I am sharing the following letter written by my friend, Sybil, from Pascagoula, MS, and sent to Bob Bechel who is on The Five, FOX. Sybil wants to encourage those from Mississippi who read this to follow suit and write Bob. Dear Mr. Bechel: On August 8 of this year you made some comments regarding Mississippi with which I take exception. After considering the fact that you are a liberal and deducting for that I still think they were definitely out of order. Please take the time to read why I take exception to those muffled comments. I was not born here but I chose to live here at an early age. I am white and I am definitely not racist as neither are most of us here in Mississippi. We are very tired of the worn out age old rhetoric about the South. On any given day you will find blacks and whites on the streets socializing together in grocery stores, in restaurants, in churches, in any social setting. Some of my oldest friends are black and that friendship goes as far back as early 1970. And NO – I am not the exception. If you’ve ever done any real research about Mississippi you might be surprised. Examples: We went through Katrina. Contrary to what people think we actually got hit by Katrina. The levees broke in New Orleans; that’s why they were flooded. I distinctly remember it being reported that President Bush called the governor of Louisiana three times asking her to let him send help. She refused each time saying she could handle it. Well, the levees did break and, of course, President Bush got the blame. (The governor chose not to run in the next election….) We here in Mississippi rolled up our sleeves and went to work. People helping people. I doubt you’ve heard much whining from the Mississippians about the government not helping us. On checking you will probably find that we give more to charities per capita than any other state. Sure, there are people here on food stamps. But, my mother always said “clean out from around your own doorstep first.” Proud Mississippi shipbuilders build the nation’s most important ships; ships that patrol the seas constantly keeping you and me safe. Ever heard of the USS Cole? Twenty six of our ships were in Desert Storm. I know that you have had a heart problem. Did you know that the first recorded heart transplant was done at the University of Mississippi Medical Center? Did you know that the physician who wrote the textbook that ALL medical schools use is Dr. Arthur Guyton who was born in Oxford, Mississippi and taught at the medical center in Jackson? We’ve produced many other accomplished individuals whom you may have heard about. Do you know the name Oprah Winfrey? Or Leontyne Price, one of the great opera singers; or the actors Gerald McRaney and Morgan Freeman just to name a few. Possibly you have heard of Elvis; you may even have heard of the jazz man “Muddy Waters.” Or more recently, 3 Doors Down? Mr. Bechel we do wear shoes down here. Some even wear those funny looking ones with cleats on the bottom. Ever heard of Walter Payton; how about the Manning brothers and their dad, Archie; Bret Favre? We can also read and some of us can even write. Perhaps you’ve heard of William Faulkner or Eurora Welty or John Grisham. You mentioned that you would not like to vacation here. Tell that to Anderson Cooper. Oh, we have lots of vacationers here from all over the U. S. They visit the “hospitality state” and then they come back the next year, and the next, and then they just don’t leave. Please, Mr. Bechel, don’t come visit us. Respectfully, Sybil Lambert Pascagoula, MS
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 00:30:08 +0000
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