Fake News Family Tree, Part One

This episode Kelly and Beth take on a new series, where we look at fake news makers as opposed to the fake news itself. We think it's important to know who runs the behind the scenes for the fake news industry we see today. We begin by looking at some of the keystone components of fake news media - the John Birch Society and the Koch Brothers. 

Founded in 1958, the john Birch Society (JBS) is an extremely right wing advocacy group who helped mold the young minds of fake news makers like Glenn Beck and Alex Jones (who calls Trump a John Birch Society president. He claims they were both ‘synced’ from when he was 5 years old, because both of their dads believed in the ideals of the JBS.).
JBS has worked to discredit and slander everyone from environmentalists, civil rights protestors, the peace movement, mainstream media, women's liberation and the United Nations. They oppose outside police investigations and the founder even said several times that President Eisenhower was a communist. 
The JBS still exists today, gaining more popularity with their conspiracy and libertarian views. They may say Globalist instead of Communist and Immigrant instead of Negro, but the fear mongering tactics and secretive aura are exactly the same as it ever was.

Ah, the Koch Brothers. . . Where do we even begin? Should we begin with their good old dad, Mr Fred Koch - who made his fortune in oil by making deals with BOTH STALIN and HITLER?!?!?!? 
No, of course not. The Koch brothers are plenty evil enough on their own, they don't need any help from dad.
There are plenty of reasons to dislike the Brothers Greed, but our top choice is their hugely influential, multi-decade long smear campaign against environmental protections. Not only did they use their enormous amounts of wealth to create false science around the issue - they created whole institutes in which to create those studies. Isn't it fun to give your money to yourself in order to get something you want? Man, it'd be great if the rest of mankind could pull that trick.
From just 2005-2008 alone, Koch Industries gave $73m to climate sceptic groups 'spreading inaccurate and misleading information'. 
Is it fair to say that these two billionaires put the rest of the entire world in jeopardy? About as fair as saying David Koch is a little warm in his current location.

Beth's Jam of the Week: Home by Phillip Phillips

Kelly's Jam of the Week: Death in the Afternoon Podcast

​Death in the Afternoon is a podcast from the team behind Ask a Mortician. The deathcast will dispel myths about death and dead bodies, dive into history and dark tales you've never heard before, and hopefully make you less afraid to talk about the inevitable. Hosted by Caitlin Doughty, Louise Hung, and Sarah Chavez.

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Sources: 
The Secrets of Charles Koch’s Political Ascent
John Birch Society
How the John Birch Society Was Founded
A View from the Fringe
The Rise and Fall of the John Birch Society: 50 Years Ago
The John Birch Society is still influencing American politics, 60 years after its founding
The John Birchers’ Tea Party
The John Birch Society Is Back
Western Goals
Trump's John Birch Society Roots Discussed by Alex Jones on Infowars
What’s Wrong with Civil Rights?
The John Birch Society’s Anti-Civil Rights Campaign of the 1960s
How Charles Koch Backed the John Birch Society at the Height of Its Attacks on Martin Luther King
The Congressman Who Created His Own Deep State. Really.
Trump’s Budget Director Pick Spoke at a John Birch Society Event
"Root Causes" and Mass Murderer Adam Lanza
“Kochland” Examines the Koch Brothers’ Early, Crucial Role in Climate-Change Denial
Koch Brothers Exposed
Billionaire Koch brothers use Web to take on media reports they dispute
Koch Pledge Tied to Congressional Climate Inaction
Willie Soon
US oil company donated millions to climate sceptic groups, says Greenpeace
Fred Koch
Charles Koch
David Koch

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