Walls & Monuments
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, March 21, 2014 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Good morning, Jim. A couple of weeks ago, a new wall, complete with a beautiful door were installed over a weekend on the first floor of the Capitol. It made a nice cozy nook for a speaker’s podium and enough space for the governor to have press conferences without the usual fanfare. Though it took a while to get accustomed to the change, the wall didn’t cause a fuss. BUT, that might not be the case when two other changes are made at the State Capitol.
The first day of the session, Representative Greg Morris introduced H.B. 702, that’s sure to make some people happy and others not-so-happy, depending on their religious persuasion. Thankfully, 138 representatives and 40 senators voted FOR the bill, with only 47 voting against it – ten in the Senate; 37 in the House; and the project it authorizes won’t cost taxpayers a dime.But, when people donate enough money to fund it, the Capitol Art Standards Commission will commission a granite monument to be designed and procured for installation in the capitol building or on capitol grounds. It will depict the Ten Commandments; the Preamble to the Georgia Constitution; and the part of the Declaration of Independence that states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The inclusion of historic documents is required whenever religious artifacts or quotations are displayed in government buildings or on government property.
On February 24th Representative Calvin Smyre introduced H.B. 1080 that passed the General Assembly 222 to 4, with 173 representatives and 49 senators voting for it. Only one senator and three representatives said NO. The bill’s passage means a statue of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. will be installed on the capitol grounds or in the capitol building or in another prominent place, whenever adequate private money is collected and any necessary intellectual property license is granted.
Both monuments will cause some people to rejoice and others to complain, but thankfully, many will be thrilled with both monuments and we can all be grateful that freedom of expression is STILL free in this country. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.