This weekend, the Koch Brothers are orchestrating a secretive meeting in Palm Springs with fellow billionaires, CEOs, Right Wing operatives and possibly Supreme Court justices to draw up their latest plans to further buy off and take over our democracy.

First, why should you care, who are the Kochs and what are they up to? Here’s a brief overview:

In 2006, Koch Industries owner Charles Koch revealed to the Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore that he coordinates the funding of the conservative infrastructure of front groups, political campaigns, think tanks, media outlets and other anti-government efforts through a twice annual meeting of wealthy right-wing donors.

He also confided to Moore, who is funded through several of Koch’s ventures, that his true goal is to strengthen the “culture of prosperity” by eliminating “90%” of all laws and government regulations.

Recently, fronts funded by Charles and his brother David have received scrutiny because they have played a pivotal role in the organizing of the anti-Obama Tea Parties and the promotion of virulent far right lawmakers like Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/20/beck-koch-chamber-meeting/

The Kochs and their cronies brought us the Tea Party (which they conceived of and funded), the fraudulent and lying opposition to Health Care Reform and the current push to repeal it, the GOP’s takeover of the House, the war against climate change/mine safety/anti-pollution, defunding the safety net for Americans, tax cuts for the wealthy, the Citizens United ruling, and much more.

Such a conference was held last year, attended by Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas…who delivered the Citizens United ruling sought and exploited by the Kochs.

In response to this latest Koch Klan Meeting at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort in Rancho Mirage (in the Palm Springs area), a coalition of Progressive organizations have banded together to expose the Kochs and their devastating, anti-democratic agenda. Progressives and moderates of all kinds will be coming together for actions and activities that will be taking place at the same time and in the same vicinity of the Koch’s conspiratorial conclave.

The participating groups include:

(Our own action group) GROW
California Council of Churches IMPACT
Common Cause
Courage Campaign
California Nurses Association
CA State Labor Fed
CREDO
Poder Popular
California Coalition for Civil Rights
Health Care for America Now
California Student Sustainability Coalition
Code Pink
Democratic Women of the Desert
Ruckus Society
350.org
The Billionaires

You are enthusiastically invited to join us, here are the details:

DATE: Sunday, January 30, 2011
TIME: 1pm – 4pm
PLACE: Meet at Rancho Las Palmas & Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage, CA
CLICK BELOW TO CONFIRM YOUR ATTENDANCE:
http://www.commoncause.org/KochRally&msource=EEW1101KOGOW
(and select “Grassroots Over Washington” as the group that referred you).

Buses have been arranged, coming from various locations in Southern California but space is limited so please use the link above ASAP and you can reserve a seat if you’d like to.
View Larger Map

If you can’t attend, you can still make a valuable contribution to this effort by sharing the link above and spreading the word about this event by email, Twitter, Facebook and posts and comments around the internet.

Here is an overview of the actions that are taking place:

11:00 am – 12:45 pm – Common Cause hosts a panel featuring:

Robert Reich – the former Labor Secretary
Erwin Chemerinsky – UC Irvine Law Dean
Lee Fang – Center for American Progress blogger and Koch Brothers expert
Van Jones – Founder and Former President of Green for All,
DeAnn McKewan – California Nurses Association Co-President.

Speakers will shine the light on the Koch’s Billionaires Caucus agenda and discuss what can be done to restore the voices of ordinary Americans.

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Join a large coalition of organizations for a peaceful rally in Rancho Mirage to talk about the sickness, the diagnosis and the cure for America’s democracy.

We sign petitions and blog but here is an opportunity to really do something, I hope you’ll join me in supporting this action which will also be a fun and exciting opportunity to connect in person with members of major Progressive organizations and many like-minded folks.

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boomer1949
Member

I really, really wish (OMG,I wish), I could be there with those of you closer to the action or with bigger paychecks than mine to cover expenses. 😆

My hope is MSM will put all of you “protesters” on tee-vee. 😆
However, I am not holding my breath. Then again, stranger things have happened, and as kalima has said in the past, “my fingers and toes crossed”.

My biggest question is this: who from the SCOTUS will check in and receive a name tag? The fact any sitting SCJ shows up at ANY of these orchestrated “events” makes me want to puke. How the hell do these guys sleep at night? Seriously…how do they?

Why do we continue to allow this crap to happen?

So much for the FAIR interpretation of the Constitution and the legislated Law of the Land. What a fucking joke.

Do they really think the majority of us are on drugs or what?

Signed, sealed, delivered? Go fucking figure…and this has absolutely nothing to do with our POTUS or his family;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inXC_lab-34

Anyone with the balls to show up at ANY Koch Event has been bought and paid for; nothing beats cash under the table or hidden corporate contributions.

PS – anyone notice GWB is “finished” with politics? The man and his Administration should be, should have been, called to task for how each and everyone of them SCREWED us, who PAID his salary.

Nancy really pissed me off with this one. Makes me wonder what would have happened in November if she had left it ON the table?

bito
Member

Exclusive: Koch Industries Promises To Double Money Raised This Weekend, 40% Of Donors Will Be New

Earlier today, the National Review reported that Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) will address the meeting on Republican legislative strategy. Notably, Cantor has taken an active role in Republican efforts to defund financial reform — specifically the new regulations designed to oversee the trillion-dollar derivatives market (Koch Industries speculates on a number of commodities using complex derivatives, and other Koch attendee members represent hedge funds and other financial industries opposed to new Dodd-Frank regulations).

H/T ThinkProgress

choicelady
Member

Daddy made his fortune building for Joe STALIN? Doens’t that make them “crypto pinko commies”???? Where do they draw the line – they make big bucks making the USSR more self sufficient, but anyone wanting to improve health care is treasonous??? I will lay odds they went waaaaay Right because they got scared they’d be hauled up under HUAC. It’s like Phred Felps denying his gay tendencies. Overcompensation.

These are disgusting people. They will pay NO attention to us other than to gin up the fervor to do us in, but maybe the people will figure out these dudes have us by the throat and that we’ve been flimflammed.

Or not. Americans have a creepy fascination with creepy rich people.

We will see what – and who – prevails.

KB723
Guest
KB723

I would like to see for once in my lifetime, that the working americans might Win a round….

bito
Member

What a word of the day!

Word of the Day for Thursday, January 27, 2011

jobbery \JOB-uh-ree\, noun:

The conduct of public or official business for the sake of improper
private gain.

And who offers up the gains to be collected?

PatsyT
Member

Check out this handy tool…. Mad Billionaires Disease
Koch timeline

koch

http://other98.com/2011/01/21/infographic-mad-billionaires-disease/

bito
Member

Pretty good Patsy, Thanks.

kesmarn
Admin

Thanks, Patsy! Lotsa rotten fruit on that family tree. 🙁

KB723
Guest
KB723

Indeed!!! I totally Agree…..

kesmarn
Admin

By jove, you’ve got it, KB!

KB723
Guest
KB723

Would never see that on Faux newz…. Have a Great Evening kesmarn…. =)

kesmarn
Admin

You too, KB!

escribacat
Member

Adlib, This sounds fantastic. It’s important to let those “back room power brokers” know that they’re being watched, at least. I wish I could be there! It sounds like a hoot!

Khirad
Member

Me too, but what would have been a pretty iffy trip before is considerably longer now, so I’ll have to be there in spirit, even if I do know where Bob Hope Dr. is.

That’d be a blast to have a drink with you guys though.

boomer1949
Member

I wish I could be there. I had such great hopes a month ago, including possibly working something out with kes. Well I am broke (or at least when it comes to travel)and she has to work.

I hope this spreads like wildfire, and given it is the first installment to many more events, you can count on me to show up somewhere in the future.

bito
Member

Excellent, AdLib and everyone involved.
This is what I have been tweeting

The Koch Brothers are holding a secretive meeting http://bit.ly/f6SiYy Uncloaking the Kochs http://bit.ly/hJFpyu Scalia w/Thomas R U?

Please feel free to improve and retweet.

two more tweets:
ddoorn Don Doornbos
RT @FreakOutNation: Just How Many Supreme Court Justices Have Ties To The Koch Brothers? #p2 #p2b http://is.gd/RzMEnT
~~~~~~~~~
bmangh Bharat Manghnani
Help Stop the Koch Brothers and Glenn Beck shar.es/31eEu

Mightywoof
Member

Speaking truth is the only big stick you’ll ever need! Good luck to any and all of you at this event – give ’em heck!!

Chernynkaya
Member

AdLib– I have delayed committing to this because my husband’s father is very ill with Alzheimers, and we have been holding off until we know if we have to leave for Honolulu this weekend. It’s a 50/50 chance we will be going. BUT. I must tell you, barring that, I will be there. I have already sent emails about the event, but if you don’t mind I will re-send them and ask people to come as part of GROW?

I give you and C’Lady and whomever else so much credit and admiration for DOING THIS! I am proud to know you guys.

Kalima
Admin

So sorry to hear about your father-in-law Cher, I’ll include him in my prayers.

kesmarn
Admin

AdLib, thanks so much for getting this info out there. I wish I could make the trek to CA (for many reasons), but I am scheduled to work next weekend.

I did post the link and info publicly for my friends who either live closer or have better travel options.

Give ’em hell! — or at least, as Harry said, speak the truth and they’ll think it’s hell.

Kalima
Admin

And so at last the fight begins. Good luck to all of you, and may your voices be heard loud and clear. They need to be stopped. They need to be exposed before they can be allowed to steal any more freedom and money from the American people. Go stick a spoke in their dirty wheels.