I hope you already read Jane Mayer's wonderful expose on the lowlife Koch Brothers. It shouldn't be missed. The Koch brothers, who are legendary movement conservatives figureheads and big time teabirchers are putting their wealth at their disposal from their Texas stronghold to try and help destroy California's environment even more that it already is. Just like the Mormons before them. (Remember Prop 8?) Of course, they'd make a huge profit off of it, but that's all these CoC type a-holes care about. Not people, not families, not the country, but profits. They wished the U.S. was like England back in the day, and they were the Kings and "we the people" were their beggars looking for breadcrumbs in the gutter.

We've reported like so many others that these Tea Party heroes have already dumped in at least a million dollars to help pass Prop 23.

An oil company headed by conservative billionaires David and Charles Koch has contributed $1 million to the campaign to suspend the state's landmark climate change law.

Flint Hills Resources does not have any oil interests in California but is a big opponent of climate change legislation around the country.

On Thursday, the Kansas-based refining and chemicals manufacturer threw its weight behind Proposition 23, the ballot initiative that seeks to suspend California's greenhouse gas reduction law until the economy improves.

"This is a significant game changer," said Craig Holman, a campaign finance expert at Public Citizen, a Washington, D.C.-based consumer advocacy group. "They want to stop the state that's well known for leading the way when it comes to climate change legislation."

California secretary of state's office records show that Flint Hills is now the third-largest backer of Proposition 23, behind Texas-based oil companies Valero Energy Corp. and Tesoro Corp.

CREDO's “Stop Texas Oil: Hell No on 23” action group is urging folks to help stop this madness and has just released a new video that hopefully will motivate Californians to vote "Hell No" when it comes time to vote in this election. One thing is certain: These Tea Party ideologues know how to use big money and the ballot box to get their agenda passed.

Earlier this month, “Hell No on 23” challenged California's Tea Party protesters today to a one-on-one debate on the deceptive initiative to roll back anti-global warming legislation.

The Tea Partiers -- funded by Texas oil billionaire brothers -- are the grassroots arm of the "Yes on 23" campaign. The Tea Party movement in California have been holding small protests to spread misinformation on the initiative. “Hell No on 23” is the biggest statewide volunteer driven campaign working against the Texas Oil companies and has been educating thousands of voters on Prop 23 via phone, online and during rallies throughout the state.

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This pretty much says it all: General Petraeus is going to Afghanistan at the President's request to lead the war effort there, but his wife Holly's struggle to defend our troops against the predatory lending practices of car dealers has been lost. Holly will become another military spouse who lost a battle with car dealers while a loved one serves overseas. Both Houses of Congress are apparently willing to "support the troops" only when it doesn't get in the way of doing favors for the guys raising money at those rubber-chicken campaign fundraisers back home.

Let's hope the General has better luck against Mullah Omar than his wife had against Tony Federico. Tony's the auto dealer we wrote about the other day - the one who says he always gets the best deals for his customers, but doesn't want anyone checking to see if that's true or not. In this Congress, the score is now Tony 1, Holly 0.

The House/Senate Committee approved a carve-out for auto dealers that exempts them from oversight by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. There are no good policy reasons for that. The argument that "car dealers had nothing to do with the economic crisis" doesn't wash. As Jeff Sovern observed in Politico, reform is designed to prevent the next crisis as much as it is to avoid a repeat of the last one. With nearly a trillion dollars a year written in auto loans each year, and with auto dealers having the same perverse incentives as mortgage brokers, it's a tragedy waiting to happen.

And it's a tragedy that is happening - every day, in communities all over the country. Holly Petraeus stepped in because she was one of many military family members who grew tired of seeing soldiers exploited by fast-talking bait and switch artists at a vulnerable and frightening time in their lives. When it push comes to shove, gladhanding contributors was more important to Congress than looking out for the interests of our soldiers ... and other ordinary citizens. The racially discriminatory patterns behind auto lending didn't disturb them, either, nor did the average of $647 added to the cost of each vehicle as a result of dealer markups. (More info here and here.)

Negotiators are working to undo a little of the damage done by this decision. As the AP reported yesterday, auto dealers will still be covered by Federal truth-in-lending laws, although the Fed will have to write a justification every time it tried to write rules that specifically deal with auto loans. And there's a plan to create a "fast track" for the Federal Trade Commission to write rules that address auto loans.

But these are band-aids on the gaping wound created by this sweetheart deal. Every lender but one will have to answer to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, leaving a messy and confusing two-tiered oversight system that's ripe for exploitation.

We promoted the CREDO/Campaign for America's Future fax campaign last week, saying " Send a fax. Call your Senator and Representative. If you do, we can have you in a nice financial reform package, complete with consumer protections against auto dealer rip offs." Apparently I was overselling - which may qualify me for a job at an auto dealership - but send the fax and make the call anyway. That will let them know you're unhappy, and that you want the FTC and the Federal Reserve to push for the strongest possible regulations. And let the Senators who voted to encourage Tony's giveaway (my Senator, Barbara Boxer, is one of them) know you want them to push for real oversight of these loans.

General Petraeus specializes in counterinsurgency, which is defined as "armed conflict against an insurgency by forces aligned with the recognized government of the territory in which the conflict takes place." Too bad he didn't share some of his techniques with his wife before she went to plead her case before Congress. In the battle between our troops and Tony Federico, the troops never really had a chance.

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Cross-posted (with some rewording) at Huffington Post and Our Future as part of the Curbing Wall Street project.

— Photo used under Creative Commons license by Flickr - user bitzcelt.

Mike Stark has been a regular member in the liberal blogosphere for a long time and has been on the Hill with his Flip camcorder getting pols on tape to answer questions that the media somehow never seems to get around to asking.

Digby, Howie and myself have joined with CREDO and are trying to generate some cash for him. I know it's tight out there. Advertising has been down for all of us and I may have to do another fundraiser soon for C&L, but if you can please sign Credo's petition that will send a coat hanger to every member of the pro-choice party that voted yes to the ugly Stupak amendment and a dollar to Mike. Blue America is collecting the money from CREDO and we decided to give it to Mike.

Here's Mike to explain:

And you aren't the only folks noticing this work. Blue America (Howie Klein, Digby, John Amato) and Credo Action/Working Assets have also been keeping an eye on my efforts. They realize that this work cannot continue without support (I have a family to feed, student loans and rent to pay, etc. etc.), and they know a movement cannot succeed without mutual support. With that in mind, they've teamed up to raise some money for me.

Credo Action/Working Assets has a petition set up. For every signature on the petition, they'll be delivering a coat-hanger to Representatives that voted for the ridiculously regressive ant-choice Stupak Amendment. In addition, for every signature, up to 5,000, they'll donate $1 to StarkReports. Right now they are at about 1800 signatures.

If you appreciate hard-hitting and tenacious reporting... If you like seeing powerful people asked tough questions... If you want a media that works for you... I can use your help. Please sign the petition (it costs you nothing but your time). Watch my videos. Visit (and bookmark) StarkReports.com. If you've got some extra cash, drop it in the donation box on the right-side nav bar...

In the meantime, I'll be asking more tough questions this week. I've got some doozies stored away; this is sure to be a productive week.

...except in a video game for Jesus.

NY Times: (h/t Rick)

First the percussive sounds of sniper fire and the thrill of the kill. Then the gospel of peace.

Across the country, hundreds of ministers and pastors desperate to reach young congregants have drawn concern and criticism through their use of an unusual recruiting tool: the immersive and violent video game Halo.[..]

Those buying it must be 17 years old, given it is rated M for mature audiences. But that has not prevented leaders at churches and youth centers across Protestant denominations, including evangelical churches that have cautioned against violent entertainment, from holding heavily attended Halo nights and stocking their centers with multiple game consoles so dozens of teenagers can flock around big-screen televisions and shoot it out.

The alliance of popular culture and evangelism is challenging churches much as bingo games did in the 1960s. And the question fits into a rich debate about how far churches should go to reach young people.

Far from being defensive, church leaders who support Halo - despite its "thou shalt kill" credo - celebrate it as a modern and sometimes singularly effective tool. It is crucial, they say, to reach the elusive audience of boys and young men.

Oh, I don't know....one would think the line has been crossed when one is encouraging kids to kill (even if only virtually) to bring them to Jesus. This is a whole new take on "WWJD" that sadly reflects more on our society than religion.