Saturday, January 29, 2011

Remember: Sun. rally at Koch secret mtg

Just a reminder that if you live in Southern California, you can show your disgust for the union-busting billionaire Koch brothers on Sunday. They're holding their semi-annual secret meeting at a lavish resort in Rancho Mirage.  Purpose of the meeting: figuring out how to get richer by helping the government destroy the middle class.

According to The Guardian, 
...they will share ideas about how to tighten their grip on politics and the judiciary by shaping election campaigns...
What's scary about these billionaires is that last year's Supreme Court Citizens United decision made them more powerful than ever. They can now give unlimited amounts of money -- secretly -- to their favorite politicians (that includes Supreme Court justices, btw). 

Here's what else is scary about them, according to the Sierra Club's Michael Brune in the San Francisco Chronicle:
What's different about the Kochs is that they subscribe to a radical libertarian philosophy that opposes any governmental safeguards to protect people or the environment. It's a grim vision of our country that few Americans would ever subscribe to if they could see it plainly, and yet -- thanks to the brothers' enormous wealth -- it's had an out-sized effect on both our government and our public discourse. It's like a hidden riptide that keeps pulling you out to sea no matter how hard you strike toward the shore.
If you can't go to the rally, you can join the Sierra Club's anti-Koch Facebook campaign here.  And you can watch a livestreamed panel discussion beforehand here

Here are the details of the rally, brought to you by The Desert Sun:

Protesters of the Koch Industries gathering will rally at 1 p.m. Sunday at The River in Rancho Mirage.

The “Uncloaking the Kochs” event will be held in the parking lots closest to the Rancho Las Palmas Resort, where the invite-only Koch event is taking place.

Koch officials have not released any details about the conference.

Officials are planning for as many as 1,000 protesters. Parts of Rancho Las Palmas Drive may be blocked off to accommodate the crowd.