@JRH... If one has to explain sarcasim, it's not good sarcasm.

What exactly was to be "watched" on the 13 seconds of video shot in darkness? Is that the best that the Koch Foundation funded MacGiver Institute could come up with? They must be losing their touch. (That was sarcasm, just so that you know.)

@MrsPeel -

The MacIver Institute is not funded by the Koch Bros. Do your homework before drinking the kool-aid and buying into the propaganda and empty rhetoric!

First off, by the time the event actually reached Walker's home, it was dark - it's a fact of nature and can't be helped. Second, the video shows the uncivil hatred that a person who attended the event has for Walker, and that such a person may be representative of the sentiments of the entire Recall Walker movement.

How many signs at the Capitol protest compared Walker to Hitler, etc.?

Yeah, very telling indeed, and not quite the 'love and unity' fest that mainstream media reports of the event made it out to be.

Hey Mr. Hoffa, the MacIver Institute was founded in 2008, has a private donor list, and acts as a text and video conduit for talking points spewed out from directly-identified Koch brothers' funded fake-news/policy site. Here's a link from a Democratic site that has done some investigation into the MI. It's interesting how some of the old names pop up here, including David Koch, way back in the 1980s. There's a pinball-ing of donations from one institute to another (yes, MI is one of many similar organizations that popped up nationally within the past few years, all with the same talking points). http://thedemocraticdaily.com/2011/02/21/water-tea-or-koch/

I have little doubt that with enough time (which I'm a bit short of at the moment), I could officially track this back to its source as I have done with several others.

So I wouldn't tell Mrs.Peel to "do the homework" as she clearly has done more than you.

@Bren -

The article that you link to concerning the MacIver Institute is nothing but a partisan conspiracy theory hack piece. A majority of the article doesn't even concern the MI. And no direct link is ever made. In fact, the author concludes:

"Now, if you believe that birds of a feather flock together, y0u (sic) have enough information to process what sort of group that the MacIver Institute actually is."

That's mighty independent and free-thinking of you to conclude something as fact when all you really have is conjecture and speculation.

One Wisconsin Now's funding has officially been traced to big labor and George Soros sponsored public advocacy groups. The connection there has been directly made and OWN doesn’t even try to hide it any more.

Try again Bren, and stop pretending to be independent. Anyone who pushes liberal blogs as representing 'facts' is clearly a liberal.
.

Hey Mr.l Hoffa, as I indicated when posting the link this was a Democratic blog site. You can track individuals' political donations online, as well as who creates websites if you take the time to do it. My own research to-date concurs with this poster so I put my "stamp of approval" on it, so to speak. Facts are not conspiracy theories, no matter how much you dream.

And as Colbert says, "Truth has a liberal bias." So of course you would accuse me of being liberal.

And finally, it's been long established that many unions support Democratic causes. If this is an epiphany for you, congratulations!

Unless Walker starts systematically exterminating people, the Hitler comparisons really should be stopped...

How much public lands have the Koch brother's purchased through the Walker 'no-bid' policies?

@Terry -

Everyone is so quick to declare Walker a liar or deceitful for not disclosing his ‘plans’ to dismantle public sector unions during his campaign. However these same people ignore the fact that while discussing the compensation cuts via pension and health care contributions with the public sector unions at the state level, that the unions agreed to such cuts. However, at the very same time, several union locals were going wildcat behind everyone’s back and started rushing to sign new contracts with local level governments that either didn’t include the promised compensation cuts OR even stipulated raises instead of cuts!

It’s when Walker saw that this back-stabbing was going on that he realized that the public sector unions couldn’t be trusted to play fair, so he did what he had to do. How come no one is calling the pubic sector unions LIARS for the wildcat actions of their locals contrary to the promises made by those same unions at the state level? There appears to be a huge double standard being employed by the anti-Walker crowd here. Walker’s actions were necessary to accomplish his stated objectives and were consistent with his campaign platform. However, the unions just outright lied and tried to get away with it.

http://gazettextra.com/news/2011/feb/21/janesville-school-board-could-ok-union-contract/

The contract was approved on February 22 by a vote of 5-4.

One example of many. Looks like a LIE to me - where's your rage?

If it is truly just inherited money rather than earned money, then shouldn't it run out at some point? If they truly own and control the world to the extent you claim they do, the money supply will likely be exhausted before the end of the year...

@MrsPeel -

"Kochtopus" Hmm... I seem to recall from Bren's article that this is word is popular amongst liberal conspiracy theorists. Your use of the that word shows just how 'independent' you really are, as in 'not at all.'

And what exactly is your source of information? The same indirect liberal 'birds of a feather' theory that Bren supports?

I'm only interested in cold hard FACT - not speculation or conjecture no matter how solid or convincing it may be!

Also, it doesn’t change the reality of One Wisconsin Now’s funding coming from big labor and left-wing Soros advocacy groups – does it?

So perhaps you can explain to me why Koch associated money is so much worse than big labor / Soros money – both represent singular special interests!

Mr. Hoffa, Based on your posts, I would suggest that unlike me, you are all about rhetoric, rather than "cold hard FACT."

My issue with the Koch brothers' agenda is that they are trying to change the face of democracy in this country with a hard, cruel turn to the far right. Most of us like to live in the middle. With a father who was a founder of the John Birch Society and an oil man, it's understandable that the Koch bros' view of America is skewed against employee rights, government regulation, and civic investments. That's an emotionally stunted view, in my opinion, and not one that inspires a healthy economy and population. I kind of like the America that I grew up with, the helping hand across the seas and fine accomplishments like space travel, interstate highways, and the means to obtain a comfortable way of life for those willing to work for it.

What we are seeing now are stagnant wages, terrible health insurance, Vegas-style retirement accounts, and vile attacks on the public unions (the last vestiges of what were common wages and benefits). We can do better than this as a country and that's why I reject the Koch bros.' agenda.

The obvious difference between the Koch bros. and unions/Soros is that the latter understand that when the people have a little money to spend, the people go shopping.

Hey Sam Vedder, here's a link to the Koch brothers' Wisconsin Facts page: http://www.kochind.com/factsSheets/WisconsinFacts.aspx

Their interests are inter-state, pipelines, etc. Regardless of their political interests, the Koch bros. are not going to close these or their plants if Walker gets recalled (even though they did lay off workers earlier this year). It's naive to think they would--there's no profit in it!

You are confused (I'm too polite to call you a simpleton) if you think those of us who expose the Koch bros.' schemes are not very well aware of the big picture. People who don't do their research and calls those who do nasty names can't be taken seriously.

@Bren -

Maybe the Koch's had to lay people off in Wisconsin because your side has union-labor made Georgia-Pacific goods on your boycott list. Where's the ‘solidarity’ and ‘brotherhood’ that your side supposedly holds in such high regard? Instead, you sell out your fellow private-sector union brethren just to advance your own political interests. Yeah, that looks pretty darn selfish if you ask me, and completely unrepresentative of what true solidarity and brotherhood are really all about.

Get a clue already!

JRH, no, the Koch bros. didn't lay people off because profits were falling. My "side" of independents have a broad range of views on many subjects--we don't really have an "Independent" party. If "we" do I don't know about it and wouldn't join. My father was in a private sector union for decades, and I have friends in the musicians and other unions. As a result I support unions overall--private sector employees benefited from the efforts of unions. Better working conditions, reasonable work hours, decent pay--the unions were a big part of that.

So I don't have a "clue" -- of what you're talking about!!!

@Bren -

When I refer to "your side," it means the anti-Koch crowd, or those that have bought into the whole Koch government takeover conspiracy theory garbage!

http://millermps.wordpress.com/2011/03/06/how-you-can-boycott-the-kochs/

Hmmm…., there sure are a lot of Wisconsin union-labor made products on that list! 'Solidarity,' and 'brotherhood' - apparently just for public sector union members who are so very quick to sell out their brethren in the private sector just so they can advance their own political agenda!

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/260979/wisconsin-state-employees-should-have-some-koch-and-smile-christian-schneider

http://www.modernconservative.com/metablog_single.php?p=5420

http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/2698923/posts

http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/08/01/steelworkers-ratify-paper-industry-master-agreement/

If you don't see this as being extremely selfish or representing the absolute height of hypocrisy, then you my friend are living in extreme denial and definitely need to wake up and stop relying upon the Daily Kos as your sole source of information!

BTW – See how my sources come from across the politically biased media and news spectrum – both left and right? That’s what people, especially REAL independents, do when they want to find the real TRUTH and FACTS. Maybe you should try it sometime!

Sam, yes, that was all in the link I shared. Thank you for sharing it again (yawn). I reject the Koch brothers' political agenda and their attempts to manipulate candidates and elections across the country. I don't support cheating overall.

You are free to surmise about anyone you wish. I however don't engage in histrionics or share my own opinions as "universal" (If I think it everyone must agree!!). I recognize that even within a political group there are differing opinions, so you will note I usually say "some folks," speaking specifically to those people I have spoken to or researched.

And you don't know anything about me, just saying. I'll end with my favorite paraphrase of the late, great Isaac Azimov, "Invective is the first defense of the incompetent."

Hey Hudson Resident, your post gave me the chuckle I needed to get my afternoon going.

How about the top 10 states with the lowest unemployment?

1 NORTH DAKOTA 3.4 R
2 NEBRASKA 4.1 R
3 SOUTH DAKOTA 4.3 R
4 NEW HAMPSHIRE 5.2 D
5 VERMONT 5.3 D
6 IOWA 5.7 R
7 WYOMING 5.8 R
8 MINNESOTA 5.9 D
9 OKLAHOMA 6.1 R
10 VIRGINIA 6.2 R

Interesting results.

OK, that's the second time you posted that article. Can you explain what part Walker played in Joerns' decision to move their operations out of Wisconsin?