I went to vote yesterday, but didn't listen to any of the newscasts about politics. But this morning, first thing I heard when I turned on the radio was that our Democratic Congressman Gene Taylor had been defeated. Well! God Bless America!

I voted against him, even though I'm Democrat. Instead, I voted for Republican Steve Pallazo. I'll tell you why. During the past three years when the Richton Salt Dome Project was in the news almost every day, there was one person who remained mum on the subject--Gene Taylor.

This project was going to pump 50 million gallons of water a day from the Pascagoula River, one of the last unpolluted rivers in America and home to a protected wildlife refuge, and use this water to flush salt out of salt domes so the Department of Energy could store oil in the domes. Then the super salty effluent would be pumped through pipes and discharged into the Gulf of Mexico off our coast. This whole deal was fraught with disaster scenarios waiting to happen.

I am very opposed to this and so were people on the Coast. I felt like a voice crying in the wilderness, writing letters to the newspaper, and not having one local person to say "I'm with you." (I kept copies of every letter in the paper and re-read the whole bundle this morning, and by golly, those letters were well written if I say so myself.)

I went to an anti-salt dome meeting on the Coast, held in the gymnasium of a college. The seats were filled because Gene Taylor was supposed to appear and answer questions. He came in late, was reluctant, evasive, sneaky and obdurate. He seemed oblivious to the unrest and dis-satisfaction in the audience. He talked about everything else, and when people stood up and started calling out questions, his face flushed and he soon left the podium.

I said to myself right then and there, "Buddy, one day re-election time will come and you won't get my vote." And he didn't. So, Gene, the worm has turned. Your 21 year run as Congressman is finished. Now you'll have time to think about what your evasiveness has cost you. Now you'll have to get a real job--maybe flipping burgers.

susil