How do you initialize an LCD screen to be used with the MSP430
You can't just ignore the RS, RW &amp; E lines.
RS &amp; RW must be driven correctly - for sending commands to the LCD, both must be low as the datasheet indicates.
E must be toggled from low to high and back to low again for each and every initialisation command byte.
Depending on the clock speed of your micro, you may need to add some delays into the E toggling sequence to make sure that your bytes are being correctly latched into the LCD. The LCD datasheet tells you what its timing requirements are (Enable Cycle Time, etc) but only you know how fast your micro is running.
I'm assuming you have already wired the data lines between your micro and the LCD sensibly ...