I'm all over that!
Some folks may have heard me mention the Koch brothers, two of the richest men in the world, but do they know WHY I keep slagging these guys? It's not because they're filthy rich, or because I'm jealous of their "business acumen". I put that in quotes, incidentally, because the things they do to further their business interests are not what I'd call acumen I'd want to learn. Ugh. It's because they're filthy Climate-Change deniers, environmental felons, shady businessmen, the true founders of the Tea Party, supporters of the Libertarian Party (and, no, they aren't as freedom-loving and good as they claim--these guys like Ayn Rand and her trash-"philosophy" of Objectivism, which is just another term for outright selfishness), supporters of the John Birch Society (which their father helped to create), huge polluters with no real regard for human life and they are buying the U.S. government in chunks--usually folks in the Republican Party. (I'm sure they "own" some Democrats, too)
More after the deliciously non-food, wiggly Cheeto.
Well, if anyone ever wanted to know just what these guys are guilty of, try reading this long and frighteningly informative article about the family and their nefarious dealings where they fuck everything over, even the planet, for more and more and MORE money. Another diarist has linked folks to this article (Tommymac, thanks for writing about it!), but continuing the signal-boost couldn't hurt.
UPDATE: Just to show you what assholes these guys really are, they posted an attack on the author of the RS piece. Not taking that shit sitting down, Tim Dickinson responds quite handily to their butt-covering. I love this stuff, I really do, because the more they deny and obfuscate, the more people will dig up and wave in their faces. They must face what they've done and they MUST get their dirty money out of our politics!
This event is old, and they've since changed their meeting-place to who-knows-where, but my husband and I were at this protest and watched the 25 protesters get arrested, Andrew Bratbert-er-Breitbart buzzing through the crowd on roller skates asking questions he could later twist into one of his idiot attack videos and I was generally enjoying myself beyond belief as I saw the Kochs standing on the top of the building's patio, looking down at us. Some say they weren't worried, but I think they were: why else have a double row of police standing there in helmets and carrying clubs?
This chart looks complex and it's really too big (I think) to paste in here, so go look at this thing, it's fucking INSANE, and will give you a decent overview of what they're involved in. Exxon is on this map, but, as far as I know, the Kochs don't own them, though they probably want to.
Just to let you know, I actually knew of some of this shit, but even I was surprised at the sheer extent of their monetary evil. There is a reason why many activists call them the "Kochtopus". Read on, if you dare, and if their actions piss you off as much as they do me and other people who desire real social justice and change, FIGHT them. Learn what they own, what companies sell the products you might unknowingly use every day and boycott them. Don't buy their stuff. Don't support any of their MANY shadow organizations that masquerade under names like the Heartland Institute, Citizens for a Sound Economy, or the many that use the words "freedom" or "American Values" or what have you. A simple Google search will turn up a lot of them.
Here's a few to start you off:
Along with the already mentioned Citizens For A Sound Economy and The Heartland Institute, there is:
-the Cato Institute,
-Freedom Works,
-Americans For Limited Government,
-The 60 Plus Association,
-Americans For Prosperity (this is where the Tea Party came from),
-Independent Women's Forum (HA!),
-American Council on Science and Health,
-Center for the Study Of CO2 and Global Change (Climate deniers using junk-science to claim Climate Change is a hoax),
-Students In Free Enterprise,
-The Federalist Society,
-Mercatus Center,
-Institute for Justice...
Really too many to list, it just goes on and on. The chart I linked to from the Democratic Underground will show you the rest. Incidentally, there's a neat letter from Bernie Sanders on their front page that's worth reading, too.
An interesting timeline of their activities in politics over the years as presented by the New Yorker Magazine in 2010. It has a lot of the same info that the Rolling Stone article recaps. I say the media should keep on these guys and ride them HARD.
Cool site with articles and lists of what they own..
Quickie overview of some companies they own:
-Georgia Pacific: makers of wood products, like plywood sold at Home Depot. Ask Home Depot not to sell Koch products.
-Dixie: paper manufacturer (the famous Dixie Cups). Do the same here, don't buy, and ask retailers not to stock them.
-Angel Soft: tissue paper company. Ditto.
-Molex: electronics components maker that supplies parts for cell phones, including selling to Apple. Go get 'em!
-Lycra, which is going to be a pain for me, since I make clothing. Time to find a suitable knock-off.
-There are many more, and again, a Google search can turn up their names so you can act against them.
These creeps are:
-anti-environment
-anti-wealth distribution
-anti-gay
-anti-gay marriage
-anti-people of colour
-anti-solar or other alternative energy sources
-anti-accountability
-anti-any practice that might follow a real law that might somehow cut into their enormous bottom line.
This is why I hate them.