In 1927 Fred C. Koch patented an improved method of converting heavy oil to gasoline – a catalyst paving Wichita, Kansas roads of the early 1940’s with Wood River Refining and Oil dollars – later known as Koch Industries. I could blither on about how Koch Industries became the second largest privately held corporation in America. How staggering wealth was built on the back of oil, gas, chemicals, and methods to move these commodities about – or I could ask you to take my word for it, link to this timeline of Koch history, and move on to my point.
http://www.kochind.com/About_Koch/History_Timeline.aspx
Brothers David and Charles Koch have “donated” an estimated 67 million dollars in funding and support of anti climate change initiatives. It doesn’t end with this “no shit Sherlock” denial of cutting the hand that feeds them. Some of those millions support conservative “family values” (AKA – Tea Party and like minded fundamentalists) by way of Americans for Prosperity – a group founded in 2004, dedicated to no climate tax, no universal health care, no tax reforms hinting of increased or fairer shares for business, no government scrutiny of business at local, state or federal levels, and no Democrats in office if infinitely deep pockets and slick fabricated attack ads have anything to say about it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americans_for_Prosperity
A 2010 study released by University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries as one of the top ten polluters in America. Greenpeace dubbed them the “kingpin of climate science denial”.
Whining Koch protestations range from blaming “radical press” for branding Koch “whipping boys”, to spluttering, indignant outrage against un-American critics of their righteous mission.Read this article from the New Yorker and decide for yourself.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer?currentPage=all
I try to be polite. I don’t want to point fingers or pass judgement. The trouble is – every few weeks I’m incapable of swallowing the vomit in my mouth. Post after post slamming the government, comment after comment parroting diarrhea gobbled from “news sources” worthy of criminal charges, and incessant speculation over who’s actually running the show – these forces reach critical mass and my mind erupts to save itself.
This isn’t rocket science people! Anybody who still believes democracy reigns supreme hasn’t met power through money.Until people are willing to call bullshit on America according to Koch and associates, all I can say is speak out or shut up.
notestoponder 