THE MEN BEHIND THE CURTAIN

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”

Those lines were uttered by a frustrated Frank Morgan, as Toto pulled back the curtain revealing him frantically pulling the levers to control the booming hologram of the powerful Wizard. The Professor turned out to be a kindly old hustler who helped Dorothy return home to Kansas. But the men behind the curtain in this nation are not nearly that benign. They have many names: the power brokers; the men behind the throne; the fat cats; the robber barons; the prime movers; the owners(George Carlin); the top 1%; oligarchs. But who are they? Name names.

They are not the ultra conservative politicians in state and federal houses around the country. Nor are they the radical right radio and TV talk hosts. These demagogues are not the puppeteers but merely the puppets that are on strings that cause them to prance around the stage in a public display of feigned patriotism and fiscal integrity. We need to know who the puppeteers are ; what they do and where they live. We have a few names but only a very few. The Koch brothers down West Texas , that wonderful state that we stole from Mexico. These sinister siblings come from a powerful old Dutch family who own the second-largest privately held company by revenue in the United States. Charles was ranked 24th on Forbes World's Billionaires list of 2011 with an estimated net worth of $22 billion. We also know much about craggy old Rupert Murdoch who controls the right wing media in both England and the United States. In recent days, they are beginning to pull the curtain away from him gradually to unravel the sketchy behavior of some of his minions. He just had too much public exposure.

In an excellent article by Aerik Vondenburg in the consortium news entitled The Robber Barons Are Back, the author traces the history of an emerging Facism in American history from Teddy Roosevelt to Barack Obama. His own words say it more eloquently than I can:

Since the Gilded Age of the 19th century, the wealthy financiers and "robber baron" industrialists have been effectively purchasing power – and creating further revenue for themselves – by directing money into the coffers of business friendly politicians, who in turn vote for lower taxes, special exemptions, tax loopholes, deregulation, etc.

But ,as I wrote in a previous post, “Who are these people”. It shouldn’t be too difficult to identify what their names are and what interests they represent. Harold Ickes, FDR’s brilliant Secretary of the Interior, initiated a campaign to go after the “superrich sixty families” whom he identified as the prime power brokers of the era. Isolating only the richest in 21^st Century society as the targets of our scorn would be a mistake. Billionaires like George Soros and Warren Buffett publicly admit that they would have no problem paying higher taxes to support the government. I doubt very much whether Mark Zuckerberg complains that he has to give out too great a percentage of his resources to support the government

We need to know the identity of those families on the Koch Brothers’ Christmas list. You know the ones who tie their sailboats together for the Fourth of July to watch the fireworks off of Shelter Island. Publish their pictures in Newsweek or Time. Tell us where they live so that we can demonstrate in front of their property Identify the industries they represent so we can boycott their products or services. Let us know who regularly wires those funds into Grover Norquist’s accounts in the Cayman’s or Switzerland.

Toto, do your job

“Tell Michael it Was Only Business”

Those were Salvatore Tessio’s words to Tom Hagen, just before he was taken away to be killed for betraying Michael Corleone in the classic film, Godfather I. In Mario Puzo’s script, he has his Mafia bosses justify their felonious behavior by claiming that they are no worse than large corporations and corrupt politicians. When Vito Corleone apologizes to his son, Michael, for getting him involved in the family business, Michael tries to ease his father’s concern by saying that they are all “pezzonovante’s anyway” In Standard Italian it is "pezzo da novanta" (ninety-calibre… a big gun). In Sicilian slang , it is not a good person.

I truly enjoyed the Godfather series because they were well made films but I never viewed those characters as romantic anti-heroes. They were larcenous cold psychopaths whose amoral behavior caused the death and suffering of many. But the business metaphor is appropriate.

One thing you have to admit about the Business Tribe in this country is that they are completely upfront about their agenda. Their one major priority above all is profit---the bottom line. They will readily admit that in any formal or informal communication with others. They are customer oriented only because they have discovered that the strategy yields economic rewards for the private owners or the stockholders of corporations. Calvin Coolidge said it clearly “The business of America is business”. The implication, accepted by many in or out the business world,is that it is truly “American” to support business and anyone who doesn’t accept this is not a true patriot.

The interesting thing about true believers in this tribe is that they separate their personal lives from their business lives. As private citizens they abhor cruelty, injustice, mercilessness and selfishness. When they return home to their family, friends and neighbors they adhere to the Golden Rule. They are like the Nazi Concentration Camp commandants who would return home from Auschwitz or Dachau and celebrate Christmas with their families and neighbors. Dorothy Thompson, the brilliant journalist, called it “doubling” in a 1930’s essay.

Do you think I am exaggerating? Well let’s look at the record. The Tobacco Companies continued to advertise and sell cigarettes even though their own research indicated that they were cancerous. The oil companies made comfortable deals with Middle Eastern Monarchs who funded the terrorists who ultimately viciously attacked our own country. They also were warned many times about the risks of deep water drilling until the gargantuan oil spill that devastated the inhabitants of the Gulf of Mexico.

The mining companies for decades have ignored safety regulations resulting the maiming and premature deaths of men who risked their lives in the bowels of the earth. The corporate environmental polluters whose carbon footprint has resulted in an unnatural climate change that threatens all of us. The weapons manufacturers hide behind the second amendment and the NRA to peddle their automatic weapons at gun shows that kill and maim law enforcement professionals, students, innocent bystanders and even politicians. And finally we have the Wall St. CEO’s whose greed and incompetence almost resulted in another Major Depression.

When you challenge them they cry “Un-American”, “Socialism” and “Communism” or like Sal Tessio, they want you to understand that it is not personal. ”It is only business” they say. I say “leave the gun; take the Cannoli”