FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Congressman Collins: No reason to create additional burdens on counties for bilingual ballots

Katy Summerlin
(202) 225-9893

January 20, 2016

Congressman Collins: No reason to create additional burdens on counties for bilingual ballots

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Doug Collins issued the following statement on the recent attempt to require availability of multilingual ballots in both in Gwinnett and Hall Counties.

“Requirements such as those proposed would unnecessarily burden counties that are already facing budget constraints. There is no reason to create a new burden on counties with an initiative that will have little impact for its citizens. Unreasonable demands by activist groups do not establish justification to change policies, especially when American citizens already have the right to bring translators with them to polling places.”

“I am a cosponsor of the English Language Unity Act, which would require that English be established as the official language of the United States. This bill is a critical step in recognizing that our language unites us as a country, and would help prevent money from being wasted on duplicative publication of materials in multiple languages, even if those materials are rarely used.”

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Cherokee Tribune

Former illegal alien lobbyist not right fit for federal judge

January 20, 2016

OPINION

D.A. King 

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.

Federal judges are appointed for life. Lopez is in his early 40s.

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.

GALEO’s website lists Jane Fonda as one of its “founding friends.” GALEO executive director, Jerry Gonzalez, has been a regularly invited guest at the Obama White House for strategy sessions on amnesty.

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.

Among the lawyers suing to stop enforcement of the 2011 state law aimed at saving jobs for legal workers was Lopez’s then fellow GALEO board member, Charles Kuck.

Erickson also informed listeners of a secret deal between the Republican Establishment and the Democrats in the Senate on confirming Obama’s federal judicial nominees.

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.

HERE

D.A. King is president of the Dustin Inman Society.

January, 20, 2016

Re; Official complaint, violation of Georgia Open Records Act – request for action

Dear Sheriff Warren,

Please regard this letter as my official complaint and request for enforcement action regarding violation of Georgia’s Open Records Act. It is my contention that Commissioner Rob Mikell , Georgia Department of Driver Services is, as head of that public agency, in violation due to the refusal of DDS to offer any response to me or produce documents I formally requested from DDS on January 11 of this year.

I requested public records or documents from DDS that show an image of the official state photo ID card known as the “Georgia ID” that is issued and administered by DDS on January 11, and have yet to receive any response or reply. My request was specific to the Georgia ID card issued to illegal aliens who have benefitted from President Obama’s mass deferred action on deportation program. My purpose is to learn if the state ID cards issued to illegal aliens have a different appearance than the same documents issued to Americans and aliens with legal status. I also requested documents showing am image of the drivers license currently issued to illegal aliens by DDS and asked for documents or records illustrating the total, final monetary cost of administrating issuance of both the Georgia ID card and drivers license.

Because of the failure of obtaining this public record in the past, I note that my request was sent through the office of state Senator Josh McKoon. DDS replied to Senator McKoon’s office that they had sent my request to their General Counsel for processing the same day the request was sent. I repeat: I have received no communication from DDS.

While there may be other code sections involved, I cite what I believe is the relevant section of the Open Records Act:

OCGA 50-18-74 “(b) A prosecution under this Code section may only be commenced by issuance of a citation in the same manner as an arrest warrant for a peace officer pursuant to Code Section 17-4-40; such citation shall be personally served upon the accused. The defendant shall not be arrested prior to the time of trial, except that a defendant who fails to appear for arraignment or trial may thereafter be arrested pursuant to a bench warrant and required to post a bond for his or her future appearance. “

I request action from your office. Following this page, I attach copies of the electronic mail showing the date of request and the response fro DDS to Senator McKoon’s office.

Thank you, please contact me with any questions. I look forward to your reply.

Respectfully,
D.A. King

Marietta, Ga. 30066

____

Attached: (Original open records request)

11 January 2016

Dear Senator McKoon,

I am in hopes that your office will forward this open records request to the Georgia Department of Drivers Services on my behalf.
Thank you, D.A. King

To whom it may concern at DDS,

Please regard this email as my official request for public records.

Please send me a copy of any document your office has that illustrates the front and back image of the official Georgia ID card your office regulates and issues to illegal aliens who have benefited from the federal deferred action on deportation, part of which is known as “DACA.”

In addition, please provide me a copy of the drivers license, front and back that your office issues to the same group.

Also, please provide me with a copy of documents your office has that demonstrate the total cost of application, testing, processing, production and issuance of an individual Georgia drivers licenses and Georgia ID cards.

I look forward to a productive response within the legal time frame.

Thank you,

D.A. King

Marietta, Ga.

____

(Response from Senator McKoon’s office to my question asking if request had been sent to DDS )

On Jan 19, 2016, at 11:20 AM, Nealey, Donna wrote:

Below are the strings of emails between DDS and I for the request.

Donna Nealey – Senate Legislative Assistant
Legislative Assistant to Senator Fran Millar – Chairman Senate Higher Education
Legislative Assistant to Senator Josh McKoon – Chairman Senate Judiciary

Georgia State Senate
18 Capitol Square – 319 CLOB
Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-7872 – direct dial
770-315-4060 – cell number
404-657-3217 – fax number
donna.nealey@

From: Mitchell, Michael [mailto:mbmitchell@dds.ga.gov]
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2016 4:37 PM
To: Nealey, Donna
Subject: Re: request for assistance in obtain open records DDS

Got it. I’ve forwarded to our General Counsel for processing.

Mike Mitchell, Director
Legislative and Governmental Affairs

Georgia Department of Driver Services
2206 Eastview Parkway
Conyers, Georgia 30013

(678) 413-8413 | Office
(770) 359-3432 | Facsimile

On Jan 11, 2016, at 4:23 PM, Nealey, Donna > wrote:
Please see the email below from Mr. King. I am just forwarding what was
sent to our office.

Thanks.

Donna Nealey – Senate Legislative Assistant
Legislative Assistant to Senator Fran Millar – Chairman Senate Higher Education
Legislative Assistant to Senator Josh McKoon – Chairman Senate Judiciary

Georgia State Senate
18 Capitol Square – 319 CLOB
Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, GA 30334
404-656-7872 – direct dial
770-315-4060 – cell number
404-657-3217 – fax number
donna.nea.

From: D.A. KING [mailto:DKing]
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2016 11:18 AM
To: Nealey, Donna; Josh McKoon
Cc: D.A. KING
Subject: request for assistance in obtain open records DDS

11 January 2016

Dear Senator McKoon,

I am in hopes that your office will forward this open records request to the Georgia Department of Drivers Services on my behalf.

Thank you, D.A. King

To whom it may concern at DDS,

Please regard this email as my official request for public records.

Please send me a copy of any document your office has that illustrates the front and back image of the official Georgia ID card your office regulates and issues to illegal aliens who have benefited from the federal deferred action on deportation, part of which is known as “DACA.”

In addition, please provide me a copy of the drivers license, front and back that your office issues to the same group.

Also, please provide me with a copy of documents your office has that demonstrate the total cost of application, testing, processing, production and issuance of an individual Georgia drivers licenses and Georgia ID cards.

I look forward to a productive response within the legal time frame.

Thank you,

D.A. King

Marietta, Ga.

All on Politics
January 17, 2016

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION – The left joins the Republican Establishment against conservatives: Battle raging in Georgia on Obama’s illegal alien activist nominee for federal judge

“There is a battle raging in Georgia over an Obama nominee for federal judge in the state’s northern district. But many conservative Georgians are unaware of the consequences of losing. The leftist illegal alien lobby, working with the Establishment Republicans, have challenged the voter base on confirming Obama’s choice for a federal judge who would oversee federal cases in the state. Including immigration cases.

Aware members of the GOP’s conservative base are strongly opposed to the nomination of Dax Lopez, who is now a state court judge in metro-Atlanta, largely because he was a prominent political advocate against the enforcement of immigration law. That’s a confrontational pick during an election year that is dominated by talk of amnesty, illegal immigration and black-market labor….” READ THE REST HERE

http://thedustininmansociety.org/pics_art/pic-illegal-alien-protest-2016jan07-1-1000w.jpg
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Marietta Daily Journal

Reader sounds off on GOP dismay
January 19, 2016

DEAR EDITOR:

We run a small family business and live in Cobb County and I am an inactive Republican. But more than party affiliation, I am a conservative. And to borrow a quote, on modern day politics, “I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore.” I am looking for ways to become active because I see little hope of the people who run the Republican party in Georgia or in Cobb honoring the conservative principles I believe in. Having started paying close attention for the last year or so, the term “Establishment Republican” has taken on new, and ominous meaning for us.

Examples would include the fact that my Republican congressman, Barry Loudermilk, voted to fund Planned Parenthood, to fund Obama’s amnesty scheme and to expand immigration of low-skilled workers and that Georgia is now giving illegal aliens a drivers license. Top that all off with the situation I have recently learned about that Obama has nominated for federal judge a just-resigned board member of a left-wing activist group called GALEO that marches in the streets with the ACLU screaming that we should not enforce our immigration laws.

Illegal alien protest in Atlanta, January 7, 2016

Dax Lopez is financed and supported in politics by a long list of Democrats, including Roy Barnes, Jason Carter and Jerry Gonzalez, Executive Director of the GALEO company. Under the stewardship of Dax Lopez, GALEO demands that we abolish our voter ID laws by claiming that proof of U.S. citizenship at the ballot box is somehow a “hardship” for Hispanic voters. Why are our elected officials not making it clear that even in Mexico, no one can vote without presenting a very secure photo voter ID? Where is the voice of the Georgia Republican party on the nomination of Dax Lopez for a lifetime position as a federal judge in Georgia? Why the silence? Does the Chamber of Commerce really run the Republican party?

Unless this really is Obama’s transformed “Bizarro World,” anyone who stands with the same people who lobby in the state capitol against protecting Georgia from illegal immigration for more than 10 years as Dax Lopez has done should not be considered for a federal judgeship. The clincher is that Lopez says he is a “Republican” and I now see that many establishment Republicans are urging our two Republican senators in Washington to give his nomination the “OK.” If you look up who funds this outfit, you see name like Coca-Cola, Georgia Power and Southwest Airlines along with a long list of liberal immigration lawyers.

I have never written a letter to the editor before, but I want to give notice to our Republican politicians that there are many of us out here now paying attention, and we are not going to take the silence and betrayal anymore.

Can somebody please tell me why U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson thinks he can run for re-election without speaking out against allowing somebody like Dax Lopez to become a lifetime federal judge in Georgia?

William Buckler

Kennesaw

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Reader sound off on GOP dismay (PAYWALL)

Led by the corporate-funded GALEO, activist, anti-English groups in Georgia are threatening a federal lawsuit against at least two Georgia counties if November ballots are not printed in a foreign language.

GALEO has been active in pushing for Spanish language ballots for at least two years and lobbies in the Georgia Capitol against English as Georgia’s official language. A 1996 law designates English as the state’s official language, but many government services are still provided in multiple foreign languages. The written exam for a Georgia drivers license is offered in eleven languages.

“No county in Georgia offers ballots or voting materials in a language other than English. But the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO) and New York-based Latino Justice have asked Gwinnett and Hall counties to provide Spanish ballots, voter guides, poll workers and website information, citing a provision of the federal Voting Rights Act” reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

A recently resigned GALEO board member and one-time treasurer and fund-raiser, Dax Lopez, 

has been nominated for a federal judgeship in Georgia. Neither of Georgia’s Republican senators have announced their decision on allowing the nomination to move forward.

The Atlanta NPR affiliate, WABE News reports

“The organization’s (GALEO) executive director, Jerry Gonzalez, has written to Gwinnett and Hall counties, both with large Spanish-speaking communities, asking that bilingual voting materials be provided.

“We have had to provide, at our own expense, language access to voters. However, it is the county’s responsibility to do that,” Gonzalez said.

His organization is pointing to a provision in the Voting Rights Act that guarantees bilingual voting materials for Puerto Ricans.

GALEO executive director, “Angry Jerry” Gonzalez

The AJC also reports that GALEO’s executive director has threatened a lawsuit if Hall and Gwinnett counties do not cede to the demands.

If GALEO and other groups pushing for foreign language ballots were to file a lawsuit against the Georgia county governments the case would go to the Northern District federal court where GALEO’s former board member Lopez has been nominated to serve as judge.

We cannot find Georgia media reports of this potential conflict.

Breitbart is covering the on the Lopez nomination controversy in Georgia….

TRANSCRIPTION

Erick Erickson’s endorsement of GALEO’s Dax Lopez for federal judge in Georgia

The below transcription was done from the audio of Erick Erickson’s WSB afternoon drive-time Atlanta radio show of January 7, 2016.

Audio here.

Transcription done by Rev.com

I have added some educational links.

Show intro: “3, 2, 1, 0. All engine running. Lift off, we have a lift off.
Erick Erickson: I guess it depends, if you’re [Jude Alison 00:00:15].

Welcome, it’s Erick here on [inaudible 00:00:17] News, 95.5 AM 750 WSB, the full number 404 872 0750 1 800 WSB Talk. Wow, breaking news – Lynn Westmoreland, congressman out of Peachtree City is going to retire from congress, already getting phone calls, a ton of phone calls from people asking me if I’ve got a pick in there – I might know someone who would be very good for that job. I’m reaching out to him to see if he’s interested. Might get a quick endorsement for me out of this, for a candidate in that race.

I want to get into that and the implications of it, and Lynn Westmoreland’s history, and rumors are he wants to lay ground for governor’s race or something. There’s a headline in the AJC today – Sam Olens may have unintentionally, or intentionally taken himself out of the race for governor with his statement on Syrian refugees. Couldn’t be helped, he’s following the law.

(Begin Lopez endorsement) I want to begin somewhere else, though, and this may make some of you a little angry with me, but I want to lay out my thinking on this for you, because there’s an issue happening right now in the US Senate that affects Georgia directly. You see, there’s a state court judge in DeKalb County, his name is Dax Lopez, and he has been nominated by the president to be a federal judge, and the problem for Dax Lopez that you need to know, for the US district court in the northern district of Georgia, is that … Well, he supports immigration reform, and before he entered in to being a judge, his political positions, he was very aggressively for immigration reform. People are upset, conservative activists are upset about Dax Lopez, because he’s for immigration reform.

Folks, I am told rather privately, although I can say publicly, that the democrats and the republicans are structuring deals for this year, and what they will do, and one of the issues is going to be judges to be approved, and one of the judgeships that the president is very concerned about is the northern district of Georgia. There have been a number of hurdles getting a judge along the way for the seat, and the president wants the seat filled.

Here’s what I’m telling you: If you’re not going with Dax Lopez to be a judge, there’s going to be a vote. It’s going to come to the floor, and all of the democrats, and a handful of republicans are going to vote for someone to fill that seat, and you’re not going to get a better nominee than Dax Lopez. That’s a fact. Dax Lopez, of all the judicial picks by the president nationwide, he’s probably the most free market. Most willing to understand that business needs to be able to do business. He’s going to be the best pick you could hope for from the president of the United States, for Georgia. He is the least liberal nominee I think the president has probably put on the bench nationwide at a district court position. Members of the Conservative Federalist Society have come out in favor of him, a number of republicans have come out in favor of him – I’m just telling you, you don’t go with Dax Lopez, there’s a deal being cut in congress on judicial votes, and if you’re not going with him, you’re going to get some wackadoo liberal, and there are going to be enough republicans to vote for that person.

Either go with Dax Lopez, or we’re going to get a judge on the bench who’s far worse for business, far worse for freedom, far worse for individual liberty than he is – And he’s not bad on any of those issues, including individual liberty. He’s not. DeKalb County state court judge, a lot of my republican friends up there, conservatives all of them, a lot of them Ted Cruz supporters, even – All like him, think he’s a good guy, think he would be a great judge. It is the immigration issue that is the hurdle, guess what? He’s not going to have a role to play in that issue on the federal bench in the northern district of Georgia, he’s just not. I would say, Johnny Isakson, David Perdue, go on and let him go to the floor and vote for him, get him on the bench. I think it’s the right thing to do. I think that he would be far better than anyone else we would get down the line, and I hope that Perdue and Isakson will take that into consideration that a fire-breathing conservative like me thinks that this is the best pick we’re going to get, and he would be good pick for a republican, frankly, as well – And that’s the truth, no spin, so go for it.

Now, let’s step out and check traffic before we get onto the-

Thank you, sir. Sorry, the call screening program has locked out, and apparently if I push this little button on Windows 7 it requires that the computer starts talking to me, I had no idea if you guys heard that. All right, someone else is going to have to control alt delete because I’m locked out of the computer for call screening, but the phone number’s 40487207501800 WSB Talk. I see a text coming through from a buddy of mine to repeat what I said at the very end.

Yeah, if a republican president nominated Dax Lopez based on his record, based on his background, based on where he is and the people who are supporting him in the Federalist Society, the Chamber of Commerce and what not, he would be a logical person for a republican to pick as well, and republicans would be falling all over themselves to praise him and get him on the bench, and they would. I don’t have a problem with the guy. He’s the best pick we could possibly have here in the northern district of Georgia. The northern district covers … It’s kind of weird, they’re diagonal, the districts. There’s the southern district, the middle district and the northern district. The middle district actually covers Athens, Macon, Albany. The southern district, Brunswick, Valdosta, Waycross, Savannah. The northern district, Atlanta up to Gainesville, that area, and he would be a good pick.

I know they’re cutting a deal, I know they are. I have a credible source telling me they’re mapping out, Harry [inaudible 00:06:50] this year, one of the issues is judges, and if they don’t get Dax Lopez they’re going to get someone else, and that someone else is going to be far worse, so let’s get a move on with him.”

Opponents of Lopez nomination make their case  

Jay Bookman blog
January 13, 2016

NOTE (from jay Bookman): In a recent column, I criticized Georgia anti-immigration activists who are trying to block the confirmation of DeKalb State Court Judge Dax Lopez to the federal bench. Below is the response to that column by D.A. King of Cobb County.

By D.A. King

Writing on the Obama judicial nomination of GALEO’s Dax Lopez, Jay Bookman’s smear attack on me and my friend Phil Kent in the AJC serves as a brilliant reminder of the mindset of most liberals on immigration and politics.

Bookman makes it clear that he looks at the world through the lens of race, skin color and ethnicity. Not only does he intentionally muddle those categories, he assumes that the rest of us suffer from the same disability. We don’t.

“Hispanic” is not the opposite of “white” (or black) and is not a race. Neither is “illegal.” Nor am I “anti-immigrant.” Like most of the mainstream, this proud American supports legal, sustainable and reasonable levels of immigration that benefits the United States and protects Americans. Including immigrants. My adopted sister is an immigrant. That sacred term legally describes someone who entered the U.S. lawfully.

Like the late Barbara Jordan, it is my long-held – and public – position that we cannot honor real immigrants or our immigration system unless and until we adhere to a policy of an equal application of our immigration laws. Bookman provides useful insight by labeling that view “extremist.”

Since it seems to matter, as a political independent, I am also a member of the Federalist Society. So is Phil Kent. I expect that more than a few of the many Republican legislators and sheriffs who have written to our U.S. senators in opposition to Lopez are as well.

Bookman’s attack is yet another attempt from the far-left to blur the lines between immigrants and what the federal government, including the Supreme Court, refers to as “illegal aliens.” I personally target illegal employers more than illegal aliens. It would be helpful if Jay Bookman did the same.

The panels from which Georgia’s U.S. senators accepted vetting information on Lopez mostly failed to include information easily accessed on the GALEO website. I am proud to have provided both senate offices with facts and statements taken directly from that source after President Obama nominated Lopez for a lifetime seat on the federal bench.

The confirmation of Dax Lopez is not being opposed because of his ethnicity, and also contrary to what Bookman writes, opposition is directly connected to what Lopez has said and done. As a director of the GALEO corporation for eleven years, state court judge Dax Lopez’s position as treasurer there and his willingness to not only help form and advance the agenda of that group while assisting in raising operating funds does not a “conservative” make. It should be enough to drive most conservatives -including Republicans – away from silent acceptance of his confirmation.

Since 2003, the corporate-funded GALEO has viciously condemned any law enforcement office that dares to enforce immigration laws. Dax Lopez’s statement that he “agrees with their mission” must always be viewed with the knowledge that GALEO Inc. has marched in the streets of Georgia in opposition to enforcement, lobbied against state E-Verify laws designed to protect legal workers, lobbied against local jails honoring ICE holds for criminal aliens and vehemently opposed voter ID. And they lobby against English as our official language.

No wonder activist Lopez is not speaking to the press.

Note, the added links are all mine…dak