Many articles have been published, which link to today’s feature in the Financial Times. Journalist Stephen Foley had lunch with Charles Koch, and reported on the conversation. While most of the related articles center on Koch’s lamentations about not having as much influence in the GOP primary as he would like (poor Charles...), there was a very notable exchange about Native Americans that seems to have been lost among the political noise.
“Our worst example in this country is the way we’ve treated Native Americans,” [Charles Koch] says at one point. “A great portion of the property of the American Indians is held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They are not allowed to control their own.” Citing the high rate of unemployment among Native Americans, he says, “This is what this whole philosophy of control and dependency does. How do you have a life of meaning? It’s hopeless. So, you’re, oh well, they’re a bunch of alcoholics.* Well, no kidding.”
* In a comment about alcoholism among Native Americans, Mr Koch was referring to the views of others rather than his own. The quote has been amended.
Apart from Koch’s harsh characterization of the Native American community, there was another troubling element to Charles Koch’s comment that a reader unfamiliar with Koch’s history might have missed. Fortunately, FTreader’s comment on the article brought that issue to the forefront.
FTreader
It is incredibly ironic that Charles Koch would criticize "the way we’ve treated Native Americans" when the company he controls was found liable, by a jury, for stealing millions of dollars of oil from Indian lands while he was CEO. Koch ended up settling the False Claims Act case after the jury verdict. See the Bloomberg article entitled "Koch Brothers Flout Law Getting Richer With Iran Sales" for more about the "Koch Method."
The comments below that describe Koch as a "hero and a patriot" must be from people that don't know the his history. His own brother described Koch Industries, under his leadership, as "(o)rganized crime. And management driven from the top down." See the CBS News article entitled "Blood and Oil."
And, if you want to learn even more about the history of the company Charles Koch runs, read the Rolling Stone article entitled "Inside the Koch Brothers' Toxic Empire." Evidently, "Koch Industries pleaded guilty to five felonies in federal court, including conspiracy to commit fraud."
Don't fall for the warm and fuzzy act. Regardless of your politics, if you still think Charles Koch is a "hero and a patriot" after learning more about him, then you are as irredeemable as Charles Koch, himself.
Maybe the plight of Native Americans would be a bit less “hopeless” if Charles Koch’s company hadn’t stolen millions of dollars of oil from Indian lands.
For more background on Charles Koch and Koch Industries, you can read the sources mentioned in the comment:
Koch Brothers Flout Law Getting Richer With Iran Sales
Blood and Oil
Inside the Koch Brothers’ Toxic Empire