So glad someone finally connected these tragedies.

While they both voted for McDaniel, many of their upperclass Northeast Jackson & Madison friends did not. It's obvious why–their only syllogization for voting for Thad was his legacy; and by legacy, I mean years occupying a seat in the Senate; not actually accomplishing anything in the way of progress for our infamously superlative state. That and the #RebelsForThad hashtag trending on Twitter. Actually, no — the hashtag was clearly the dominant persuading factor.

My dad shares Mr. Mayfield's deep commitment to the Tea Party ideology, particularly economic & immigration reform. He told me many times before Mr. Mayfield's death how much he respected the work he was doing. He noted how brave he was & how much conviction he must have to oppose an institution so deeply ingrained in Mississippi & Jackson society. My dad told me on many occasions there's nothing those corrupt, establishment good ole' boys wouldn't do to protect their money.

This incident reminded me of another from when I was younger. My parents were also acquaintances with Dickie Scruggs–one of the richest men in Mississippi who was just released from prison after being convicted of bribing a judge with $40K for a favorable ruling in a minor fee dispute.

Again, like my dad has always said–you never know someone until you come between them & their money.

The Tea Party in Mississippi (and nationally) is destabilizing the establishment's long-standing racquet. We are exposing the corruption that has gone on for years & in-so doing, disturbing their honey pot.

Mark Mayfield was so committed to the ideals for which the Tea Party stands because he SO sincerely believed they would improve the state of things for everyone in our state & in our country. He was the lease extreme, political man you could imagine. Instead, he was enormously kind, humble… he was, as Jen described, a true Southern Gentleman. In combination with being a truly good man, he also happened to be one with tremendous strength of conviction. His conviction compelled him to take action where many of us fall short, lacking strength to fight this evil system.

I cannot imagine how they must have tortured him to push him to this. He loved his family SO much, as much as any man I know. He was very close with his two sons & also very active in his church. They must have bullied him relentlessly; they must have been so cruel & deliberate, to push him to this.

Mr. Mayfield's death has shaken up so many of us. I've vacillated between a range of emotions from enormous grief, as the loss of a great man & friend; terror, at the prospect that this is what happens when the most courageous among us stand up to this system; anger, at the depraved men, including Brad Dayspring who have blood on their hands and are surely going to the hell they proclaim to fear so much for the sick pleasure they took in leading this witch hunt.

I'm trying to get beyond feeling vindictive: no other family should have to suffer like the Mayfields, as a results of the dangerous game of politics. However, this corrupt institution needs to be completely uprooted.

I can't imagine it getting any uglier than this; but I fear it will. We all need to band together & be strong. As Mr. Mayfield's sons posted following his death, "We will persevere and stay the course." In his honor, we will prevail.

Thank you Jen for this beautifully & poignantly written article exposing the deep-rooted evil & dangers inherent in politics today.

It has been said that so many government statutes and regulations exist that most people could be charged with three felony violations each day without ever realizing that they have done something wrong. When it comes to politics, if you are not part of the entrenched system, you risk serious consequences. I, and several friends, once warned a Democrat not to go against the NJ political apparatus because he had been warned from the inside. The ultimate outcome was that that the court determined that his residence was not what he claimed since he spent considerable time at the residence of his girlfriend in an apartment where his name was on the lease. That oversight cost him his law license, a year in jail, a fine and an enormous amount of community service.

It works like this. If you are not part of the system you will be accused of committing crimes that you had no idea existed. If, on the other hand, you are part of the system, you get a license to commit unbelievable crimes that you know exist. Too often it is assumed, by Conservatives, that only the Democrat Party is corrupt and, of course, it is. It is especially so because it is well protected by a biased and activist media that Mark Levin refers to, as the Praetorian Guard, which is a referral to what was once the private guard of the Roman Emperors. What most people do not know is that they actually became powerful kingmakers so that their nominee would become the next Emperor. This is exactly what much of the media does today.

The rise of Tea Party Conservatives as a result of the ostentatious and flagrant lawlessness of the Obama Administration had an unintended consequence. It uncovered that established Republicans and their operatives could be just as corrupt as Democrats. Politicians will often go to great lengths to achieve their goals and Haley Barbour is at the top of the political food chain. I have despised his lobbying efforts on immigration and his clemency attitude toward illegal’s that represents amnesty on steroids. On the other had he is aggressively prochoice and as a consequence Mississippi has a low abortion rate compared to the rest of the Country. He certainly made a name for himself based upon how well he handled the Katrina aftermath where his efforts were compared to Giuliani’ s handling of NYC post 911. But Barbour will justify any means needed to re-elect the insider Cochran who can be pushed, cajoled and swayed to do what the establishment GOP wants. But make no mistake about what the GOP wants; it wants what Barbour wants.

Media Pundits have recently chided that Tea Party candidates have been put to rout by a disenchanted public. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Anyone who knows and understands Mississippi politics and Haley Barbour’s involvement understands just how difficult it is for a challenger to defeat an incumbent, let alone an incumbent supported by a political machine of the size and scope as the one run by Mr. Barbour. What is truly shocking is that, despite the fact that Conservative Organizations, post 2010, were placed on the National Brown Shirt IRS kill list and that Haley Barbour did his best to do the worst he could do, an underfunded McDaniel actually won the Mississippi Senatorial primary race. The final obstacle remaining is to prove it by delegitimizing the fraudulent election results and starting anew. McDaniel is in the same league as David the giant slayer and Rocky Balboa and no one knows it better than Haley Barbour whose best punch, below the belt, failed to cleanly take him out.