Ring of Fire (9/10/15)
For all their evil ways and naked ambition, the Koch Brothers are desperate to save their precious public image and depict themselves as “champions of the poor” and “saviors of the world.” Their latest attempts: “whitewashing” all Wikipedia references to themselves and Koch Industries.
It’s something of which the moderators at Wikipedia take a very dim view. Usually, they are on top of such shenanigans – but there is a great deal of material to keep track of, and most of the people who monitor and edit Wikipedia entries work on a volunteer basis. Besides, the moderators and editors of Wikipedia were dealing with the sneakiest, most devious slimeballs on the planet. Were it not for an undercover investigation by some equally devious journalists at Daily Kos, the Koch Brothers’ ongoing efforts to lie about themselves to the public might have continued unchecked.
There were, of course, suspicions. The Wikipedia “Talk Page” for Charles Koch’s biography is replete with critical comments and observations on the article’s objectivity (specifically, the lack thereof). The problem was finding evidence of deliberate tampering: was the poorly-written nature of the article and related pieces due to laziness and slipshod research on the part of the writers, or was there something more sinister going on?
A Daily Kos contributor went into Wikipedia undercover and used the ultimate weapon to expose the Koch’s campaign of whitewashing: a “Truth-Blitz.” The agent attempted to add a section to the entry on Koch Industry, entitled “Legal and Regulatory Events,” which was subsequently removed. Grounds for removal were based on “arcane Wikipedia rules” and claims that the information was “irrelevant.” In response, the Daily Kos team responded with a comprehensive and exhaustive list of well-documented facts.
Can’t handle the truth
It turns out that the Koch Brothers and their hired literary whores can’t handle the truth.
The Kochs have been up to these attempts to sanitize themselves in the eyes of the public for many years. Recently, as more and more people become aware of their abominations, the Koch Brothers have become increasingly desperate. They’ve even gone so far as to compare their agenda to the Civil Rights Movement. Despite their best efforts, however, the sickening truth continues to come out about these latter-day tyrants and bloodsuckers and their willingness to destroy the planet in order to increase their own wealth and power.
Well…as HAL 9000 said, “I’m sorry, Dave.” And, to quote an old TV ad for canned fish, “Sorry, Charlie.” You two bastards have overstepped your bounds too many times. Thanks to social media, new digital Progressive news outlets and clever and courageous investigative journalists like our friends at Daily Kos, you will continue to be exposed.
In the words of William Shakespeare, “The truth will out” – and there isn’t one damned thing the Kochs can do about it.
