A handy list of Koch Industries products

Charles & David Koch, owners of Koch Industries, are responsible for much of the mayhem that Robert Reich called the Republican "coup d'état" in Wisconsin. And the Koch Brothers are big contributors to ALEC, the Republican state-law-writing organization that's funded mainly by corporations.

So maybe you were curious about Koch Industries. If so, here's a handy guide:

Koch Industries, (pronounced "coke"), is the largest privately owned company in the United States with 70,000 employees and annual sales of $100 billion in the fiscal year ending December of 2008. [1] ... The company operates crude gathering systems and pipelines across North America. One subsidiary processes 800,000 barrels of crude oil daily in its three refineries.

Koch also owns ranches with a total of 15,000 head of cattle in Kansas, Montana and Texas. Though diversified, the company amassed most of its fortune in oil trading and refining. [2]

Their founder, the father of Charles and David, is an interesting fellow:

The company was started in 1927 by Fred Koch, a charter member of the John Birch Society, with an oil delivery business in Texas.

David Koch helped found the Cato Institute in 1977. Cato advances a lot of curious positions, such as Social Security privatization and climate-change denial. Cato funds a large group of like-minded think tanks, and they're pretty good friends with a guy named "Phillip Morris" — still.

Koch Industries acquired Georgia-Pacific in 2005, which it now operates as a subsidiary. You may have heard of them. They make:

• Georgia-Pacific paper for your printer
• Brawny paper towels
• Dixie cups
• Northern bath tissue
• Angel Soft bath tissue

And other nice things you may own.

Brawny. Northern. Dixie. Georgia-Pacific. Kind of rolls off the tongue. Nice names to remember.

SourceWatch is an interesting site, isn't it? (By the way, since the first drive for contributions to the Wisconsin Recall was so successful — thanks, readers! — we've decided to continue the campaign. Please contribute if you haven't already. Again, thanks!)

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HuffPost stands by decision to let conservative Breitbart blog on site

Conservative flame-thrower - in addition to guy with questionable scruples - Andrew Breitbart is now blogging at the Huffington Post. It's caused a bit of consternation on the left, but Greg Sargent reports tonight that Huffington Post is standing by their (con) man.

HuffPo will stick by Breitbart. In fairness to HuffPo, Arianna Huffington has long insisted that the mission of the site has been to move beyond old ideological catetories of right and left, and the site does post commentary from prominent right wingers like Luntz and Gingrich, with little to no criticism from the left. It’s also true that Breitbart had a relationship with HuffPo early in the site’s development, and prominently banning him could prove awkward.

But for many liberals, Breitbart has been revealed by the Shirley Sherrod affair and other dust-ups to be a particularly toxic and dishonest figure that has no journalistic standards whatsoever. It’s hard to see what he adds in value, beyond ginning up a lot of comments and traffic and noise, and the decision could alienate longtime HuffPo devotees who already are inclined to feel disoriented by the site’s expanding mission.

I know a lot of the folks at Huff Post and like them. Their political writers are top notch, and HuffPo has always been great about throwing some link-love to other sites on the left, including our own, and that's always been much appreciated. (And don't discount the important of linking. Some "progressive" sites rarely link to others on the left. And it's hard to claim you're a progressive if you aren't willing to help fellow progressives. And Huff Post does help.)

Thus, I was hesitant to weigh in on this controversy. While the Breitbart issue troubles me, Huff Post has a long history of doing good things for the left, and that shouldn't be dismissed lightly.

As for Breitbart, I get what Greg is saying, both the good and the bad. But I just can't help thinking that the timing of Breitbart's addition to the site, so soon after the merger with AOL was announced, might understandably cause some to worry that AOL is changing a good thing. Hopefully it's not. Read the rest of this post...

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate David Prosser promises to be a 'complement' to the right-wing governor and legislature

We wrote earlier about Supreme Court Justice and candidate David Prosser.

He's the guy who, in a meeting with other justices, called the Chief Justice a "total bitch," then threatened "I will destroy you ... and it won't be a ground war." That's judicial temperament, Republican-style.

Prosser is the next shoe to drop in Wisconsin. He's the incumbent in a hot April 5 race with JoAnn Kloppenberg for a 10-year seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. More from the Wisconsin Gazette (my emphasis):

The conservative candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court is incumbent Justice David Prosser. He is part of a slim conservative majority on the increasingly contentious high court. Some have raised serious concerns regarding what appears to be an increased level of partisanship from Prosser leading up to this election.

In an early campaign press release, Prosser announced his plan to be a “complement” to the new right-wing Republican state Legislature and governor. ... Although some have suggested that the problematic press release simply was a poor choice of words, Prosser went on to immediately court support at a Republican women’s group.

Prosser has been a speaker at right-wing events, where he’s shared the spotlight with some of the most ardent foes of equality. A good example is the Defending the American Dream Summit, which was sponsored by a coalition that reads like a who’s who of right-wing Wisconsin extremist groups, including the Wisconsin Family Council.

No closet case GOP activist there — Prosser is out and proud about being just another Republican hack. If you want more of that good Scott Walker "coup d'état" (Robert Reich's phrase), vote Prosser — he's promised to give it to you. Can't be more clear than that.

As an added bonus, it seems David Prosser is also anti-gay. Who could have guessed that?

[D]uring [Prosser's previous] tenure [as Republican Assembly member and speaker] Republican Gov. Lee Dreyfus signed into law legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation (1982), making Wisconsin the first state in the nation to pass such a law.

But Prosser was not among the GOP elected officials who supported that law. Instead, he was one of 45 Assembly members who voted against the landmark legislation, which passed on a close vote of 49-45.

What a surprise, a guy who calls a woman a bitch is also a homophobe.

Your turn, Wisconsin. Take the next step. It's Prosser or Kloppenberg on April 5.

Bring Cairo to Wisconsin. Organize and vote.

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Gingrich flip-flops on Libyan intervention, only 2 weeks after he was for it

It's tough being Newt Gingrich. Everyone expecting him to be so consistent all the time.

I mean, sure, he's been divorced twice, married three times, and cheated on at least one of those wives (we hear more), but why should that disqualify him from being the family values guy on the GOP ticket in 2012? What does Newt's past have to do with his present?

And the same thing goes for Libya. Sure, Newt was all for a no-fly zone two weeks ago:

GINGRICH: Exercise a no-fly zone this evening.

But that doesn't mean he can't be against a no-fly zone only two weeks later, does it:

GINGRICH: I would not have intervened. I think there were a lot of other ways to affect Qaddafi. I think there are a lot of other allies in the region we could have worked with. I would not have used American and European forces.

Gotta love the first line of this AP story:

Likely Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has met his first debate opponent of the 2012 campaign season: himself.

You see, what Newt said about Libya two weeks ago was just a youthful indiscretion. He's just so in love with America that sometimes he doesn't know what he's saying... or who he's sleeping with. Read the rest of this post...

Warren Buffet: Wealthiest winning class war in US

The real and only class warfare in America is the ultra-rich versus everyone else. And yes, they're winning in a big way and the Democrats can't figure out how to even slow it down. Heck, we even have a Democratic president that talks about Reagan as though he was one of the great presidents of the US. MarketWatch:

Yes, “there’s class warfare, all right,” warns Warren Buffett. “But it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.” Yes, the rich are making war against us. And yes, they are winning. Why? Because so many are fighting this new American Civil War between the rich and the rest.

Not just the 16 new GOP governors in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, and across America fighting for new powers. Others include: Chamber of Commerce billionaires, Koch brothers, Forbes 400, Karl Rove’s American Crossroads, Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform — which now has 97% of House Republicans and 85% of the GOP Senators signed on his “no new taxes” pledge — the Tea Party and Reaganomics ideologues.

Wake up America. You are under attack. Stop kidding yourself. We are at war. In fact, we have been fighting this Civil War for a generation, since Ronald Reagan was elected in 1981. Recently Buffett renewed the battle cry: The “rich class” is winning this war. Except most Americans still don’t realize they’re losing, don’t see the prize at stake.

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Another oil spill in the Gulf (though Big Oil tried to deny it)

For starters, what is going on with the Coast Guard if they can't figure out the difference between river sludge and oil? Not good. The other part of the ongoing problem with Big Oil is that they are on an honor code when it comes to reporting spills. As if they have any sense of honor. Now that Big Oil has been busted for blatantly telling a lie concerning this 30 mile oil slick, they need to pay a serious price. Will they or will it be another slap on the wrist?

Anglo-Suisse Offshore Partners issued a statement last night expressing "surprise" that what it claimed was a minor leak from a well that's been out of use for some time could have produced miles-long slicks that garnered national media attention. The company has been in the process of permanently plugging the well -- located in a shallow area about 30 miles southeast of Grand Isle, La. Anglo-Suisse owned a cluster of five platforms in that area that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

According to the Times-Picayune's David Hammer, Anglo-Suisse has filed three incident reports with the Coast Guard since last Friday. In those documents, Hammer reports, the company explained that as it used a remotely operated submarine to plug the well, some oil had been discharged into the Gulf.

However, the company claimed in those reports that it had spilled less than five gallons of crude -- an amount far too small to account for the scope of the spill shown in aerial photographs. Nor would five gallons of crude square with reports of oil washing up over a 30 mile stretch of Louisiana's shoreline.

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Japan's earthquake may equal cost of four Katrinas

Japan's GDP and population is also much smaller than the US, so this is going to be a painful period for that country. Bloomberg:

Japan’s government estimated the damage from this month’s record earthquake and tsunami at as much as 25 trillion yen ($309 billion), an amount almost four times the hit imposed by Hurricane Katrina on the U.S.

The destruction will push down gross domestic product by as much as 2.75 trillion yen for the year starting April 1, today’s report showed. The figure, about 0.5 percent of the 530 trillion yen economy, reflects a decline in production from supply disruptions and damage to corporate facilities without taking into account the effects of possible power outages.

The figures are the first gauge of the scale of rebuilding Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s government will face after the quake killed more than 9,000 people. Japan may set up a reconstruction agency to oversee the rebuilding effort and the central bank has injected record cash to stabilize financial markets.

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Above limit radiation found in Tokyo tap water

The news out of Japan is not getting any better.

Tokyo Water Bureau officials say levels of radioactive iodine in some city tap water is two times the recommended limit for infants.

The officials told reporters Wednesday that a water treatment center in downtown Tokyo that supplies much of the city's tap water found that some water contained 210 becquerels per liter of iodine 131.

They said the limit for consumption of iodine 131 for infants is 100 becquerels per liter. They recommended that babies not be given tap water, although they said the water is not an immediate health risk for adults.

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Scott Walker scares away more business from Wisconsin

So besides losing the Spanish train manufacturer, he's now creating a climate of confusion with his pro-fossil fuel plans that favor his owner, the Koch Brothers. Wasn't he supposed to be opening the state for business? Mission Accomplished, bonehead.

Chicago energy development firm Invenergy on Monday notified state regulators that it’s withdrawing plans to build a large wind power project south of Green Bay.

The company said it was concerned about moving forward because of the state of flux in Wisconsin’s regulatory climate when it comes to wind siting. Gov. Scott Walker has proposed a bill that would sharply curtail wind development...

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Legendary Elizabeth Taylor is dead at 79

Elizabeth Taylor died today. She is a legend -- and considered an amazing ally to the LGBT community. She's receiving lots of accolades for her activism, and I think it's beautifully summed up in a tweet from Mike Signorile:

Thank you to Elizabeth Taylor, who spoke out on AIDS when no one would, during a frightening & tragic time. She was brave & powerful .

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At least six killed as Syrian security forces 'storm mosque'

The end of the line may be coming for Assad as well. Al Jazeera:

Security forces have attempted to storm a mosque in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, reportedly killing at least six people.

The government, however, blamed the violence on an "armed gang", according to the state-run SANA news agency.

Residents said heavy gunfire was heard near the Omari mosque in the early hours of Wednesday in the city, which has been the scene of anti-government protests since Friday.

"It seems that security forces may be trying to storm the complex. It is not clear because electricity has been cut off. Tear gas is also being used," one resident told the Reuters news agency.

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British Conservatives promote tax cuts to rescue economy

It's an interesting strategy considering the fact that tax revenues are declining. There's little doubt that there will be even more pain due to less tax revenue in the next few years. Helping small businesses get started is fine but that's also a long term program that won't solve the immediate problem of a weakening economy that is getting hit with inflation due to the policies to help the bankers fix their balance sheets. How much more will the economy drop in order to help business line its accounts?

Just as predictably as any right winger in the US (or Obama, for that matter) they're talking about loosening regulations. Great for business, higher costs for everyone else. How is that good for the general population who is already suffering? Financial Times:

The chancellor has promised a “Budget for growth” and could accelerate cuts to corporation tax, reinforcing Mr Osborne’s pledge to give Britain one of the world’s most competitive tax regimes.

Mr Osborne has promised to cut the main corporation tax rate by 1 percentage point annually, with plans to cut it to 27 percent in April at a cost of £400 million. Treasury officials refused to confirm or deny suggestions that the chancellor may move faster.

The growth message will be reinforced with a series of supply-side measures, such as looser planning rules, less regulation and the creation of new enterprise zones and more apprenticeships.

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Troubled nuclear plants repeatedly missed safety checks

One doesn't even want to think about how poorly the same situation would be handled in the US, where any kind of oversight or regulation is viewed by many in government as evil. Hopefully Washington is using this as an opportunity to do a health check for the US nuclear reactors. The Guardian:

According to documents from Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), the company repeatedly missed safety checks over a 10-year period up to two weeks before the 11 March disaster, and allowed uranium fuel rods to pile up inside the 40-year-old facility.

When the plant was struck by a huge earthquake and tsunami, its reactors, designed by US scientists 50 years ago, contained the equivalent of almost six years of highly radioactive uranium fuel produced by the facility, according to a presentation Tepco gave to the International Atomic Energy Agency and later posted on the company's website.

The revelations will add to pressure on Tepco to explain why, under its cost-cutting chief executive Masataka Shimizu, it opted to save money by storing the spent fuel on site rather than invest in safer storage options.

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Report: China clamping down on Uighurs

Same as it ever was.

Rebiya Kadeer spoke in an Australian Parliament House committee room at the invitation of two government lawmakers despite objections from China, which denounces her as a separatist.

The 65-year-old U.S.-based businesswoman said through an interpreter that the recent overthrow of Middle Eastern governments "sent shock waves through the Chinese leadership that people's patience could run out — people will one day rise up and challenge the authority of the regime."

She said China had responded to the protests with a security crackdown that made the western cities of Kashgar and Urumqi resemble war zones as soldiers searched homes and rounded up members of her Turkic-speaking Muslim Uighur minority and found excuses to detain them.

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