumba. He has practiced divisiveness his entire personal and professional career. Please get a true businessman in office who can read a balance sheet and has at least a rudimentary understanding of want vs. need.

Personally, I opposed Tulane's expansion into Mississippi. It represents a potential drain from our already extant community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. But, it happened nonetheless. One could understand Mayor Hawkins-Butler's opposition to JSU expansion into Madison as it represents a drain on Tulane's catchment. Regardless, I would doubt that one could complete a four-year degree at the Madison campuses of either JSU or Tulane and one would, therefore, have to travel a little farther down the road to complete their degrees.

I would argue that JSU's expansion does not add credibility to Mississippi but only to JSU. It is useless to cry racism for every perceived insult and counterproductive to the argument in question.

The City of Jackson can't afford the Convention Center it built, how is it going to afford this? You know, just because our federal government saddles us with debt for decades to come, that doesn't mean that our city has to as well.

Todd, I never proposed that the Second Amendment gave us the right to an armed insurrection. I merely pointed out it give us the ability, legality notwithstanding. And while there are no provisions within the Constitution to allow for state *secession* (spell check), the states GASP actually seceded and set up their own government. The fact that the South lost the war was the natural and predicted consequence.

*(*I think of the Duke boys every time I type that name.)*

Of course you do...

For Tom,
I do not ascribe to being a white supremacist simply because I wish to continue celebrating Robert E. Lee's birthday rather than Dr. King. It is, however, your opinion otherwise. Fine. For the record, I think that our State commemorated this holiday not to continue to promote slavery or whatever but to celebrate a period of Mississippi's history in which we stood up to the federal government. To cast that aside in favor of the national holiday celebrating Dr. King, to me, is unfortunate, retrograde pandering. Makes me wanna get a big truck with mud flaps and a horn that blares "Dixie" at noon on that venerable Monday in January. (Not really - I detest big trucks.)

I believe a parallel can be drawn from this debate to the debate raging over the Second Amendment. Had this Amendment not been in place, Southerners would have potentially been unable to "bear arms" against the tyrannical federal government. See, while in the main, our national government has tended to act on behalf of all of our interests as a collection of states, it is probably not too much of a stretch to envision a similar situation in the future. For a modern reference, I point you to the "Arab Spring" revolts.

Donna, I would propose that the creation of MLK day in lieu of continuing celebration of Robert E. Lee day would be revisionist and pandering to a different sort of racist. Who knows, but after we are all dust and the next generation of history massagers have had their way, there will likely be a different person in this slot regardless.

And Todd writes, *But why can't it be done without a state holiday? Lee wasn't a Mississippian, he didn't do anything particularly transcendent or powerful in the service of Mississippi*. Well, by that extension, neither was Dr. King. But I am proud that General Lee did lead Mississippi's troops in battle, regardless of what side of the war we fought on.