Georgia Republicans, Cheating Their Way to Religious Liberty

Georgia State Senator Josh McKoon 

Recently, one of the proposals put before the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee for their consideration was S.B.129, a controversial "religious liberty" bill written by committee chairman Josh McKoon (R).   After lengthy discussion, the bill was tabled at the request of State Senator Vincent Fort (D), and the committee moved on to other business.

Georgia clergy and LGBT rights advocates have condemned the bill as unfairly biased, a danger to minority groups, and an end-around attack on the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.   Even former Georgia Attorney General and longtime adversary of the gay rights movement Michael Bowers (R) told the media the bill is "nothing but an excuse to discriminate...This legislation is not about gay marriage, or contraception, or even so-called 'religious freedom'...It is not just bad public policy; it is ill-conceived, unnecessary, mean-spirited and deserving of a swift death in the General Assembly."

Supporters are calling the Senate bill and H.B.218, a similar bill making its way through Georgia's lower legislative chamber, a new line of defense to protect people of faith. Governor Nathan Deal (R) has indicated he is open to signing either bill should they reach his desk.

This past Monday, the Senate Judiciary Committee was back at work discussing other committee business when Mr. Fort, who on that day was the only Democratic member in attendance, asked for a pause so he could visit the restroom.  As soon as Mr. Fort left the room, Chairman McKoon pulled the religious liberty bill off the table and called for a vote.  By the time Senator Fort returned, committee Republicans had voted and passed the bill.

The bill will now move to the state Senate for a formal vote.

what eye thynk:  Let's be clear on one point, "religious freedom" bills like those that keep popping up in our conservative states, have very little to do with religion and everything to do with forcing everyone to accept the hegemony of a specific brand of conservative, evangelical Christianity.  Let a Muslim baker refuse to make a wedding cake for a Baptist; let a Jewish deli owner require Catholic men to don a yarmulke when they have a taste for a good a corned beef sandwich at lunchtime, and I guarantee these "religious liberty" bills will be used, not to protect Muslim and Jewish business owners' freedom to practice their faith, but as evidence that Christians are being persecuted.

The recent chicanery over Georgia's S.B.129, brings lots of words to mind--finagler, defrauder, sharpie, swindler, fakir--but why not just call Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Josh McKoon what he clearly is: a cheat. 

(I note the irony that, the first photo I found of Mr. McKoon--and the one I used at the beginning of this post--shows him standing behind a podium in support of an earlier "Yes4Ethics" campaign.)

Advocates of the fraudulently advanced S.B.129 should think about what their Christian Bible has to say about people like Mr. McKoon and his equally guilty Republican cronies, men who see nothing wrong with using trickery if it gains them what they want:

• Exodus 18:21 - But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain. 
• Luke 16:10 - Anyone who can be trusted in little matters can also be trusted in important matters.  But anyone who is dishonest in little matters will be dishonest in important matters.

Conservative Christians and their Republican musketeers would be well-advised to first demonstrate a respect for their own religion's tenets before trying to convince the rest of us they have any respect for anyone else's.