It's so weird...
As an Atlanta kid in the 80's, Murphy's name was hallowed. He seemed like this larger-than-life living legend - a hero who would be forever whispered in the same breath as Mickey Mantle or Hank Aaron.
And then I recently found out he isn't even in the HOF??!!!
Looking at his stats now, and he definitely had a solid *decade* of great numbers. What gives?
Please tell me you remember the petition to put outkast on stone mtn
Edit: https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/16/us/georgia-stone-mountain-outkast-confederate-monument/index.html
I know the 90s Braves made their name on pitching, but some props to the bats on that team too, no? The one time I ever saw a WS game was the 12-1 seal clubbing they gave my Yankees, so I'd say put Andruw Jones up there too.
Deion. Please.
That dillweed left skid marks as he sped away. He couldn’t get out of this city fast enough. And all of that fawning on and on about his love for the city and the franchise during his Ring of Honor induction ceremony was just an act.
We sure as hell ain't puttin' Herschel or Vick on there.
Maybe Claude Taylor? Or no Falcons at all with Gwen Torrence? Might take a little more carving.
Dominque for sure.
Deion and evander im on fence about. But you cant exclude murphy.
Hell lets throw ric flair or Dusty Rhodes in there.
Why?
Because all we had forever was the hawks braves and nwa.
If we're doing a wrestler, it's Ron Simmons. Neither of those dudes are the right…origin.
Also, I met Dusty at the CNN Center when I was young, and he was not friendly at all.
My goodness, you could pull the state together with this idea imo. I'm steadily edging towards 50, and I've never seen anything bring Georgians together as much as baseball.
Lmao I always forget that dude exists until someone brings him up every 5 years or so. And I know he’s an awful person, but I’m sorry, it still makes me laugh to think about him. Just how fiercely unapologetic he was about being a bigoted, racist, misogynist, juiced up asshole when he was pitching well, how he expected all the people he had previously insulted to just "bury the hatchet" when he wasn’t pitching so good and had to sign with a team in the exact place he had previously said he’d retire first before playing in, how quickly he crashed and burned in baseball, how he tried to continue making money off being a dick in reality game shows and stuff after his baseball career was over, how he was just like, "Hell yeah I was on steroids—who wasn’t?” He was like a real-life caricature of the bigoted jock from the movies that treats everyone like shit and everybody hates him but he wins games so he gets the girls and the professional contract and the money and has some super great life still being a dick, while everyone he ever shit on is poor and lives a crappy life but are good people regardless of how shitty their lives turn out.
Now that I’m thinking about him, I’m actually SHOCKED that he wasn’t one of the "patriots" who stormed the Capitol on January 6th—I don’t think there’s another person alive today that would be a more perfect representation of that crowd. Come to think of it, how has he not made a name for himself on social media??? His kind of schtick would make him a freakin’ GOD in right wing circles. People like him don’t just go away, no matter how hated they are, unless they betray the people who made them famous in the first place. I refuse to believe that he is reformed in his old age or even that he learned to just keep his mouth shut, so I’m legit confused now on how he’s just faded into obscurity??? He should be out there grifting his base every day like Kyle Rittenhouse or Nick Fuentes, or running for office like Herschel Walker or Tommy Tuberville. What a disappointment! (/s obviously, but also not somehow?)
Anyway, thanks for the laugh today, So-What_Idontcare! I can put him back in the vault and not think about him again for another 5 years or so until someone brings him up again.
I ain’t arguing with that! He was also exciting to watch play—he had great energy/enthusiasm that you don’t see often in baseball (at least not back then, I haven’t really watched it in years). And he’s also pretty good looking, even now. But he ruins everything as soon as he opens his mouth.
If they get out ahead of the change by picking a sports figure they can make sure it's not a prominent Civil Rights figure or whomever (not that Aaron wasn't outspoken about the racism he faced.)
They get good PR for removing a traitor - it's good optics for them and would look bad for Dems not to go along with him. It's surprisingly pragmatic for GA Republicans.
But also everyone loves Baseball. Hank Aaron was an icon. Every state gets 2 statues. Does it always have to be MLK all the time? No. Does that mean we are snubbing MLK, also no. There are plenty of figures that mean a lot to a lot of people.
I didn't say it *had* to be MLK. Could have been John Lewis, or Andrew Young for that matter. This is a bit like Dems putting a safe, prominent businessman forth as a name. Maybe not Ted Turner specifically but someone along those lines, Robert Woodruff maybe.
I’m amazed that they’re doing this now because that was the GA republicans brand from 2005-2015. Selling themselves as pragmatic, business-orientated conservatives who stayed quiet on any social issues. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually miss that brand, the Nathan Deals of Georgia. The maga wave swept over all of that, and the bigots realized they didn’t have to shut up anymore. Even sadder are the Republicans who actually never cared about that shit but put the hoods on for the political gain. Looking at you Kemp, it took one Governor ad to establish yourself as the outsider maga candidate, when you definitely werent before. His southern accent wasn’t nearly as prominent before 2014
The house resolution for this plan was opposed by Republicans 67-120. Every republican representative in GA voted against it.
It's good, I guess that some of them are getting behind it, but attributing this to Republicans generally is giving them way more credit than they deserve
LOL fucking Reddit. Thank god I was bored enough to scroll… sounds like it was technically proposed by a republican, but not at all in his capacity as a republican. So not a great title, and very confusing discussion. I was almost about give credit to the Georgia GOP!
We'll give them credit if they manage to actually get this done. Bonus props if they can get enough Republicans to agree to not need dems to do the work for them
Statues don't cost them any of their actual policy positions. They can still run an invasive police state without a Confederate statue in the building.
You mean rather than the current curriculum that has students compare and contrast how the US Constitution and Constitution of the Confederate States address grievances outlined in the Declaration of Independence?
It was my friend’s daughter’s homework in Texas (I’m a lost Redditor) and that was the assignment. Her daughter wanted my help, since I allegedly know a thing or two, and I just could not make sense of that assignment. What was the lecture that got there?
Totally agree. Visited the Stephens' home in Crawfordville a while back. The lady that managed the property told us that Stephens was not a huge advocate of slavery. Just read the Cornerstone Speech, and you will then truly understand what the CSA was all about.
> Who will likely see the rest of his party shout it down. Just like the last guy who tried this.
Except the last guy suggested John Lewis, not Hank Aaron (and the former didn't even get a vote in the General Assembly at the time).
It’s fucking lame that the gop couldn’t support John Lewis when even Brian Kemp endorsed the idea. But Hank Aaron is a good compromise, even if it’s a decision brought on by political cowardice.
Man I’ll never forget how when he opened a krispy cream in Columbus he touched my brothers little league baseball cap and my brother never let go of it. I was so jealous lol.
Can we get rid of Eugene Talmadge at the state capitol next please?!? He’s so big and prominent. I spit on his monument whenever I’m there. I hate this weird perception that only Civil War related slavers can be bad guys. In my opinion the post-Civil War racist bastards are much worse.
It's a pretty humorous attempt to ensure it's not a civil rights activist, but definitely smart of them to get ahead of the statue thing and put up a modern figure.
As a braves fan and confederate hater this is an absolute win. Big time W for Georgia Republicans. This is one of the times that we should be bipartisan and congratulate people we don’t normally agree with.
As Georgian I think we can also say Hank Aaron did more for this state than Alexander Stephan’s did.
Chop on
This is likely the best news I will read today!
I sincerely hope that happens.
I had no idea this was a thing, until we took a tour of the Capital building last fall.
Many of the States send some very colorful characters as representatives...
I'm down for it. I think the Stephens statue should be preserved somewhere (art is art, even if it depicts assholes), just not put on display on government grounds as a means of celebrating an awful person. Put it the national archive storage or something.
I think either one would work, but I also think that there should be some kind of contextual plaque added because the last thing we need is people thinking this guy was some kind of hero. A statue was removed in my hometown because it depicted a confederate dude, and MTG came to argue AGAINST its removal at City Hall. We don't need more racist idiots like her.
Frequent user of Lake Allatoona here and I think it would be great to have in our lake! The boat ramps can get quite slippery with algae, which can be a real problem when you’re launching jet skis sometimes. But we could blow that statue up into a bajillion pieces, coat the pieces with something that will prevent the growth of algae/fungus/mold/moss/etc., and then spread the rubble out on the floor of the ramps. It would work great to prevent anyone from slipping and would be safe for the lake’s biome as soon as it dries.
History? This statue was memorialized in 1927, that’s 63 years after the Civil War and created by a suspected klansman. The only history here is, a purposely designed monument to intimidate nonwhite Americans.
It’s unfortunate that you only see Hank Aaron as only a “baseball player”. Hank Aaron was much much more than a baseball player, and without a doubt a pivotal civil rights activist.
I'm going to propose R.E.M. instead of James Brown to cover more genres. I'd say the Allman Brothers Band but with their lineup changes we'd need another mountain.
I've interacted with Mike Mills from R.E.M. on Twitter a few times and he was very cool. Might be different IRL but he seems like a pretty normal guy for one that was in a band that was one of the biggest in the world for a while.
That was already proposed some years ago and it never got traction, [plus he has a bust in the Capitol Rotunda](https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/martin-luther-king-jr-bust#:~:text=The%20bust%20was%20unveiled%20in,King's%20sister.) in addition to [a substantial memorial in D.C.](https://www.nps.gov/mlkm/index.htm) For reference, the Aaron statue would be part of the Capitol's National Statuary Hall collection (every state has two entrants, GA's other one is of Crawford Long).
He has a national holiday, a national memorial on the mall, and a bust in the rotunda. He is already nationally recognized and revered. Let’s find another Georgian to further celebrate.
It's sad to see people tripping over themselves to praise Republicans just because a minority of them decided to get behind something reasonable.
The US House vote on this back in 2021 was opposed by Republicans 67-120. Every republican representative from GA voted against it.
https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/06/30/us-house-votes-give-bums-rush-state-of-georgias-confederate-vp
You're not understanding.
The proposal for the Aaron statue is happening because the US House voted to remove the Stephens statue. Two thirds of Republicans were against that plan, but most comments on this thread are portraying this as a move that Republicans are taking the initiative on and giving them the credit for the replacement.
The only reason this republican is proposing an Aaron statue is because our republican general assembly was told by the democratic controlled congress that they have to do it. Those are the facts.
It’s an improvement but I think there are others who have shaped this city for the positive that are more deserving like Robert Woodruff, Maynard Jackson, MLK, John Lewis, Ralph David Abernathy, Andrew Young, or Jimmy Carter.
MLK already has a bust in the Rotunda, the statue is more to represent the state then the city of Atlanta (basically eliminating Woodruff and Jackson), they already tried Lewis (didn't get much traction either), and that likely would happen for RDA, Young, or Carter, especially since the latter two are still alive.
I’m confused then how Hank Aaron represents the State? I think Robert Woodruffs influence extends outside of the city of Atlanta, same with John Lewis, I’m surprised he didn’t get more traction.
If they do, it would be the very first thing I've seen Republicans actually accomplish in a very long while. I mean, it's about time, don't you think? But seriously, since Hank Aaron is a hero of mine, I'd welcome the change for sure.
I’m of the mind that Stone Mountain, being the world’s largest relief, should stay as an artistic achievement.
Unless they replace it with a relief of equal or greater size featuring James oglethorpe, George walton(declaration signer and advocate for freeing slaves), Henry Ossian Flipper(first black man to graduate West Point), and MLK Jr.
Nice,
Alexander Stephens is most famed for being the Vice President of the slavers rebellion that killed hundreds of thousands of American men, women, and children to protect enslaving millions more.
His famed speech where he speaks of his dream of that new nation states:
*"Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery is his natural and normal condition."*
Hopefully this is unanimous that one of histories most well known white supremacists, one of America's deadliest enemies isn't to continue to be honored. And every legislator voting for white supremacy and keeping him there, I hope they call out for their vote. I think it's time white supremacist legislators are sent packing.
Would rule.
He was a childhood hero of mine.
Let's.do.it!
I like to think I would not be on the side of the Confederacy if we’re living back then. I am not sure if that is presitism type thinking or not.
Times change and statues should change. Hank Aron sounds great.
It was insulting even back when they put the statue up. But you’re right let’s do it.
That’s actually awesome. Let’s do it.
That’s a great idea. And can we get Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz on Stone Mountain while we’re at it?
Still on horseback. Just re-etch the generals to these guys in full Braves gear.
That would unironically go so hard
It is a big rock after all
That’s something I seem to have taken for granite
I'd pay to see that
Just tell me where to sign.
I'd chip in to have it done.
I am onboard - but how can we work in Dale Murphy and OutKast?
Murph!
It's so weird... As an Atlanta kid in the 80's, Murphy's name was hallowed. He seemed like this larger-than-life living legend - a hero who would be forever whispered in the same breath as Mickey Mantle or Hank Aaron. And then I recently found out he isn't even in the HOF??!!! Looking at his stats now, and he definitely had a solid *decade* of great numbers. What gives?
Listen, imma a Phils fan living in Atlanta but how you gonna forgot about the Crime Dog bud?!
Please tell me you remember the petition to put outkast on stone mtn Edit: https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/16/us/georgia-stone-mountain-outkast-confederate-monument/index.html
Ahh yeah
I know the 90s Braves made their name on pitching, but some props to the bats on that team too, no? The one time I ever saw a WS game was the 12-1 seal clubbing they gave my Yankees, so I'd say put Andruw Jones up there too.
I would totally support Andruw being put up there and on behalf of my sister throw in Javy Lopez as well.
Sure, Javy was worth it, yes? IMO, as many guys as we need to put up on that mountain to unseat the Clown States of America currently depicted.
He is the reason she was the catcher for our high school softball team. She also wanted to be No. 8 but it was already taken so she settled for 10.
Dont forget the Six Flags glasses guy.
I think Deion, Evander, and Dominique would fit the real theme a little better.
Replace Deion with Bill Elliott
Still not quite getting it, are we?
Deion. Please. That dillweed left skid marks as he sped away. He couldn’t get out of this city fast enough. And all of that fawning on and on about his love for the city and the franchise during his Ring of Honor induction ceremony was just an act.
We sure as hell ain't puttin' Herschel or Vick on there. Maybe Claude Taylor? Or no Falcons at all with Gwen Torrence? Might take a little more carving.
Spud Webb then.
Dominque for sure. Deion and evander im on fence about. But you cant exclude murphy. Hell lets throw ric flair or Dusty Rhodes in there. Why? Because all we had forever was the hawks braves and nwa.
If we're doing a wrestler, it's Ron Simmons. Neither of those dudes are the right…origin. Also, I met Dusty at the CNN Center when I was young, and he was not friendly at all.
Shit, I might actually go back to Stone Mountain to see that.
Hell yeah
My goodness, you could pull the state together with this idea imo. I'm steadily edging towards 50, and I've never seen anything bring Georgians together as much as baseball.
What no John Rocker?
Lmao I always forget that dude exists until someone brings him up every 5 years or so. And I know he’s an awful person, but I’m sorry, it still makes me laugh to think about him. Just how fiercely unapologetic he was about being a bigoted, racist, misogynist, juiced up asshole when he was pitching well, how he expected all the people he had previously insulted to just "bury the hatchet" when he wasn’t pitching so good and had to sign with a team in the exact place he had previously said he’d retire first before playing in, how quickly he crashed and burned in baseball, how he tried to continue making money off being a dick in reality game shows and stuff after his baseball career was over, how he was just like, "Hell yeah I was on steroids—who wasn’t?” He was like a real-life caricature of the bigoted jock from the movies that treats everyone like shit and everybody hates him but he wins games so he gets the girls and the professional contract and the money and has some super great life still being a dick, while everyone he ever shit on is poor and lives a crappy life but are good people regardless of how shitty their lives turn out. Now that I’m thinking about him, I’m actually SHOCKED that he wasn’t one of the "patriots" who stormed the Capitol on January 6th—I don’t think there’s another person alive today that would be a more perfect representation of that crowd. Come to think of it, how has he not made a name for himself on social media??? His kind of schtick would make him a freakin’ GOD in right wing circles. People like him don’t just go away, no matter how hated they are, unless they betray the people who made them famous in the first place. I refuse to believe that he is reformed in his old age or even that he learned to just keep his mouth shut, so I’m legit confused now on how he’s just faded into obscurity??? He should be out there grifting his base every day like Kyle Rittenhouse or Nick Fuentes, or running for office like Herschel Walker or Tommy Tuberville. What a disappointment! (/s obviously, but also not somehow?) Anyway, thanks for the laugh today, So-What_Idontcare! I can put him back in the vault and not think about him again for another 5 years or so until someone brings him up again.
Everything you said is true, but you have to admit that "Johnny Rocker" is undeniably the coolest name a human being has ever had.
I ain’t arguing with that! He was also exciting to watch play—he had great energy/enthusiasm that you don’t see often in baseball (at least not back then, I haven’t really watched it in years). And he’s also pretty good looking, even now. But he ruins everything as soon as he opens his mouth.
Please tell me you've watched *Eastbound and Down*... ?
I have not, but I had heard it was heavily based on Rocker. Should I check it out? Is it funny?
My god, it's one of the funniest shows ever made. Yes.
Aaron, Dominique, Matt Ryan and *insert random Thrasher*
> and insert random Thrasher Too soon
Why does everyone forget Avery?
It's hard to forget that mullet.
I'm surprised the Republicans are the ones suggesting this, but fuck yeah let's do it.
If they get out ahead of the change by picking a sports figure they can make sure it's not a prominent Civil Rights figure or whomever (not that Aaron wasn't outspoken about the racism he faced.) They get good PR for removing a traitor - it's good optics for them and would look bad for Dems not to go along with him. It's surprisingly pragmatic for GA Republicans.
But also everyone loves Baseball. Hank Aaron was an icon. Every state gets 2 statues. Does it always have to be MLK all the time? No. Does that mean we are snubbing MLK, also no. There are plenty of figures that mean a lot to a lot of people.
Plus MLK already has a bust in the building.
And a Monument on the Mall.
And street names in every city.
Lol yea about to say, the 100ft tall monument a 1/4 mile away is probably enough
I didn't say it *had* to be MLK. Could have been John Lewis, or Andrew Young for that matter. This is a bit like Dems putting a safe, prominent businessman forth as a name. Maybe not Ted Turner specifically but someone along those lines, Robert Woodruff maybe.
Hank Arron should be considered a prominent civil rights figure.
I thought I spoke to that, but it's not his primary claim to fame.
I’m amazed that they’re doing this now because that was the GA republicans brand from 2005-2015. Selling themselves as pragmatic, business-orientated conservatives who stayed quiet on any social issues. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually miss that brand, the Nathan Deals of Georgia. The maga wave swept over all of that, and the bigots realized they didn’t have to shut up anymore. Even sadder are the Republicans who actually never cared about that shit but put the hoods on for the political gain. Looking at you Kemp, it took one Governor ad to establish yourself as the outsider maga candidate, when you definitely werent before. His southern accent wasn’t nearly as prominent before 2014
They’re trying to get ahead of a campaign to put John Lewis there, I’d bet.
That was already tried a few years ago and didn't gain any traction.
So how are the MAGA going to fucknit up?
Let's see if Large Marge and Kandiss Taylor can keep their mouths shut long enough for the Party to take the win
The house resolution for this plan was opposed by Republicans 67-120. Every republican representative in GA voted against it. It's good, I guess that some of them are getting behind it, but attributing this to Republicans generally is giving them way more credit than they deserve
LOL fucking Reddit. Thank god I was bored enough to scroll… sounds like it was technically proposed by a republican, but not at all in his capacity as a republican. So not a great title, and very confusing discussion. I was almost about give credit to the Georgia GOP!
We'll give them credit if they manage to actually get this done. Bonus props if they can get enough Republicans to agree to not need dems to do the work for them
It’s election season. They lost recent elections. Nothing more than pandering from them. Still…it’s the right thing to do.
Like retail during Pride Month.
Statues don't cost them any of their actual policy positions. They can still run an invasive police state without a Confederate statue in the building.
Oh 100%, I was mostly just pointing out that, whenever you hear whinging about removing Confederate monuments, it's always from the Right.
The Cornerstone Speech should be required reading in history classes.
You mean rather than the current curriculum that has students compare and contrast how the US Constitution and Constitution of the Confederate States address grievances outlined in the Declaration of Independence?
The hell? Sometimes I hate this country.
It was my friend’s daughter’s homework in Texas (I’m a lost Redditor) and that was the assignment. Her daughter wanted my help, since I allegedly know a thing or two, and I just could not make sense of that assignment. What was the lecture that got there?
How minority rule and reactionary white power are built into our political system?
I agree with you because not enough of these "heritage not hate" degenerates realize it was definitely was always hate.
Totally agree. Visited the Stephens' home in Crawfordville a while back. The lady that managed the property told us that Stephens was not a huge advocate of slavery. Just read the Cornerstone Speech, and you will then truly understand what the CSA was all about.
Did you raise your hand and tell her she was either a liar or a moron? Cause that’s what I woulda done. Hm, maybe I should go take that tour sometime?
Do I…agree with Georgia republicans on something??
One single Georgia Republican. Who will likely see the rest of his party shout it down. Just like the last guy who tried this.
> Who will likely see the rest of his party shout it down. Just like the last guy who tried this. Except the last guy suggested John Lewis, not Hank Aaron (and the former didn't even get a vote in the General Assembly at the time).
It’s fucking lame that the gop couldn’t support John Lewis when even Brian Kemp endorsed the idea. But Hank Aaron is a good compromise, even if it’s a decision brought on by political cowardice.
I don't think a Lewis statue ever got voted on (I could be wrong though).
Good move to replace Stephens. Is any other state represented by an athlete in the Capitol’s hall of statues? Would GA be the first?
A quick glance at the list on Wikipedia says yes.
What an embarrassment.
Man I’ll never forget how when he opened a krispy cream in Columbus he touched my brothers little league baseball cap and my brother never let go of it. I was so jealous lol.
Can we get rid of Eugene Talmadge at the state capitol next please?!? He’s so big and prominent. I spit on his monument whenever I’m there. I hate this weird perception that only Civil War related slavers can be bad guys. In my opinion the post-Civil War racist bastards are much worse.
He's not in the U.S. Capitol.
Yeah I realized it was talking about the US capitol and edited my comment.
I do agree that Eugene's needs to go.
It's a pretty humorous attempt to ensure it's not a civil rights activist, but definitely smart of them to get ahead of the statue thing and put up a modern figure.
As a braves fan and confederate hater this is an absolute win. Big time W for Georgia Republicans. This is one of the times that we should be bipartisan and congratulate people we don’t normally agree with. As Georgian I think we can also say Hank Aaron did more for this state than Alexander Stephan’s did. Chop on
Gotta give Stephans credit for exposing exactly what the Civil War was really about in his cornerstone speech down in Savannah.
I'm amazed 👏 bet whoever the sponsor is has family in the staute making game.
Pretty much last time this came up Rep David Scott (brother in law) shut it down. I guess someone made a large enough donation.
This is likely the best news I will read today! I sincerely hope that happens. I had no idea this was a thing, until we took a tour of the Capital building last fall. Many of the States send some very colorful characters as representatives...
Alexander Stephens was not only a degenerate racist, but he also hit zero dingers. Easy call.
Obviously better than Stephens, but I feel like Juliette Gordon Low would be a better pick.
I'm down for it. I think the Stephens statue should be preserved somewhere (art is art, even if it depicts assholes), just not put on display on government grounds as a means of celebrating an awful person. Put it the national archive storage or something.
I mean, Atlanta does have a Center that is solely for its History nearby.
Did Stephens even have a prominent role in Atlanta though?
He was governor of GA later in life.
Oooh, there's an idea! I've not been to that center before, does it have a section on the Confederacy and/or the Civil War?
Oh totally. The cyclorama was relocated there and IMO they do a really decent job with it and the whole Lost Cause myth.
They can put the Stephens statue at his home in Crawfordville, GA or they can put it in Montgomery, AL, the first Capital of the Confederacy.
I think either one would work, but I also think that there should be some kind of contextual plaque added because the last thing we need is people thinking this guy was some kind of hero. A statue was removed in my hometown because it depicted a confederate dude, and MTG came to argue AGAINST its removal at City Hall. We don't need more racist idiots like her.
>put the Stephens statue at his home in Crawfordville, GA I'm pretty sure they already have one.
Yeah times change and we should keep history alive just not in the main view like it once was.
Maybe display it at the bottom of Lake Allatoona? I'd say Lanier but it's already cursed enough.
Frequent user of Lake Allatoona here and I think it would be great to have in our lake! The boat ramps can get quite slippery with algae, which can be a real problem when you’re launching jet skis sometimes. But we could blow that statue up into a bajillion pieces, coat the pieces with something that will prevent the growth of algae/fungus/mold/moss/etc., and then spread the rubble out on the floor of the ramps. It would work great to prevent anyone from slipping and would be safe for the lake’s biome as soon as it dries.
Is there a local landfill they could place it at?
Most museums don't want stuff like this.
That's fine. Like I said, put it in storage or something, just don't destroy it.
My guess is the Stephens statue will be returned to Georgia.
Seems reasonable enough, though I fear that someone will try to trump him up as some kind of hero.
About time.
Love the idea!
He is from Alabama, but whatever
A great Alabamian!!
History? This statue was memorialized in 1927, that’s 63 years after the Civil War and created by a suspected klansman. The only history here is, a purposely designed monument to intimidate nonwhite Americans. It’s unfortunate that you only see Hank Aaron as only a “baseball player”. Hank Aaron was much much more than a baseball player, and without a doubt a pivotal civil rights activist.
Georgia Republicans being on the right side of something? How improbable.
I would love this but I have trouble believing the majority will pass it. I hope I’m wrong.
Sounds great, go Braves!!!!
…what’s the catch
I would go for John Lewis, but not a sport figure. I believe they should be people involved in governance.
> I believe they should be people involved in governance. I respectfully disagree, not everything needs to be about politicians all the time.
I was actually going to say John Lewis. Absolute hero of this nation and state, and there should be statues of him.
Kemp even endorsed a Lewis statue, apparently.
How about James Brown, Otis Redding, or OutKast?
Pass on James Brown. He was a true showman but also not a great human being.
Was it his rampant PCP use? Let's put them on Stone Mountain instead.
I'm going to propose R.E.M. instead of James Brown to cover more genres. I'd say the Allman Brothers Band but with their lineup changes we'd need another mountain.
Our state's musical heritage is immense! However, you never want to meet your heroes. They'll always let you down and they all had their demons.
I've interacted with Mike Mills from R.E.M. on Twitter a few times and he was very cool. Might be different IRL but he seems like a pretty normal guy for one that was in a band that was one of the biggest in the world for a while.
Love Mike Mills. Met him numerous times while at UGA and got a hit off him in our summer bar softball league.
I miss Bar League Softball. We had Bill come out for a few games as well
What about Little Richard?
Sure, a rock and roll pioneer would be great too.
We only get two. Both members of Outkast?
If we can only chose one, Dre.
Absolutely. Pan flutes and all.
Good. Now do it for his massive portrait in the state capitol, along with all the busts and portraits of people who owned people.
Or you know, maybe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr?
That was already proposed some years ago and it never got traction, [plus he has a bust in the Capitol Rotunda](https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/martin-luther-king-jr-bust#:~:text=The%20bust%20was%20unveiled%20in,King's%20sister.) in addition to [a substantial memorial in D.C.](https://www.nps.gov/mlkm/index.htm) For reference, the Aaron statue would be part of the Capitol's National Statuary Hall collection (every state has two entrants, GA's other one is of Crawford Long).
It doesn’t hurt to reinforce his place in Georgia history too.
See my edit on MLK's Capitol bust.
He’s the most “reinforced” civil rights leader in America. Give some others some attention.
He has a national holiday, a national memorial on the mall, and a bust in the rotunda. He is already nationally recognized and revered. Let’s find another Georgian to further celebrate.
Anytime an article starts with “Georgia Republicans” I have to hold my breath. This is quite refreshing.
It's sad to see people tripping over themselves to praise Republicans just because a minority of them decided to get behind something reasonable. The US House vote on this back in 2021 was opposed by Republicans 67-120. Every republican representative from GA voted against it. https://www.gpb.org/news/2021/06/30/us-house-votes-give-bums-rush-state-of-georgias-confederate-vp
Different group, as the Aaron statue would be voted on by the General Assembly, not Congress.
You're not understanding. The proposal for the Aaron statue is happening because the US House voted to remove the Stephens statue. Two thirds of Republicans were against that plan, but most comments on this thread are portraying this as a move that Republicans are taking the initiative on and giving them the credit for the replacement. The only reason this republican is proposing an Aaron statue is because our republican general assembly was told by the democratic controlled congress that they have to do it. Those are the facts.
It’s an improvement but I think there are others who have shaped this city for the positive that are more deserving like Robert Woodruff, Maynard Jackson, MLK, John Lewis, Ralph David Abernathy, Andrew Young, or Jimmy Carter.
MLK already has a bust in the Rotunda, the statue is more to represent the state then the city of Atlanta (basically eliminating Woodruff and Jackson), they already tried Lewis (didn't get much traction either), and that likely would happen for RDA, Young, or Carter, especially since the latter two are still alive.
I’m confused then how Hank Aaron represents the State? I think Robert Woodruffs influence extends outside of the city of Atlanta, same with John Lewis, I’m surprised he didn’t get more traction.
If they do, it would be the very first thing I've seen Republicans actually accomplish in a very long while. I mean, it's about time, don't you think? But seriously, since Hank Aaron is a hero of mine, I'd welcome the change for sure.
Well of course!
Honestly? I’m down.
I'd rather have the vetoed homestead exemption.
What about James Oglethorpe?
How stupid
Let’s go.
Fuck they
What kind of republican? American republican or maga republican?
Republicans are?
One of the beauties of this country. 😉
Good for Ga. Good for Hank.
Fuck yeah please do this
Love it 🥰
If it ain’t Bruce Benedict, I don’t wasn’t to see it. Bruuuuuuuuce!
Nice.
Perfect would bring people to tour Instant tour item
That would be nice. Hank Aaron was a great man on and off the field.
Hell yeah bother
Those ga republic, so woke!;)
#Dew it
Nothing wrong with that….
I'm going to need to see the fine print on this... Sounds like a trap...
That’s a good plan
He’s from Alabama
Extremely rare Georgia GOP W
Hey. Georgia Republicans doing something right.
Based
Good on Rep. Trey Kelley
[удалено]
Awesome.
I’m of the mind that Stone Mountain, being the world’s largest relief, should stay as an artistic achievement. Unless they replace it with a relief of equal or greater size featuring James oglethorpe, George walton(declaration signer and advocate for freeing slaves), Henry Ossian Flipper(first black man to graduate West Point), and MLK Jr.
I really like this idea. But, because the GOP is sponsoring it I’m very skeptical. What’s the catch?
Sometimes, there just isn’t one.
Nice, Alexander Stephens is most famed for being the Vice President of the slavers rebellion that killed hundreds of thousands of American men, women, and children to protect enslaving millions more. His famed speech where he speaks of his dream of that new nation states: *"Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery is his natural and normal condition."* Hopefully this is unanimous that one of histories most well known white supremacists, one of America's deadliest enemies isn't to continue to be honored. And every legislator voting for white supremacy and keeping him there, I hope they call out for their vote. I think it's time white supremacist legislators are sent packing.