Comedy Part 2

To continue from yesterday:

Mr. Franks said that his senate leadership choices would "look like Mississippi." Okay. Let's run the numbers (thanks, Wiki).

Total Population: 2,921,088
Black: 37.24%
White: 61.72%
Amer-Indian: .72%
Asian: .91%
Pacific Island: .07%

Meanwhile, the gerrymandered district 19, which he represents (which is the only district in the state that one has to leave to get from one side to the other), with roughly 23,943 people, has a black voting age population of 2.5%, by far the lowest in the state. The district consists of eastern Lee County (24.5% black), north Itawamba (6.7), and southwest Tishomingo (3.11). The district begins roughly at the southeastern Tupelo city limits and the Richmond community in Lee, runs down Highway 78 eastward into Itawamba county. Pay attention, this is where it gets tricky. The district enters north Itawamba county, and runs all the way to the waterway; however, there is no crossing from this part of Itawamba. You have to continue to Fulton on 78, leaving the district by heading south, and finding Highway 25 in west Fulton. You then head north, rejoining the district in north Itawamba, passing into Tishomingo, where a grand total of four precincts lie.

That's how you get around in District 19. That's what the district looks like. Friends, if that's not a gerrymandered district, I don't know what is. The district is poor-Tish county doesn't even have a McDonald's-and very, very white. I guess in Mr. Franks' world, that district would "look like Mississippi.'