The Wal-Mart controversy is decided, so let's move on

Joe Congleton
DM Senior Staff Columnist

And so, the Wal-Mart debate raged on. Half of the small Mississippi town of Oxford lay covered in a pool of his own blood, each grasping his weapon firmly, as if the power of death had never shaken him. "All we wanted was it not to come," said a red dressed woman laying on the newly watered grass. Dressed in blue, a man said,"We

need it. Low prices!"

The Wal-Mart debate has gotten absolutely stupid. For a while, it seemed at least halfway intelligent, if not wholly understandable. Now it seems to me like first graders are quibbling about who won yesterday's tetherball game on the playground. The petitioners are accusing City Council of cheating, of not counting their signatures and not listening to them, simply because they think that City Council wants a Wal-Mart badly enough to get it by any means. I'm starting to get the image of Scarlett O'Hara sitting in a "treeless parking lot," screaming "As God is my witness, Oxford will never have low prices again," and that's a horrible thing.

I will tell all of you this one time, and then I'll shut up and quit talking about Wal-Mart for good. They are not after you. There is no underlying conspiracy intact in the city of Oxford which has been put into place so that you will not listen to. You like to whine and scream. That was fine at first. You didn't get enough signatures of registered Oxford voters, so now your campaign is over.

Anyone who is not a registered voter of Oxford cannot swing the vote in either direction come time for the Wal-Mart bond issue to come to a vote. It's great that they signed the petition; the problem is that their signatures did not make a difference because they could not make a difference. That's how the Board of Aldermen sees it, and it would seem to me that that is how Pat Lamar sees it.

I have nothing against any of those who signed the petition. I did not support the petition, as I would like to see Wal-Mart come into this town, but those of you who did spoke your mind. But it's time to give up now, guys.

As I said before, it's not going to shut the downtown area of the town down when it comes in. It's going to be convenient and cheap. And, I guarantee you that most of those of you who signed the petition will shop there once it is put into place. As a matter of fact, I know you will.

So, it's time to move on. Time to find another cause to latch onto. Trust me. All of you guys will enjoy Wal-Mart when it gets here, and you will all see exactly what I mean.

I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other night about Wal-Mart. He seems to believe that the only reason that townspeople really want to keep Wal-Mart out is because they are afraid of the poverty-stricken individuals it will bring in from around the area. I'm beginning to think that he's right, and this entire argument boils down to arrogance. I leave you all today with one fine question:

After all, aren't there more important things to do here in Oxford than continually point and give the finger.

Joe Congleton is a senior math and English major from Birmingham, Ala. He can be reached at jpcongle@olemiss.edu.