Internet vigilante “Anonymous” has declared war on David and Charles Koch, the owners of Koch Industries. Anonymous accuses the Koch brothers of the current union busting activities in Wisconsin as a way to acquire control of public utilities in that state.
Koch Industries, and oligarchs like them, have most recently started to manipulate the political agenda in Wisconsin.Governor Walker’s union-busting budget plan contains a clause that went nearly un-noticed. This clause would allow the sale of publicly owned utility plants in Wisconsin to private parties (specifically, Koch Industries) at any price, no matter how low, without a public bidding process. The Koch’s have helped to fuel the unrest in Wisconsin and the drive behind the bill to eliminate the collective bargaining power of unions in a bid to gain a monopoly over the state’s power supplies.
Unlike masked comic book vigilantes, Anonymous is a nebulous entity composed of many — and any — people motivated to act against perceived injustices. The movement is openly inspired by Guy Fawkes, the most famous member of the failed Gunpowder Plot conspiracy, a 1605 plan designed to blow up the British Parliament and kill King James I.
While associated with numerous sophomoric pranks, those identifying themselves as Anonymous are responsible for a wide diversity of attacks, some cruel and seemingly senseless while more recent activities have become increasingly motivated by political or moral reasons. The chaotic nature of Anonymous suggests that these activities are carried out by many different people who probably don’t all know each other.
While soliciting information about Koch Industries “vulnerabilities,” Anonymous is also calling for a boycott of that organization. Specifically, the targeted U.S. brands are Vanity Fair, Quilted Northern, Angle Soft, Sparkle, Brawny, Mardi Gras and Dixie, all of which are paper products from Georgia Pacific.