Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

Robert Catalano, Salem, OR — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:53:06 GMT

What Barbour was really trying to say is, "The Republicans are a lock for the "redneck" vote. Everything must be just fine with those folks in Mississippi, seeing as they are in the bottom ten for wages, education, social services, life longevity, health care and most other livibility factors.

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

RH Oregon — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:53:32 GMT

The Republican candidates so far have not been attacking each other much. But before Fred can get his hat officially in the ring, they are after him. Tells you something. Are they worried? You bet. Look out Rudy, your pro-abortion, anti-gun, marry my relatives, type of politics are not going to fly with Republican voters. Your history. Try to go down with dignity.
Please Fred stick to the issues, don't get into a quibbling match with the crybabies. Do like you have and speak to the issues. Don't be like the dems either and run against Bush's ghost.

Vote for small government. Vote for federalism.

Vote for our next President Fredrick Thompson!

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

bb — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:59:47 GMT

Fred is dead , fred is dead. Not even in the running. Your tooo late fred.

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

RH Oregon — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:13:38 GMT

Since when is 4-6 months until primaries and 14 months until the election count as "tooo late". How much of this drivel do you need? Someone needs to get a life.

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

kenn"FRED IS SO RADICAL"O — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:21:54 GMT

Small government Just like the republican congress of 00 02 04.Small government is actually code for fewer in the mix to disturb the big fish from haliburton and kbr .like it, LONG LIVE THE KING FRED those other dummies dont stand a chance against the welloiled machine that is known as the thompson campain

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

Susan, Miami — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:27:20 GMT

Repubs will really be having a meltdown on election day when Freddy isn't even on the ballot and Mrs Clinton becomes our next president.If denial makes them feel better, then so be it. bb you got it right already.

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

Jared Martin, Oxford, Mississippi — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:49:34 GMT

Way to show just how ill-informed you are. If you can wander past the borders of Oregon, you should step foot in Mississippi before passing any sort of judgment.

It always cracks me up when the first place people go, when talking about Mississippi, is the redneck slant. You do realize that your state likely has a comparable number of uninformed hicks? We don't have a monopoly on them, though I'm sure it makes you feel more self-important to think that we must.

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

Frosty — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 19:28:11 GMT

Thank you Jared and RH. You both have it "right", no pun intended. Fred Thompson will put America back on the Reagan era track. The world respected us then and it will again. Fred Thompson will be President.....you can take that to the bank.

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

Richie Rich — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 20:38:39 GMT

"The Republicans are a lock for the "redneck" vote.
Please, Arkansas(State Motto: Thank God for Mississippi) is as Blue, and Redneck, as it gets, and they're at the top of failing in everything too.

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

jesse clark — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 23:33:38 GMT

IF YOU ARE A TRUE REPUBLICAN YOU KNOW FOR A FACT THEY HAVE SCREWED UP ROYALLY, THE WAR, KICKBACKS, RESIGNATION, JAILTIME, AND BIG LIARS, HIDING IN THE CLOSET (SEXUAL). DEMOCRATS HAVE THEIR PROBLEMS BUT NOT LIKE THE REPUBLICANS,THOSE ARE THE DEVOUT! NOW IS THE TIME FOR A THIRD (HONEST) PARTY.

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

Robert Catalano, Salem, OR — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 05:40:07 GMT

Jared, I have been to Mississippi and, yes, there are quite a few rednecks in Oregon. What I saw in Mississippi as a kid really opened my eyes: white and black drinking fountains, a cross burning off the highway as my mother and I rode the Greyhound to visit my grandmother in Florida, and the homes of the sharecroppers, both white and black, which had outhouses and wells instead of in-house running water. This, admittedly was in the early 1960s but, it, in my case, is less than a lifetime to go. When I was in Mssissippi in the 1990s I met a lot of nice people but having lived on the west coast for the last 30 years it was shocking to hear the "N" word used with a familiarity I thought had died over the years. I was surprised at how low the state's minimum wage is and how few people cared. Except in the cities I saw a lot of the old south "plantation mentality" alive and well. I am sure you love where you live and, believe it or not, I think Missisissippi is a physically beautiful state. I just didn't see much hope for a better future in the eyes of most of the people I met.

Oh-eight (R): More Thompson attacks

Jared Martin, Oxford, MS — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:06:56 GMT

At 23, I'm relatively young. Originally, I was from a much poorer area of the state and I've grown up with the good and the bad of which you've spoken. There are bastions of racism, but they are not the norm. My home was destroyed by a natural disaster back in '98, and one of the first groups to take a collection and help us rebuild was a 'traditionally black' church. As a sidenote, that label isn't applied derogatorily, but as a matter of historic significance.

I've attended the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss, for 6 years now. I'm halfway through Law School currently... If you want a setting rife with conflict and reform - this is the setting you should visit. The Lyceum still has bullet-holes from the forced integration of Robert Meredith. Now, the gentleman has a statute placed prominently in front of that same building.

Of course statutes are silent reminders of nothing in particular, but the sentiment should be what is remarkable. You might not have witnessed the recent flap where a more 'plantation-minded' fraternity was accused of racist acts to a black rushee or the fact that the frat is now forced off campus. The thing you most certainly didn't see was the outcry on campus. For the fifty good people who are trying to make a difference, one yokel can set us back 20 years. Still, from a school that was once obsessed with confederate-pageantry to one that has banned the flag, a racially-suggestive mascot, and an administration focused on increasing minority enrollment (currently at 20 percent) and participation.

I could go on and on with anecdotal evidence, but you get the idea. If you get the chance, I really suggest you come down to Oxford. In what was once perhaps the most hostile and unyielding town in Mississippi, there has been a transformation analogous to that of Mississippi as a whole.

Oxford is a beautiful town steeped in literary history. If you're a fan of any college sport or well versed in American literature or independent music, you'd likely enjoy a weekend vacation in this sleepy college town.

My apologies if I came across harshly earlier; there are many uninformed opinions about my home state. Even your impression, better than many others', is still almost 50 years removed. There are many Rangel-esque insults hurled at the South and our state in particular; perhaps we've grown to have a slight chip on our shoulder.