Frontrunner GA Lt. Gov. Cagle raises nearly $7 million in gubernatorial bid (Atlanta: felon, utilities)

[whodean]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Not surprised. Religious Liberty, here we come...

Religious liberty has become misunderstood.

Religious liberty with attached anti-discrimination language is perfectly reasonable to most folks.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by whodean

Religious liberty has become misunderstood.

Religious liberty with attached anti-discrimination language is perfectly reasonable to most folks.

Sorry to disagree with you, whodean, but, in my opinion, that concept is nonsensical.

[Forhall]

Originally Posted by markjames68

And that democrat will destroy the state's economy, film industry and future. GA does NOT want to become a state like NY or CA.

NY and CA? The two states that almost single handedly fund the entire US? States that pay heavily into the system with federal tax dollars so Republican managed states with horrible GDP and poor citizens can be subsidized? States that have international reputations and world class cities such as NYC and LA? States that try to create social safety nets for their citizens where the federal government fails, from healthcare to free tuition?

Yes, why would we EVER want that? Oh yeah, because your taxes might go up a bit. How terribly selfish.

[primaltech]

What we need is a Secular Freedom bill. A bill that declares that Georgia is a state of both religious and non-religious people, equally welcome to and supportive of all. That we welcome people of all faiths in our state, and we respect and cherish both our religious and our atheist citizens, who are real Georgians and Deep Southerners, too.

There would be a section of the bill praising Christians and the contributions of Christians to Georgia, and vowing to protect their freedom of worship. Their freedom of belief, religious assembly, and strong support of the importance of this freedom.

There would be a section defending gay citizens and their basic human right to shop at public businesses. There would be language condemning any type of discrimination in business and the general marketplace. Asking that those with anti-gay religious beliefs, should keep that in their private individual lives, and not in the policies or actions of a public business.

Then there would be another section, declaring that the Georgia government shall always be fully secular, and never take sides on any matters of religion or religious belief, neither promoting or opposing. The words 'In God We Trust' should be removed from the state flag, because many Georgians do not believe in God, and so that phrase doesn't speak for everyone, and thus is inappropriate for official symbolic state use.

All the big Fortune 500 companies would be like, "Okay. Cool." Right-wing religious conservatives would be rioting in the streets. Because they'd only have regular freedom like everyone else, instead of special snowflake freedom to impose on the rest of us. Which is and has always been the status quo.

Anyway, pardon me if I barf at the idea that religious people in Georgia don't have enough freedom, and we need more legislation to give them more freedom, even at the expense of huge potential damage to the economy, and other harm.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

Sorry to disagree with you, whodean, but, in my opinion, that concept is nonsensical.

I'll let Andrew Young speak for me.

"No one should be turned away from a business, refused government services, or evicted from their home, just because of who they are. We will also continue to advocate for comprehensive civil rights legislation to protect the rights of all Georgians to live and work free from discrimination.”

https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-georg...ty-legislation

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by Iconographer

I'll let Andrew Young speak for me.

"No one should be turned away from a business, refused government services, or evicted from their home, just because of who they are. We will also continue to advocate for comprehensive civil rights legislation to protect the rights of all Georgians to live and work free from discrimination.”

https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-georg...ty-legislation

Amen.

[whodean]

"If you read the law, and look at how the cases have developed over the past 20 years, this is not going to give you a blank check for bigotry," South Texas College of Law professor Josh Blackman told me in 2015, during Indiana's religious freedom battle. "It's going to be a very rare case where religion can be used as a defense for discrimination claims."

States could get ahead of any of these issues by including exemptions for civil rights laws in their RFRAs. Texas's RFRA includes a carve-out for civil rights protections to prevent people from citing their religious beliefs as a license to discriminate.

https://www.vox.com/2016/3/25/113017...igious-freedom

I'm pretty sure something similar is what a Governor Cagle would sign into law.

Opponents and proponents would both be unsatisfied, which means its probably good law.

[whodean]

Originally Posted by Iconographer

I'll let Andrew Young speak for me.

"No one should be turned away from a business, refused government services, or evicted from their home, just because of who they are. We will also continue to advocate for comprehensive civil rights legislation to protect the rights of all Georgians to live and work free from discrimination.”

https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-georg...ty-legislation

Again, you see the words "religious liberty" and freak out. If the law included the anti-discrimination wording then it would allow "Georgians to live and work free from discrimination"

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by whodean

Again, you see the words "religious liberty" and freak out. If the law included the anti-discrimination wording then it would allow "Georgians to live and work free from discrimination"

Why does "religious liberty" need to be addressed by the state? We all are free to practice our religions. That is one of the main reasons I cannot support any gubernatorial candidate who supports such a concept.

[CaliDreaming01]

Originally Posted by primaltech

Yeah, same exact thinking here.

As admirably as Stacey Abrams is doing in her campaign, I hate to say this- but black people just don't vote enough. She may not even win the Dem primary, and anyway I'd put either Stacey's chances in the general election at slim to none. Abrams might even do worse in the general, because of her race. Stupid but true.

Sadly, I agree with you on the Staceys' chances. I would love to be proven wrong, but I just don't see a realistic scenario where either one of them would win.

I wish black people would turnout more, but I don't think even a large black turnout would matter given the demographics of the state. South Georgia still runs the show in this state and I don't see that changing anytime soon.