The Georgia Tea Party supports diversifying the state’s energy sources to take advantage of the Peach State’s abundant solar energy, saying consumers have the right to choose where their electricity comes from. Right now, Georgia utilities provide only gas-fired, coal-fired, and nuclear power, with only tiny amounts of hydro-electric and other renewable energy mixed in.

But Koch Industries founded the Tea Party to fight limits on corporate pollution, not promote solar power. So the Koch collective is now sending piles of cash to put down the pro-solar insurrection, as Kiley Kroh reports at Climate Progress.

The moment anyone bucks the pro-polluter party line, those Tea Party muskets of freedom turn into a firing squad.

Cross-posted from The Green Miles

So…Rep. Frank Wolf is outraged  – OUTRAGED I tell you! – about the Obama administration’s (supposedly) horrible record on human rights. In this little “get off my lawn” tirade, Wolf rips Obama for people setting themselves on fire in Tibet, for the genocide in Darfur, and for persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt. More broadly, Wolf says the Obama administration has not advocated forcefully enough for the “oppressed, the marginalized and the vulnerable” (since when do Republicans care about any of those?!?).

Of course, all of those are bad things, and there’s not doubt the U.S. should stand up for human rights. But last I checked, Frank Wolf has been in Congress since Ronald Reagan’s presidency, and I don’t remember him ever giving a speech like this about the massive human rights abuses going on around the world while Reagan, George HW Bush, or George W. Bush were president. The list is basically endless, but as for Darfur, that horrible situation took place mostly during the 2000s, when George W. Bush was president. As for Coptic Christians in Egypt, sadly they’ve experienced persecution since the 1980s. Tibet, sadly, has had massive human rights problems for decades.

More broadly, I’m really not sure that Frank Wolf wants to start comparing the human rights record of President Obama to that of Reagan, Bush, Cheney, etc. But I’d love to hear him give a speech on the subject, that would certainly be enlightening! Heh.

P.S. As a friend of mine pointed out, Wolf “talks about human rights, yet opposes ENDA.” He also “consponsors the marriage inequality amendment.” He also voted to ban gay adoption in DC, etc., etc. In short, Frank Wolf is horrible on LGBT human rights in the United States, even while he’s hypocritically bashing President Obama for stuff going on in Tibet, etc. Pathetic.

Last we heard from Marion “Pat” Robertson, he was ranting that he wanted a “vomit” button” for same-sex Facebook posts. Now, this top Virginia GOP donor says Americans should “rise up” against President Obama like Egyptians did against deposed President Morsi. Do Virginia Republicans disagree with this type of insurrectionist talk from their top donor (and head of Regent University, from which Bob McDonnell graduated)? If so, we’re all ears!

Previously, only Sen. Chap Petersen had called on Bob McDonnell to resign as governor, and even then ONLY if he refused to “come clean” and repay the taxpayers. Sen. Barbara Favola has now gone even further, if anything. Interesting…

A few highlights from last night’s controversial meeting of the Fairfax City council. First, though, you might want to check out a detailed discussion of the proposed zoning regulations pertaining to “clinics, hospitals, medical or dental offices, and related uses” in Fairfax City. Also, according to this:

{The} proposed ordinance would place women’s health centers into the same category as hospitals, surgical centers and urgent care units, and would require clinics to have an expensive “Special Use Permit” as well as limit the locations they can operate in. Just to apply for a Special Use Permit costs at least $4,800 and can take as long as 6 months — and city staff is arbitrarily able to deny or approve the application. What’s worse, the new ordinance gives the Zoning Administrator power to decide exactly the amount of parking required of each clinic, and therefore gives him/her the ability to block a clinic’s approval based on frivolous and arbitrary regulations such as – you guessed it – PARKING SPACES.

Back to the video:

1. Staff discussion (by Zoning Administrator Michelle Coleman) of the proposed amendments starts around 11 minutes in and runs through about 24 minutes.

2. The public hearing begins at about 24:40, with speaker after speaker disagreeing with the proposed amendments and urging that they be voted down. You’ll hear words like “duplicitous,” “arbitrary,” “subjective,” “vague,” “unfair,” “inconsistent,” “complex,” “finagling,” “red tape,” “splitting hairs,” “ideology,” “deeply troubled,” “onerous,” “medically unnecessary,” “disproportionately difficult,” and “TRAP regulations.” The distinction between “offices” and “clinics” is brought up repeatedly, as well as the fact that these women’s health clinics provide a variety of health care services. The public hearing portion ends at 1:08, and the discussion returns to staff and council members.

3. A bit after 1:37, Council member Dan Drummond says he feels Fairfax City is being consistent with other localities, but thinks “the public has raised some valid questions” and this needs some more “fine tuning” and staff work. He says “for that reason, I will not be supporting the motion that’s been made.”

4. The discussion then turns to an exploration of the options and motives for deferring the vote. At 1:39, Mayor Silverthorne says it’s the council’s prerogative to defer the vote, but he’d prefer to have a “straight up-or-down vote,” unless the idea is “truly” to make the ordinance better. Possible deferred vote dates are batted back and forth, with September 24 as one possibility.

5. At around 1:41:45, Mayor Silverthorne says this isn’t “politically correct” to say, but after asserting that he’s “one of the more liberal” mayors in “the last 50 years,” he says he feels like it makes no sense to have the staff rework this, that the council should have a “straight up-or-down vote,” and that “dragging this out for the sake of additional feedback” won’t resolve the questions out there about this.

6. At about 1:43, Mayor Silverthrone says he doesn’t “appreciate some of the outside groups…NARAL…parachuting into my community” and “spreading some misinformation.”

7. At 1:44:30, the council decides not to move ahead with Dan Drummond’s motion to delay the vote until September 24. A bit later, at around 1:47, the council proceeds to approve the proposed measures on a 4-2 vote. Members in favor are Steven Stombres (R; Eric Cantor’s Chief of Staff), Jeffrey Greenfield (R), Dan Drummond (D), and Michael DeMarco (D). Members against are David Meyer (D) and Eleanor Schmidt (R). Worth noting is that Dan Drummond had said just a few minutes earlier that he’d be voting “no,” but ends up voting “yes.” I don’t get that one at all.

From the DPVA:

Senator Donald McEachin is submitting a Freedom of Information Act request to the Office of the Attorney General today asking for all information provided to the Cuccinelli for Governor campaign about the Attorney General’s involvement in matters related to Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams.  

The Office of the Attorney General shared information with the Cuccinelli campaign which, in turn, released  some of that information to the Washington Post.  Senator McEachin is requesting that all Virginians be offered the same level of access as Cuccinelli’s campaign, a non-governmental political organization.

The FOIA specifically asks for: 

1.  All communications between any member of the Office of the Attorney General and Jonnie Williams.

2.  All internal and external communications to which the Office of the Attorney General was a party regarding the Office’s potential conflict of interest in the Commonwealth’s case against Todd Schneider for embezzlement at the Executive Mansion.

3.  All internal and external communications to which any member of the Office of the Attorney General was a party regarding the allegations against Governor McDonnell made byTodd Schneider.

4.  All internal and external communications to which any member of the Office of the Attorney General was a party related to any "walling off" of the Attorney General in the Commonwealth’s case against Todd Schneider for embezzlement at the Executive Mansion. 

5.  All internal and external communications to which any member of the Office of the Attorney General was a party regarding the Attorney General's financial disclosures.

6.  All information concerning any fees charged by the Office of the Attorney General or paid by anyone for the preparation of the “Inquiry on Star Scientific” Memorandum dated June 27, 2013 from the Cuccinelli for Governor Campaign. 

7.  All internal and external communications to which any member of the Office of the Attorney General was a party regarding the “Inquiry on Star Scientific” Memorandum dated June 27, 2013 from the Cuccinelli for Governor Campaign. 

8. All Freedom of Information Act requests received by the Office of the Attorney General seeking information or documents related in any way to the Commonwealth's case against Todd Schneider for embezzlement at the Executive Mansion, and the response provided by the Office of the Attorney General.

The full FOIA request can be found below:

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Office of the Attorney General

900 E. Broad St.

Richmond, VA 23219

Dear General Cuccinelli:

Your office recently released to your campaign a document, entitled “Inquiry on Star Scientific," dated June 27, 2013.  Since you have shared information related to the claims made within that document with a non-governmental third party, your gubernatorial campaign, it is clear that your office does not consider anything related to those matters discussed in the memorandum to be privileged.  In any event, having released the information, any previous claim to privilege has been waived.

Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act follows Virginia’s tradition of an open and accessible government, and the public is legally entitled access to any information your office can release to third parties, and such documentation as would support that release.  At this point much of what I'm asking will have already been compiled by your office for your campaign for Governor, so fulfilling this request should be easy.

Your office has provided your campaign, a non-governmental organization, with information not currently available to the taxpayers who paid for your work.  The Freedom of Information Act is designed to ensure that Virginia’s taxpayers know how every elected official, including the Attorney General, is spending our tax dollars.  Pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, §2.2.3704(G) et seq., and as a Virginia resident, I therefore request copies of records of the following items:

1.  All communications between any member of the Office of the Attorney General and Jonnie Williams.

2.  All internal and external communications to which the Office of the Attorney General was a party regarding the Office’s potential conflict of interest in the Commonwealth’s case against Todd Schneider for embezzlement at the Executive Mansion.

3.  All internal and external communications to which any member of the Office of the Attorney General was a party regarding the allegations against Governor McDonnell made byTodd Schneider.

4.  All internal and external communications to which any member of the Office of the Attorney General was a party related to any "walling off" of the Attorney General in the Commonwealth’s case against Todd Schneider for embezzlement at the Executive Mansion. 

5.  All internal and external communications to which any member of the Office of the Attorney General was a party regarding the Attorney General's financial disclosures.

6.  All information concerning any fees charged by the Office of the Attorney General or paid by anyone for the preparation of the “Inquiry on Star Scientific” Memorandum dated June 27, 2013 from the Cuccinelli for Governor Campaign.

7.  All internal and external communications to which any member of the Office of the Attorney General was a party regarding the “Inquiry on Star Scientific” Memorandum dated June 27, 2013 from the Cuccinelli for Governor Campaign.

8. All Freedom of Information Act requests received by the Office of the Attorney General seeking information or documents related in any way to the Commonwealth's case against Todd Schneider for embezzlement at the Executive Mansion, and the response provided by the Office of the Attorney General.

Per §2.2.3704(G) of the Virginia Code, please send the requested records to me electronically at dmceachin@mceachingee.com.  Many of these documents were, presumably, already prepared for your campaign, therefore I request that any fees associated with preparation of those documents be waived.

Sincerely,

A. Donald McEachin

Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, July 10.

*Sabotage governing (“It’s not unusual to hear dirty hippie liberal blogger types (and the occasional lefty Nobel Prize winner) point out that today’s GOP has effectively abdicated the role of functional opposition party, instead opting for a kind of post-policy nihilism in which sabotaging the Obama agenda has become its only guiding governing light. But when you hear this sort of argument coming from Chuck Todd, the mild-mannered, well respected Beltway insider, it should prompt folks to take notice.”)

*Goodlatte, other Republicans to discuss immigration (Speaking of “nihilism,” see here.)

*GOP still struggling on gay marriage messaging (Gotta love it, Ken Cuccinelli wants to focus on Virginia, EXCEPT when he’s running around trying to meddle in Obamacare, global warming science, and 20 gazillion other things that are not Virginia-specific issues. Does this guy tell the truth about ANYTHING?!?)

*McDonnells benefited from $120,000 more of donor’s funds (If Virginia had even half-decent ethics laws for public officials, no doubt Bob McDonnell would be on his way to jail, like Rod Blagojevich. Unfortunately, we don’t, which makes us…what? One of the most corrupt states, politically speaking, in the country?)

*Governor addresses gifts issue (I say, let’s give him plenty of time to think about ways to fix Virginia’s broken system…AFTER he’s resigned as governor and goes before a court to face charges.)

*ACLU readies suit to challenge ban on gay marriage (Let’s hope they win this!)

*Schapiro: Is McDonnell finally pivoting to offense in Giftgate? (Short answer: no.)

*Terry McAuliffe to get fundraising help from Martin O’Malley, Anthony Brown

*McDonnell son arrested on intoxication charge

*New Fairfax City law aims to keep abortion clinics out, critics say (“Law redefines ‘medical care facility,’ which some say targets abortion clinics.” I’m very concerned about this, need to find out more.)

*Fairfax Zoning Amendment Clashes With Abortion Rights

*Chris Graham: Breaking down the McDonnell resignation rumor controversy (“Republicans may have some interest in seeing the issue taken off the table sooner rather than later. That may be why we’re seeing the rumors swirling in the Republican blogosphere and not the Democratic blogosphere. If I’m a Republican interested in the fall elections, I want whatever mess there is from the McDonnell gifts story done away with as soon as possible, and if it takes the lame-duck governor falling on his sword to accomplish that, so be it.”)

*Cuccinelli Calls McDonnell Controversies ‘Distraction’ (Hahaha, whatever dude.)

*Virginia slips to 5th in CNBC list of best states for business (I’d remind everyone that when Democrats were in the Governor’s Mansion, we were #1. Just sayin’…)

*Virginia’s 2013 Oyster Replenishment Program Biggest in State History

*Smithfield Foods takeover subject of Senate hearing (This company should have been the subject of hearings a long time — for its abysmal environmental, human rights, and animal welfare records.)

*Another steamy day, but relief ahead

*Phillies 4, Nationals 2: Hamels gets best of Werth as Washington rally falls short