Hey, voters in Jackson, Mississippi. I can understand the impulse to replace your current mayor in the primary elections. I get it.

But did you have to kill him?

The mayor of Mississippi's largest city [Jackson's Mayor Frank Melton] died early Thursday, less than two days after losing a primary re-election bid overshadowed by federal prosecution efforts to convict him in a 2007 sledgehammer raid on an alleged crackhouse. He was 60…

Unofficial results show Melton came in third of nine candidates.

Why is "Death" even an option on the voting ballot?

And what happened to the guy who came in ninth place?

This is maybe the biggest news story in the history of time, space and infinity…

I guarantee you won't see this getting picked up by the mainstream media. Goddamn liberal atheists!

(Videogum)

Oh yeah, face? How'd you like to lose that nose? That'll smite you…

A half-dozen Republican governors are considering turning down some money from the federal stimulus package, a move opponents say puts conservative ideology ahead of the needs of constituents struggling with foreclosures and unemployment.

Hmmmm… I wonder which governors are considering this grandiose stand against socialism. Looks like they include Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, Alaska's Sarah Palin and South Carolina's Mark Sanford. What do those people all have in common? Jeeze, I just can't put my finger on it…

But Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 House Democrat, said the governors — some of whom may be considering White House bids in 2012 — are putting their own interests ahead of the public interest.

Oh yeah. That's right. The White House. But at least all these governors have the courage of their convictions and will sacrifice their political futures if the stimulus package does end up working, right?

Governors who reject some of the stimulus aid may find themselves overridden by their own legislatures because of language Clyburn included in the bill that allows lawmakers to accept the federal money even if their governors object.

He inserted the provision based on the early and vocal opposition to the stimulus plan by South Carolina's Republican governor, Mark Sanford. But it also means governors including Sanford and Louisiana's Bobby Jindal can burnish their conservative credentials, knowing all the while that their legislatures can accept the money anyway.

Well, at any rate, it looks tough. And that's what really counts.

Good news if you're one of the thirteen atheists living in Arkansas. You might one day be afforded the honor of having an actual legal vote that doesn't matter…

It's an ugly little open secret that Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas have constitutions that explicitly forbid atheists from holding state office. These laws are archaic and unenforceable in principle — they were all ruled unconstitutional in 1961…

Now, though, a representative in Arkansas has submitted a bill to amend the Arkansas constitution and remove the prohibition of atheists.

Can you believe the nerve of Richard Carroll, the guy who submitted this bill? Throwing his hat in with the godless unbelievers. In direct defiance of the defiance of the 1st Amendment?! And in Mike Huckabee's back yard, no less! I never thought I'd see the day.

Can't we just have one small little section of the country where reasonable can go to not be reasonable? Just one?

In case you were wondering what the top ten most morally-upright states in the union were, look no further than this new poll from Gallup…

No comment.

(via DFTCW)

Everyone knew that the Democrats were going to make gains in the U.S. Senate tonight.  The real question was whether or not they'd be able to reach a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority, and kick Joe Lieberman out into the gutter once and for all.

Unfortunately, their plan for those 60 seats has a picked up a little too much Joementum along the way.  The Dems were counting on picking up at least one Senate seat in the South – either in Mississippi, Georgia, or Kentucky.

It's looking like that Southern Strategy isn't going to work out . . .

* Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell has apparently held off a very strong challenge from Democrat Bruce Lunsford, winning by just a couple percentage points.

* In Mississippi, recently appointed Republican incumbent Roger Wicker looks almost certain to defeat former Democratic Governor Ronnie Musgrove.

* Georgia is still undecided . . . incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss leads, but the results from the Democratic stronghold of Atlanta are still trickling in.

Watch this space for more updates as the evening proceeds . . .