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Debate shows Miss. a modern state
Published Sunday, September 28, 2008
When the television lights dimmed early Saturday morning, Mississippi was still savoring its moment in the national spotlight.
For the first time in history, the Magnolia State hosted a U.S. presidential debate.
But for a few moments last week, the debate that had been planned for months and months, almost didn’t happen. Sen. John McCain initially announced he wanted to delay the debate while Congress worked on a plan to stave off the impending financial credit crisis.
Fortunately, McCain changed his tune and his debate with Sen. Barrack Obama went off without a hitch.
Historically, political pundits and historians say the debate isn’t particularly noteworthy. Neither candidate self-destructed nor were any great one-liners uttered.
But for Mississippians — including a few from Natchez — the debate created memories that will last a lifetime.
Natchez natives Hannah Loy and Ashton Pearson found themselves greatly involved in the debate.
Loy was one of a select group of Ole Miss students tapped to be volunteers during the debate.
Pearson, associate director of Ole Miss’ physical plant, worked for months, sometimes putting in 12-hour days to ensure the campus was ready for the debate and the throngs of media such an event brings.
But beyond the personal memories, the debate showed America that despite lingering stereotypes to the contrary, Mississippi is a modern state and capable of hosting even the most important national events.
Comments
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 12:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The debate came off well. There were no power outages or chickens wandering onto the stage. That's good. It looked on TV as slick as anywhere for the event.
I do think a lot of folks view Mississippi like we here do a nice hunting lease -- a good place to go to for the weekend and if we like we can hang at the camp in some luxury.
But despite the accomplishments of some of our great scholars, I don't know if folks actually would like to stay here and send their kids to school here. That is a sophistication barrier we should work on.
I wonder if we can keep our politics the same, our speech the same and our core concerns the same, and still hurdle that barrier?
Posted by tedhinson (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 5:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Damn Yeah, I don't know if I can handle your sophistication today. Yes, you are smart as hell...I know that...you make it very clear to everyone within keystroke and probably in person too. I sometimes wonder if you wish you were from a different time or place....you seem so out of place on occasion when you are conversing with everyone else on here.....except maybe Enk or Sam.
I am glad I am a Southerner from Mississippi and that I have a Southern accent. I don't see anything wrong with it, just as I don't see anything wrong with an accent from Boston or Pittsburgh. I wish I had a place to go hunting or fishing again with my sons but I can't afford the leases and noone I know just allows friends to enter their property anymore without a lease of some sort. I would love to go to a camp and hang out with friends and talk about things that friends talk about....I don't need to shoot anything anymore. I guess I have gotten past that stage in my life...I just like to watch the critters. And, as far as the schools go, when I was a young fellow, the Natchez Schools were the best. A student could get a great education which put them on sure-footing toward a properous future. But things changed in Natchez. One can blame it on a lot of different things but I believe it started when the federal government got involved and took away American's right to choose and forced busing on everyone. It ruined community schools and the students and teachers involved. I don't know what can be done at this point considering the fact that we, the taxpayers, pour tremendous amounts of money into the system and yet the kids don't want to learn. If you have an answer to that problem I would love to hear it. But please, don't just spout political retoric at me. I have had a really bad day and don't feel like fighting....I'm a lover by nature...lol. Hope you had a great weekend
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 9:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ted...is that a compliment or insult that I'm included with the likes of Yeah and EnK?...I speak southernese too!...LOL
Hope your bad day got better.
Yeah...as for your comments...very elitist...very derisive...you're perpetuating the myth with your statements.
I can tell you for true...I like Mississippi and I chose to rear my children here and I'm not alone. The sophistication barrier is a false one erected by liberals like you who still claim we're living in the dark ages.
I think Mississipians CAN keep their politics, their speech (as long as it is southern-American English and not Spanish or Ebonics) and core convictions...you LIBs just haven't figured out yet that Mississippi has hurdled the barrier and run miles beyond it.
You Libs and Dems think that we Mississippi conservatives are obstructionists and stuck in the past...I would say it is you that is stuck trying to preserve the status quo...we've moved on to try to build a better future...you need to catch up!
Posted by scarlettohara (anonymous) on September 28, 2008 at 11:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great post, Ted!!
Uhhuh, I agree with you 99% of the time, but you offended me just a little with that post.
I consider myself an intelligent (sophisticated? maybe/maybe not) individual who enjoys both a hunting camp, as well as a scholarly conversation. Believe it or not, you can sometimes find both in the same instance!
I know you're openminded...that's what surprises me that you would focus on these old stereotypes.
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on September 29, 2008 at 11:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
openminded?
I think pessimistic is more the adjective you were looking for
With all the overdevelopment, skyrocketing real estate prices and foreclosures, crime, etc of MODERN states
they can have all that Manhatten madness and let's perserve some rural culture please
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on September 29, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well excuse me fellas if I offended anybody. I drawl, I hunt, I like spending time in the woods, myself. Like Kroger I think everybody would be happier if they stayed rural like this state has.
Is the emperor wearing any clothes? (metaphorical reference)
If I like being southern, if I chose to move to this state, if I LOVE education, and if I am one of those guys that is always looking for the next best thing, does that prevent me from saying the TRUTH?
Check my quote again:
"But despite the accomplishments of some of our great scholars, I don't know if folks actually would like to stay here and send their kids to school here. That is a sophistication barrier we should work on.
I wonder if we can keep our politics the same, our speech the same and our core concerns the same, and still hurdle that barrier?"
That is a challenge -- I don't think a challenge should offend anyone. I didn't even diss on teachers or anybody in particular for our lackings We're sweet sometimes, but we're too simple for most folks.
Do people actually dream about sending their children to a Mississippi school? I think that for every one that does in some other part of the country there are probably a hundred that are specifically not interested at all -- based on my queries. So maybe our bar should be higher -- the Democrat brought up the subject specifically because of the need I spoke of.
One of my "boring" themes I try to advance is how every one of us of every stripe seems to feel entitled to something to make us feel a little better. We should face our warts full on and get them cut off if they are offensive. The truth of whether we have some warts or not is the first step toward that.
That's good ol country wisdom far as I'm concerned. Far from pessimistic liberal whining it is the cutting edge of progress.
So the Democrat wants to appease readers and pat us on the back for the debate -- and I say let's get off our duff so that's not such a big deal to write about. I appreciate the whole process.
And thanks for your comments -- except for Sam, who CONSTANTLY seems to feel the need to toot his own horn and stomp on some liberal to do it. His ethic is one of the things people associate with our state in a negative way, since we're on the subject.
Posted by loneconservative (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 1:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why do liberals always speak of conservation but overwhelmingly populate the most urban areas?
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It's because if you sit out in the woods you don't tend to get around as much, don't see the books that explain biodiversity, don't think anything is changing because you have no way to measure, you are less likely to understand chemistry, and as long as there are deer and the fish are biting you can't tell how well the whole system is doing.
In fact, among educated people in general you find more talking about conservation, and in less educated populations you tend to find a lot more people who want to cut that tree or dam that stream and catch some FISH!
Make sense? Now me, I love living in it and am already educated in those things enough to really appreciate what I am seeing -- I once lived in the big city, and got a big city attitude about learning that you see far less here. But it's hard to deny education as an important part of being a good steward of the environment. You did right to notice the difference in what folks care about.
Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on October 1, 2008 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It is also true that a lot of folks are raising children, making money and getting educated, and living in the city works best for that, they think.
That -- living in the city -- doesn't keep them from rightly caring about conservation.
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