Just because some of you have many years of riding experience doesnt mean that what is right for you is right for everyone. Yes, I agree that a sportbike ergo's and power make them more difficult to learn than non-sporting bikes. But that still doesnt mean you cant learn on a sportbike. My first bike was a cbr600, although, as I mentioned earlier, I had a good amount of MX and trail riding experience as a kid. A lot of my friends thought I was making the wrong choice also. But, I commited myself to riding every weekend (literally every weeked that it wasnt raining I would go to mountains,) and getting as much "saddle time" as possible. I also went to race school and track days. Experience can make you a good rider in a very short time if you are serious about it.
The things that are most dangerous to a motorcyclist...especially in someplace like Atlanta... are the idiots in cars around you. Youre more likely to be seriously injured in-town by a soccer mom in an SUV than you are riding a sportbike in the mountains. So basically, the most dangerous thing that affects a rider is totally independent of what kind of bike they are on.
In summary, stupid people can hurt themselves with any bike, and stupid people in cars can injure or kill motorcyclists on any type of bike.
Buy what you want, but just be serious about learning how to ride it properly.