Insider Advantage Georgia

Dalton GOP Sen. Payne Faces Primary Challenger From His Right

by D.A. King | Apr 27, 2018 | The Forum

Here’s another race to watch: The Republican primary race for state Senate District 54 in the Dalton area has heated up over the topic of illegal immigration and the failed attempt at illegal alien driver’s license reform in the 2018 legislative session.

Scott Tidwell

Conservative political newcomer, Scott Tidwell, a pastor and assistant funeral home director from Resaca has challenged Incumbent Senator Chuck Payne and is apparently seeing increasing support in the North Georgia district.

Payne is under a barrage of fire for being one of two Republicans who voted with the Democrats against Senator Josh McKoon’s SB417 in a March Public Safety Committee hearing, which resulted in the bill’s demise. The same language was then inserted into an already-passed House bill and offered for reconsideration in the same committee. This time, Payne was the only Republican to vote “nay” as it moved on but was never allowed out of Senator Jeff Mullis’ Senate Rules committee.

McKoon also tried to amend the House distracted driving bill as it passed the senate with a greatly abbreviated version of his reform language but enough Republican senators wanted to pass a “clean” cell-phone bill to decline the floor amendment.

As can be seen on the official senate committee hearing video, (00:39) Payne’s apparent lack of full understanding of the bill and the territorial limits of state law had several watchers shaking their heads when he asked McKoon how, if passed, the Georgia law would be enforced “out of state”. Neither was it clear that first-term Senator Payne understood that the federal government operates the TSA airport security and decides what ID is acceptable for boarding airliners.

State Sen. Chuck Payne

McKoon made it clear in his presentations that the goal was to end the practice of issuing the same driver’s license to illegal aliens as are given to legal immigrants and guest workers here with temporary visas. He also explained that the proposed new driving document would only be good for driving privileges and would not be counted as an ID document for state or federal purposes and would be marked as such.

In 2016, a McKoon-sponsored bill with similar language sailed through the Georgia senate with thirty-seven Republican votes but was never allowed a hearing in the House. Among the “yea” votes was Payne’s predecessor, former senator Charlie Bethel.

Payne’s liberal position on illegal alien drivers licenses and his confusion seen in the now widely disseminated committee hearing video has not gone un-noted by conservative voters in his district. Neither has the fact that the president and CEO of the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, Rob Bradham, attended the Gold Dome hearing and testified against allowing the measure to move out of committee. Full disclosure: This writer testified at the same hearing in favor of the legislation.

Payne’s remarks at a recent Dalton Daily Citizen newspaper candidate forum in which he told challenger Tidwell “you were already a loser before you even came out of the gate” and that the legislation reforming the system by which illegal alien drivers licenses are issued was “not an immigration bill” have cost Payne considerable conservative support.

Challenger Tidwell labels himself a “true conservative” and makes it clear that he would have voted for McKoon’s driver’s license reform bill. He says, “the illegal alien problem is threatening the economic state of Georgia.”

Some estimates have put the annual cost of illegal immigration to Georgia taxpayers at $2.4 billion. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than Arizona.

Payne told the audience that “Georgia doesn’t deal in immigration” and that the state “doesn’t have immigration laws” – apparently unaware of the numerous state laws put in place on illegal immigration since 2006 – including E-Verify, public benefits protections and ‘sanctuary cities’ laws – and 2011’s internationally publicized HB 87.

You read it here first.

D.A. King is president of the Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society 

Georgia Speaker, Republican Rep. David Ralston

Atlanta Journal Constitution

READERS WRITE
April 23, 2018

Left seems to have outsize influence on GOP lawmakers

Thanks to the AJC for reporting that Republican Speaker, David Ralston, held the Georgia House in session past the midnight deadline to pass legislation for which his son was a paid lobbyist. The bill concerned state purchase and use of traffic enforcement cameras.

In contrast, ecstatic corporate-funded anti-enforcement immigration groups are taking credit for killing an anti-crime bill on which Ralston did not allow a vote.

Now as dead as Pancho Villa, SB452 mandated notification to federal immigration authorities when criminal illegal aliens are captured in Georgia and required the Department of Corrections to make public a quarterly report on the immigration status and number of non-citizens in the Georgia prison system.

House leadership had a simple explanation on the importance of immigration enforcement: “We ran out of time before we had finished all the bills that were worthwhile,” said House Majority Whip, Christian Coomer. “Other bills took priority and SB452 wasn’t called before the clock struck midnight.”

This independent conservative voter envies the GOP political connections the Left has in Georgia.

D.A. KING, MARIETTA, PRESIDENT, THE DUSTIN INMAN SOCIETY
Here.

Here is their boasting sales pitch to get you to vote for it.

General Assembly Passes Business Court Legislation

“The Georgia Chamber and Georgians for Lawsuit Reform are proud to announce the passage of House Resolution 993. On Thursday, March 29th, the state Senate passed the resolution by a vote of 46-7, followed by a final agreement vote of 120-52 in the state House.

House Resolution 993 allows for the creation of a statewide business court through the enactment of a constitutional amendment. A statewide business court in Georgia would promote expedited resolution of complex commercial disputes, as well as enhance predictability, increase speed, improve case management, lower costs, and provide judicial expertise in complex commercial litigation.

By removing complex, time-consuming business cases from the general docket, non-business cases will be resolved more efficiently, thereby benefiting businesses and citizens alike. This measure follows the recommendations to improve current judicial practices and procedures by Governor Deal’s Court Reform Council.

As neighboring states like North Carolina and South Carolina have such specialized courts, the establishment of a business court with statewide jurisdiction will enable Georgia to remain regionally competitive. While Georgia has been ranked the “Best State for Business” five years consecutively, a court dedicated solely to sophisticated commercial litigation will further improve Georgia’s business and legal climate by advancing the state’s ability to attract and retain businesses.

Kade Cullefer, Executive Director of Georgians for Lawsuit Reform, expressed the need for the amendment, “We have seen noteworthy success with local business courts in Fulton and Gwinnett Counties; however, the business court should be accessible to all Georgians.” Georgia Chamber Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, David Raynor applauded the leadership of Governor Nathan Deal and Representative Chuck Efstration, “the establishment of a statewide business court is a long-awaited solution that will contribute to the improvement of quality of life and business climate. As this legislation is a Chamber Scorecard measure and a priority for our membership, we would like to thank Governor Deal, Representative Chuck Efstration, members of the General Assembly, and the Court Reform Council for their hard work and dedication in keeping Georgia the #1 state in which to do business.”

House Resolution 993 will now be included as a ballot measure in the 2018 general election.

To learn more about House Resolution 993 or the Georgians for Lawsuit Reform visit http://www.galawsuitreform.com/, or click here to view a message from Kade Cullefer, Executive Director of Georgians for Lawsuit Reform. Visit the Georgia Chamber’s Scorecard website at http://gachamberscore.com/ to see how your legislator voted.”

Here.

Photo The Daily Wire

Caravan Of Refugees Arrives At U.S.-Mexico Border; Refugees Ask For Asylum
Here.

 Barr’s original MDJ column from April 12 here.

Bob Barr – photo: MDJ

Bob Barr wants to increase immigration
Apr 12, 2018

DEAR EDITOR:

At more than one million immigrants each year and about 750,000 guest workers, American immigration numbers still are not high enough to suit MDJ writer and former Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr.

Barr assures readers that we should welcome even more foreign labor so that we pay less for houses. He also tries to convince us that the honorable construction trade should continue to be limited to foreign workers over Americans — because the foreigners will work for less money. Barr wants to increase immigration.

On the consequences of not “creating better and easier ways to enter the country for work” he writes “the hidden costs, however, such as increases in products and services, like construction, which rely heavily on lower-cost labor, are felt immediately and daily by citizens who must shoulder the costs of dwindling migrant labor burdening businesses.”

Barr ran for president on a platform of open borders. He hasn’t changed much. But he is still far away from the mainstream, even in California. A March poll from Pulse Opinion Research asked Californians about immigration levels. The Californians gave a very different answer than Barr and the construction lobby has offered.

“Question: Current federal policy adds about one million new immigrants with lifetime work permits each year. Which is closest to the number of new immigrants the government should be adding each year?

Responses:

34% — Less than 250,000

15% — 500,000

07% — 750,000

13% — One million

06% — One and a half million

13% — More than two million

At our house, where my wife is a proud immigrant, we support Sen. David Perdue and his RAISE Act precisely because it reduces immigration levels and would result in higher wages for Americans.

John Litland

Marietta

___

NPR affiliate’s news report on an Atlanta progressive is “a racist hit piece” and a “smear campaign…”

From “the things you can run over on Twitter file”: Straight from the progressives, this is pretty funny stuff and makes for a good grin on a Friday.

WABE News @WABENews, an Atlanta NPR affiliate, by our judgment it’s further left than NPR itself – and far less balanced – ran a story the other day about a very far left Atlanta activist, Anoa Changa @TheWayWithAnona, who apparently spreads the progressive message on the Russian-funded Sputnik radio.

The WABE reporter, Johnny Kaufman explains Sputnik radio for the unaware:

“A report released in January by the FBI, National Security Agency and CIA called Sputnik and the TV network RT, formerly Russia Today, part of “Russia’s state-run propaganda machine.”

The report titled, “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in US Elections” links Sputnik to Russia’s broader efforts to influence the 2016 election, noting it served as “a platform for Kremlin messaging to Russian and international audiences.”

“Those platforms are set up for the sole purpose of promoting the Kremlin line,” said Robert Orttung, an associate research professor of international affairs at The George Washington University.

It’s not that activist Changa denies using the Russian radio outlet and Kaufman tells us “Changa doesn’t plan to stop appearing on Sputnik programs.

The two shows where she’s a regular, “By Any Means Necessary” and “Loud & Clear,” are a place where she’s comfortable talking about issues important to her, like police brutality, voter suppression and corporate influence in the Democratic Party. The shows, Changa said, are independent. She trusts their hosts and producers.

“If there’s a space available to occupy and get that voice across,” said Changa, “then we should take it.”

You can read the entire story here.

But, leftist supporters of Changa – members of the Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists @MetroAtlDSA no less – are having a major cow over the report and are in their third day of attacking the leftist NPR station for…wait, wait, wait “the racist hit piece.”

Comrade Changa you see, is a black woman.

From the Metro Atlanta DSA site:

“In the proto-fascist milieu of contemporary American politics, it is vitally important that we lift up voices of color and support women like Anoa who stand in resolute defiance of white supremacy”.

Today I see that the Metro Atlanta DSA has posted another dig at WABE News that includes a knock off of the MAGA caps worn by conservative Trump supporters that reads: “Make NPR for Old Racists again.” Oh, my sides.

“The smear against her is grotesque but also transparent – the ruling classes will not let go of power easily. We’re grateful to women like Anoa who put themselves at risk to stand up to the 1% and we are grateful for the opportunity to support her in that fight” says the DSA.

I don’t have time to post all of the Twitter posts by the DSA, but just know they are calling this a “smear campaign…”

It’s a hoot if you have time to look around. BTW: When did American commies start avoiding Russian commies? Is the hammer and sickle logo now “so last year?”

MS-13 gang leaders , Houston Rape, murder suspects Photo: Breitbart

Clarke County Sheriff’s new policy on ICE holds and criminal aliens is a reversal of his February position

D.A. King

As has been widely reported, another county sheriff in Georgia has announced his office will not offer full cooperation with ICE on holding illegal aliens that land in his jail for other crimes.

Clarke County Sheriff Ira Edwards Jr. released a statement on Friday, April 13 that he is “discontinuing the practice of honoring ICE requests to detain persons after criminal charges or other holds are resolved.”

What we have not seen reported is that Sheriff Edwards is on the record as late as February enthusiastically expressing his support of immigration enforcement and opposition to sanctuary policies.

Edwards is a member of the board of the National Sheriffs’ Association. He was part of a group of sheriffs who met in February with President Donald Trump to discuss illegal immigration and sanctuary policies. He was rather effusive in his pro-enforcement position to the Heritage Foundation’s Daily Signal.

“I was very, very surprised when I was in a training [conference] this past week, and there was a federal magistrate judge that told us she had sentenced a person over 25 times, and that person has come back into our country,”

“My concern is, as a sheriff, if we are going to secure our homeland, it is going to be imperative that we build some type of border to prevent those that would do harm within our community, within our homeland,”

“When we have the sanctuary cities, that is going to be a breeding ground for those who come back that are undocumented, coming back into our community. That is why I am kind of concerned,”

Earlier this year, Edwards had convened a ‘Citizens Input Committee’ and charged them to consider community safety and provide policy recommendations that serve the best interests of the mostly liberal Athens-Clarke County, home of the University of Georgia.

In another victory for the many corporate-funded anti-borders groups that lobby in Georgia against immigration enforcement, Clarke County joins the cities of Atlanta, Decatur and Clarkston in rolling back policy offering protections for residents regarding immigration holds of criminal aliens.

Gang members released by local law enforcement

Sheriff Edwards did not comment on how his reversal in policy would effect gang activity in his county. According to federal authorities, Georgia is home to more illegal aliens than Arizona and has a growing gang problem.

The Center for Immigration Studies reports that “according to ICE statistics provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee, over a nine-month period in FY2017, 142 gang members that ICE was seeking to deport were released by the local law enforcement agency instead of transferred to ICE custody.”

Athens/Clarke County is home to current Secretary of State and Republican candidate for governor, Brian Kemp, who has made criminal aliens and Georgia’s illegal immigration crisis a major part of his campaign.

https://www.50statesofblue.com/2018/03/georgia-brian-kemp-illegal-immigrant-database-voter-data/

Dustin Inman Society

Georgia’s GOP Speaker David Ralston photo, Georgia General Assembly

Breitbart News
April 15, 2018

D.A. King: GOP Blocks Georgia Immigration Enforcement Bill, But OKs Traffic Cameras

The Republican Speaker of the Georgia House blocked a bill that would help deport criminal illegal aliens, but he pushed through a last-minute bill touted by his lobbyist son, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The paper reported April 12:

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston delayed the end of this year’s legislative session past a midnight deadline so lawmakers could vote on a bill to allow speeding ticket cameras in school zones.

The bill was pushed by Ralston’s son, a lobbyist for an Arizona-based company, American Traffic Solutions, that sells the camera systems to local governments.

Ralston and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, the president of the state Senate, agreed to continue working past midnight to allow the House to approve the bill after it had passed the Senate a few minutes earlier, said Kaleb McMichen, a spokesman for Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican.

In contrast, Ralston refused to allow a vote on a public safety bill in the GOP-dominated House before ended its annual session on March 30. Corporate-funded anti-borders groups took credit for the defeating the bill, which would have required state officials to notify federal immigration-enforcement officers of illegal migrants in the state’s jails.

GOP leaders offered excuses for blocking the popular immigration-reform bill

“We ran out of time before we had finished all the bills that were worthwhile,” said House Majority Whip, Christian Coomer. “Other bills took priority and SB452 wasn’t called before the clock struck midnight,” he told the liberal Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper.

GOP Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle originally backed the immigration enforcement legislation but stayed quiet when the bill was narrowed to exclude migrants who did not commit “serious crimes.” But after the bill was blocked, Cagle issued a statement saying:

Law enforcement agencies at every level of government should work together to make sure that criminal illegal aliens who commit serious crimes are arrested, convicted, deported, and never allowed back inside our nation’s borders.

Cagle is one of four GOP politicians vying for this year’s gubernatorial nomination.

Ralston faces a May 22 primary election against Margaret Williamson.

Ralston is an attorney, with clients that include construction companies. Many construction companies rely on black-market labor hired by subcontractors. His website says:

The firm also represents the interests of both home builders and contractors, as well as home owners in litigation issues arising over construction. With over 35 years of courtroom experience in the construction law area, our firm has successfully litigated and defended against a range of matters in the construction area.

Majority whip Coomer told excused the decision by telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the GOP establishment might approve a similar bill in 2019 and – if public pressure continues.

“If the state’s interest in reasonable law enforcement approaches to criminal aliens and misdemeanor bail issues remains high, then another version of the bill may see movement next year,” he said…  Read the rest here.