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.
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?
Exclusive: Koch Industries Promises To Double Money Raised This Weekend, 40% Of Donors Will Be New
H/T ThinkProgress
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.
I would like to see for once in my lifetime, that the working americans might Win a round….
What a word of the day!
And who offers up the gains to be collected?
Check out this handy tool…. Mad Billionaires Disease
Koch timeline
http://other98.com/2011/01/21/infographic-mad-billionaires-disease/
Pretty good Patsy, Thanks.
Thanks, Patsy! Lotsa rotten fruit on that family tree. 🙁
Indeed!!! I totally Agree…..
By jove, you’ve got it, KB!
Would never see that on Faux newz…. Have a Great Evening kesmarn…. =)
You too, KB!
Patsy, just added the graphic to your comment, it is pretty cool. They’ve circulated a draft of it around the coalition previously, looks even better now!
I’ll have to add a number of links and graphics later about this rally, it has picked up a lot of steam and attention, including BS from Politico that protesting the Kochs is only helping them.
Politico is such a GOP tool.
Anyway, more later…
I have tweeted the page a couple times and added a link back to here. If I see a post having anything to do with the Kochs or Scalia and Thomas, I tweet it with a link. 😉 Who knows if it gets clicked, but it’s out there. Maybe yelling in a forest.
http://bit.ly/f6SiYy or for the Common Cause page http://bit.ly/hJFpyu
AdLib and Patsy–outstanding.
I really am trying to focus on unity but Huffington Post is really testing me.
There is an article posted there today on this Koch rally, though I have the URL, there is no blurb or link to it on any page I could find, it has been buried away from view.
Add to that, there is a defeatist comment on it that says it’s too late, we’re doomed, nothing we can do about the wealthy owning us, just give up and don’t bother trying to do anything about it.
I responded to say that previous generations fought long odds to gain independence from England and defeat the Nazis and if they had that same attitude, we might still be a colony but under a Nazi regime. I concluded by saying that we have to fight for what’s important.
The article is under full moderation and my comment was deleted instead of being posted. The defeatist comment remains proudly displayed.
I would have expected no different treatment of comments with the same sentiments at FoxNews.com.
AdLib–I meant to mention this the other day:
I posted the info and links to the rally on HP and got several positive comments. Also asked people to pass it on and several said they would. I was surprised they let me post it on so many threads.
Cher – Very pleased to hear that!
I really WANT to be able to work with our friends and colleagues at HP to come together and this news is encouraging.
I just don’t understand the push-me-pull-you there over the same expressions of unity and fighting for our democracy but I am glad that your sharing this info was positively received.
The smaller stuff doesn’t matter to me in the long run, the ultimate goal is what matters, coming together and taking back control of our democracy.
I have been very turned off by the posts on HP, but then I remind myself of the hours I spent up to the midterms, where I actually managed to change a FEW minds. People told me that–that they were re-thinking staying home, and maybe even more didn’t admit it. I also know there are more people who read the comments and don’t post at all. Plus, whenever I post something rational and refute the headline, I get tons of good responses. Maybe those people are just not as articulate in their reasonableness as the short, drive-by disgruntalists.
Also, I RARELY respond to anyone– just post what I have to say and basically leave, and only glance at replies much later. It saves my sanity. I endure HP rather than enjoy it, but I post there because of the eyes. And it’s always fun putting down Arianna and the site itself. LOTS of people there feel the same.
Don’t give up!
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!
Cheers Escribacat! Their days of being the secret power behind the RW curtain will soon be over! It should be pretty cool!
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.
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.
Thanks so much Boomer, I know you’d be there if you could!
It’s quite a burden, time-wise and financially for most to be able to make it but I wanted to encourage those who might be able to make it, to try and do so.
Otherwise, I know the strong values and principles you have as well as our fellow Planeteers and GROW folk, we’ll have more opportunities in the near future to take action together and I’m looking forward to it! Cheers!
Excellent, AdLib and everyone involved.
This is what I have been tweeting
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
Well done Bito, thanks so much!!!
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!!
Thanks MW! We’ll be reporting back with all the details!
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.
Sorry to hear about your husband’s father, my Great Aunt had Alzheimer’s, I had to care for her a bit, I fully understand. If possible, would be great to see you there!
Thanks for sending the emails and yes, absolutely, please do encourage folks to join GROW by emailing me: admin@planetpov.com.
Choicelady was the one who brought GROW to the table on this, she’s just simply amazing! And, we have more on our GROW plate after this event so if people are tired of just watching tv and blogging and are ready to take real action to turn things around, we would be thrilled to have them join GROW.
FYI, a Facebook page has now been set up for GROW and everyone is invited to join/add it to their Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LeftAction?v=wall#!/pages/GROW-Grass-Roots-Over-Washington/147034195350609
Keep me updated!
So sorry to hear about your father-in-law Cher, I’ll include him in my prayers.
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.
No worries Kes, it’s a long shot for anyone too far outside of the area to be able to work it out and make it.
However, you are making a valuable contribution to this effort by spreading the word and trying to help build turnout.
Thanks so much!
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.
Kalima, your support is invaluable! We will indeed make a point to them about what a democracy really is and who’s supposed to run it. Cheers!