Yesterday afternoon John and the One America tour moved on to Marks, Mississippi. You don't have to tell anyone in Marks that poverty is still a problem in America--1 out of every 3 people here live below the poverty line. In fact, the people of Marks have a great deal to tell the rest of the country about their struggle for economic fairness, and they have been fighting to be heard for decades.
You can keep up with the “Road to One America” by texting “TOUR” to 30644.
Here's the report from John Davis, traveling with the group down historic Cotton Street:
“In Marks, MS we had one of the most moving moments of the tour. On our walk down Cotton Street we stopped at the home of Mrs. Sammie Henley. Mrs. Henley told Senator Edwards about hosting students during Freedom Summer in 1964. She also talked about the flood that came in 1968, and how Dr. King rowed a boat up to the house at the start of the Poor People's March when he famously described the situation as "an island of poverty" surrounded by an ocean of American wealth.”
Yesterday John also spoke with Sam McCray, another long time local activist who participated in the Poor People's March in 1968. He met with Sonya Murphy, who led 40 members of ACORN from Jackson on a 3 hour drive to join the One America tour. He was introduced at a small gathering by Steve Simmons, who spoke powerfully about his struggles as a low-wage hospital worker without health insurance.
One of the leading lights in that effort is the Quitman County Development Organization (QCDO). For nearly 30 years, QCDO has been serving communities in Mississippi by empowering individuals, families and organizations to improve the quality of life in the Delta region. Yesterday, John met with State Senator Robert Jackson, the group's CEO.
Marks is a town filled with struggle and injustice. It's a shock to our national conscience, a reminder of our unfulfilled obligations to one another. And it's a story of exactly the kind of determination and inspiration this nation needs to end poverty once and for all.
In short, the road we all must follow to get to one America runs straight down Cotton Street, in Marks, Mississippi.
-Team Edwards
In case you missed it:
- Canton, Mississippi
- Kingsley House and Cafe Reconcile
- Behind the Scenes: The GMA Town Hall
- Video: The Lower 9th Ward
- Walking in the Lower Ninth Ward
- Rebuilding New Orleans Starts in New Orleans
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Comments: 14
Please just stop now John
On your website, you refer to Gather.com thusly:
Gather is centralized, while the ideal Media 2.0 is decentralized — but to their credit, Gather is trying to make the network a player in Presidential Politics — John Edwards is there.
Kinda backhanded, don'tcha think? We'd appreciate it here in Gatherland, especially since you now have a former Gather.com employee on your staff, if you'd look into changing that wording. It implies that Gather is something less than ideal. The site may not be perfect, but it seems to be good enough to have attracted your campaign's attention, so some propers would be nice.
When you said
\\ Will john be realting [sic] to the poor people at his stops? I personally am looking forward to hearing how he tries to convince the working underclass that he empathizes with them. He of the 400$ haircut.//
It got me wondering. Would you remind me please who the last impoverished POTUS was?
Fact is, there's never been one. Each and every president we've ever had came from a privileged class. Many of them did great things for the poor. Edwards merely intends to do more.
It is unlike republicans to begrudge a man his wealth (unless it is to their political advantage to do so)
On your other points:
It is a myth popularized by the right that the increase in legal costs and insurance have the most to do with the rise in medical costs. The need for profits among the insurance companies and hospital conglomerates has a lot more to do with it than malpractice costs.
And when you say
\\Maybe he can also explain to everyone again about this bumpersticker that drove a flaming jeep into an airport in Scotland.//
Pretty good rhetoric, but still distorting the facts. Senator Edwards never said that the terrorists are a bumper sticker, as you imply here, but rather that Bush's ineffective "war on terror" was just so much sloganeering. Yours is the same sort of spin that came up with "death tax," "partial-birth abortion" and "Al Gore says he invented the internet." All right-wing distortions of reality.
I'd call it what the law that enables it calls it, the estate tax.
I didn't say born, I said wealthy - and they all were. And Senator Edwards was FAR from born with a silver spoon in his mouth - he is (as he'll say ad nauseum) the son of millworker.
Lincoln too, by the way was a lawyer
I'd like to see that Gore link, because what said, word for word, was "In congress, I took the initiative in helping create the internet" And in it's full context, was clearly a reference to the laws that made it possible, and it's true, he did.
I know what I just said is going to drive the wingnuts crazy, but it's the truth. He's a very good man.
Catfish farms and poultry plants are large industries. Hey people. Buy American Catfish. That's my plug for the area.
A lot of poor Americans still work in these jobs. But, lately they're picking up pink slips and farmers are finding that illegals will work for much less. Transportation is a big problem in the Mississippi Delta for lower wage earners. If they have cars, they aren't very reliable.
I think John Edwards is a good guy. If he wants a $400 dollar haircut, it's his money and his right. What annoys me is that these people (all of them) forget about towns like Marks as soon as they get into public office?
I think he's done more to remember in his area than most, though.