Hi Miriam,
I strongly agree with you here. To answer Dick's question more directly,
yes, the Koches were acting immorally here by claiming to support a change
in the policies that wrongly imprison many of our poor and minorities while
actually supporting a loosening of the kinds of regulation that protect us
all from corporate wrongdoing. Since loosening such regulations would tend
to hit the poor harder than the wealthy, I'd also say the Koches were being
hypocritical heer.
Bob Hachey
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Miriam Vieni
Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2015 4:08 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Koch "Alliance" on Criminal Justice Reform
Exposed as Trojan Horse
The reason for this article is that for a few months, the Progressive press,
including Democracy Now, has been fooled by the Koch Brothers assertion that
they, along with the Left, is concerned about reform of the criminal justice
system. What everyone has meant by this reform, is a change in the
inequitable treatment by police and courts of people of color which has
resulted in mass incarceration of poor black and brown people. The Koch
funded organizations were supposedly supporting reformist legislation. It
turns out that they pulled a fast one and were, in fact supporting
legislation which would increase the ability of wealthy white people to rob
the rest of us. Some people may define what the Koch Brothers do as good
business practise. To me, it is unethical and un-American.
Miriam
________________________________
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of R. E. Driscoll Sr
Sent: Sunday, November 29, 2015 3:43 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Koch "Alliance" on Criminal Justice Reform
Exposed as Trojan Horse
All:
Is this an unexpected or immoral goal on the part of the Koch Brothers?
R. E. (Dick) Driscoll, Sr.
On 11/29/2015 12:53 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
Froomkin writes: "So, while the Kochs and the liberal groups used
similar
language in their critique of the criminal justice system, when it
came down
to actual legislation, the Kochs were focused on reducing criminal
prosecutions of corporations, not people."
Charles G. Koch. (photo: Mike Burley/AP)
Koch "Alliance" on Criminal Justice Reform Exposed as Trojan Horse
By Dan Froomkin, The Intercept
29 November 15
The New York Times on Wednesday reported the shocking news that the
"rare
coalition" on criminal justice reform that included liberal groups
and the
right-wing billionaire Koch brothers is falling apart.
But as The Intercept's Lee Fang wrote earlier this month, the
ostensible
alliance over liberalization of America's criminal justice laws was
based on
a misunderstanding of the Koch brothers' fundamental political goal.
That goal is, quite consistently, to advance their own corporate
interests.
So, while the Kochs and the liberal groups used similar language in
their
critique of the criminal justice system, when it came down to actual
legislation, the Kochs were focused on reducing criminal
prosecutions of
corporations, not people.
Koch and the House Republicans turned out to be pushing a bill that
critics
describe as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card for white-collar
criminals.
Members of Washington's elite media crave stories about
bipartisanship, so
groups like the pro-Clinton Center for American Progress garnered
positive
media attention for finding common ground with the Kochs earlier
this year.
Now, CAP president Neera Tanden is issuing statements that "the bill
is not
aimed at addressing the aspects of the criminal justice system that
are the
drivers of mass incarceration and inequality and should not be part
of any
genuine discussion of criminal justice reform." To the contrary, she
says:
"The bill would make it much more difficult to enforce bedrock
regulatory
safeguards - such as environmental, health, and consumer safety
protections
- and leave communities of color disproportionately vulnerable to
unscrupulous, fraudulent, and predatory business practices that
exacerbate
existing inequality in our communities."
There are some conservatives truly devoted to criminal justice
reform - and
there's even a truly united left-right coalition on some specific
criminal
justice issues, like prison rape.
But, as Fang wrote, even while the Kochs were talking criminal
justice
reform, their money was notably continuing to finance election-year
efforts
that promote tough-on-crime politics.
Of the 38 federal lobbyists employed by Koch, one is registered to
work on
criminal justice issues; the rest work on projects more important to
Koch
Industries.
And if that wasn't clear enough, Fang described how Koch's interest
in
criminal justice reform was sparked not by the plight of overcrowded
prisons
or racial disparities in law enforcement, but by federal and state
probes of
the company's own environmental crimes.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Error! Hyperlink reference
not valid.
Charles G. Koch. (photo: Mike Burley/AP)
https://theintercept.com/2015/11/25/koch-alliance-on-criminal-justice-reform
-exposed-as-trojan-horse/https://theintercept.com/2015/11/25/koch-alliance-o
n-criminal-justice-reform-exposed-as-trojan-horse/
Koch "Alliance" on Criminal Justice Reform Exposed as Trojan Horse
By Dan Froomkin, The Intercept
29 November 15
he New York Times on Wednesday reported the shocking news that the
"rare
coalition" on criminal justice reform that included liberal groups
and the
right-wing billionaire Koch brothers is falling apart.
But as The Intercept's Lee Fang wrote earlier this month, the
ostensible
alliance over liberalization of America's criminal justice laws was
based on
a misunderstanding of the Koch brothers' fundamental political goal.
That goal is, quite consistently, to advance their own corporate
interests.
So, while the Kochs and the liberal groups used similar language in
their
critique of the criminal justice system, when it came down to actual
legislation, the Kochs were focused on reducing criminal
prosecutions of
corporations, not people.
Koch and the House Republicans turned out to be pushing a bill that
critics
describe as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card for white-collar
criminals.
Members of Washington's elite media crave stories about
bipartisanship, so
groups like the pro-Clinton Center for American Progress garnered
positive
media attention for finding common ground with the Kochs earlier
this year.
Now, CAP president Neera Tanden is issuing statements that "the bill
is not
aimed at addressing the aspects of the criminal justice system that
are the
drivers of mass incarceration and inequality and should not be part
of any
genuine discussion of criminal justice reform." To the contrary, she
says:
"The bill would make it much more difficult to enforce bedrock
regulatory
safeguards - such as environmental, health, and consumer safety
protections
- and leave communities of color disproportionately vulnerable to
unscrupulous, fraudulent, and predatory business practices that
exacerbate
existing inequality in our communities."
There are some conservatives truly devoted to criminal justice
reform - and
there's even a truly united left-right coalition on some specific
criminal
justice issues, like prison rape.
But, as Fang wrote, even while the Kochs were talking criminal
justice
reform, their money was notably continuing to finance election-year
efforts
that promote tough-on-crime politics.
Of the 38 federal lobbyists employed by Koch, one is registered to
work on
criminal justice issues; the rest work on projects more important to
Koch
Industries.
And if that wasn't clear enough, Fang described how Koch's interest
in
criminal justice reform was sparked not by the plight of overcrowded
prisons
or racial disparities in law enforcement, but by federal and state
probes of
the company's own environmental crimes.
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
http://e-max.it/posizionamento-siti-web/socialize
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