WICHITA — Organizers of a weekend protest in Wichita targeting billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch say about 500 activists have confirmed their plans to attend.
Event coordinator Yvonne Cather told The Wichita Eagle that people are coming from as far away as San Francisco and Washington, D.C., for the three-day “Occupy Koch Town.”
Wichita is the home of Koch Industries. Organizers of the protests that begin today contend the Koch brothers exemplify corporate dominance of politics and distortion of science that is perpetuating bad energy policy.
“This protest is a politically motivated attack and an attempt to harass and demonize an American company with 50,000 U.S.-based employees — 2,700 of those in Kansas,” Koch spokeswoman Melissa Cohlmia said in an email.
Cather said participating groups also oppose the proposed TransCanada Keystone XL oil pipeline but it was not the chief motive for the event. Opponents say the pipeline would carry Canadian oil to Texas refineries, and the oil it would carry endangers the Ogallala Aquifer and farms along its route.
Last month, President Barack Obama’s administration denied a permit for the pipeline, but left the door open for TransCanada to apply for a new pipeline route that avoids the state of Nebraska’s environmentally sensitive Sandhills region.
Koch Industries has no financial stake in the pipeline, Cohlmia said.
Many of the activities are planned for Saturday at the Grand Chapel in Wichita. The group has also scheduled a march that day to the Kansas Policy Institute.
Scheduled speakers plan to talk about environmental and climate issues, energy policy and income inequality, among other topics.
Event sponsors include the Kansas and Missouri chapters of the Sierra Club and Occupy movements in Wichita, Lawrence, Kansas City, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Barber County.
Comments
KS 5 years, 3 months ago
Sort of a waste of time.
Getaroom 5 years, 3 months ago
No need for the SuperPAC elitists to protest physically fuzzy mathinator, they can easily do it Fiscally, but surely you knew that.
It is so sweet of you to stick up for the poor beleaguered FAUX Network Sociopaths, full of hacking junkies and consummate liars. Now they can whine on for many faux nuz cycles and do what they do best, misinform their narrow minded hypnotized sheeples and disseminate disinformation and all the while crying foul over the wrongs of the LIBERAL media. Nothing new about that track anyway and last nights FN "poor us" campaign really does demonstrate that it hurts most when turn-about is fair play. My what Big Crocodile tears they do cry.
More power to the Koch busters. Couldn't happen to a more perfect couple of climate denier supporters and Corporate Mafioso's.
gudpoynt 5 years, 3 months ago
:)
pace 5 years, 3 months ago
We don't have to worry that your type will stand up. You might shout out people at a public meeting but that is it, and that in your fantasy, while watching red faced cowards on TV. I am pretty sure you don't do much except type fox mothball hate myths.. You always complain about how people should protest the things you hate, or imagine should be protested. Not very likely or logical, most of the protesters want the country to improve not devolve backwards. You shouldn't expect them to support your proven economic failure ideologies and buy into your myths of hate.
Michael LoBurgio 5 years, 3 months ago
The Koch brothers…fund the Tea Party, make billions, lay off workers.
However, at a time when the Koch brothers were enjoying spectacular financial gains, Koch Industries laid off well over 2,000 people. Using the same approximate “jobs multiplier” Koch Industries used in its study last week, that means Koch Industries extinguished nearly 8,000 jobs in recent years:
http://www.dirtandseeds.com/the-koch-brothers-fund-the-tea-party-make-billions-lay-of-workers/
jhawkinsf 5 years, 3 months ago
I looked up Koch Industries in Wikipedia. They said Koch industries employs 70,000 people, 50,000 here in the U.S. plus 20,000 worldwide. Assuming you're correct in that they eliminated 2,000 jobs during this economic downturn, what you are saying is that at one time they employed 72,000 and are now down to 70,000. Right? Again according to Wikipedia, Koch industries fell from the top spot as the largest privately held company to the second largest.
Considering the worldwide economic conditions that have prevailed in the past several years, I see nothing unusual about a slight reduction in jobs. Certainly nothing that would justify saying: "Koch Industries extinguished nearly 8,000 jobs in recent years".
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 5 years, 3 months ago
The point is that Koch is justifying anything and everything it does simply because it employs people-- and all-purpose, all-encompassing free pass, if you will.
And apparently, for you, there are no considerations other than the jobs any business or endeavor creates. Pardon me if I consider that highly simplistic.
rtwngr 5 years, 3 months ago
The point is you and those of your ilk think that if I have a lot of money I must have taken from someone like yourself. How many people do you employ? How many payrolls have you had to deliver on? It's easy for you to sanctimoniously criticize something that you have never done. Who else is going to create jobs in this country? You? Occupy Wall Street? The Sierra Club? You need to dummy up.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 5 years, 3 months ago
The protests aren't directed at Koch's money, per se, but what they use it for-- the further establishment of a corprofascist state.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 5 years, 3 months ago
Are you outraged?
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 5 years, 3 months ago
"See, we can be civil and nice without tossing out rude comments."
Your whole darwinian worldview is inherently uncivil and rude.
jhawkinsf 5 years, 3 months ago
Translation: Many of us choose not to be rude. (Bozo) chooses not to belong to that group.
Crazy_Larry 5 years, 3 months ago
Lincoln was a Republican back when Republican's were considered liberal....Liberal, liberty, freedom, free the slaves. Conservative, conserve, status quo, maintain.
kochmoney 5 years, 3 months ago
At the same time as they were laying off workers, Koch Industries was nearly doubling their corporate profits.
Mike Ford 5 years, 3 months ago
great....the two lemmings jumped off the cliff in support of unbridled exploitation. now go watch there will be blood. please take us kicking and screaming back to 1905. maybe we can meet carry nation. she acted like a tea partier imposing her will on others. you all can forget that teddy roosevelt was a republican who supported regulations. rewrite history and make fun of smart people. works in kansas.
rtwngr 5 years, 3 months ago
Teddy Roosevelt preached being progressive. If I were to categorize him today, as a Republican, I would put him somewhere left of George Bush or Bob Dole. Besides, we need conservatives not Republicans. It is just all of the conservatives happen to be in Republican party. Teddy Roosevelt is no more like a modern day conservative than Hubert Humphrey is like Barack Obama.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 5 years, 3 months ago
"This protest is a politically motivated attack"
Of course it's politically motivated-- by folks who'd prefer that the Koch brothers not be allowed to destroy democratic processes or the environment or concentrate ever more wealth into their hands at the expense of the 99%.
But what does she mean by "attack?" These will not be violent demonstrations, unless that violence is created by agents provocateur hired by the Koch brothers.
Crazy_Larry 5 years, 3 months ago
YOU LIE!
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus 5 years, 3 months ago
Yep-- privatize the profits, and socialize the risks.
JackMcKee 5 years, 3 months ago
from a guy that probably voted for W this is pretty hilarious.
Why should anyone vote for the GOP clown caucus over Obama?
kochmoney 5 years, 3 months ago
Gotta love someone who refers to themselves in third person, lol.
ThePilgrim 5 years, 3 months ago
Protesting Koch on the weekend really doesn't make much difference.And protesting them way downtown at the Grand Chapel doesn't do anything but give the protesters a PR stunt. And they have a nice lunch planned at Chisholm Creek Park. Big whoop. Protest during the week. Protest on site. Oh yeah, they can't do that because Koch is very vigorous in videotaping the protest and arresting people if they even walk on the street out front of the HQ building. (they will video it even if the protest is downtown). You want to protest, organize a boycott of Koch and its subsidiary Georgia Pacific products - wood, toilet paper, paper towels. georgia Pacific was acquired by Koch in 2005. They are a larger part of Koch than the "big bad" oil part of Koch.
Cait McKnelly 5 years, 3 months ago
Oh my the "boys club" is in it this morning. So who has impressed who this morning? http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/feb/14/feminist-author-featured-kansas-now-event/#c1960015
gudpoynt 5 years, 3 months ago
“This protest is a politically motivated attack and an attempt to harass and demonize an American company with 50,000 U.S.-based employees — 2,700 of those in Kansas.”
Groan.
Is it possible to be in favor of all of the following at the same time? 1) limitations on harmful effects of environmental exploitation 2) limitations on corporate influence in politics 3) support private sector job creators to help strengthen the economy
I'm in support of all of these things at the same time. But most media outlets, both right and left leaning, keep acting like that's not possible.
It's time for the public to reject the false choice between a strong economy and a protected environment.
JHOK32 5 years, 3 months ago
It's common knowledge that the Kock brothers have bought & paid for many a politician, including our "Christian" Governor, since they went as far as buying the Wisconsin Governor I'm sure they've also bought & paid for the Wichita cops as well..........who says capitalism is dead? You can buy ANYthing or ANY person in this country.........
Commenting has been disabled for this item.