Bennie Thompson

Originally published at http://www.onlinebyram.com on Oct. 21, 2006.

Two nights ago, U.S. Rep Bennie Thompson, the Democrat "representing" us here in Byram and in 25 percent of the State of Mississippi, made an appearance on WAPT-TV 16 in Jackson in order to tell us some of the things that are important to him, and to give us some reasons why he thinks we ought to reelect him - again.

He told us in very plain language that he is a cut-and-run Democrat - that if his party gets control of the U.S. House of Representatives, that he is in favor of pulling all of our troops out of Iraq, which would result in the destablization of that nation and make it a haven for terrorists and a base from which they could - and most certainly would - attack us and other Western nations over and over again.

He told us very plainly that he would become the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. That's something that I don't particularly like to have to think about, but I do have to think about it. Not only would we have a liberal, cut-and-run Democrat in charge of Homeland Security in the U.S. House, but we would have Nancy Pelosi, who some like to call "San Fran Nan," ruling over the entire House of Representatives as Speaker of the House, and we would most likely have John Murtha, another cut-and-run Democrat, as second in command in the House. If you want to see examples of failed leadership in the style of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and John Kerry, then Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha, and our own Bennie Thompson fit the bill.

In that Thursday night interview, Bennie Thompson excused his exit from the Agriculture Committee by saying that agriculture isn't the number one industry in Congressional District Two anymore anyway. It's gambling, according to him, and he said it as if it's a good thing. This very statement alone shows that he doesn't understand - or doesn't care - that gambling in Mississippi is nothing but government sponsored theft, if you ask me. A lot of people have to lose in order for just one person to win. It hurts the poor more than anyone else, since they make up the majority of the people who gamble, and ours is still one of the poorest congressional districts in the nation after 13 years of having Bennie Thompson as our "representative."

Representative Thompson's voting record in Congress over the past 13 years shows that he supports abortion, homosexuality, and gun control, that he wants to raise your taxes, and that he is against the brave men and women who serve in our military to protect you and me and our families. How the majority of the people who live in our district can call themselves Christians and yet reelect him is something that I just don't understand - nor do I want to understand it.

Our "Republican" candidate who is running against him, Yvonne Brown, Mayor of the tiny Delta town of Tchula, doesn't appear to be much better. She has said that her family and the Espy family have been friends for a long time. The Espy family is a family of liberal Democrats. Mike Espy held the Second District of Mississippi seat in Congress at one time, until he was appointed by Bill Clinton as Secretary of Agriculture, where he ended up resigning in disgrace over a scandal. His nephew, Chuck Espy, serves in Jackson as a state representative, and proved earlier this year that he couldn't defeat Thompson in the Democratic Primary Election. Since the Brown family is such close friends with the Espy family, I wonder just how "Republican" or how conservative Mayor Brown is.

When I contacted her asking what her views were, she simply said that they were probably pretty similar to mine. Well, I'm sorry, but that's just not specific enough for me. When she tells of her perceived accomplishments as Mayor of Tchula, she talks about how much money she has been able to get from the federal government to "improve" Tchula - over $5 million, but no mention of actually improving the town's economy so that they don't need government assistance, and not a word about where she stands on abortion, homosexuality, gun control, taxes and spending, the War Against Islamo-Facists, and many other issues that affect us all.

I most definitely will NOT be voting for Rep. Thompson, and I see no reason to vote for Mayor Brown, but there IS one thing that we can do to improve our congressional district in the not-too-distant future. Next year, in 2007, we can elect state representatives and state senators who will draw our boundary lines after the next census, which will be in 2010, so that they don't unfairly favor keeping Bennie Thompson in office. Now, 2007 is only 2-1/2 short months away, and the deadlines for candidates to qualify is very early in March. Time is short, and now is the time to start praying about for whom to vote, and maybe about whether you should be a candidate yourself. Don't stop with praying for a candidates, though. Find good ones, even if they don't live in your district, give money to their campaigns as you're able - even if it's only $10, and put one of their signs in your front yard. If we'll all do our part to help, it'll go a long way.