I want to pass on a recommendation of a
relatively new book. It is called “Dark Money.” The author,
Jane Mayer, describes the extensive activities of the Koch Brothers
in propagandizing right-wing points of view that benefited them
financially.
The book started out as an article or
two that appeared in The New Yorker Magazine. In case you are
unfamiliar with the policies of The New Yorker Magazine, they are
known for perhaps the most careful and strict fact checking in the
publishing business. It is also a sure thing that the publisher of
this book, Doubleday, did their own fact checking and consulted
carefully with lawyers before issuing this work.
Mayer discovered after her New Yorker
article that she was being investigated by a private detective to see
if he could find anything detrimental about her (he couldn't), and
was also accused of plagiarizing from the works of a number of
authors. A check with the authors revealed that not a one of them
felt she had plagiarized from them.
The book is strictly factual, without
hysterical emotion. It simply states that this happened, that
happened, so and so paid for such and such a thing, and so on. I saw
her interviewed by two different people, and in each interview she
was strictly factual, not at all emotional.
If you want to learn how many people in
this country have had their political views pushed to the right, read
this book.
