Dear Fellow Patriot,
Happy New Year!
2016 begins with the potential of gaining ground for life and liberty here in the state of Georgia. With the presidential election in November the public is much more aware of the state of the nation and their communities, and their attention is focused on the effectiveness of elected officials and political parties. The growing disgust and distrust in both parties provides a platform for the Constitution Party of Georgia (CP-Ga) to raise up the standard of righteousness in civil government and call for fellow patriots to help build a viable political party that will have an impact on local and state government.
With a vision of victory,
Ricardo Davis
State Chairman
In This Update
- 1962 – “I Have A Dream”
- Party Building: Fundraising and Membership
- Upcoming Events
- Legislative Updates
- Judicial Alert
- Commentary
- Ballot Access Lawsuit Update
1962 – “I Have A Dream”
Ricardo Davis
(from GAConstitutionParty.org)
Many Americans are familiar with the March on Washington led by Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963. They have heard about King’s message that day, “I Have a Dream.” But what most people don’t know is that sermon had been preached nine months earlier by King in a segregated high school in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina. The story surrounding the recent find of the tape recording of that message and the event is worth hearing. A portion of the recording is included in the News-Observer article.
King drew from the historical truth of the Scriptures when he connected our God-given rights and liberties to the Creation of the world. His dream was that reconciliation of the races would come about when that truth was believed, “knowing that out of one blood God made all men to dwell on the face of the earth.”
Constitution Party State Chairman Ricardo Davis, who grew up near Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in the 60’s, commented, “The majesty of King’s dream was rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the restorative power of repentance and reconciliation. As a distinctly Christian political movement the Constitution Party of Georgia proclaims that dream as the sure foundation for healing and justice. We endeavor to humbly and courageously honor Christ in how and why we are involved.”
For more information on how the creation of mankind by God changes everything from racism to civil rights, we recommend the book One Race, One Blood by Ken Ham and Charles Ware.
Party Building: Fundraising and Membership
The 2016 election cycle is around the corner and the CP-Ga is preparing to expand its grassroots base to focus on training activists, electing local candidates and competing in select state legislative races. For the CP-Ga to start 2016 strong we need every supporter receiving this email to do one or more of the following:
- If you are not currently a member or your membership has lapsed, please become a member today! To check your status sign in (click here for help) or call 404-994-3586.
- If you have a business then consider a year-end donation of funds or in-kind services. Call Ricardo Davis at (404) 620-2440 today!
- If you are a current member or do not meet conditions 1 or 3 for party membership but want to help the CP-Ga achieve its goals then give a donation today! Note that under current state law donations for party building purposes are not limited; cumulative donations under $100 a year are not reported to the state.
In the state of Georgia voters do not register by political party, so party membership requirements are set by each party. By the way Georgia has open primary elections – a member of a political party may vote in any primary they chose. And voting in a party’s primary does not make the voter a member of that political party.
Your support helps advance the cause of Christ’s righteousness in our civil government for the good of all people. It helps fund the party’s communications and outreach efforts. It is your vote in support of those principles you believe in and want to see established in your community.
Upcoming Events
The CP-Ga will either host or support a number of activities around the state, such as the 2016 Georgia March for Life. More information on these events and how to RSVP can be found in the Events section of the CP-Ga web site.
Legislative Updates
The CP-Ga encourages supporters to contact their representative to support the following legislation:
HB 713 - Denying Rapists Parental Rights
(from GRTL.org)
“Rape, incest and preying on victims of sex traffickers are horrible crimes,” said GRTL President Ricardo Davis. “This law will empower victims of sexual assault to deny parental rights to their assailants. I am very thankful to Rep. Raffensperger for his leadership on this critical issue.”
Davis added that bill will also act as a deterrent to abortion since victims won’t face the threat of ongoing dealings with the perpetrator.
“GRTL embraces measures that advance the concept of Personhood, which promotes the idea that all innocent human life—at every stage of development—deserves protection. It’s critical to ensure we don’t place less value on a child conceived as a result of sexual abuse,” Davis said.
The measure, HB 713, has been introduced in the Georgia General Assembly, by Rep. Brad Raffensperger (R-Johns Creek).
An estimated 25,000 sexual assault-related pregnancies occur every year in the United States. In over 70 percent of those cases, the women carry the child to term.
Rep. Raffensperger became aware of the problem after hearing the heartbreaking story of Shauna Prewitt and was moved to take action through this legislation.
Ms. Prewitt, who spoke at GRTL’s 2015 annual REACH banquet, was raped while in college and courageously decided to have her child. She reluctantly agreed not to testify against her assailant to assure he would not be involved in her life.
The proposal is a reflection of the federal Rape Survivor Child Custody Act, which went into effect last June. The law provides federal financial assistance to states to pass similar laws.
Currently, 30 states have similar laws to Rep. Raffensperger’s measure.
New Georgia Proposals Address Religious Freedom Fears About Same-Sex Wedding Ceremonies - HB 757 and HB 756
Don Byrd - Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
(from BJCOnline.org)
The Georgia legislature is back in session, and a few newly filed bills that seek to impact religious liberty are worth keeping an eye on. Both address religious freedom fears emerging from last year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring states from prohibiting same-sex marriage.
HB 756 provides that no “sole proprietor, partner in a business partnership, or statutory close corporation” can be compelled to sell goods or services for a wedding ceremony if it would violate their religious freedom rights.”
HB 757 ensures that no minister will be required to perform a marriage ceremony that conflicts with their religious beliefs.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the latter bill, called the “Pastor Protection Act,” is unlikely to meet resistance. That may be because the proposal is redundant. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution already provides robust protection for pastors and other clergy against being required to perform marriage ceremonies.
HB 756, on the other hand, which seems to allow small and closely-held businesses to discriminate in providing marriage-related services, “will likely be met with fierce criticism,” according to the report.
The Georgia House may also be poised to revisit a bill creating a state Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The bill’s sponsor has been advocating for it across the state since it was tabled in committee last year. The bill (SB 129) passed the Senate, but still needs House approval and the Governor’s signature to become law.
Judicial Alert
Former illegal alien lobbyist not right fit for federal judge
D.A. King
(from CherokeeTribune.com)
With the illegal alien lobby and the donor-class Republicans on one side, and Georgia's conservative voter base on the other, the battle over the Obama nomination of Dax Lopez for federal judge in the state is proving the adage that "politics makes strange bedfellows."
Atlanta's WSB radio talk-show host, blogger and Fox News personality Erick Erickson recently shocked his listeners with an endorsement of Lopez for federal judge - while assuring his audience that Lopez is the best nominee Republicans can hope for.
Erickson also actually told his listeners that Lopez would have no role on immigration as a federal judge. "No spin," pledged Erickson, although WSB is owned by Cox Enterprises, which is regularly listed as a sponsor of the pro-amnesty Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials Inc. fundraisers.
Dax Lopez joined the board of directors of GALEO in 2004. In 2010, former Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Lopez to a state court judge seat in metro-Atlanta. In July 2015, the Obama White House submitted his name to the U.S. Senate for confirmation as a federal judge. Lopez resigned from GALEO a month later after heated public opposition to his confirmation.
GALEO boasts of actively lobbying against immigration enforcement and voter ID - and has done so since Lopez became adviser and served as treasurer and keynote speaker for at least one fundraiser.
Lopez's public statement that he "agrees with their mission" should always be viewed with the knowledge that since its inception, the corporate-funded GALEO Inc. has viciously attacked law enforcement officers who dare to help enforce immigration laws. GALEO has marched in the streets of Atlanta for another amnesty, lobbied against state E-Verify laws designed to protect legal workers, against local jails honoring ICE holds for criminal aliens and vehemently opposed English as our official language…
A recent Atlanta re-election fundraiser for "Republican" Lopez was made up of a "who's who" of Democrat sponsors and attendees.
Right now, either one or both of Georgia's Republican U.S. senators can end consideration of Lopez's confirmation through what is known as the traditional "blue-slip" veto process. All they need do is say he is not federal judge material.
We think political expert Erickson has overlooked the hundreds of immigration-related cases federal judges have ruled on in the recent past. Including the federal lawsuit filed against Georgia's "Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011" by the ACLU, the SPLC, and a host of other leftist open borders groups ... including GALEO Inc. That lawsuit was heard in the same federal court that Lopez would serve if confirmed…
The political danger for pro-enforcement conservatives here is that Georgia's Republican senators could 'OK' Lopez for advancement to the next step on confirmation, then vote "NO" on Lopez on the final vote - knowing that he would be confirmed by Democrats and enough Republicans who figure their constituents back home will never be the wiser.
Georgia's senators could then come home to plead "not guilty" and point to a "no" vote on GALEO's anti-enforcement Dax Lopez for federal judge.
Georgians should pay attention and speak up.
Commentary
Wrong-Way Republicans
Robert Peck
(from GAConstitutionParty.org)
The Conservative Right seems to operate from a general assumption that things keep getting worse because liberals are in power and democrats win all the elections. However, I got curious and did a little research on the topic. I discovered that over the past 20 years, republicans have held 57% of the control of our federal government – 68% if you add in the Supreme Court – that's a 68/32 split in favor of the republicans. Among the union states, the elephant party holds complete control (legislature and governor) of nearly half the states (23) - more than three times as many as the dreaded donkeys (7). It turns out that America is overwhelmingly republican-controlled.
So why hasn't so much as one unconstitutional federal agency or program been abolished, or defunded, or even had its funding reduced, or at least not had its funding increased? And why haven't any of the states begun to dismantle their social welfare programs, eliminate regulatory bureaucracies, significantly reduce taxes or implement anything remotely resembling what was once known as the conservative agenda?
It might be an unpleasant fact to face, but the truth is that the majority of those elected by the Conservative Right no longer represent the values once associated with the conservative movement and its favored political party. Some have gradually, and even unwittingly, adopted elements of the secularist-socialist-statist worldview to which republicans once provided an opposition. Others have succumbed to the allure of power or have simply sold out to lobbyists and big money donors who can assure their reelection. We're not talking about just a few “RINOs.” The compromise, corruption and general sellout of traditional conservative values has become pandemic in the Republican Party.
Interview: Darrell Castle, 2008 Vice-Presidential Nominee
Who do you want to see as our next president? On this show Cynthia interviews Darrell Castle and they discuss what it’s going to take to wake up America before it’s too late. You’ll get to hear their analysis of last year and what they are hoping for in the next year.
Ballot Access Lawsuit Update
The lawsuit against the State of Georgia that the CP-Ga and the Georgia Green Party (the plaintiffs) filed is still working its way through the federal courts. The objective in this case is to remove the ballot access restrictions for the 2016 Presidential race similar to what was accomplished in Florida and Tennessee.
The plaintiffs recently filed a response to the State of Georgia arguing that:
- A challenge to Georgia’s petition requirement is not barred by prior court decisions
- Plaintiffs do have a modicum of support
- Independent parties have played significant roles in our nation’s history
- The burdens imposed upon Plaintiffs by Georgia’s petition signature requirement are severe
We are thankful for the efforts of Elections Director Garland Favorito and the legal team. Please keep this matter in your prayers.
With a vision of victory,
Your fellow patriots at the
Constitution Party of Georgia
P.S. Your support helps fund our ability to communicate the principles that made America great via this newsletter, promotional materials, etc. Please donate or become a member today! Thank you in advance for your help.
