Damn. Not a peep from any of you?
This guy is a Democrat. The news report quoted is from FOX. Guess they were
punk'd again!
To understand his bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in state waters off the Mississippi coast, you have to understand that Holland is one of the most progressive and most eccentric members of the House. He's also one of the longest serving and most knowledgeable about the inner-workings of the Legislature. He's not exactly hid his disdain for the fact that Speaker Philip Gunn not only didn't give him a committee chairmanship but left him off the committees he's served on for two decades. In fact, Holland quipped to me yesterday that every member of the Legislature should be arrested for loitering on public property because they "aren't doing ####."
In short, Steve Holland is a jokester, not a racist. So it's been funny to see the reaction to Holland's bill -- which is now a trending topic on Twitter -- from people who have preconceived idea in their heads about Mississippi and the way Mississippians think because they watched Mississippi Burning in 6th Grade one time. An organization of Republicans who want America and the GOP to be more immigrant responded by posting an open letter to Holland on their website.
"Apparently you don’t take your responsibilities seriously. Surely the State of Mississippi has more pressing matters to attend to than this. Did you stop to think of the expense of rewriting textbooks or changing maps?," wrote Bob Quasius, president of Cafe Con Leche. "For that matter, did you stop to think about what this bill would do to Mississippi’s reputation? If this bill passes the legislature and is signed into law, perhaps it is time to rename the Mississippi River. After all, sharing a name with a state that wants to rewrite maps out of disdain for Mexicans would be a disgrace to the rest of the nation."
A few people do get the joke, it seems. "Does Rep. Holland secretly write for @theonion?," one person tweeted. Another: "My friend #steveholland and his Swiftian proposal are getting great national press! Huzzah!"
