{"id":8944,"date":"2016-04-21T03:21:05","date_gmt":"2016-04-21T09:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/frankschaeffer\/?p=8944"},"modified":"2016-04-21T03:21:05","modified_gmt":"2016-04-21T09:21:05","slug":"in-case-you-were-wondering-yes-the-koch-brothers-really-are-a-creation-busting-god-hating-threat-to-love-life-and-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/frankschaeffer\/2016\/04\/in-case-you-were-wondering-yes-the-koch-brothers-really-are-a-creation-busting-god-hating-threat-to-love-life-and-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"In case you were wondering&#8230; yes the KOCH BROTHERS really are a Creation-Busting God-Hating Threat to Love, Life and Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><h1><strong>Given what the Koch\u2019s do \u2014 when it comes to raping our planet and trying to buy our political system \u2014 accepting Koch money and then naming buildings for them, is like naming a building for a serial killer.<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h1><strong>It\u2019s not surprising to learn that the Koch brothers and other wealthy,<\/strong> ultra-conservative industrialists are funding efforts to roll back conservation measures across the American west.<\/h1>\n<h1>What is surprising is that the Koch brothers still can give money to places like Harvard and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and have\u00a0their names put in otherwise respectable institutions.<\/h1>\n<p>As the <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2016\/apr\/20\/koch-brothers-grand-canyon-national-monument-plan-uranium\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Guardian<\/a><\/em> noted, \u201clots of American industrialists have skeletons in the family closet.\u201d But Charles and David Koch, however, are in a league of their own.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-2 | 1\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item \">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/6c80d53d3f72ddc05b7b7aa04957951208450648\/0_201_3000_1799\/master\/3000.jpg?w=460&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=c0e420402dc6c19d71e01565d7c2039d\" alt=\"\"><\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\u00a0The father of these famous right wing billionaires was Fred Koch, who started his fortune with $500,000 received from Stalin for his assistance constructing 15 oil refineries in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. A couple of years later, his company, Winkler-Koch, helped the Nazis complete <a class=\"u-underline decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/fortune.com\/2016\/01\/14\/executive-disputes-role-of-koch-brothers-father-in-nazi-oil-refinery\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"in-body-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">their third-largest oil refinery<\/a>. The facility produced hundreds of thousands of gallons of high-octane fuel for the Luftwaffe, until it was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1944.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<blockquote><p>In 1938, the patriarch wrote that \u201cthe only sound countries in the world are Germany, Italy and Japan\u201d. To make sure his children got the right ideas, he hired a German nanny. The nanny was such a fervent Nazi that when France fell in 1940, she resigned and returned to Germany. After that, Fred became the main disciplinarian, whipping his children with belts and tree branches.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>These are just a handful of the many bombshells exploded in the pages of <a class=\"u-underline decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Dark-Money-History-Billionaires-Radical\/dp\/0307970655\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"in-body-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Dark Money<\/a>, Jane Mayer\u2019s indispensable new history \u201cof the billionaires behind the rise of the radical right\u201d in the US.<\/p>\n<p>A veteran investigative reporter and <a class=\"u-underline decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/contributors\/jane-mayer\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"in-body-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">a staff writer for the New Yorker<\/a>, Mayer has combined her own research with the work of scores of other investigators, to describe how the Kochs and fellow billionaires like Richard Scaife have spent hundreds of millions to \u201cmove their political ideas from the fringe to the center of American political life\u201d.<\/p>\n<h1>Twenty years after collaborating with the Nazis, Fred Koch had lost none of his taste for extremism. In 1958, he was one of the 11 original members of the John Birch Society, an organization which accused scores of prominent Americans, including President Dwight Eisenhower, of communist sympathies.<\/h1>\n<p>In 1960, Koch wrote: \u201cThe colored man looms large in the Communist plan to take over America.\u201d He strongly supported the movement to impeach chief justice Earl Warren, after the supreme court voted to desegregate public schools in Brown v Board of Education. His sons became Birchers too, although Charles was more enamored of \u201cantigovernment economic writers\u201d than communist conspiracies.<\/p>\n<p>After their father died, Charles and David bought out their brothers\u2019 shares in the family company, then built it into the second largest privately held corporation in America.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs their fortunes grew, Charles and David Koch became the primary underwriters of hard line libertarian politics in America,\u201d Mayer writes. Charles\u2019s goal was to \u201ctear the government out \u2018at the root\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here is another news item from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2016\/apr\/20\/koch-brothers-grand-canyon-national-monument-plan-uranium\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Guardian<\/em> <\/a>that makes the point\u2026 again.<\/p>\n<p>And there could be literally hundreds more pieces of evidence in a case that history will make against these two men.\u00a0Below that is an article about their means and methods related to a book that has torn off their mask.<\/p>\n<p>All this information is public record. It is just stunning to see it drawn together. Yes, there are some really wicked people out there doing really terrible things.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Billionaire businessmen Charles and David Koch are channeling money into an Arizona-based organization that\u2019s fighting a plan that would include a permanent ban on uranium mining around the Grand Canyon.<\/p>\n<p>A proposal to declare the area around the Grand Canyon a national monument \u2013 Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument \u2013 calls for protecting 1.7m acres of land from uranium mining. A number of environmental groups and native tribes as well as the vast majority of Arizonans support the plan.<\/p>\n<p>Still, a handful of Arizona Republicans and a major not-for-profit group are trying to block it. Much of the group\u2019s efforts apparently are being funded by the <a class=\"u-underline decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/koch-brothers\" data-link-name=\"auto-linked-tag\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Koch brothers<\/a>, according to Greg Zimmerman of the Center for Western Priorities.<\/p>\n<p>Zimmerman told the <a class=\"u-underline decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.phoenixnewtimes.com\/news\/koch-brothers-help-fund-anti-grand-canyon-monument-pro-uranium-mining-efforts-in-arizona-tax-documents-show-8222461\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"in-body-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Phoenix New Times<\/a> he became suspicious about the Koch brothers\u2019 involvement with the anti-Grand Canyon national monument movement after reading a recent <a class=\"u-underline decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.azchamber.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/policybrief_az-3.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"in-body-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">report<\/a> co-authored by the Arizona Chamber Foundation and another Arizona-based group called the Prosper Foundation. The report referred to the plan as a \u201cmonumental mistake\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Interested in learning more about the Prosper Foundation, Zimmerman looked through its 990 tax forms, which not-for-profit groups must file with the Internal Revenue Service. He found that between 2013 and 2014, the foundation received more than $1.5m \u2013 or 83% of its total budget \u2013 from a political-advocacy organization called American Encore.<\/p>\n<p>Sean Noble, a political consultant who has deep ties to the Koch brothers, leads American Encore. The organization is formerly known as the Center to Protect Patient Rights. It changed its name in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>Zimmerman discovered that a donor from the Koch brothers\u2019 funding network was funneling money into the Prosper Foundation, so the group could continue its on-the-ground campaign to block the Grand Canyon national monument plan.\u00a0We know that these anti-public land efforts have a lot of money behind them siad\u00a0<cite class=\"pullquote-cite\">Greg Zimmerman<\/cite><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI wish I could say I was surprised by this, but honestly I wasn\u2019t,\u201d Zimmerman said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know that these anti-public land efforts have a lot of money behind them,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising to learn that the Koch brothers and other wealthy, ultra-conservative industrialists are funding these efforts to roll back conservation measures across the American west.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Messages to Prosper Foundation and American Encore were not immediately returned on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Zimmerman\u2019s discovery comes a few months after the release of a <a class=\"u-underline decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.grandcanyontrust.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2016_Grand_Canyon_National_Monument_Poll.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"in-body-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">poll<\/a> by the Grand Canyon Trust that found 80% of Arizona voters are in favor of the Grand Canyon national monument plan.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"main-container container-fluid\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<section id=\"page-content\" class=\"col-sm-9\">\n<div class=\"region region-content\">\n<section id=\"block-system-main\" class=\"block block-system clearfix\">\n<article id=\"node-657875\" class=\"node node-blog clearfix\">\n<p class=\"bd-headline left\">As\u00a0<a class=\"author-link decorated-link\" href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/authors\/denise-robbins\/239\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">DENISE ROBBINS<\/a>\u00a0writes in <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/blog\/2016\/02\/17\/new-book-exposes-koch-brothers-guide-to-infiltr\/208612\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">MEDIA MATTERS<\/a><\/strong> (As <time datetime=\"2016-02-17T13:42:49-05:00\">February 17, 2016 1:42 PM EST) a<\/time>\u00a0key element of the Koch brothers\u2019 strategy is influencing the media. (Reprinted here in full by permission.)<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p>Through media, they have advanced their political and ideological goals and attacked those who stand in their way. The Koch brothers and their network have paid conservative media figures to promote their message, bankrolled front groups that run aggressive anti-environmental media campaigns, and even created their own right-wing \u201cnews\u201d outlets. Meanwhile, they\u2019ve garnered some favorable mainstream media coverage by tightly controlling reporter access to their summits and other events, while attacking and otherwise intimidating journalists who dare to shine a light on their activities.<\/p>\n<p>Here is how the Koch brothers and their network have infiltrated the media:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/blog\/2016\/02\/17\/new-book-exposes-koch-brothers-guide-to-infiltr\/208612#echochamber\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Buying A Conservative Media Echo Chamber<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/blog\/2016\/02\/17\/new-book-exposes-koch-brothers-guide-to-infiltr\/208612#outlets\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Creating Their Own Media Outlets<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/blog\/2016\/02\/17\/new-book-exposes-koch-brothers-guide-to-infiltr\/208612#frontgroups\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Funding Front Groups That Run Deceptive Media Campaigns<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/blog\/2016\/02\/17\/new-book-exposes-koch-brothers-guide-to-infiltr\/208612#access\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Tightly Controlling Reporter Access To Their Events And Activities<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/blog\/2016\/02\/17\/new-book-exposes-koch-brothers-guide-to-infiltr\/208612#intimidation\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Intimidating Journalists Who Seek To Uncover Their True Agenda<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cloudfront.mediamatters.org\/static\/uploader\/image\/2016\/02\/17\/kochstep1ff.jpg\" alt=\"step1\" width=\"645\" height=\"278\"><\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstead of earning the media, they were paying for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is how former Republican Rep. Dick Armey of Texas described the activities of the Koch front group he once chaired. Indeed, Mayer lays out several ways that Koch-backed front groups have spent money to create a \u201cnational echo chamber\u201d in the conservative media. Most notably, she highlights two Koch-backed organizations that directly paid conservative pundits to promote the Koch agenda on air.<\/p>\n<p>The first group is FreedomWorks, which <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kochfacts.com\/kf\/koch-and-americans-for-prosperitycitizens-for-a-sound-economy\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">originated<\/a> from the Koch-founded Citizens for a Sound Economy. Mayer reported that FreedomWorks \u201cquietly cemented a deal\u201d in 2011 with Glenn Beck, who was a Fox News host at the time. Beck read \u201cembedded content\u201d written by FreedomWorks staff in exchange for an annual payment \u201cthat eventually topped $1 million.\u201d Mayer further explained: \u201cThey told him what to say on the air, and he blended the promotional material seamlessly into his monologue, making it sound as if it were his own opinion.\u201d Because of this deal, <em>Politico <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/stories\/0611\/56997_Page2.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">reported<\/a>, FreedomWorks saw \u201c50,000 new email sign-ups.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Americans for Prosperity (AFP) \u2014 the other Koch front group that formed out of Citizens for a Sound Economy and has <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/research\/2015\/07\/31\/media-disclosure-guide-here-are-the-industry-fu\/204708#afp\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">received<\/a> significant funding from Koch foundations \u2014 forged a contract with conservative radio host Mark Levin to promote AFP\u2019s attacks on climate scientist Michael Mann, thereby \u201ccopying the deal that FreedomWorks had struck with Glenn Beck.\u201d Levin attacked Mann and other climate scientists, Mayer wrote, accusing \u201cenviro-statists\u201d of \u201cinventing global warming in order to justify a tyrannical government takeover.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the deals between Koch front groups and conservative pundits that are identified in Mayer\u2019s book, the Heritage Foundation, which has received <a href=\"http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/global-warming\/climate-deniers\/front-groups\/the-heritage-foundation\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">millions<\/a> from Koch foundations, has spent millions to sponsor the radio shows of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2011\/06\/top-radio-talkers-sell-endorsements-056997?o=0\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Politico<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the central group in the Kochs\u2019 financial network, <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/research\/2015\/11\/17\/pro-koch-cbs-analyst-received-15-million-from-t\/206918\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">paid<\/a>Republican strategist Frank Luntz\u2019s firm $1.5 million for messaging work in 2014. Luntz then used his media platform as an analyst at CBS News to praise the Kochs and defend their spending without disclosing his own financial ties to them.<\/p>\n<p>And in 2011, Koch Industries hired Republican political operative Michael Goldfarb to improve the company\u2019s image while Goldfarb was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/conservative-free-beacon-fronts-taiwan-lobby\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">working<\/a> as opinion editor for the conservative magazine <em>The Weekly Standard<\/em>. Shortly thereafter, <em>T<\/em><em>he <\/em><em>Weekly <\/em><em>Standard<\/em> published a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/article\/paranoid-style-liberal-politics\/555525?nopager=1\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">long piece<\/a> defending the Kochs, which was <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/media\/2011\/03\/28\/153696\/koch-weekly-standard\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">described<\/a> by investigative reporter Lee Fang in a Think Progress piece as \u201c8,000 words of hagiography.\u201d Goldfarb is still<a href=\"http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/about\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">listed<\/a> as one of <em>T<\/em><em>he<\/em> <em>Weekly <\/em>Standard\u2019s contributing editors, and the conservative magazine has published<a href=\"http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/all-in-the-family\/article\/2000603\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">several<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/koch-biographer-jane-mayers-strange-denials-of-her-family-nazi-connections\/article\/2000752\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">articles<\/a> in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.weeklystandard.com\/new-york-times-reporter-attacks-koch-bros.-fails-to-disclose-conflicts-of-interest\/article\/2000558\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">recent<\/a> weeks criticizing Jane Mayer and her book.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cloudfront.mediamatters.org\/static\/uploader\/image\/2016\/02\/17\/kochstep2ff.jpg\" alt=\"step2\" width=\"645\" height=\"274\"><\/p>\n<p>The Koch brothers and their network have had a hand in creating several \u201cnews\u201d outlets that echo the Kochs\u2019 conservative, anti-government message: The Daily Caller, The Washington Free Beacon, and the Franklin Center.<\/p>\n<p>The Daily Caller was founded by financial investor Foster Friess, a major Koch donor who has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.publicintegrity.org\/2012\/01\/16\/7880\/wyoming-billionaire-pledges-half-million-dollar-matching-contribution-santorum-super\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">attended<\/a> many of the Kochs\u2019 annual summits and donated at least $1 million to conservative causes that the Kochs support. Friess provided $3 million in seed funding to The Daily Caller, a conservative website which, according to Mayer, has \u201cfunctioned more as an outlet for opposition research paid for by the donor class.\u201d Charles Koch\u2019s foundation would later back the website, and the Daily Caller News Foundation is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.charleskochinstitute.org\/koch-internship-program\/partner-organizations\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">currently listed<\/a> as a \u201cpartner organization\u201d of the Charles Koch Institute. Tucker Carlson, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Daily Caller, also has other ties to the Kochs: He <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cato.org\/blog\/tucker-carlson-joins-cato-institute\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">joined<\/a> the Cato Institute in 2009, which the Koch brothers co-founded, and he is <a href=\"http:\/\/dev.cato.org\/people\/tucker-carlson\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">currently listed<\/a> as a senior fellow there. The Cato Institute has received millions of dollars from the Koch family, and David Koch currently <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cato.org\/board-of-directors\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">sits<\/a> on Cato\u2019s board of directors. Mayer notes that The Daily Caller was \u201cthe chosen receptacle\u201d for the Kochs\u2019 retaliatory attacks on her after <em>The New Yorker<\/em> published an\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2010\/08\/30\/covert-operations\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">expos\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0she wrote on the Kochs in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>After the Kochs started receiving some bad publicity, Koch Industries hired Michael Goldfarb to improve the company\u2019s image. Later, in 2012, Goldfarb founded The Washington Free Beacon, and he remains its chairman. The website has published <a href=\"http:\/\/freebeacon.com\/issues\/fossil-fuel-hypocrite-mark-ruffalo-attacks-koch-brothers\/%20\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">articles<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/freebeacon.com\/politics\/the-kochs-take-on-politico\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">defending<\/a> the <a href=\"http:\/\/freebeacon.com\/blog\/poll-harry-reids-war-on-the-koch-brothers-is-a-bust\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Kochs<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/freebeacon.com\/issues\/deep-pocketed-donors-behind-campus-anti-koch-movement\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">attacking<\/a> their opponents, advancing the Kochs\u2019 criticisms of <a href=\"http:\/\/freebeacon.com\/politics\/koch-industries-obama-trying-to-chill-free-speech-and-squelch-dissent\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">President Obama <\/a>and <a href=\"http:\/\/freebeacon.com\/politics\/charles-koch-responds-to-dishonest-harry-reid-people-arent-going-to-scare-me-off\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Sen. Harry Reid<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/freebeacon.com\/issues\/koch-brothers-back-criminal-justice-reform-measure\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">promoting<\/a> their agenda. Plus <a href=\"http:\/\/freebeacon.com\/blog\/fact-check-a-koch-brothers-utopia-would-be-like-heaven-on-earth\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">whatever this is<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Franklin Center, which runs Watchdog.org, is the \u201cinvestigative news\u201d service for the State Policy Network, a network of conservative think tanks that are <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/research\/2015\/07\/31\/media-disclosure-guide-here-are-the-industry-fu\/204708#spn\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">largely funded<\/a> by Koch-backed dark money groups DonorsTrust and Donors Capital Fund. The Franklin Center itself received <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/blog\/2013\/02\/22\/franklin-center-top-donor-is-right-wings-dark-m\/192770\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">95 percent<\/a> of its revenue from Donors Trust in 2011, and it was receiving millions from Donors Capital Fund as of 2013. Mayer writes that the Franklin Center frequently \u201cattacked government programs, particularly those initiated by Obama,\u201d adding that it \u201cclaimed to be a neutral public watchdog, but much of its coverage reflected the conservative bent of those behind it.\u201d As Mayer pointed out, a couple of journalists have \u201ct[aken] issue with the Franklin Center\u2019s labeling of its content as \u2018news.'\u201d Yet the Franklin Center continues to reach <a href=\"http:\/\/www.prwatch.org\/news\/2013\/08\/12161\/koch-funded-franklin-center-watchdogs-infiltrate-state-capitols\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">far and wide<\/a>, with 40 state news websites and writers in 34 states as of 2013, and its reporting appearing in state and local newspapers at times.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"frontgroups\" name=\"frontgroups\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cloudfront.mediamatters.org\/static\/uploader\/image\/2016\/02\/17\/kochstep3ff.jpg\" alt=\"step3\" width=\"645\" height=\"324\"><\/h2>\n<p>Key to the Kochs\u2019 success has been the \u201cgrowing fleet of nonprofit groups\u201d that \u201cmobilized public opinion\u201d behind their agenda, writes Mayer, particularly against action on climate change. The Koch brothers \u201chad built and financed a private political machine,\u201d backing \u201c[e]ducational institutions and think tanks all over the country\u201d that \u201cpromoted [their] worldview.\u201d Mayer cited Harvard scholar Theda Skocpol, who noted: \u201cClimate denial got disseminated deliberately and rapidly from think tank tomes to the daily media fare of about thirty to forty percent of the U.S. populace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mayer focused on two organizations in particular: Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the Cato Institute. In addition to \u201cspearhead[ing] a national drive to block action on climate change,\u201d AFP \u201ctook a lead role in organizing the Tea Party rebellion.\u201d But the Kochs insisted that they were not involved in the tea party movement, and as Mayer noted, \u201csuch denials helped shape the early narrative\u201d in the media \u201cof the Tea Party movement as an amateur uprising by ordinary citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Cato Institute, which was <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/research\/2015\/07\/31\/media-disclosure-guide-here-are-the-industry-fu\/204708#cato\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">co-founded<\/a> by the Koch brothers, took a lead role in attacking the scientific consensus on human-caused climate change. Cato published \u201ca steady stream\u201d of misleading reports, which were frequently criticized by experts yet \u201cechoed throughout the network of Koch-funded groups.\u201d Cato also \u201cenergetic[ally]\u201d promoted the faux Climategate scandal \u2014 <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/research\/2011\/08\/08\/we-win-conservative-media-celebrate-public-misc\/182517\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">falsely claiming<\/a> that climate scientists deceitfully manipulated data \u2014 in the mainstream media, where Cato officials were often \u201crespectfully quoted as nonpartisan experts.\u201d One Cato scholar gave more than 20 interviews pushing the contrived scandal, spreading the story \u201cfrom obviously slanted venues to the pages of <em>The New York Times<\/em> and <em>The Washington Post<\/em>, adding mainstream credence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>AFP and Cato have <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/blog\/2015\/10\/02\/newsweek-once-again-fails-to-disclose-an-op-ed\/205940\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">continued<\/a> to <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/blog\/2014\/06\/03\/ap-fails-to-disclose-anti-epa-groups-ties-to-oi\/199568\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">promote<\/a> their anti-environment agenda in the media without disclosing their oil industry ties. And those groups are just the tip of the iceberg; <em>Media Matters <\/em>has identified <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/research\/2015\/07\/31\/media-disclosure-guide-here-are-the-industry-fu\/204708\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">dozens<\/a> of groups backed by fossil fuel interests that are working to attack the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s climate change plan. One tactic commonly employed by these groups is to run <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/research\/2015\/03\/25\/the-koch-brothers-campaign-against-epa-climate\/203041\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">op-ed<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/research\/2014\/12\/02\/these-newspapers-are-helping-the-oil-industrys\/201743\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">campaigns<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/mediamatters.org\/research\/2015\/04\/13\/a-web-of-climate-deception-the-beacon-hill-inst\/203263\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">promoting<\/a> false and misleading attacks on environmental policies in state and local newspapers, as <em>Media Matters<\/em> and <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/climate\/2015\/07\/03\/3676816\/happy-fourth-no-more-national-parks\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">others<\/a> have detailed.<\/p>\n<h2><a id=\"access\" name=\"access\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cloudfront.mediamatters.org\/static\/uploader\/image\/2016\/02\/17\/kochstep4ff.jpg\" alt=\"step4\" width=\"645\" height=\"312\"><\/h2>\n<p>The Kochs\u2019 political activities have largely been \u201cshrouded in secrecy,\u201d writes Mayer, and such secrecy is a key to their success. When they do make media appearances, it is to \u201cportray themselves as disinterested do-gooders and misunderstood social liberals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Kochs\u2019 biannual donor summits, where they have \u201csucceeded in persuading hundreds of the other richest conservatives in the country to give them control over their millions of dollars in contributions,\u201d have historically been closed-door affairs. Only in recent years have the Kochs invited a handful of mainstream media reporters to attend the summits, but just in \u201csnippets,\u201d and under tightly controlled conditions. Reporters had to agree to refrain from identifying conference attendees without their consent or approaching donors for interviews, and they were allowed in to only a select number of sessions, according to a <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/media\/2015\/08\/03\/3687249\/koch-freedom-partners-media-restrictions\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">copy<\/a> of the conditions for the August 2015 summit obtained by ThinkProgress. That summit thereafter received positive coverage in publications including\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2015\/08\/charles-koch-blasts-parties-for-corporate-welfare-120901\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Politico<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2015\/08\/02\/koch-2016-campaign-republicans\/31017189\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>USA Today<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/post-politics\/wp\/2015\/08\/01\/charles-koch-assails-banking-industry-for-embracing-corporate-welfare\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Washington Post<\/a><\/em>, and\u00a0<em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/07\/31\/us\/koch-brothers-brave-spotlight-to-try-to-alter-their-image.html?smid=pl-share\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But these conditions also drew some criticism from media ethicists. Jane Kirtley, professor of media ethics and law at the University of Minnesota\u2019s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/media\/2015\/08\/03\/3687249\/koch-freedom-partners-media-restrictions\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">told<\/a> ThinkProgress that the terms were \u201coutrageous,\u201d and suggested that news organizations should \u201crefuse to attend under these circumstances.\u201d Robert Drechsel, a professor and director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/media\/2015\/08\/03\/3687249\/koch-freedom-partners-media-restrictions\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">found<\/a> it \u201cremarkable\u201d that news organizations \u201cwould agree to in effect become complicit in facilitating such secrecy and anonymity.\u201d Huffington Post media reporter Michael Calderone<a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/media-outlets-koch-brothers_us_55c12a1be4b07146e2fe8f69\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">questioned<\/a> whether the rules \u201cstill allow for reporting in the public\u2019s interest\u201d or are \u201cso rigid that the resulting coverage will primarily benefit the Kochs.\u201d Calderone <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/journalists-private-koch-brothers-donors_us_55bde43ee4b0b23e3ce30e48\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">noted<\/a> in a separate article that the rules \u201ccould restrict journalists from reporting what\u2019s right in front of their eyes,\u201d and that \u201cit\u2019s possible journalists end up reporting largely what the event sponsors want \u2026 but less on the power brokers attending who play key behind-the-scenes roles in the 2016 election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mother Jones\u2019 Daniel Schulman <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/entry\/media-outlets-koch-brothers_us_55c12a1be4b07146e2fe8f69?utm_hp_ref=koch-brothers\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">told<\/a> Calderone that the rules allow the Kochs to \u201cclosely control their images.\u201d And indeed, at the most recent conference, Undercurrent\u2019s Lauren Windsor <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/lauren-windsor\/i-tried-to-cover-the-secr_b_9126876.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">overheard<\/a> that a <em>USA Today<\/em>reporter was \u201cprepped\u201d by the Koch\u2019s communication staff hours before an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2016\/01\/29\/koch-brothers-push-poverty-education-societal-change--initiative-republican\/79468744\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">article<\/a> was published that Windsor said \u201cdutifully relayed Koch talking points\u201d about the new Koch group that is purportedly aiming to address poverty and education. Bloomberg News was recently prompted by a Koch spokesperson to remove a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/blogs\/erik-wemple\/wp\/2016\/02\/03\/did-bloomberg-bury-a-big-scoop-about-the-kochs-position-on-climate-change\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">line<\/a> from an article in which the reporter stated that Charles Koch \u201cwarned that climate change\u2019s worst effects would fall on people in poorer parts of the world.\u201d The article was changed to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/politics\/articles\/2016-02-01\/growing-koch-network-tries-to-shed-secretive-image\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">say<\/a> that according to a Koch spokesman, Koch was \u201creferring to the impact of bad climate policies or programs, not the negative effects of climate change itself.\u201d<a id=\"intimidation\" name=\"intimidation\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cloudfront.mediamatters.org\/static\/uploader\/image\/2016\/02\/17\/kochstep5ff.jpg\" alt=\"step5\" width=\"645\" height=\"316\"><\/p>\n<p>Ever since her first long-form <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2010\/08\/30\/covert-operations\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">article<\/a> on the Koch brothers in <em>T<\/em><em>he<\/em> <em>New Yorker <\/em>in 2010, Mayer has faced intimidation tactics and efforts to discredit her by the Koch network.<\/p>\n<p>Koch operatives formed a \u201cboiler room operation,\u201d seeking to discredit the <em>New Yorker<\/em> story by \u201cundermining\u201d Mayer. They hired a private investigation firm looking for \u201cdirt\u201d on Mayer, who was told by a well-informed source: \u201cIf they couldn\u2019t find it, they\u2019d create it.\u201d After their search for dirt turned up nothing, Mayer learned that The Daily Caller intended to publish a \u201chit piece\u201d accusing her of plagiarism. But Mayer reached out to the reporters she was supposedly plagiarizing, and they \u201coffered to make public statements\u201d supporting her, so The Daily Caller dropped the story.<\/p>\n<p>Mayer is not the only journalist to experience intimidation from the Kochs (though hers may be the most extreme example). At the American Legislative Exchange Council\u2019s annual meeting, Greenpeace researcher Connor Gibson was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/connor-gibson\/a-koch-industries-lobbyis_b_8811748.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">confronted<\/a> by Koch Industries government affairs director Mike Morgan. Gibson captured a partial video of the interaction, but Morgan then took Gibson\u2019s phone away from him, until Morgan was forced to return it by police. Rolling Stone reporter Tim Dickinson <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/politics\/news\/koch-industries-responds-to-rolling-stone-and-we-answer-back-20140929\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">called<\/a> Koch Industries \u201cthe most hostile and paranoid organization I\u2019ve ever engaged with.\u201d Mayer also wrote that Koch security threatened to arrest Politico reporter Kenneth Vogel after catching him in a cafe at one of their summits, \u201c[u]nless he left the premises immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Koch Industries also utilizes its website KochFacts.com to combat negative reports. Mayer notes that KochFacts.com \u201cwage[s] ad hominem attacks, questioning the professionalism and integrity of reporters whose work the company found unflattering, ranging from The New York Times to Politico.\u201d The website has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/style\/billionaire-koch-brothers-use-web-to-take-on-media-reports-they-dispute\/2013\/07\/14\/6a0953a0-e5b5-11e2-a11e-c2ea876a8f30_story.htmlhttp:\/www.kochfacts.com\/kf\/kochpresenceincanada\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">blasted<\/a>David Sassoon of the Pulitzer Prize-winning InsideClimate News as a \u201cprofessional eco-activist\u201d and \u201cagenda-driven activist.\u201d It also frequently posts personal email exchanges with journalists, \u201csometimes to the reporter\u2019s shock,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/style\/billionaire-koch-brothers-use-web-to-take-on-media-reports-they-dispute\/2013\/07\/14\/6a0953a0-e5b5-11e2-a11e-c2ea876a8f30_story.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">according<\/a> to <em>The Washington Post<\/em>. This <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kochfacts.com\/kf\/we-ask-the-new-york-times-to-correct-david-callahans-op-ed-article\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">includes<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kochfacts.com\/kf\/confrontingbiasnyt\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">email exchanges<\/a> with reporters and editors at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kochfacts.com\/kf\/evadingresponsibility\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>The New York Times<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kochfacts.com\/kf\/moredistortionatmsnbc\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">MSNBC<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kochfacts.com\/kf\/inaccuracyandmisconduct\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Politico<\/em><\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Hopefully, Jane Mayer herself is a testament to the fact that reporters will not back down from exposing the true extent of the Kochs\u2019 influence and how it is shaping our country for the worse. There is surely more to the story not yet uncovered.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cloudfront.mediamatters.org\/static\/uploader\/image\/2016\/02\/17\/kochv6.png\" alt=\"koch graphic\" width=\"645\" height=\"1729\"><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"color: #141823;\"><strong style=\"color: #2b2b2b;\">Frank\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/frank.schaeffer.16\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\">Schaeffer<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #2b2b2b;\">\u00a0is a writer.\u00a0His latest book \u2014<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Why-Atheist-Believes-GodNew-Title-ebook\/dp\/B00KDOMMUO\/ref=sr_sp-btf_image_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1400583224&amp;sr=8-2-fkmr0&amp;keywords=why+i+am+an+atheist+who+believes+in+god\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>WHY I AM AN ATHEIST WHO BELIEVES IN GOD:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>How to give love, create beauty and find peace<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"color: #141823;\" data-reactid=\".1i.1.0.0.0.0.1:$mid=11416478478715=25a0e2899f2a1b59864.0.1.0.$right.0.0.1\">\n<h2 style=\"color: #2b2b2b;\">Available now on Amazon<\/h2>\n<div style=\"color: #2b2b2b;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/RRCBRn\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.frankschaeffer.com\/uploads\/3\/4\/3\/8\/3438458\/2682073_orig.png\" alt=\"Picture\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #2b2b2b;\">\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/RRCBRn\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.frankschaeffer.com\/uploads\/3\/4\/3\/8\/3438458\/3619042.jpg?340\" alt=\"Picture\">\u00a0<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><em>Follow Frank on Twitter\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/frank_schaeffer\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>www.twitter.com\/frank_schaeffer<\/strong><\/a><strong><em>See Frank\u2019s paintings\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.frankschaefferart.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>http:\/\/www.frankschaefferart.com\/<\/strong><\/a><strong><em>Follow Frank on Facebook<\/em><\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/frank.schaeffer.16\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/frank.schaeffer.16<\/strong><\/a><strong><em>Contact Frank at<\/em><\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.frankschaeffer.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.frankschaeffer.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Given what the Koch\u2019s do \u2014 when it comes to raping our planet and trying to buy our political system \u2014 accepting Koch money and then naming buildings for them, is like naming a building for a serial killer. It\u2019s not surprising to learn that the Koch brothers and other wealthy, ultra-conservative industrialists are funding [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1161,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,955,8,7,1],"tags":[414,435,1892,1893,1890,568,180,1891,674,1895,1894,1010,436,1565,484],"class_list":["post-8944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-children","category-family-2","category-politics","category-religion","category-uncategorized","tag-creation","tag-ecology","tag-energy","tag-globla-warming","tag-grand-canyon","tag-koch-brothers","tag-media","tag-media-matters","tag-money","tag-nazi-party","tag-religious-rights-elections-2016","tag-right-wing","tag-the-earth","tag-the-guardian","tag-the-press"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - 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