Why boycotting the Koch brothers is difficult, but worth it!

[phil_alden_2010]

Why boycotting the Koch brothers is difficult, but worth it!:

By Phillip T. Alden

N.B. Some of the information in this essay comes from; "How You Can Boycott the Kochs" By Lauren Kelley, originally published on AlterNet.

(Cross-posted to my Blogspot journal and my Live Journal account.)

Today when I had a brief moment on Live Journal and Facebook, I noticed the "Koch Brothers Boycott" has been gaining both attention and momentum since I returned from our vacation.

I'm glad to see it. I'm glad to see my fellow Americans finally sick and tired of political-corporate corruption, and the outright lunacy of powerful people influencing this country in negative ways that sacrifice; safety, medicine, education, proven science, public health, and the "economy." And let us not forget the continued racism and oppression of the poor, people of color, women, (especially women of color,) the disabled and the elderly.

We have a lot to work on, to hopefully fix the damage done to this country by that small minority of super-wealthy, (and often religious radicals,) that have gained far too much influence in everything from our local school boards to our state and federal governments.

But back to the Koch brothers, (pronounced "Coke.")

If these were simply very wealthy businessmen who enjoyed their success, and even if they were selfish bastards who never gave a dime to a charity – we could write them off fairly easily.

Sadly, that is not the case. In addition to using their financial clout to back extreme right-wing politicians, they are also union-busting thugs. (See the article mentioned at the top of this missive.) And it doesn't stop there. According to this New Yorker article: "The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama"; the brothers have been waging a "covert" war against the Obamas since Barack Obama's historic win as the first Black President in American history. The article states:

"..One dignitary was conspicuously absent from the gala: the event’s third honorary co-chair, Michelle Obama. Her office said that a scheduling conflict had prevented her from attending. Yet had the First Lady shared the stage with Koch it might have created an awkward tableau. In Washington, Koch is best known as part of a family that has repeatedly funded stealth attacks on the federal government, and on the Obama Administration in particular…"

The article continues:

".. The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry—especially environmental regulation. These views dovetail with the brothers’ corporate interests. In a study released this spring, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries one of the top ten air polluters in the United States…"

In other words; screw the poor, up with excessive wealth, and pollute the planet as much as possible.

The New Yorker article I site above goes into extensive detail about the entire Koch family, how they rose to wealth and power, and a sound argument for why they believe as they do. At one point, the article states, one of them tried to run for political office to gain even more power:

"..The brothers’ first major public step came in 1979, when Charles persuaded David, then thirty-nine, to run for public office. They had become supporters of the Libertarian Party, and were backing its Presidential candidate, Ed Clark, who was running against Ronald Reagan from the right. Frustrated by the legal limits on campaign donations, they contrived to place David on the ticket, in the Vice-Presidential slot; upon becoming a candidate, he could lavish as much of his personal fortune as he wished on the campaign. The ticket’s slogan was “The Libertarian Party has only one source of funds: You.” In fact, its primary source of funds was David Koch, who spent more than two million dollars on the effort."

Now comes the hard part. The Koch brothers are very hard to boycott! There are retail items that are easy to boycott, and they are a good place to start:

* Angel Soft toilet paper.
* Brawny paper towels.

* Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups.

* Mardi Gras napkins and towels.

* Quilted Northern toilet paper.

* Soft 'n Gentle toilet paper.

* Sparkle napkins.

* Vanity fair napkins.

* Zee napkins.

* Georgia-Pacific paper products and envelopes.

Then it gets harder. In addition to oil and other energy resources and companies they hold interest in, there are the following industrial products that need to be boycotted:

All Georgia-Pacific lumber and building products, including:


* Dense Armor Drywall and Decking.
* ToughArmor Gypsum board.

* Georgia Pacific Plytanium Plywood.
* 
Flexrock. 

* Densglass sheathing .
* G/P Industrial plasters, (some products used by a lot of crafters.)
* 
FibreStrong Rim board.
* G/P Lam board.
* Blue Ribbon OSB Rated Sheathing.
* Blue Ribbon Sub-floor.

* DryGuard Enhanced OSB, (Oriented strand board.)

* Nautilus Wall Sheathing.
* Thermostat OSB Radiant Barrier Sheathing.

* Broadspan Engineered Wood Products.
* XJ 85 I-Joists.

* FireDefender Banded Cores.
* 
FireDefender FS.
* 
FireDefender Mineral Core.
* 
Hardboard and Thin MDF including Auto Hardboard, 
Perforated Hardboard and thin MDF 
Wood Fiberboard.
* Commercial Roof Fiberboard.
* 
Hushboard Sound Deadening Board.

* Regular Fiberboard Sheathing 
Structural Fiberboard Sheathing

.

These are largely building materials that few of us buy or order, unless we work for a company that deals in these materials. If Home Depot carries some or all of these products, they are (potentially) included. (That wouldn't hurt as an SF Weekly investigative article I read referred to them as; "Wal-Mart With A Hammer.") A reasonable start would be a letter to Home Depot's corporate headquarters stating your reasons for their product's removal.

If you happen to work for a company that uses these materials, and you have some involvement with ordering them, you could do a truly great thing by either finding alternate materials, or by making your company aware of the Koch brothers, how harmful they are to our Democracy, and how your company currently does business with them.

Just keep "Georgia-Pacific" in mind when you shop for paper products or building materials.

Now it gets a little harder. (As if the building materials weren't hard enough!) The Koch brothers have large investments in INVISTA Products:

* COMFOREL® fiberfill.

* COOLMAX® fabric.
* 
CORDURA® fabric.
* 
DACRON® fiber.
* 
POLYSHIELD® resin.
* 
SOLARMAX® fabric.
* 
SOMERELLE® bedding products.
* STAINMASTER® carpet.
* 
SUPPLEX® fabric.

* TACTEL® fiber.

* TACTESSE® carpet fiber.
* 
TERATE® polyols.

* TERATHANE® polyether glycol.

* THERMOLITE® fabric.
* PHENREZ® resin.
* 
POLARGUARD® fiber and 
LYCRA® fiber.

I think a lot of us have these products in our homes, or the material is in items like our clothing. I know for sure that I have clothing that contains PolarGuard® and Lycra® fiber. Until the Koch bothers starting funding things like Tea Party politics, we bought these items without thinking of who owned the company.

Some things, like StainMaster® Carpet, are easy to boycott. Our condo has laminate flooring throughout and I personally prefer it to carpet. Other things are not so easy. We can look for these ingredients in building and craft materials, and when we find them, we can write to the companies that have these ingredients in them. A written (or typed) letter sent by regular post has more impact than a phone call or an email.

It takes a little more work to be a responsible consumer, but many Americans have been as conscientious as possible with their dollars for years. The more this trend grows, the more companies are going to include their suppliers in their public relations materials and advertising. Some companies are already doing that. This is corporate responsibility that we should applaud and support. For example; as a gay man I have long watched where my dollars are going to insure that, (to the best of my knowledge,) I am not supporting companies that try to damage my community.

One last thing you can do is simply keep your eyes open, and periodically check out Anti-Koch Brothers websites. As this boycott grows there will be more people who will do the footwork and research to make sure the name "Koch" is equated with lost dollars and lost customers.

And this boycott is growing. Americans are finally standing up against the corruption and hatred that is both Anti-American and Anti-Democratic. Right now and in the immediate future it's the Koch brothers. More names and companies will be added to the list until we all discover that; a) we have more power as individuals than we thought, and b) we demand our Democracy and our Civil Society be put back in the hands of the people, where it has always belonged.