Mississippi, immigration and one-party media

Down here in Hattiesburg, we have two right-wing radio stations and none honest, a.k.a., left-wing. Out of a sense of concern, sometimes, I listen in.

Last week I caught a couple, not sure which, Rush Windbag, Bill Oh Really, Michael Average or Sean Panicky, they all sound the same after a while, but they were both complaining about immigration. These same Republican lapdogs who support Bush to a fault kept leaving out one essential fact: George Bush supports amnesty for these illegal aliens.

The odd thing is that for once I actually agree with them. Both nationally and particularly here in Mississippi, the many costs outweigh the benefits.

One problem I have with these nationally syndicated propaganda mouthpieces, and Ann Coulter in particular, is that they sound racist. This immigration issue is not about race. It's about our shaky economy and lack of job growth caused in large measure by free trade policies, begun under Bill Clinton, that are outsourcing jobs. Couple that with a new $2 trillion in national debt that ballooned under the Republican Congress and, economically, things are looking dicey.

It's frustrating to have this one-party media system here in Mississippi, where the talking heads never call Bush on anything. While they complain about the "Culture War", the evil Democratic, abortion-loving atheists against the holier-than-thou, Republican Christians, Bush and the GOP keep waging their class war. And Republicans are none the wiser.

Meanwhile, a bill that would ban abortion in Mississippi that was passed with broad Democratic support in the legislature, sits on Gov. Barbour's desk unsigned.

(EDIT 05-29-07: After I wrote this, I discovered that the bill died in its Senate Committee under Alan Nunnelee (R-Tupelo). Another controversial measure where there would have been an increase in the cigarette tax but a reduction in the grocery tax (Mississippi has the highest grocery tax and one of the lowest cigarette taxes) likewise died in committee under a Republican so that Gov. Barbour would not have the embarrassing task of vetoing it.)