ALEC’s “our state legislators” are promoting the
anti-sustainability astroturf talking points at the Georgia
state capitol. But ALEC doesn’t seem to be the source of those
talking points. Who is? Follow the money: who stands to benefit the
most by obstructing public transportation, fuel efficiency, and
renewable energy? The fossil fuel companies, especially big
oil.
Lloyd Alter wrote for Treehugger 29 June 2012,
Exposing the Influence Behind the Anti-Agenda 21
Anti-Sustainability Agenda, first pointing out that most people
never even heard of Agenda 21:
…a recent survey showed that most people never heard of it and
only 6% say they are against it. so why are politicians from
State governments up to the National Republican Party and
Presidential candidates like Newt Gingrich make such a big deal of
it?
“People don’t wake up in the morning sweating bullets about the
United Nations.”-Robin Rather
Robin Rather of Collective Strength, who commissioned the
survey, says “I genuinely believe the Agenda 21 phenomenon is
highly manufactured. It’s not out there in the mainstream.”
There are a number of leads back to big oil, starting with one
of the main conduits of the talking points, the John Birch Society,
one of whose founders was Fred Koch, founder of Koch industries,
a diversified multinational that has large fossil fuel components.
His sons David and Charles founded Americans for Prosperity.
When he is not out on the public speaking circuit, Tom DeWeese
is President of the American Policy Center, the loudest mouthpiece
of the anti-Agenda 21 crowd.
Alter digs into APC board connects to big oil,
Continue reading →
I had the opportunity to talk with a county staff member
who said that the changes were to incorporate recent
amendments regarding
brown bagging, social hosts (serving
alcohol at private events to underage drinkers), and
the
Sunday package sales
into the body of the ordinance,
rather than having those items as amendments to the document.
Also, the setting of the license fees for Sunday
sales will be established
(from the referendum that passed 59.80% to 40.20%).
