This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Must be nice

With Gov. Deal’s rejection of the religious liberty bill, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Guns N’ Roses, Ringo Starr, Pearl Jam, etc. can now choose to perform in Georgia with their conscience unburdened knowing their values haven’t been compromised. Thus they can happily serve those Georgians paying for the privilege to see their show.

Must be nice to be able to choose who to serve, unburdened, because your values haven’t been compromised.

A time to die

I can’t say I was moved to tears by the tenderhearted Sunday stories of convicted murder Joseph Bishop, but I was moved to some level of compassion. I’m sure the people who loved him are truly hurting.

I remember another murder connected to 1975, the year Bishop was born. It was an 18-year-old college student in Cochran. She was one year younger than Bishop when he committed murder. An Alabama prison escapee and a Georgia man kidnapped, raped and killed her. Like with Bishop, the attorneys played their little games through the years. One of her killers was executed in 1985. The other remains in a Georgia prison after at least two trials. He was about to receive a third when he pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. He has lived in prison longer than his victim lived on Earth. Bishop lived in prison longer than she lived on Earth also. When Bishop died, he was surrounded by people who cared. The people with both Teresa and Bishop’s victim at the end of their lives didn’t give a damn about them.

A man named Virgil Presnell has been sentenced to death twice. He raped a 10-year-old girl and killed an 8-year-old. He’s been on death row for 40 years. Why is he still alive? It’s time for him to die.

Back up the accusations

I enjoy reading Bill Cummings’ weekly columns. He challenges those who call themselves Christians to look at Christianity in a different light and his history of the early church is quite interesting. I have no desire to debate him on religious ideology. However, in his April 17 column he claims Middle Georgia has race problems and that churches, clubs and businesses in the area are discriminatory and prejudicial. I strongly disagree with his accusations.

Yes, this country has race problems and those problems have only gotten worse since President Obama has taken office. At the national level, those race problems have grown worse mostly due to race hustlers such as the president himself, Hillary Clinton, Al Sharpton and the Black Lives Matter crowd. In our area, no doubt there are blacks and whites who do not care for one another. However, collectively, race relations are good in Middle Georgia. On a daily basis, all across the region, blacks engage with whites and vice versa. We work together, shop together, eat together and worship together. If there is segregation, it is due to self-segregation and not due to any organized attempt to keep the races separate.

As for discrimination in central Georgia, where is it? This is one of the most integrated communities in the country. I have lived here for 14 years and have never seen any signs of discrimination. I see minorities in every church, business, school and club that I go to. I have never seen or heard a single case of services, work or entry denied due to the race, religion or sexual orientation of an individual. Discrimination is illegal. Mr. Cummings, if you make the accusation, then I want names, because I will boycott those establishments. If you cannot give specifics, don’t make the accusation. We can always work to improve race relations, but from what I’ve experienced, central Georgians get along pretty well together.

Primary voters

Registered voters in the Macon-Bibb election slated for May 24 are in for a surprise. Voters must chose which party — Democratic or Republican. If they choose a Democratic ballot they will be voting for the sheriff, tax commissioner and all nonpartisan offices. If they choose a Republican ballot the office of sheriff and tax commissioner will not be on the ballot, but all the nonpartisan offices will be. It’s a shame you have to choose a party in order to vote for all local officials. This must change.

Ask Herman Cain

I have a question for the Republican National Committee, Republican establishment and Republican donor class. All things being equal with the exception of race, would the aforementioned treat an African-American who did the exact same things and spoke the exact same way whose opinions and views were the exact same as a white Donald Trump who is running for president? The answer is a resounding HELL NO. Not a chance. Why not?

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 4:07 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Tuesday, April 26, 2016."