http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/colu...ociety/2153760
Excerpt:

Beyond the ideological similarities, Conner points out that the John
Birch Society and the tea party have something else rather startling in
common: Funding by the Kochs.

Fred Koch, father to Charles and David, was an original John Birch
Society member and part of Welch's inner circle alongside Claire
Conner's father. Koch had made a fortune in the oil-refining business in
Stalin's Soviet Union, helping to build that economy. When he came home
he spent his money on virulent anti-Communist and anti-worker causes and
published a book contending that Communists would infiltrate the presidency.

His four sons inherited his fortune, and Charles and David expanded it.
They are now worth a combined $60 billion. Through Americans for
Prosperity and other sources, the Koch brothers have bankrolled the tea
party, pulling the GOP to the right, making government the enemy and
imbuing people like Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Michele Bachmann with
destructive political power.

This spigot of money has given new life to the John Birch Society's
latent ideas for the transformation of America into a right-wing mecca.
Anyone who wants to know what that means should read Claire Conner's
book for a peek inside.


--
Religion: together we can find the cure.