And In Local Political News
From the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, reporting on our current session of the Georgia Legislature:
“Medicine men and crackpot healers would not be able to work for hospice care centers, under a bill introduced in the Georgia House.
House Bill 1096, written by state Rep. Ron Stephens (R-Savannah), would create a specific definition for the word "clergy," so that fringe holy men would not be able to join "hospice care teams."
The definition reads: "an individual representative of a specific spiritual belief who has documentation of ordination or commission by a recognized faith group and who has completed four years of study and received a Bachelor of Ministry degree at a college accredited by the Commission on Colleges."
It probably would rule out druids.”
And it would probably violate the First Amendment; but, what the heck: This is Georgia.
We also have a proposed "Human Life Amendment" to the Georgia Constitution that would define life as beginning a fertilization. It's sponsor writes "[t]he Human Life Amendment, in and of itself, does not specifically criminalize any act. Its enactment would not automatically overturn Roe v. Wade. It would, however, proclaim the dignity of all human beings within the confines of our state constitution. The amendment could provide a platform for future legislative, executive or judicial action on behalf of innocent persons." Presumably, the author has not heard of the concept of federal pre-emption.
In the meantime, North Georgia faces a record drought and our Governor has just issued an executive order saying that you can fill your swimming pool (or businesses can, I'm not sure which, whichever, is I'm sure very important). Also in the meantime, bridges and sewers are falling apart around Metro Atlanta, North Georgia's only Level One Trauma hospital, Grady could go under and the Legislature points the finger accusingly at Metro Atlanta politicians as being the author of their own fate and undeserving of state funds, though the rest of the state uses the bridges and the hospital (and on an occasion, a sewer or two).
Ah, the Legislative silly season is in full swing here in Georgia. The only saving grace, the Legislature only gets forty days. Even with clock tricks, it will be over in a couple of months.
15 comments:
Aren't there quite a few Cherokee still in Georgia? Isn't denying access to them something akin to denying a Catholic access to a priest for last rites? Why on earth would anybody want to deny a dying persom any treatment or sacrament that might make them feel just a little better?
Hey Seventh Sister, I thought of your second question when writing the post. Down here we don't worry about what's right, we worry about what's seemly when it comes to politics.
If you need help when your dying, you just better suck it up and resort to a mainstream sort of fella, preferably one of the Southern Baptist persuasion.
If "human life" begins at conception, there are multiple methods of birth control that would prove problematic. Namely, any of the ones that prevent fertilized embryos from implanting in the uterus. It also causes quite a conundrum about what to do with the unused fertilized eggs that are created for in vitro efforts. I don't think we want to go there (but I guess our legislature disagrees).
This is a backwards state. In addition to the fine examples you mention, there is my perennial favorite topic to bitch about: the blue laws. Sigh...
Remember this is the state that saw the slate of Republican candidates and selected Huckabee. Q.E.D.
Fermi, don't you long for last year when we debated Sunday sales?
What was the motivation for denying certain fringe religious folks from giving people comfort? There's a fascinating back story here for sure.
EGADS! I guess Pennsylvania is a bit ahead of some states then - we eliminated most of the Sunday Sales (Blue Laws) I think about 30 years ago now. Wow, I am amazed about this state doing something a tad bit forward thinking that didn't involve creating tons of new gas -or cigarette -or whatever taxes!
What brought this on? Are Georgia hospices so swamped with Druids and "fringe Holy Men" that they had to pass a law against them?
Every state is backwards in its own cute, quaint sort of way. And talk to the locals of any state and I am sure you will be reagailed with plenty of stories about corruption and incompetence in the legislature.
In other words, Dave, I think we all can feel your style of pain, if not the specific pain point.
Doesn't this violate a person's freedom of religion?
If human life ends at the time brain activity ceases, doesn't it stand to reason that human life begins at the time brain activity is detected? This does not occur in the embryoic stage.
SM, I look at it as a personal privacy matter. Since I don't know when life begins or put legally when a fetus is "viable" I don't think I, or the government should have much of a say in the decision.
House Bill 1096 would rule out a lot of Pentecostal ministers as well. It also looks unconstitutional to me.
Dave - You absolutly correct. It is a personal priviacy matter. My beliefs should not be regulated by the government. That is one of the freedom's we are suspose to have in this country - unfortunately our freedoms are being limited more and more.
It's odd how quickly legislatures slip from making laws that accord with reality to making laws that defy it. Fascinating.
I sure wouldn't want to spend my dying days with a Baptist minister My last thoughts would then be fear of going to hell for sure. When my father in law died, we had a Indian burial ceremony followed by a Catholic Mass.Course we have always been known to be that crazy Paul Wellstone state!
I'm thinking the GA law on when life starts is just their way of getting the abortion question to the Supreme Court so that they have a reason to overturn Roe v. Wade. I've been waiting for it ever since that friggin' idiot stole the election (or had it handed it to him by his Daddy's Supreme Court). I warned my female friends that voting for the idiot would being about the end of R v W.
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