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Koch Brothers Take On Camo-Wearing Cops

TeleKat

TeleKat

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Groups on the left have been among the loudest voices condemning police actions in Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown this month. But the Koch brothers, boogeymen of national Democrats, have long funded right-libertarian groups that laid the intellectual groundwork for opposing police militarization, a phenomenon that now has been discussed and denounced much more widely. The militarization of police in particular is an issue the Koch brothers view as necessary to tackle and which they have spent years fighting, a spokesman said. “We need to address issues such as overcriminalization, excessive and disproportionate sentencing, inadequate indigent defense that is inconsistent with the Sixth Amendment, and the militarization of police,” Mark Holden, general counsel of Koch Industries Inc., told The Daily Beast. “We have deep respect for the moral dignity of each and every person and because of this, we’ve worked for decades to support those who defend the full range of individual rights.”
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I'm not big on the Koch Bros. but it is nice to see that they're using their money for a good cause. It seems like so many big corporations have a financial interest vested in the militarization of police, so it's nice to have some big money on the people's side.

SOURCE
 
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Good for them! Glad to see them actually using their money for something positive as opposed to funding climate denial and fighting environmental regulation.
 
Wonder if they'll include jackboot thugs dressed in black too?
 
I misread the thread. I thought it said Koch brothers taken on by camo-wearing cops. I was hoping some cops roughed up the Koch brothers, damn!
 
Texmex said:
I misread the thread. I thought it said Koch brothers taken on by camo-wearing cops. I was hoping some cops roughed up the Koch brothers, damn!
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Nah, they have too much money.
 
TeleKat said:
I'm not big on the Koch Bros. but it is nice to see that they're using their money for a good cause. It seems like so many big corporations have a financial interest vested in the militarization of police, so it's nice to have some big money on the people's side.
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I'm actually not that against Law Enforcement being adequately armored up, or even over equipped. It's not the tools that make you break the laws, it's usually over zealousness.

If riots break out for any particular reason(s), I'd sure be happy to see the police able to handle it, rather than running away due to being outgunned leaving innocent, peaceful citizens fending for themselves.
 
TeleKat said:
I'm not big on the Koch Bros. but it is nice to see that they're using their money for a good cause. It seems like so many big corporations have a financial interest vested in the militarization of police, so it's nice to have some big money on the people's side.
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Read up more. You may be surprised at what they (at least Charles) are involved in. The Kochs aren't the boogie man like many would have you believe. It is the far left fanatics that think they only do wrong. They just heavily advocate free markets, less govt. intervention through regulations, and are heavy believers in value creation. I don't get the mentality to vilify someone just because you hold a differing opinion on certain topics.
 
TeleKat said:
I'm not big on the Koch Bros. but it is nice to see that they're using their money for a good cause. It seems like so many big corporations have a financial interest vested in the militarization of police, so it's nice to have some big money on the people's side.
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They do claim certain Libertarian credentials, and REASON magazine and other libertarian groups have been complaining about the militarization of police for many years now.
 
JRSaindo said:
Read up more. You may be surprised at what they (at least Charles) are involved in. The Kochs aren't the boogie man like many would have you believe. It is the far left fanatics that think they only do wrong. They just heavily advocate free markets, less govt. intervention through regulations, and are heavy believers in value creation. I don't get the mentality to vilify someone just because you hold a differing opinion on certain topics.
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Yeah, find it pretty interesting how so many just kinda goosestep along without digging into the details of the claims against them. Some of the tax reform issues they're pushing for actually would hurt their own bottom line.
 
Cardinal said:
Rather, I would say that shared causes can make for strange bedfellows.
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It would look less sinister if the Koch brothers didn't by Blackwater to get a private military of their very own.
 
Even more than the equipment, cops need to be taught that they aren't in action movies. That was the response from top experts in the actual military over the discussion of militarized police. They're not acting like the military. They're acting like the guys from the Expendables.
 
TeleKat said:
Oops forgot the link. Thanks :)
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The article only says that a couple unpleasant think tanks and politicians that the Koch Brother plutocrats happen to fund made some noises about the militarization of the police. There's no evidence the Koch Bros have any opinion on this issue. I guess the reporter (despite having accepted Koch Brother largesse in the form of a grant of some sort), couldn't get an interview.

Given the destructive propaganda and politics that spew out of the Cato Institute, et al, it would hardly mean much even if the Koch Plutocrats had an opinion on this issue. Their general goal is to eviscerate the federal government and all government institutions so that rich people like them can dominate society. I guess disarming the police might fit into this crazy narcissistic plan.

By the way, what is a "Koch Summer Fellowship"? A training course in astroturfing?
 
FaceofBachmann said:
The article only says that a couple unpleasant think tanks and politicians that the Koch Brother plutocrats happen to fund made some noises about the militarization of the police.
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Well, they have spoken out about the issue personally. Not saying that makes them good people, not by any means, but credit should be given where credit is due.
 
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