Tuesday, August 31, 2010

I'd like to buy the world a Koch and keep it company...

Oh wait, they've already bought me - or at least they've tried to. I just finished reading Jane Mayer's New Yorker article on the gazillionaire Koch brothers, Charles and David. The article outlines how the Koch brothers have bankrolled the Tea Party movement and have been using their millions to twist the political process to better serve their corporate greed.

If you're unfamiliar with the Koch brothers, here's a quick summary from Mayer's article. The Koch fortune comes from oil refineries, ownership in companies such as Brawny paper towels, Dixie Cups, Georgia Pacific lumber, and Lycra, to name a few. Koch Industries is the second largest private company in the U.S. The Koch brothers are major donors to such charities as the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute and The Smithsonian. David Koch is known as one of the biggest philanthropists in New York City. The Kochs sound like good people, non?

But look a little deeper into their "philanthropic" activities and you begin to see a different story. The Kochs have used their vast (to put it mildly) personal fortunes to bankroll political action committees, "think tanks," and citizen action groups to further their corporate interests. One of the Koch's pet projects is the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. You may have heard of AfP - they're the ones bankrolling the Tea Party movement. So much for a grassroots effort free from special interest groups and corporate influence.

Now the Kochs have a constitutional right to put their money where ever they want - but let's at least have some transparency. According to Mayer's article, Koch spokespeople deny the involvement of the Kochs in the Tea Party movement. "But what about George Soros?" my conservative friends may ask. Yes, George Soros has given disgusting amounts of money to liberal causes and pledged his personal fortune to defeat George W. Bush. But at least he was up front about it. If you're going to try an buy and election, just own it.

Another reason I don't have as big a problem with Soros throwing his money around is that he generally gives money to organizations and causes that are not going to better his bottom line. You may disagree with some of the things he supports (that Millennium Project to end extreme poverty in Africa is evil, pure evil, I tell ya!) but he's not making money off it.

But the Kochs have given millions of dollars to organizations that oppose environmental regulation and support lower taxes for industry. Again, the Kochs are well within their rights. But come on - tell me there isn't a conflict of interest when George Mason University, a publicly funded university, accepts millions of dollars to host an institution that is controlled by the Koch family. Want a clearer connection between the Kochs and GMU? The Mercatus Center at GMU was founded by Richard Fink who heads Koch Industries' lobby efforts, is the president of the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, director of the Fred C. and MaryR. Koch Foundation, and co-founder (with David Koch) of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. But what's the harm in such close collaborations between corporate wealth and so-called academic endeavors. Well...to quote Mayer's article, again,
"The Wall Street Journal has called the Mercatus Center “the most important think tank you’ve never heard of,” and noted that fourteen of the twenty-three regulations that President George W. Bush placed on a “hit list” had been suggested first by Mercatus scholars. Fink told the paper that the Kochs have “other means of fighting [their] battles,” and that the Mercatus Center does not actively promote the company’s private interests. But Thomas McGarity, a law professor at the University of Texas, who specializes in environmental issues, told me that “Koch has been constantly in trouble with the E.P.A., and Mercatus has constantly hammered on the agency.” An environmental lawyer who has clashed with the Mercatus Center called it “a means of laundering economic aims.” The lawyer explained the strategy: “You take corporate money and give it to a neutral-sounding think tank,” which “hires people with pedigrees and academic degrees who put out credible-seeming studies. But they all coincide perfectly with the economic interests of their funders."
Yep - perfectly within their 1st amendment rights. The groups sponsored by the Kochs have decried global warming and acid rain as myths. Of course, Koch Industries has been named as one of the biggest air polluters in the States. My favorite example of the Koch's philanthropic endeavors is the millions of dollars they have given to cancer research. They gave so much money that in 2004, then President Bush named David Koch to the National Cancer Advisory Board for the National Cancer Institute. At the same time, Koch Industries has been lobbying the EPA to declare that formaldehyde does not cause cancer - despite the fact that scientists have known for years that formaldehyde causes cancer! Did I mention that Koch Industries is a major producer of formaldehyde?

I could go on and on, but I've got to go assess the damage the kids have done to the house while I wrote this. But let's take a stand and say "NO" to corporate control of our political system. Write, call, send carrier pigeons to your elected officials asking for serious campaign reform (that means for George Soros too). Let's demand transparency in our political action committees and think tanks. In other words, SHOW US THE MONEY! If I'm going to be bought by corporate interests, I at least I want to know who's doing the bidding.

Monday, August 30, 2010

So much for religious tolerance...

I knew he couldn't keep it non judgmental when it comes to religion. You know who I'm talking about. Yesterday, just minutes after telling people to turn to god to restore our honor, Reverend Beck was, again, slamming President Obama's faith and accusing the President of not being a Christian. From the mouth of the Reverend,
"You see, it's all about victims and victimhood; oppressors and the oppressed; reparations, not repentance; collectivism, not individual salvation. I don't know what that is, other than it's not Muslim, it's not Christian. It's a perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ as most Christians know it."
Note his clever way of sneaking in the the "Is the President a Muslim??" question in his statement. What Beck is alluding to are tenets of social justice, which actually play an important role in Catholicism and the United Methodist Church (and Judaism, and probably many other faiths).

I don't want to turn this blog into a course on comparative religion since I'm not an expert on that subject by any means. But I do think that Beck takes one before he starts preaching about what is and isn't a Christian value. I do want to point out his hypocrisy and lies as well as the danger of his rhetoric.

As much as I may mock the Tea Party movement, I hope that the Tea Party rabble will mobilize into an official third party for the next round of elections. If Republican politicians don't have to kowtow to the tea baggers, they can focus on core Republican values of smaller government, fiscally conservative policies, and a strong military. Those are values I can respect and work with. It's time to take religion (or whatever that was that Beck was spouting) out of politics.

Being a pinko, peacenik, knee-jerk, Kennedy-supporting, gay rights supporting liberal, my voice doesn't carry much weight with the people for whom Beck purports to speak. I hope that my Republican friends (yes, I do have Republican friends - you know who you are and thanks for the pizza!) will stand up and say "This man does not speak for me or the Republican Party!"

BTW -- to learn a little more about Liberation Theology check out the link on the right.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

A man with a dream, not a delusion.

Anybody else watching Beck's speech??

I'm tuning in late to the live feed on the Washington Post's website. I had more important things to do earlier (like taking the girls to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese). It seems that Beck is now styling himself to be a preacher. Faith, hope, and charity from the mouth of Glenn Beck. Ugh. My stomach is turning. But maybe that's just the pizza from the party...

This event seems to be more like an old time tent revival - complete with gospel singers and for some reason, bagpipes - than about honor. Unless the only way to have honor is to be religious.

I'm glad he's raised to much money for such a worthy cause. I hope that there will be something left over for the SOWF after paying for the costs of putting on such a display of false piety. As it says on the revival's - I mean rally's - website...
"The purchase of Restoring Honor Rally merchandise is not a donation to SOWF, but all net proceeds from the sale of Restoring Honor Rally merchandise is being donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. All contributions made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) will first be applied to the costs of the Restoring Honor Rally taking place on August 28, 2010. All contributions in excess of these costs will then be retained by the SOWF."

Call me a cynic, but I'm figuring precious little will be left over after all is said and done. I'll make my donation directly to the Foundation, thank you very much. How about following what the bible says about piety and charity Mr. Beck?

From Matthew 6...

1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer
5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Thoughts???

Friday, August 27, 2010

Restore your own honor Mr. Beck - mine's just fine, thank you very much.

So we're in the final countdown to Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally on the Mall tomorrow. Beck carefully chose his date to coincide with the anniversary of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Purely coincidence? Yeah right. The man's an idiot, but he's not an idiot, if you know what I mean.

I suppose I should be thankful that the Great and Powerful Beck is going to restore my honor since I didn't even know that I had lost it. The idea of Glenn Beck restoring anyone's honor is laughable. Beck does not know the meaning of the word honor. He will do anything, say anything for ratings. He is manipulating the masses for money and to feed his own ego.

But I digress. I'm sincerely trying to think the best of people (even the worst people) these days. I think Beck deserves our sympathy instead of scorn as he does say that the voices are screaming at him pretty loudly these days. Mental illness can be very scary and isolating so I applaud Mr. Beck's efforts to build a strong support system for himself. Personally, I would have started with a good psychiatrist and some strong pharmaceuticals - but hey, a rally is another way to go. But don't worry Mr. Beck - help is out there! When you are ready for professional help the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a OBAMACARE) will ensure that your mental illness can not be cited as a preexisting condition to deny you insurance coverage! See, we liberals aren't the completely soulless fascists that you paint us to be. We care. Even for bigots like you.

Best of luck tomorrow Mr. Beck. And if those voices start getting too loud, I've got some tinfoil we can fashion into a hat for you. I hear that works wonders!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

How far away from Ground Zero is a respectful distance?

Ok - this one is a few days old, but it speaks volumes. Tell me again that the opposition to the Islamic center in NYC is simply a case of being considerate of the sensitivity of 9/11 survivors. Sure it is.

Check out the link to Jon Stewart's take on the Tennessee Terror issue.

I'm Catholic, albeit not a very good one. But I went to Sunday school. I received 1st Communion and was confirmed in the Catholic Church. I must have missed the lesson on how Jesus preached hate and intolerance. Would some kind christian please show me the passages in the New Testament where Jesus calls on his followers to ostracize those who do not follow his teachings?

Our world would be a much kinder, peaceful place if the so-called "christians" spouting hate and intolerance actually began practicing the teachings of Christ.

First they came for the cabbies...

When voicing my outrage at the stabbing of a New York cabbie I was recently blasted on my Facebook page for co-opting Pastor Niemoller's poem regarding his silence during the Holocaust. Apparently, since I am not Jewish, I am not allowed learn from Pastor Niemoller's mistakes. I have also been blasted for supporting the building of an Islamic community center a few blocks from ground zero in NYC. I've been told that if I'm upset by hate mongers such as Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck, I should just ignore them.


Well isn't that just the lesson that Pastor Niemoller was trying to teach us? Our silence in the face of intolerance makes us complicit. The Holocaust (and apparently, as a non-Jew I am not allowed to reference the Holocaust in any way, shape, or form) did not begin with the concentration camps. The Holocaust did not begin with the wholesale execution of Jews in Europe. The Holocaust began with mistrust of others. The Holocaust began with words. The Holocaust began with revoking the civil liberties of those with different political leanings, religions, and disabilities. The Holocaust began when people were silent because the intolerance was targeted at "them." But trust me, it won't be long before we become "them."

Dove World Outreach, a supposedly christian church in Florida is planning on burning the Koran on September 11th. Is this really how we want to express freedom of religion in the U.S? Yes, this guy is a whack job. But more than 6,000 people on his Facebook page have supported his hate filled "rally." One guy is a whack job; 6,00o people is a movement.

Know who else held rallies and burned books in the name of protecting the people from "them?" I'd say his name, but as a non-Jew whose family did not perish in the horror that was the Holocaust, I am not allowed to say his name (I'll give you a hint though, it begins with H and the guy had a funny mustache).

Back to my point about how "we" will eventually become "them." I try to ignore Glenn Beck. Really, I do. But this megalomanic is hosting a "rally" on the Mall this weekend. It's not a political rally, really! Yeah right. But beware. When this guy is done with the Muslims, he'll come for you next. In July he referred to Jews as being responsible for the killing of Jesus Christ (note to Beck: Maybe you need to go to a real University and take a comparative religion course. It was the Romans who put Christ to death, not the Jews.). It's this type of rhetoric that fans anti-semitic attitudes.

But let's stay away from the anti-semitism thing for a minute, 'cause like I said, I'm not Jewish. But I am Catholic and Beck recently called for Catholics to leave the church (I guess to worship at the Church of Beck) because Catholics are communists and fascists. So apparently I'm a communist now because I am Catholic. First they came for the communists... Beck is not stupid enough to outright condemn the Catholic Church or the Jewish faith, but such veiled rhetoric is nothing more than carefully crafted, socially acceptable hate speech.

Okay - enough of my impassioned rant for now. I've got hungry kid who are yelling for mac n cheese. But I'm going on record that I believe that hate IS NOT an American value and I am speaking out against hatred and intolerance. Want to join me? No? then feel free to ignore me.