Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/111675
6A Daily News ��� Tuesday, February 26, 2013 Opinion Turning disinformation into an art form DAILY NEWS RED BLUFF TEHAMA COUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U NTY S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes letters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All letters must be signed and provide the writer���s home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submitted will be considered for publication. Letters will be edited. 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How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 With the rise of super PACs (political action committees) we have entered a scurrilous and treacherous era where the production of disinformation is elevated to an art form. In 2009, Ralph Nader published a fantasia titled "Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!" in which he imagined a group of maverick billionaires banding together to defeat corporate power in America. These enlightened oligarchs force Walmart to unionize, elect Warren Beatty governor of California, establish single-payer health insurance, raise the minimum wage to a livable salary, and in general breathe life back into liberalism. In reality something like Nader���s utopian scenario has taken shape but with a radically different ideology. Super-rich, hard-right tycoons like Foster Friess (mutual funds), Harold Simmons (chemicals and metals), the Koch brothers (oil), Bob Perry (home-building), and Sheldon Adelson (casinos) are, through the new vehicle called the super PAC, leveraging their fortunes to seize hold of the political process. Super PACs have made it so easy for millionaires and billionaires to spend unlimited sums on behalf of a particular candidate or cause that these groups are now routinely outspending traditional primary and proposition campaigns. Indeed, to a remarkable extent, these oligarch-controlled super PACs are the primary campaign. And, while both parties can create super PACs, so far GOP super PACs are burying their Democratic counterparts. Of the top ten individuals funding super PACs, only one is a Democrat. The very rich funders of conservative super PACs, while hardly unanimous in their views favor causes like repealing health care reform, making abortion illegal, restricting access to contraception, blocking climate change legislation, cutting taxes for the 1 percent, and in general halting America���s moral decay and perceived march toward socialism by opposing same sex marriage, decriminalization of drugs, Obamacare, and gun control but notably except greed and gambling. A corporate takeover of U.S. politics was what many predicted after the Supreme Court���s 2010 decision in Citizens United. But, although the Roberts court recklessly invited corporations to make so-called "independent expenditures" on behalf of individual campaigns, most corporations have been reluctant to do so. Instead, rich crackpots opened the floodgates by pouring millions of their dollars into super PACs so anonymous dark funds do their political bidding. It is estimated that in 2011���2012 the 100 biggest individual donors to super PACs make up only 3.7 percent of the contributors but supply more than 80 percent of the cash. It is no surprise that most corporations now use these dark money super PACs to hide their electioneering because by openly supporting one cause over another, as opposed to the quieter and more predictable business of super PAC lobbying, they avoid an otherwise risky public rela- risks of creating grief for their tions backlash. For instance in candidates and causes. Conservative billionaire Foster 2010, Target had to Friess lit up the phones apologize after a at MSNBC when, $150,000 corporate asked whether health contribution to a proinsurance should be business political group required to cover conprompted protests and a traception, he joked: boycott because the "Back in my day, they group���s favored Minused Bayer Aspirin for nesota gubernatorial contraceptives. The gals candidate turned out to put it between their be anti-gay. After Pacifknees, and it wasn���t that ic Gas & Electric another (PG&E) gave $10,000 Richard costly." Or in incident unfortunate to a super PAC supportTexas billionaire ing Democratic repreHoward Simmons told sentative Howard The Wall Street Journal, Berman of California, "We could have killed Berman���s opponent Obama," causing great sent out a mailer accusconcern to the Secret ing PG&E of skimping Service although he on pipeline maintenance. Not a lot of corporations meant his candidacy, not the canhave much stomach for this type didate. Using super PACs to anonymously do their bidding of conflict. As we draw near to the March those with fortunes tied to envi1 sequestration you can be sure ronmental exploitation and subsithat conservative billionaires are dies can downplay the signifiexerting their influence to avoid cance of greenhouse gas producpaying additional taxes or support tion and political influence to hide a government they detest, leaving their greed, extreme views, or true those in need of social services to motives by supporting those turnsuffer. By devoting funds to sup- ing disinformation into art form. port scientists and journalists that Richard Mazzucchi is a retired will use specious arguments to question the realities of global research engineer specializing in warming, the concentration of energy efficiency and renewable wealth, or the benefits of gun con- energy. He has travelled trol, pundits, like the one whose extensively and now makes his column appears below mine can home in Los Molinos, where he is create blogs and articles referenc- striving to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle and operate ing such sources. Conservative billionaires now a BBQ equipment and supply use super PACs to influence pub- business. He can be reached at lic opinion to avoid the serious living-green@att.net. Mazzucchi Positive Point Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN ��� Dan Logue, 1550 Humboldt Road, Ste. 4, Chico, CA 95928, 530895-4217 STATE SENATOR ��� Jim Nielsen, 280 Hemsted Dr., Ste. 110, Redding, CA 96002, 530-223-6300, Fax: 530-223-6737, senator.nielsen@senate.ca.gov GOVERNOR ��� Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: governor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ��� Doug LaMalfa 506 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515, 202-225-3076. U.S. SENATORS ��� Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (510) 2868537. Fax (202) 224-0454. Commentary They want to intimidate and disarm us The Tea Party Patriots in both Red Bluff and Corning will have programs worth your attendance: Tonight, at the Westside Grange, 6 p.m., member Robert Pinyon will play a DVD on FEMA camps. Reasonable preparation for victims of natural disasters (as in "Emergency Management") or something less altruistic. Hard, sourced and corroborated information or Internet myths. Come, watch and judge for yourself. Then, at the Corning Senior Center, 1015 Fourth St at 6 PM on Thursday, hear someone that I know to be a powerful and persuasive speaker on gun rights and the gun-controllers in Sacramento, Sam Paredes of Gun Owners of California. Their attentiveness and efforts have weighed in tirelessly to stop bad laws. A Feb. 8 article in the Daily News, "Calif. seeks to adopt nation���s toughest gun laws," proved that, when it comes to "doing something" (mindlessly, unconstitutionally passing antiSecond Amendment legislation), Democrats in Sacramento are challenged only by the prospect of topping New York���s "toughest gun laws" ��� our rights and self-protection be damned. Folks, this is why liberal politicians, building hurdles and barriers to law-abiding citizens��� selfdefense, recreational hunting and shooting, inspire me to write on the subject. This battle contains every element of what I despise about the political, cultural and media left in America. They, Democrats in Sacramento, want to "outlaw the future sale of semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines. The restriction would prevent quick reloading by requiring bullets to be loaded one at a time." What pointless, feel-good, impractical nonsense! Those weapons are used nationally in maybe 200 murders, a fraction of the people killed by knives, blunt objects, or by someone���s bare fists. Many criminally insane, that mental health professionals and those around them know pose threats to others, are not reported to authorities to prevent purchase of guns. They will get around the law, steal or otherwise acquire the multiple weapons they desire to indulge homicidal, or suicidal, deranged fantasies. Police will always respond, people will die in the mean time, police will take reports, but armed citizens can stop them. That is unless, as the Aurora, CO, theater shooter proved, such killers drive by theaters allowing the concealed carrying of weapons, to get to a "gun free" theater. Also: a President who opposed the right of a homeowner to defend his "castle" as an Illinois state senator; that same President disingenuously demanding his proposed laws be passed "right now," using phony, manipulated data to make his case for "executive (despotic?)" action to do what Congress won���t; news media putting their collective finger on the scale of public opinion via selective and incomplete coverage of the pro-gun side; even local writers that mock and berate gun defenders. On the war for public opinion, I asked the Tea Party Patriots to hold hands up if they thought the gun rights/defenders were winning (not many hands) or the gun control/confiscation side was winning (many more hands went up). Hence, I was happy to share a Forbes article, "NRA Winning the als" (in Jan. 17 DN, adults polled Influence Battle Over Gun Con- by Pew, Jan. 9-13). Not unlike the measures passed in trol," (search by title, New York, proposed in 2/01/2013). Without takSacramento, desired by ing a position on the merDemocrats in Washingits, "Forbes Insights" ton, and outlined in engaged Appinions to Obama���s 23 executive measure "who is leading actions, none of them or gaining ground would have prevented through the lens of influthe Newtown or almost ence ��� We found that any other gun masthe NRA and the pro-gun sacre, with the exceprights voices are winning tion of armed guards the influence battle and (currently at over 25 will continue to be strong percent of schools) and and more influential Don armed school person(against fragmented gun control voices) ��� (The Polson nel. What jumped off the page is that DemocNRA) has the stamina The way rats want policies and (and) are persistent, unlaws that won���t prevent yielding and gaining I see it more killings, but will influence." While interfere with the rights "Republican politicians are missing from the debate ��� and "pursuit of happiness" of othWayne LaPierre���s NRA" have held ers. Look up "Defensive gun use" Obama, Biden and the Democrats" to a near tie in shaping debate, to and you���ll find that from 1 milthe benefit of gun rights advocates. lion to 3 million incidents of selfIt is, therefore, not surprising to defense happen every year. I postfind Obama with higher disap- ed a "reddit.com/r/dgu" article proval than approval on "Gun poli- with details of many incidents. cy" and other domestic issues Finally, look up "California according to Gallup (Look up unable to disarm 19,700 felons "Gallup Poll: Majority of Ameri- and mentally ill people" cans disapprove of Obama���s gun (latimes.com 2/18). So, they can���t policies," Feb. 7-10). From "Immi- rightly take guns away from neargration" to "Energy policy," ly 20,000 people but they want us "Taxes," "The economy," "The to give ours up (NY law requires federal budget deficit," Ameri- surrendering guns; DOJ memo cans give him negative "Job says Obama���s goals would approval ratings" by 54 to 42 per- require complete registration and cent (Gun policy), to double dig- confiscation). Sorry, but "from its on others and even 65 to 31 my cold, dead hands." disapproval on the deficit. Only Don Polson has called Red Bluff on "National defense" does he home since 1988. He can be have a 53 to 44 approval. by e-mail at It was curious to read the bar reached graph, "Party ID and gun propos- donplsn@yahoo.com.