I checked the calendar to ensure that it’s three days before Christmas and not two weeks before income taxes are due. Only then did I read this story on Examiner.com. It’s the real deal and perhaps we should have recognized it all along. The site described may even be the city of Yupaha that Hernando de Soto sought.

There is strong archeological and etymological evidence that Mayans not only visited but actually settled in North Georgia on and around Brasstown Bald. There are many visible stone masonry walls that were likely used for agricultural terracing. So perhaps the Mayans did not all die en masse as accepted theories state, but some may have migrated to the Southeastern United States.

If not for an honest misunderstanding, this all might have been known decades ago. It seems that “Brasstown Bald” is a mistranslation of the original name, Itsay. Settlers later added “town” and “bald” to the name, but Protestant missionaries mistakenly believed the word Itsay meant brass. It actually means Place of the Itza or as we would say, Place of the Maya.

Aerial view of Brasstown Bald - Image via Wikipedia

The Creek language contained many Mesoamerican words and the Hitchiti Creeks called themselves Itsate. It’s also of interest that the ancestors of the Creeks, like the Maya, built five sided mounds and that the pottery found at Ocmulgee Mounds National Monument in Macon is “virtually identical” to the Maya Plain Red pottery.

After suffering from natural disasters and wars and famine, it appears that some Mayans chose to settle in North Georgia as a safe refuge. So, a little before next December 21st – the day the Mayan calendar ends – I might just make a trip up to Blairsville. Not that I think the world is coming to an end, but for the . . . uh . . . scenery.

This discovery may help combine and answer existing questions about structures at Fort Mountain State Park, pottery at the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds and the existence of mound structures throughout the state. This lays to rest my beliefs that the mighty Lumbee Indians were responsible for all of these things.

As an aside, this does not alter my position on illegal immigration. I highly recommend the entire, lengthy, entertaining yet educational story.

Doug Richards spoke with some Georgia farmers who say they will make adjustments to next year’s crops.

Planting time forces Stanley to gamble on how much labor he’ll have next spring, and he’s betting low. He’s planting 1,000 acres of Vidalia onions between now and the end of December — 200 acres less than he planted a year ago.

“I don’t want to plant extra onions and not be able to get ‘em harvested,” Stanley said.

Stanley says he’s also going to use H2A next spring even though he and other farmers have long complained it’s mired in bureaucratic red tape and costly to use.

“You almost have to have your own Human Resources department to process the paperwork with H2A,” Hall said. “It’s a massive amount of paperwork.”

Hopefully Congressman Kingston and Westmoreland will be able toease the burden H-2A places on farmers

Following up on Charlie’s article on Monday, Congressmen Kingston and Westmoreland are pushing reform of the H-2A visa. The H2A visa allows laborers to legally enter the U.S. to work in the agricultural industry. The current rules governing H-2A simply don’t work, increasing the incentive for laborers to come here illegally and farmers to employ them. Let me join those praising Kingston and Westmoreland for pushing this bill.

The BARN Act would:

• shift a portion of regulatory responsibility for the H2A program from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture;

• expand the definition of agricultural worker to include the dairy and ranching industries;

• allow farmers to attach an experience requirement to job postings to allow farmers to be matched with more qualified workers;

• remove requirement for farmers to hire domestic workers during a contract period when there is no existing need for additional workers;

• establish a fair, new farm wage methodology, setting a wage minimum at 115% of whichever is higher of federal, state or local minimum wage;

• allow employers to apply for H-2A workers 30 days in advance of need, reducing it from the current 45 day requirement to give farmers more flexibility in managing their labor supplies and expedites the Department of Labor’s review process;

• make H-2A visas a one year visa which may be renewed once before the worker is required to return to their home country, between renewals an employer must re-test the domestic labor market as if the worker was a first-time applicant;

• shift existing housing requirements to a voucher system, allowing the option of using existing housing rather than requiring farmers build permanent worker housing;

• establish reasonable reforms on the Legal Services Corporation; and

o prohibits legal activism unless the alien is present
o prohibits bringing civil action unless the counterparties have attempted mediation
o prohibits entering H-2A employer property without pre-arranged appointments
o requires respect of existing arbitration process and outcome if employer and employee have an existing arbitration arrangement

• place new restrictions on H-2A participants.

o makes worker who overstays his or her H-2A visa ineligible to reapply for 5 years
o makes any applicant who commits fraudulent activity in connection with obtaining an H-2A visa permanently ineligible
o makes any worker found committing a deportable offense while in the U.S. permanently ineligible
o makes any employer who knowingly hires a worker with an expired H-2A visa or who knowingly facilitates fraudulent activity in connection with the H-2A process permanently ineligible from participation in the H-2A program and other work visa programs

The AJC has more.

Jeff Hullinger finds a historian and the former Labor Commissioner “troubled” by Governor Deal’s proposal that probationers fill Georgia’s agriculture labor shortage. Ashley Bell however, supports the idea and adds that Dads late on their child support also might be a source of labor.

Somehow this slipped into today’s AJC article about the looming apocalypse caused by the Illegal Immigration Reform And Enforcement Act of 2011. I suspect Dora Palanco is not the only legal immigrant who feels this way.

Arizona experienced an exodus of immigrants after it enacted a similar law last year. An estimated 100,000 Hispanics, mostly Mexicans, left the state between January and November of last year, partly because of Arizona’s law, according to a report released last year by BBVA Research, which based its findings on U.S. census data.

Dora Polanco has been witnessing a similar exodus from her perch in the ticket booth just off Buford Highway at the El Expreso bus stop in Chamblee. She said some of the Hispanic immigrants who approach her counter are leaving Georgia on buses to New York City, where mass transit is more plentiful.

A native of Costa Rica, Polanco sympathizes with the plight of the immigrants, particularly the ones who tell her they are fearful of returning to Mexico amid the drug violence there. But she is also irritated with people who enter the United States illegally and take advantage of taxpayer-funded resources here, including hospitals. She said she and her husband are both U.S. citizens who work hard and pay their taxes.

“That’s not right when you pay taxes and the others don’t,” said Polanco, who lives in Snellville. “I don’t want this country to be poor like my country.”

Galloway has the details but here’s a bit of the lawsuit per his article:

– One of the main components is the allegation that the law will result in racial profiling, which should surprise no one. The filing will include this line: “All Georgians, and particularly those of color, will be compelled to carry additional paperwork on them prescribed by the State of Georgia at all times.”

– The lawsuit alleges that, even though the new law doesn’t go into effect until July 1, individuals are already being stopped by law enforcement officials, based on their appearance and ability to speak English.

– The suit will also focus on the new law’s ban on transporting or harboring illegal immigrants, arguing that the statute will expose legal residents of Georgia to criminal prosecution for acts of kindness.

In addition to the civil rights organizations, parties to the suit will include a Catholic nun who “”is guided by the Christian principle of welcoming the stranger in our midst.”

She provides transportation and housing to individuals in Georgia without asking their immigration status, and admits she is aware that “a good share” of those individuals are undocumented immigrants.

The ACLU is flat out wrong on the transportation and harboring aspect of the impending law. As shown below the law is narrowly crafted to target coyotes and other human traffickers. Unless the Nun who joined the lawsuit is regularly carrying out other criminal offenses I think she’s safe. From the bill:

310 (b) A person who, while committing another criminal offense, knowingly and intentionally
311 transports or moves an illegal alien in a motor vehicle for the purpose of furthering the
312 illegal presence of the alien in the United States shall be guilty of the offense of
313 transporting or moving an illegal alien.

UPDATE: It’s signed and here are some pictures from the AJC.

Governor Deal will sign HB87 the “Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011″ today. I’m told that a small group of protesters have assembled in front of the Capitol. At least one is holding a sign saying “KKK supports HB87.”

Moments ago the Peach Pundit Tip Line received a press release from oppositions groups declaring this summer to be “Human Rights Summer.” These groups are planning protests on May 22nd and July 1st. I was planning to head to the beach but if other folks have other plans that’s cool with me.

Here’s a small bit of the press release:

Georgina Perez, student member of Georgia Undocumented Youth Alliance
“We have a right to remain in this state where we have lived, worked, and studied, for some of us, nearly all of our lives. We will not obey a law that is unjust, that is meant to drive out our families and criminalize our community. Just as African Americans resisted unjust Jim Crow and segregation laws in the 1960’s, so will we resist until justice prevails and HB 87, and all anti-immigrant laws, are repealed.”

From an editorial column I wrote for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

A widely reported study by the left-wing Center For American Progress suggests Arizona’s tourism industry suffered a $141 million loss as a direct result of the passage of its illegal immigration reform bill. No nonpartisan group has produced an economic impact study of the effect of these boycotts.

What the Center for American Progress doesn’t tell you is that tourists spend $19.3 billion in Arizona each year. In other words, the boycott of Arizona, which has received tremendous coverage in the national media, caused a three-quarters-of-1-percent drop in tourism revenue, according to the calculations distributed by this one partisan group.

Has the boycott been successful? Let each reader decide for themselves, but I for one am not impressed.

Tourism is a $31.3 billion industry in Georgia. It is understandable that folks in that industry would work to protect Georgia’s image. However, those who say Gov. Deal should veto HB 87 because of the potential of a less than 1 percent drop in tourism revenue are on shaky ground.

An improving national economy will have a greater positive impact than any negative effect from organized boycotts.

The opposing viewpoint is here.

One of the provisions of HB87, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act, called for a study of the creation of a State run guest worker program. Today the AJC reports that Ag. Commissioner Gary Black must report back to the Legislature by January 1 of next year on a possible program for Georgia. Utah passed a State guest worker program bill earlier this year. Said Black:

“We do have colleagues in Utah and we will look forward to asking them how they think that is going to work for them,” Black said of the guest-worker program. “Just how that interfaces with the federal program is certainly a question that is out there.”

As the article on the Utah guest worker program points out, a waiver from the Feds would likely be necessary in order to implement such a program. Maybe some enterprising Congressman could introduce a bill to let the States hand out H2A visas and authorize programs such as the Utah one?

In the waining hours of the 2011 Legislative Session, Representative Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City) found himself at the Speaker’s Rostrum with the gavel in his hand managing the business of the House. Speaker Ralston was busy getting pictures with the day’s Pages and as they say the show must go on. I commented to one of my seat mates that we were looking at this Legislative Session’s biggest winner.

Two of the highest profile pieces of legislation passed this year (dealing with illegal immigration (HB87) and the ability to purchase insurance policies sold in other states (HB47)) were navigated successfully through the Legislature by Matt Ramsey. Both bills elicited passionate opposition in the House from the Democrats but I suspect both poll reasonably well among Georgians of both parties. More importantly HB47 and HB87 were well thought out pieces of legislation. Ramsey listened to everyone who had something to say and tried to assuage their concerns as much as he could without violating the core ideals of both bills.

As you all know the debate over illegal immigration was a contentious one. There were protesters at the Capitol numerous times this year including last night. Yesterday one of our colleagues placed an article on our desk that called Ramsey a liar. The Speaker had it removed for violating House rules. There were many days when it looked like HB87 was dead. In fact moments before the Senate took the bill up again last night it looked to be dead. Yet not once did I hear of Ramsey losing his temper. In all the public statements I read and radio interview I heard him give, never did I hear him say anything that hurt his cause or embarrassed the Republican caucus. He gave his opposition no “locker room” quotes, and believe me on an issue like illegal immigration, with passions running high, that is quite an accomplishment. Matt Ramsey, on one of the most controversial issues facing our State, gave the people what they deserve: a thoughtful debate that didn’t inflame passions or play to the lowest common denominator. HB87 is a case study on how our political process should handle controversial issues.

Conservatives who were worried the House would suffer with the loss of conservative stalwarts like Tom Graves should really get to know Matt Ramsey.

As a verb. Now use it in a sentence that doesn’t reek of AP bias.

The Gwinnett Daily Post gets Imperial bonus points for trumpeting that the House “guts” the Senate’s immigration bill, therefore fulfilling their destiny as today’s local AP mouthpiece.

Simply put, since our federal government refuses to enforce standing federal law regarding illegal immigrants, many states (including Georgia), have decided they’ve had enough and are passing their own tougher immigration laws. There is a pathway to citizenship. Use it or go back home.

Legislating has oft times been compared to sausage making. Immigration is already a sticky subject, so be prepared for a big mess.

Hats off to Sen. Jack Murphy (R-Cumming) and Rep. Matt Ramsey (R-Peachtree City), and many others in both chambers, who don’t mind getting their hands a little dirty while working together to get this bill passed this session.

Discuss. And be nice.

A friend sent along video of the protest against HB 87 and SB 40 that took place at the state capitol this morning. Just to give you a glimpse of the size of the crowd, it’s at least as big at the April 2009 tea party rally:

And I echo Charlie’s comments on the census showing a change in the dynamics in Georgia politics. It’s something to keep in mind as Republicans continue to use immigration as a wedge issue.

Today’s Courier Herald Column:

As of Wednesday, proposals for an “Arizona style” immigration reform have passed both the House and the Senate.  Yet considering the differences between the bills, and cautious indifference expressed by the Governor, this may be as far as either bill goes.  Aligning the competing interests within the Republican base over this issue add an extreme degree of difficulty in moving this concept to Georgia law.

The House version, HB-87, is by far the tougher of the two pieces of legislation.  While both measures require the use of E-Verify –the federal system designed to verify citizenship or other eligibility for employment – the House bill goes much further, and has fewer exceptions to which employers must use the system.  The Senate version exempts farmers from using E-Verify, which leave a large number of potential illegal immigrant employees outside the scope of the law, and leaves those who employ them free to continue status quo.  This loophole affects not just vast sections of South Georgia, but the poultry industry of North Georgia – a key economic driver in the home region of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Speaker of the House.

The House version would further penalize employers by not granting licenses and other state required documents to businesses who fail to use E-Verify.  It also has penalties for transporting or harboring illegal immigrants, as well as adds stiff penalties for those who attempt to use fake identification to secure employment.

Governor Deal, for his part, has urged caution of placing an “undue burden” on employers, and has questioned whether E-Verify works as promised.  Just under one year ago, Candidate Nathan Deal was a bit more firm on the subject, saying “I agree with the Arizona governor and Legislature that the federal government has failed miserably at protecting our borders and enacting sensible solutions that would protect our states, counties and cities from bearing the enormous costs associated with illegal immigration, from emergency room visits to public schools to the criminal justice system. As governor of Georgia, I’d work to pass and sign similar legislation.”

And therein lies the state of the current debate.  As candidates, Republicans are increasingly aware that any threat to their continued existence lies in primaries and not general elections.  And throughout the recent election, no candidate wanted to let any other candidate get to their right on immigration reform and enforcement.  Even Democratic nominee Roy Barnes signaled support for similar legislation, indicating strong political support from much more than just Republicans and the hard right.

Yet, those elected are keenly aware of the dual edge sword of unemployment numbers above 10%.  A general public may look at these numbers and conclude that illegals are occupying jobs that Georgians could be working.  Business interests make the counter argument that additional burdens and restrictions on Georgia employers could cause some to leave the state, thus making our above average unemployment situation even worse.

So how does one appease a demanding electorate yet not upset the state’s business interests? One way may be to claim “We passed our bill, but that other chamber wouldn’t cooperate.” and hope that the electorate is appeased in 2012.  Legislators do have one more session before they have to face voters again, so a non-solution this time is a relatively low-risk outcome. 

Another possibility for inaction would be a Governor’s veto, but that would be a much higher risk possibility for Governor Deal, who may not be ready to interrupt his continuing honeymoon period with a controversial veto that would not sit well with his party’s base.

The best solution is one out of the grasp of state officials, as their action is demanded/required in the first place because the Federal government has continued to ignore the problem.  Yet, any solution short of a roundup and deportation of 10+ million people is referred to as “amnesty” by those on the right, and those are the voters controlling the debate in Georgia.  Equally irresponsible are those that want virtually instant citizenship on the other side of the argument.  Lost is any approach that would document those here for work visas and work visas only, with existing rules for citizenship still applicable. 

Thus, inability to address the matter in any serious way at the Federal level has placed this political football at the feet of legislators at the state level. These legislators, having used the issue to fire up voters during elections, are now caught between an angry electorate they helped to inflame, and the business interests they are loathe to cross.

HB87, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011 passed the House today by a vote of 113-56. By my count, one Democrat voted for it and one Republican voted against it.

When I get a chance, maybe this weekend, I’ll explain how this is not an “Arizona Copycat” bill.

LP State Director Brett Bittner and Dustin Inman Society President D.A. King squared off on the topic of illegal immigration tonight on Fox 5.

On the heels of Georgia being ranked as the having the 7th largest population of illegal immigrants in the United States, Republicans in the Senate have offered SB 40 to clamp down on the state’s immigration problems. SB 40 contains provisions that mirror portions of the Arizona Immigration bill that has caused much controversy in the national media. That same Arizona bill has also been at the center of several court battles. It was also held as unconstitutional, but who cares what federal judges say?

We need immigration reform. Immigration is a big problem. I don’t disagree with those two assertions. I do disagree with SB 40. What has been offered is not real reform and will only cause problems. Legislation like this is based in a Utopian setting – yet we live in reality. In reality our state is strapped for cash, crime is a problem, our business are hurting, prices are increasing while wages are not, and we are having trouble cutting our budget to fit our funds. This reality is the one we must judge this bill by; not some concept of a perfect world where we can spend all day long and make sweeping changes without spillover.Before I continue I must restate that I am in full support of immigration reform. But Kenny Loggins is not here saying “This is it!” SB 40 is a nice idea but is simply not a feasible plan that we can implement. Ultimately, by passing this legislation Georgia will only endure hardships and likely no benefit. Keep in mind, all of this is coming from someone who supports the notion of building a wall at the Mexico border.

- Georgian farmers are hurting; the big operations will be able to handle the E-File provisions with little trouble but the small to medium sized farms will be forced to reduce operations and raise prices. This also means increased prices on fresh produce that is grown locally.

- We have an issue with crime and having enough room in our jails and prisons already and placing more Officers on the outlook for immigrants means no one’s chicken in Macon will be safe. The problems do not stop there as Georgia can not just simply deport people. We depend on ICE to do that. Right now in many County jails are illegal immigrants who are simply sitting there because there is a logjam at the deportation facilities. SB 40′s solution is to send them to Federal Prisons. Either way, we pay for their “temporary holding” through taxes – either state or federal. Thus further straining our tax payers.

- Do we really believe the federal government will acquiesce to Governor Deal telling them to hold these aliens for us? No. They will say no. Back to square one.

- Except square one involves the Department of Justice suing the State of Georgia like it did Arizona. So we will be in another protracted legal battle. On top of health care and water. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that we either get pro bono legal help or Sam Olens has a big enough army to handle all of this, we still have court costs. We will be eating up time in the courts while we push other matters to the side and drag out other legal battles. That costs someone, if you guessed tax payers then you were right.

- The ACLU has already said they will sue us. You can bet they will not be the only group. One of them will be smart and file in Georgia’s courts so we can fight a two-prong battle!

- SB 40 will surely wind up in the Courts if passed, but the bill’s sponsor likes his chances. Did I mention that sponsor is Jack Murphy. The embattled chairman. The FDIC is suing him. Georgia leads the country in bank failures. Jack Murphy is in charge of the Banking committee and is being sued by the FDIC and is sponsoring SB 40. Follow the dots. The media will love this. If you thought the coverage of the Arizona bill was a three ring circus, then baby you ain’t seen nothing yet. The media will make Jack Murphy look bad; and not many of them will take pity on Georgia simply because we produced Jimmy & Billy for their prior entertainment.

At the very least, SB 40 and like-minded bills should not be passed until the Arizona bill is settled. We know for a fact that certain portions of our bill will be challenged on the same grounds. The solution then becomes to wait. Wait until we know what we can do for sure. No, that does not fix the problem right now. Yes, illegal immigrants are hurting our state by not paying taxes as other citizens do. But the problems created by SB 40 could be even worse.

We have a Governor who is well qualified to handle the immigration issue. While I generally support the ideas embodied in the Arizona law, I realize that we can’t enforce similar provisions until that court battle is settled. Our Governor realizes that too and I would hope our legislators realize that. Now is not the time for political grandstanding, we have very real problems and they need to be addressed. Our leaders need to step up and address those problems rather than doing what is politically expedient.

This is Georgia, not Arizona. We are smart enough to not make ourselves liable for extraneous litigation and cause our citizens to pay out the nose for litigation that could wind up fruitless.

Today’s “fresh political pickins from the Peach State”:

1.) Coming off a bitter campaign, Governor Deal and former Governor Barnes have forged an unlikely alliance over a good cause: ensuring that spouses of state employees killed in the line of duty are able to continue health coverage under the state’s plan. To quote Barnes: “It’s the least we can do, really”.

I didn’t vote for Governor Barnes and I don’t regret that decision. But it’s good to see this kind of unity from Speaker, Governor and former Goveror when it comes to something like this, which is doing the right thing.  It also more than makes up for these shenanigans last week by Barnes. “What a crock”.

2.) HB 92, sponsored by Rep. Mark Hamilton, R-Cumming, would reduce the early voting period from 45 to 21 days. Read the full article here. Personally, I think this is very necessary. I’d even support cutting it down to 14 or 7 days, but 21 is a good number. Cost-wise, it guts rural counties to have this long of an early voting period:

An ACCG survey found that counties with less than 10,000 registered voters spent an average $78.31 per early vote in the 2010 primary election, and $11.79 in the general election, compared with $10.76 and $3.63 for counties with more than 100,000 registered voters.

Plus, ya’ll know us rural folks have had problems with voter fraud in the past. A long period of early voting allows more ballots to be mailed out to cemetaries everywhere.

3.) Attorney General Olens, Congressman Westmoreland and Governor Deal held a press conference yesterday in response to the ruling in Florida on the healthcare law.

4.) HB 100, introduced by Rep. Allen Peake of Macon, creates a new court in Georgia to exclusively deal with problems regarding the Department of Revenue.

5.) There are two bills in the House looking to place more scrutiny on projects that “rely on transferring water from one river basin to another”. This idea is currently being worked on by Rep. Tom McCall and Rep. Alan Powell.

6.) In other positive news (not), a new report says that Georgia is 7th among states in total illegal immigrant population.

Rep. Matt Ramsey spoke with the AJC about what a bill dealing with illegal immigration might look like:

A pair of Republican lawmakers is preparing to file omnibus legislation in each chamber some time in the coming days. On Tuesday, Rep. Matt Ramsey — a co-chairman of a special study committee on immigration — outlined for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution what the legislation will likely include:

Ways to encourage more communities to apply to join a federal immigration enforcement program called 287(g). Through the program, local police officers and sheriff’s deputies are given the power to question people about whether they are in the country legally and issue arrest warrants, prepare charging documents, and detain and transport people for immigration violations;

Measures to toughen an existing Georgia law requiring state and local government contractors to ensure their employees are eligible to legally work in the United States. The legislation could also include incentives for other private employees to participate in E-Verify, a federal work authorization program;

Provisions to ensure the identification people use to get public benefits in Georgia are “secure and verifiable.”

Comments?

Last month the Board of Regents voted to bar illegal immigrants from the state’s top universities and require them to pay out-of-state tuition if they do attend a different public college.

According to the state’s count as of September, 501 undocumented students are enrolled in the 35 four-year and two-year colleges in the University System of Georgia, making up less than 1 percent of the 310,000 students in the system. In keeping with existing state policy, the undocumented students are all already paying out-of-state tuition, system officials said.

“Clearly the system is not being swamped by these students by any stretch of the imagination,” said John Millsaps, spokesman for the regents.

Even so, the regents’ decision was designed in part to put to rest the notion that academically qualified Georgians might be losing coveted slots to those in the country illegally. To that end, the system will begin in fall 2011 to prohibit the admission of undocumented students on campuses where academically qualified students have been turned away for two consecutive years. That cohort would immediately include the University of Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Medical College of Georgia and Georgia College & State University.

According to the system’s count, 29 undocumented students are currently enrolled at the five immediately impacted campuses.

[...] The vote aligns Georgia with South Carolina as just the second state to ban illegal immigrants from four-year public institutions, although South Carolina’s more far-reaching policy bans the students from all such colleges. Alabama also has a policy prohibiting illegal immigrants from enrolling at two-year institutions.

While the discussion heated up across the state, a committee of Georgia legislators said the ruling didn’t go far enough. Yesterday Rep. Tom Rice submitted a new bill that would deny any Georgia public college from admitting any illegal immigrant.

I support either option. I have no problem with immigrants coming to America for a better life. After all, aren’t we all children/grand-children/great-grand-children/etc. of people who did the exact same thing for their families? But get legal. Become a citizen. Then enjoy the responsibilities and fruits of that citizenship like the many who came before.

Come January, things will be hot under the Gold Dome!

I enjoy listening to NPR on my way to get my morning coffee from Chick-fil-A (whoa…wait…she listens to NPR? Yes. Yes, I do. And I drink my coffee black-where’s the intern when you need him?). This morning they were doing a piece on the NAACP’s reaction to the Voter Verification suit against the Justice Department. The NAACP claims that the check would discourage minority voters.

The new suit against the Department of Justice is merely requesting preclearance of Act 143, requiring new voter registrants to provide proof of citizenship in attempt to streamline the process and guarantee election security and integrity according to Secretary of State, Brian Kemp.

The current Act, signed into law by Gov. Purdue in 2009,

requires those registering to vote to submit one of several forms of evidence of United States citizenship with their applications. Among the several forms of acceptable identification, applicants may use a Georgia driver’s license number or identification card number, birth certificate, U.S. passport, U.S. naturalization documents or alien registration number, or a copy of a driver’s license or identification card from any state whose cards comply with the requirements of the federal REAL ID Act of 2005.

“It seems to want to strengthen an already repressive law and I think maybe the intent is to discourage minorities from voting,” says White.

Am I missing something? Exactly what is repressive about this law? And why does the NAACP feel the need to be involved? The law does not discriminate against any one race. Mr. White must be confused because the only thing this new law would prevent is the ballot casting of illegal aliens. And exactly what is unreasonable or repressive about requiring proof of legal citizenship in order to vote in our country?

Thoughts?

**Emphasis my own.**