Marshall Ramsey

I drove 1,250 miles last week.  I did my radio show in Greenville and Monticello, Mississippi.  I spoke in Biloxi and San Destin.  Here are a few notes from my travels:

Greenville, Mississippi is a historic city on the banks of the Mississippi River. It is also a classic example of a Delta town under stress.  It’s bleeding population. It suffers from the standard problems you see in the Delta.  But the folks I interviewed on the show were all optimistic that the next ten years could see a turn around.  The main thing I kept hearing over and over again: “We need to work together.”  That’s the truth throughout the state.  We get so obsessed with our little worlds that we forget that we are in the same boat.

Monticello is a beautiful town on the banks of the Pearl River.  I did my live remote from the lawn of the Lawrence County Civic Center, a history old school built in 1925 and restored in the past few years.  During the 4 o’clock hour, I interviewed the Senate District 39 Republican candidates vying to fill Cindy Hyde-Smith’s seat (she’s running for Commissioner of Agriculture).  All three are perfectly qualified and the people of Lincoln, Lawrence and Simpson counties are fortunate to have such good candidates to choose from.  Bill Boerner is an attorney from Brookhaven who looks very much like Sid Salter and has a degree from Millsaps.  Attorney and real estate broker Sally Doty has a lot of polish and if she doesn’t win this race, she’ll win another in the future.  And Monticello Mayor Dave Nichols II presented the passion he’s been known for with Pearl River flood control issues up stream.  It will be interesting to see how the Highway 84 by-pass affects the town of Monticello. That was my biggest question when I headed back up Highway 27.

I spoke in Biloxi and the newly purchased IP (what the Imperial Palace is called these days.) on Friday.  I spoke to Medical Group Management Association of Mississippi, the folks who hold the keys to the kingdom in health care. It was interesting hearing their take on the changes in the health care system and I appreciated their sense of humor as much as they appreciated mine.

On Saturday, I spoke to the Mississippi CPA’s convention in San Destin. It was good to see many old friends and I appreciated the compliments on my recent cartoons and on my radio show. Nice to know someone still believes in my work.

On the way home, the fire in Gulf Shores made Pensacola look like Los Angeles. It was hazy and smoky. Visibility was cut substantially.  The fire along 1-10 hadn’t started by the time I headed north up Hwy 98.  Considering how dry the Coast is, I’m not surprised we’re seeing the fires.

Growing up, I was like Sarah Palin and Russia; I could see Kennesaw Mountain from my front porch.  It loomed in the distance — an unmovable sentinel to the South.

During Civil War,  General Sherman (bad words in the South), did a little maneuver that is a very important life lesson to me 150 years later.  Instead of hitting the Confederate batteries on the mountain head on (in what would have been a terrible, bloody battle), he went around.  He flanked it. He saved his energy for a bigger prize ahead: Atlanta. He fought a smaller battle to the west and went around.  The rest is, well, history.

I’ve bloodied my nose several times fighting foolish fights against immovable objects: Bosses, situations, etc.  Now, I’m not saying duck out of every battle — you need to fight for yourself when push comes to shove.  I’m just suggesting you do like the “War is Hell” General did. Pick your battles wisely. Keep focused on the goal ahead.  Leave the mountain behind.