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The Magnolia Flag 1861-94
"Go, Mississippi"
Official State Song
Words and Music by Houston Davis
Verse:States
may sing their songs of praise
With waving flags and hip-hoo-rays,
Let cymbals crash and let bells ring
Cause here's one song I'm proud to sing.
Choruses:
Go, Mississippi, keep rolling along,
Go, Mississippi, you cannot go wrong,
Go, Mississippi, we're singing your song,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
Go, Mississippi, you're on the right track,
Go, Mississippi, and this is a fact,
Go, Mississippi, you'll never look back,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
Go, Mississippi, straight down the line,
Go, Mississippi, ev'rything's fine,
Go, Mississippi, it's your state and mine,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
Go, Mississippi, continue to roll,
Go, Mississippi, the top is the goal,
Go, Mississippi, you'll have and you'll hold,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
Go, Mississippi, get up and go,
Go, Mississippi, let the world know,
That our Mississippi is leading the show,
M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I
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From the Starkville Daily News:
Something
ain't right with redistricting 3/24
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| By: BRIAN
HAWKINS |
March
26, 2002 |
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There
is something that has been bothering me since the Joint
Committee on Legislative Redistricting released the maps
outlining the proposed new districts for the state Senate and
House of Representatives last week.
What were the committee members smoking when they drew the new
districts, particularly those for the House?
Though I seriously doubt our legislative leaders are using
mind-altering substances, I still have to wonder what they
were thinking to draw a legislative district map that looks
like someone tossed a pie into the air, let the pieces fall
where they may and then decided that however the pieces landed
would be how the new districts would be drawn.
And the division of Oktibbeha County among four House
districts - Districts 23, 35, 37 and 38 - has got to be the
most confusing mess that I've ever seen.
The problem lies not with the areas of the county that will be
represented by Districts 35 and 38 under the new House plan if
it's approved by the Justice Department.
The problem is with Districts 23 and 37, which, upon close
examination of the map, look like two snakes slithering their
way from the northwest to the central part of the county,
including much of the City of Starkville (that's not to say
that the representatives holding those House seats are
reptiles, by the way).
District 37, in particular, has been shifted away from much of
the area that the seat currently represents in northwest
Oktibbeha County to weave its away through the north-central
part of the county, across much of southern Clay County and
then diagonally across southern Lowndes County.
Then there's District 23.
The genius - and I use that term loosely - that drew the new
District 23 needs to be lobotomized.
Though the bulk of the district is in Calhoun County, District
23 now snakes its way into two separate "branches"
in central Webster County and - this is where it directly
affects our voters - down through northeast Webster and
extreme western Clay County into northwest Oktibbeha County to
take in numerous precincts here, including all of the Adaton
and Maben precincts.
In fact, the entire House district map looks like someone put
a blank map of our state in front of members of the JCLR,
blindfolded them and let them the draw at will in a rather
warped version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey."
This is gerrymandering at its worst.
During the Legislature's botched attempt at redrawing the
congressional districts from five to four due to the loss of a
U.S. House seat a result of the 2000 census, we saw partisan
politics at its worst in blatant attempts to give one party
more power over the other instead working to ensure an equal
chance for representation.
It appears that the same practice has again been at work with
the legislative seat redistricting in both the House and
Senate, though both Senate districts that represent our county
have remained largely intact.
But the Golden Triangle has lost one House seat because of
this, since District 40 Rep. Gary Chism's district will be
merged into the new District 37, currently represented by Rob
Roberson of Starkville.
What's more of a concern to me and to several local election
officials in the area is the impact the new districts could
have on voter turnout in the 2003 statewide and countywide
elections and in future elections.
Many counties - including Oktibbeha - have several voting
precincts split between House, Senate and county supervisor
districts, requiring multiple ballots for each precinct.
As a result, voters often become confused about which
candidates for whom they can actually vote, and many don't go
to the polls as a result.
Given the fact that our nation is built upon a representative
form of government, anything that discourages people from
exercising their constitutional right to vote is a bad thing.
Of course, that could be what some long-time members of the
Legislature were hoping in drawing the new districts.
For them, it could have been a distinct move to retain their
power, which is exactly what we don't need in Jackson.
From personal experience, I know that all elected officials
are not like that. Many - including those from our county -
are good, decent people trying to do the right thing by the
people they represent.
That is why I sincerely hope that the U.S. Justice Department
sends the Legislature back to the drawing board on the
redistricting maps. Otherwise, the voters could be the ones to
pay the price.
Editor's note: Brian Hawkins is managing editor and a
columnist for the Starkville Daily News. He can be reached by
e-mail at sdnnews@netdoor.com or by phone at 323-1642 during
regular business hours Monday to Friday.
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| ©Starkville
Daily News 2002 |
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