48. DuBose Porter: Victory over the Hawk System.

Today is a great day for Georgia.

A dark period of Georgia history will end today when the new Speaker, David Ralston, pushes a vote for a rules change that will end the Hawk system in the Georgia House of Representatives; the system that has taken your voice out of your government, for the past six years.

You can scroll down to blog # 19, published Nov. 23,2009, or use the archives on the right, to verify for yourself this actually happened in your state. Here is an excerpt (after today it will be written in the past tense:)


'Only in Georgia can a small number, of legislators, called Hawks, appointed by the speaker or a committee he appoints, go into any committee, regardless of having read the bill or heard one word of testimony, and vote to change the outcome of a bill.
You read that right. Hawks can vote in any committee, at any time, even if they are not members of that committee, even if they have never read the bill being voted on or even if they have never even heard of the bill on which they are voting. These appointees have the power to override the will of the committee and therefore the will of the people.
In our representative government how can the Hawks be allowed to overthrow the people's will? They made their own rule. Rule 11.8 in the Rules, Ethics and Decorum of the House of Representatives gives the Hawks the power to usurp the will of the people.

The actual rule:
11.8 The Speaker, or the Committee on Assignments, may appoint one or more members to the position of Hawk. The Speaker may designate one of the Hawks as the Senior Hawk. The Hawks shall serve as ex officio members of all standing committees and subcommittees of the House and shall have a vote on all committees and subcommittees.'

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DuBose has been fighting for your right to representative democracy against the Hawk System for six years. Now that he has been campaigning all across Georgia, the truth is getting out to all Georgians, and you are making your voices heard.

You have spoken
and the Hawks power to fly
will end today.

Thank you to our supporters and to the many Georgians who have become engaged in their government and have said, "enough." Thank you also to the new Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, David Ralston, for joining us and all Georgians who want their voice back in their government, and for having the leadership to stop what was once the largest threat to democracy in the United States.