Olens Promises 'Vigorous' Defense of HB 87

Not long after a federal judge in Atlanta put a hold on portions of Georgia's new immigration law on Monday, state Attorney General Sam Olens promised he would "vigorously defend" the measure. 

That's part of his job as the state's top legal officer. But the AJC's Jim Galloway this morning points to a blog post written by one of the attorneys seeking to invalidate the statute. In that post, former DeKalb prosecutor Keegan Federal accused Olens, an East Cobb resident and former Cobb commission chairman, of "spin:"

"Even though a U.S. judge in Atlanta dealt the state a devastating blow today in a ruling as remarkable for its scathing language as its conclusion, Olens actually claimed victory.

"The attorney general's only real victory is that he somehow managed to keep a straight face as the words poured out of his mouth.

"The truth, although you won't hear it from Olens, is this:

"Georgia’s anti-immigration law, HB87, was soundly defeated."

While the legal battle has been under way for some time, apparently the war of the words over the legal battle has only just begun.

Elsewhere in the county, citizens and activists opposed to the law were , as South Cobb Patch editor Kiri Walton reports. 

One-man voting crusader

East Cobb resident Joe O'Donnell, who managed Bob Ott's successful 2008 campaign for the Cobb Board of Commissioners and is a long-time Cobb political observer, is taking up a more daunting political campaign than trying to get someone elected. 

In an interview published Monday by The Marietta Daily Journal, O'Donnell is undertaking what he calls the "Vote America" drive (he's planning to have a website up and running soon) to reverse what he says is a 20-year decline in voting patterns: 

"I plan to have it run parallel to the national campaigns all the way up to the Election Day. The goal is to get people to pledge to vote. They don't have to pledge to me, just to themselves."

Cobb GOP, Democratic July 4 picnics

The Cobb County Republican Party is holding its annual barbecue picnic on Monday, July 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Jim Miller Park. 

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children for the general public with contributor levels ranging from $120 to #$1,000. For more information, click here.

The Cobb County Democratic Committee July 4 picnic takes place from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Rhyne Park in Smyrna. 

Ticket and other information can be found here. The cost also is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. 

RIP, Right Wing Tavern

A Woodstock watering hole known for its politically incorrect name but that also served up some good non-partisan bonhomie has shut its doors. 

The Right Wing Tavern closed last week and will be replaced by another restaurant later in the summer. Patch contributor Jeannie Caryn reported that some customers "blame the left, Democrats and liberals, including President Barack Obama and even Jimmy Carter, for the owners’ decision to close."

But many also said they would miss the live music and other entertainment at a down-to-earth place that was about much more than politics.