Mississippi State Tax Commission phone message

BoingBoing reader Adam Hirsch says,

The offices of the State of Mississippi Tax Comission were closed Monday, and they left a helpful message for any telephone callers curious as to why they were closed. I recorded this (short, 100k mp3) myself, my mouth hanging open. (The number for the office is 601-923-7000)

Link to MP3. For those unable to download the file, here's the punch line (which should come as no surprise to anyone who's ever *been* to Mississippi): the state evidently refuses to observe a day of remembrance for Dr. Martin Luther King without dedicating the very same day to the memory of Robert E. Lee.

This reminds me of a joke that a white, southern-born, high school pal used to say over and over again, in an effort to ridicule the ubiquitous racist idiocy that makes the aforementioned voicemail possible.

person A (in heavy drawl): "The South's gonna do it agin!"
person B: What, lose?

Update BB reader Waldo Jaquith adds, "Virginia doesn't just make sex illegal -- we also celebrate "Lee-Jackson-King Day" every year. You know that old trio! Three peas in a pod, they were! Crazy old law? No -- we just started the tradition in 2000." Link, and link to WaPo story.

And reader AJ Johnson says,

A correction: Lee-Jackson Day and King Day have only been *split* since a law was passed in 2000. Lee's holiday dates back to 1889, and Jackson was added in 1904, because both of them were born around that time of January. Martin Luther King Day happened to be created on the same day (another birthdate coincidence), so he was simply added on to the holiday Virginia had been celebrating for years. To reiterate, it was King who was lumped in with the Confederates (and Virginians) rather than the other way around.

As of 2001, however, to prevent misunderstandings, Lee-Jackson Day was moved back to the previous Friday, upsetting many who felt that it moved the holiday further from the Confederates' birthdays, and were afraid that with two holidays in the space of a week, the Friday, non-national holiday would be overlooked, particularly since adding a new holiday apparently costs the state $900,000.

Link