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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGa. lawmaker: KKK made ‘people straighten up’
State Rep. Tommy Benton is an unapologetic supporter of Georgias Confederate heritage.
He flatly asserts the Civil War wasnt fought over slavery, compares Confederate leaders to the Founding Fathers and is profoundly irritated with what he deems a cultural cleansing of Southern history. He also said the Ku Klux Klan, while he didnt agree with all of their methods, made a lot of people straighten up. (Read the AJCs latest coverage here.)
Bentons views are why for years he has pushed legislation that would protect the states historical monuments from being marred or moved. This year he is stepping up his efforts with two newly introduced measures, one of which seeks to amend the state constitution to permanently protect the carving of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Gens. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson at Stone Mountain.
House Resolution 1179, which Benton, R-Jefferson, dropped in the House hopper Wednesday, assures that the heroes of the Confederate States of America
shall never been altered, removed, concealed or obscured in any fashion and shall be preserved and protected for all time as a tribute to the bravery and heroism of the citizens of this state who suffered and died in their cause.
It also requires the park around the mountain to be kept as an appropriate and suitable memorial for the Confederacy.
If passed, the resolution would go to voters as a statewide referendum before it could be added to the constitution.
Benton also is behind a second bill, House Bill 855, requiring the state to formally recognize Lees birthday on Jan. 19 and Confederate Memorial Day on April 26. State employees have long received these as paid vacation days, but this year Gov. Nathan Deal had them listed on state calendars as generic holidays.
Benton said his bills are a direct response to Senate Bill 294, which would forbid the state from formally recognizing holidays in honor of the Confederacy or its leaders. Benton described the bills sponsor, Sen. Vincent Fort, as a fanatic and the bills intent as cultural terrorism.
Thats no better than what ISIS is doing, destroying museums and monuments, he said in an exclusive interview this week with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I feel very strongly about this. I think it has gone far enough. There is some idea out there that certain parts of history out there dont matter anymore and thats a bunch of bunk.
http://investigations.blog.ajc.com/2016/01/28/ga-lawmaker-seeks-constitutional-protection-for-stone-mountain-carving/
47of74
(18,470 posts)Fucker defends the Klan, which is the homegrown equivalent of Daesh.
JustAnotherGen
(31,683 posts)Needs to be paid for solely out of the state of Georgia's pocket. The preservation funds should come solely from te wallets of Georgians. These things always end up getting funded via pork - and I'm not paying all that money to Fed Gov for stupidity. Expanding SS, giving our Seniors a raise, lowering the age to SS and Medicare - good. This nonsense - bad. Someone needs to tell this guy his heritage ends at our wallets. We can't afford it. If the people of Georgia want to sacrifice their education system for this - that's their right.
MrScorpio
(73,626 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)hobbit709
(41,694 posts)dembotoz
(16,739 posts)HughBeaumont
(24,461 posts)lame54
(35,141 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,440 posts)ad nauseum. Nice company you keep there, Mr State Representative.