Category Archives: Radio Commentaries

March 10, 2017 Radio Commentary

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Marijuana Bills Alive in Georgia: The Hemp Connection

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, March 10, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Four marijuana bills were introduced this session. S.B. 16 to lower the THC level of marijuana to three percent and add autism to the treatment list passed the Senate 41-12 February 16th and is in the House. H.B. 65 passed the House 156-6 March 1st and is in the Senate.

H.B. 65 weakens the current THC Oil Patient Registry law by (a) deleting the one-year state residency requirement; (b) deleting physicians’ reports on dosage, clinical and treatment response, and side effects; and (c) building demand for medical marijuana (d) by adding eight more eligible diseases, making a total of 16 conditions eligible for treatment.

H.R. 36 is a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing medical cannabis (marijuana) and in-state cultivation and sale of marijuana. As a constitutional amendment, two-thirds vote is required in both House and Senate; and, if they pass it, it would be on the November 2018 ballot for ratification. Therefore, proponents may linger until next session to get it passed. Continue reading →

March 3, 2017 Radio Commentary

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Skewing the Culture via Education

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, March 3, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

This year the culture changers got a head-start when H.B. 16 was pre-filed and, officially, introduced February 2nd. H.B. 16 is a repeat of last year’s bill about bullying in schools. Georgia’s current law against bullying in school applies to all students equally; it does not categorize students; and its standard penalties are administered to violators, regardless of their personal identity.

H.B. 16 changes the focus of the bullying law by classifying students according to their actual or perceived sexual orientation by inserting a laundry list of alternate lifestyles – gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Since sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression include lifestyles that some people may or may not agree with, there’s a real possibility that negative comments about certain behaviors may be uttered by students K – 12.

This is what the bill says on lines 237 and 238: “Nothing in this Code section is intended to interfere with the First Amendment rights of free speech and expression of any person affected.” Continue reading →

February 24, 2017 Radio Commentary

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Will Non-Citizens Govern Georgians?

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, February 24, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

I have two serious questions for you. The first: Will someone who is not a U.S. citizen be allowed to govern in Georgia? The second: Should any citizen of the United States or Georgia be governed by someone who is not a U.S. citizen?

Those questions may be decided this session. On January 11th, Republican Representative Brad Raffensperger introduced H.B. 33 to add a new section to three Georgia Code Titles: 36, 45 and 50, to authorize non-U.S.-citizens to be appointed to local public authorities that make policy, spend public money, levy taxes, or assess, impose, or collect fees or charges.

H.B. 33 would authorize six groups of non-citizens to serve in local government: (a) nationals of the United States, (b) lawful permanent residents, (c) aliens with lawful status in the U.S., (d)legal residents of Georgia, (e) active members of the U.S. military, or (f) members of the soldier’s immediate family to hold public office in authorities, school districts, commissions, councils and boards.

The IRS defines those terms as follows: An alien is someone who is not a U.S. citizen or U.S. national. A U.S. National is a person who owes sole allegiance to the United States. That includes U.S. citizens, and individuals who are not U.S. citizens. A U.S. Citizen is someone born in the U.S.; a person whose parent is a U.S. citizen; a former alien naturalized as a U.S. citizen; and individuals born in Puerto Rico, Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Continue reading →

February 17, 2017 Radio Commentary

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The Protect Act

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, February 17, 2017 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

You’ll be glad to know that Georgia legislators are keenly aware that terrorism is a threat, so much so that on January 10th, Senator Cowsert introduced The Protect Act, to create real time communication and cooperation with agencies “up and down the chain of command” when terrorism is suspected.

The Protect Act is S.B. 1 that defines domestic terrorism as the (a) violation or attempted violation of laws for the advancement of an ideology or belief, the (b) terrorizing of Georgia’s civilian population, (c) even if only one person is affected. A suspected terrorist is a person reasonably suspected to be, or has been, involved in global or domestic terroristic conduct.

Georgia has four major state agencies dedicated to keeping us safe from terrorism. They are the Georgia Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Georgia Ministry of Defense, the Intelligence Service of Georgia, and the Special State Protection service of Georgia.

The state’s primary agency focusing on terrorism is the Georgia Ministry of Internal Affairsthat heads operations in case there’s a state emergency. Meanwhile, it implements special measures to gather and analyze data on activities of foreign and international terrorist organizations. It makes sure counter-terrorist tactics are implemented and uses its Counter-terrorist Centre to coordinate plans of other terrorism-combating agencies. Continue reading →