You searched for mike hodges - New Dustin Inman Society

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In progress…

Scott Ryfun:

Yeah.

Sen Mike Hodges

… not out of the swamp and, you know, we don’t wanna, we don’t wanna hurt most people either, so, so I think there’s, there’s a solution. I think it’s gonna require a lot of work between a lot of different individuals and organizations and I’ve already started, and there are a number of folks in, in the Senate and the House that feel the same way.

And I’ll tell you one good thing about the political pressure from the population at large about the swamp is that it, it brings, it puts the question on the table, it, it, it, it brings people to the table to try to solve it before, um, the legislature just steps up and says, “Look, this is the way we’re gonna do it.”

Scott Ryfun:

Yeah. Give, give, gives, uh, the unelected people a chance to do something first, that’s true.

Sen Mike Hodges

Well, ih- ih- yeah.

Scott Ryfun:

Yeah. Uh, the, eh- the, the us, we, us guys on the street, basically.

—>Um, as far as your term in office so far, wh- were you, were you surprised at how big an issue in the last year illegal immigration has become?

Sen Mike Hodges

Yes and no. Um-

Scott Ryfun:

(laughs) Okay.

Sen Mike Hodges

… I’m, I’m, I mean, well, um, I’ve always, I mean, you know, we’ve only, we’ve got finite resources-

Scott Ryfun:

Yeah.

Sen Mike Hodges

… in the State of Georgia, we got finite resources in the country and, you know, we’ve gotta take care of our folks. Um, wh- what I’ve been surprised at is the vehemence and the, the vehemence of, of, of, um, some folks and the, um, the charges, if you will, of, um, bad behavior by a lotta people in the business community, um, and, um, you know, I’m, I’m there every day. Uh, I’m, I’m in the legislature every day. I’m part of discussions of bills and I never hear anybody say, “Hey, let’s do this this way and we can get free labor.” I mean, I don’t, I don’t hear that. I hear more people saying, “You know”-

Scott Ryfun:

Mm-hmm.

Sen Mike Hodges

… “We need to do something. We need to do something to make illegal aliens less desirable, uh, in tor- Georg- or to make Georgia less desirable for illegal aliens.” I hear a lot more of that than I do, um, um, um, the other side of the argument. So I think there’s, um, I think that there is, um, an effort, you know, to try to, um, to try to deal with that. Um, um, I know that, that it is a single-issue for a number of people.

Scott Ryfun:

Yeah.

Sen Mike Hodges

It is [inaudible 00:03:03] a very important issue but one of a number of important issues for other folks.

Scott Ryfun:

Sure.

Sen Mike Hodges

If that makes sense.

Scott Ryfun:

It does. It does. Um, with regards to your, your time up in Atlanta this year, this session, what are you, what are you happiest about as far as what took place up there and what you’ve helped take place and what are your biggest disappointments out of this session?

Sen Mike Hodges

Well, um, uh, the, this, this past two years I’ve been, um, I’ve been honored to, um, be, uh, one of two Senator leaders for Governor Kemp and I’ve helped pass some legislation of last year and this year, uh, some anti-human trafficking legislation. And, you know, I, I’ve, I’m gonna tell you, I didn’t realize that human trafficking was the problem that it is. You’d think in 2024 we wouldn’t have what amounts to slavery, but we do and, um, I’ve been able to pass two bills, one last year and one this year, to try to help stem human trafficking.

Um, I have, um, sh- I have been able to do some, uh, healthcare legislation, uh, both, um, as the governor’s fore leader, Terry and the governor’s, uh, bills and also, um, some of my own. I’ve gotten, I’m on the Health and Human Services Committee. I’ve gotten involved in, um, with the, um, mental health, um, um, mental healthcare issues and, and, um, and with some issues that I’m familiar with through my service with the hospital, the nursing shortage and healthcare issues. And I’ve been able to pass or get passed legislation that, um, that h- this year, that helps, um, provide more mental healthcare workers and substance abuse counselors and under-served areas of the state. And last year I was able to do the same thing with, um, nursing, uh, t- to help, um, put more nurses, um, out in the economy-

Scott Ryfun:

Yeah.

Sen Mike Hodges

… um, by providing more nurse teachers to get the, the classroom size higher and get the turnout of professional nurses.

But, so, I mean, my, you know, healthcare has been a big deal to me, um, uh, human trafficking, uh, public safety, if you will, has been a big deal. And, um, the, as far as things that we’ve, like this year we didn’t get a couple of things done that I wanted to get done. I, we have a big-time disparity in the way we pay our judges across the, uh, state and, um, I hope that we could-….

end of transcription

—>UPDATE: The liberal AJC prints a lengthy correction after demand letter from the Dustin Inman Society. More news on this coming soon.

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Daily Signal News report (‘DEFAMATORY’: Conservative Demands Swing-State Newspaper Retract ‘Hate Group’ Smear’)
on the recent AJC attack here by the great Tyler O’Neil.

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I added educational hyperlinks to the below letter – dak.

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October 18, 2024

VIA U.S. REGULAR MAIL & E-MAIL

Leroy Chapman, Jr., Editor in Chief THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION 223 Perimeter Center Pkwy NE Atlanta, Georgia 30346

Re: Demand for Retraction and Apology

Dear Mr. Chapman, Jr.:

I write on behalf of my client, the Dustin Inman Society (DIS), to demand an immediate retraction and apology for the defamatory statements published in your October 7, 2024, article titled “Democrats in this Georgia district are backing a write-in candidate” by Tia Mitchell.

Through use of internet links, the AJC article wrongfully characterizes the Dustin Inman Society as a “Marietta-based anti-immigration hate group.” This characterization is false, defamatory, and published with actual malice. The Dustin Inman Society pushes for secure borders, is not “anti-immigration” and its proprietors do not hate anyone. Rather, DIS advocates for enforcement of U.S. immigration laws and actively opposes unlawful immigration. This distinction is crucial and well-known to staff at your publication.

I paste the offending paragraph from the AJC story:

“A search of activity under her birth name, Karen Sacandy, which Stamper legally changed in 2019, showed that she previously was aligned with a Marietta-based anti-immigration hate group. The group’s website often linked to Sacandy’s activities, like a letter seeking information about the state’s Immigration Enforcement Review Board and a copy of a letter to the editor supporting legislation to prevent immigrants claiming asylum from obtaining driver’s licenses.”

HEMMER WESSELS MCMURTRY PLLC
250 Grandview Drive, Suite 500, Ft. Mitchell, KY 41017 ● Phone 859.344.1188 ● Fax 859.578.3869

October 18, 2024 Page 2

We note the AJC informs readers that the Dustin Inman Society “often” linked to Karen Sacandy/Kate Stamper activities — but produces only two occasions.

Your story, for which DIS founder and president D.A. King was not contacted, informs readers that Sacandy/Stamper “was aligned” with the Dustin Inman Society. We note that polls show that a majority of Americans oppose the federal offense of illegal immigration. Since the letter posted on the DIS site was a published missive to the editor at the Cherokee Tribune, we must ask: does this make that newspaper a “Cherokee County-based anti-immigration hate group”?

Your characterization demonstrates a reckless and vindictive disregard for the truth, rising to the level of actual malice as defined in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan. Actual malice in defamation law refers to publication of a statement with knowledge that it is false or with reckless disregard of whether it is false or not. Your repeated mischaracterization of the Dustin Inman Society, despite having been corrected on numerous occasions, clearly meets this standard.

The Dustin Inman Society’s position on immigration is clear and public:

1. It supports sustainable levels of legal immigration through established channels.

2. It opposes unlawful immigration due to various societal concerns, including: – Strain on public resources and services
– Potential and real public safety issues
– Economic impacts on low-wage American workers and America’s poor

– Challenges to the rule of law

3. The Dustin Inman Society defends legal immigrants when media attempt to blur the difference between them and illegal aliens.

Moreover, the Dustin Inman Society’s board includes lawful immigrants who have navigated the proper channels for authorized immigration. This fact alone should dispel any notion that the organization is “anti-immigration.” As he has informed you multiple times over much of the last two decades, D.A. King’s sister is a real, legal immigrant.

While we acknowledge that the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the Dustin Inman Society as an “anti-immigrant hate group that denigrates all immigrants,” your article presents the “anti-immigration hate group” characterization as the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s independent assessment and statement of fact.

This smear is not only demonstrably false and ignores Mr. King’s many communications to you advising you of the truth, but also demonstrates an exceedingly unprofessional failure to fact-check and verify information before publication.

We demand that the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

October 18, 2024 Page 3

1. Immediately publicly retract the defaming statement in the October 7, 2024, article.

2. Publish a prominent apology, equal in visibility and placement to the original defamatory article.

3. Cease and desist from further defamatory characterizations of the Dustin Inman Society.

Failure to comply with these demands may result in further legal action. We expect your prompt attention to this matter and await your timely response.

Sincerely,

Todd V. McMurtry

cc: James Abely, Esq.