"Waiting for Superman" funder Phil Anschutz: evangelical fundie, anti-gay winger

[Hannah Bell]

PHIL'S FAMILY

- Grandfather a Russian immigrant to Kansas, founded the Farmers State Bank in Russell, KS.

- Father, Fred Anschutz, was a rancher (multi-state properties) & in the oil exploration business; "made & lost several fortunes"

- Phil's neighbor during his youth was Senator Bob Dole (born Russell, KS)

- Phil took over his father's oil business in 1961, struck it big in several states, sold a 50% stake to Mobil



PHIL'S BUSINESSES

- Est. net worth = $5 billion

- Rio Grande Industries (Rio Grande Railroad) & Southern Pacific, merged with Union Pacific

- Director of Forest Oil Corp

- Director & Chair of Qwest (owns 17-38%)

- Director of Pacific Energy Partners

- Board American Petroleum Institute & National Petroleum Council

- Anschutz Entertainment Group

Manchester Evening News Arena (UK), the London Arena (UK),the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, The Staples Center in Los Angeles, The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, and the multi-purpose arena known as "The O2," formerly the Millennium Dome (UK), casino interests, Xanterra Parks & Resorts (high-profile resorts at Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Crater Lake); Tour of California bicycling race;

The San Francisco Examiner, The Washington Examiner, The Baltimore Examiner, Examiner.com, The Weekly Standard (Stable of writers includes founder Bill Kristol, executive editor Fred Barnes and columnist Charles Krauthammer)

Founder of Major League Soccer: sports teams owned = Colorado Rapids, Chicago Fire, San Jose Earthquakes, New York/New Jersey MetroStars, D.C. United, Los Angeles Galaxy, Houston Dynamo. Hockey teams = NHL's Los Angeles Kings; AHL's Manchester Monarchs; the ECHL's Reading Royals and Ontario Reign; the Swedish soccer team Hammarby IF, Swedish hockey team Djurgårdens IF; and the German ice hockey teams Hamburg Freezers and Eisbären Berlin.

Regal Entertainment Group, the largest movie theater chain in the world

Edwards Theaters Circuit, United Artists Theater Group of Englewood

Producer/back of films: Atlas Shrugged, Holes, Christian-themed Chronicles of Narnia & Amazing
Grace -- and "Waiting for Superman"

Social networking internet sites


- sued by New York Attorney General Elliot L. Spitzer in 2002 for making $1.5 billion in "unjust revenue"


PHIL'S ACTIVISM:

- Conservative Christian, Evangelical Presbyterian Church

- Republican donor, GW Bush supporter

- Funded Colorado's 1992 Amendment 2, designed to overturn local/state laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The initiative passed but was invalidated by court decision.

- Funded the Discovery Institute, anti-evolution Seattle think tank promoting intelligent design.

- Foundation award to Focus on the Family

- Funded Parents Television Council, (anti-TV indecency)

- Finances & directs The Foundation for a Better Life

- Financed the Christian-themed movies "Amazing Grace" & "Chronicles of Narnia"




I'm sure he's in it for the children.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. OMG I know of this family well. Had no idea they were involved.

They're as evil as the Kochs.

It really sucks living in Kansas sometimes. But hey, our charter school law makes it almost impossible to open a charter. That's something, right? :)

[EFerrari]

2. No one could have ever imagined some orbiting wing nut was behind this film.

:sarcasm:

[proud2BlibKansan]

4. This man is as evil as the Kochs

but not quite as wealthy. Yet.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. The Anschutzes also do sports stadiums and arenas at taxpayer expense

Get the taxpayers to fund it and then swoop in and manage the facility while you rake in the dough. It's quite a racket.

[DeltaLitProf]

5. How much of the film did he bankroll?

The whole thing? A portion?

Why isn't this more generally known? It needs to be shouted from the rafters.

[Hannah Bell]

7. "The movie was produced in association with Philip Anschutz's Walden Media."

I think we can safely assume he bankrolled the majority share.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/D_C_-schools-a-focus-in-_Waiting-for-Superman_-97117554.html.

[msanthrope]

16. OMFG--Walden Media has a "Thank a Teacher" link---where you

are supposed to write a story about thanking a teacher...

It's a plot.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Philip Anschutz is a bad man with an evil selfish agenda

But go ahead and ignore that if you want.

[Hawkeye-X]

6. Our University hospital is getting yet another Anschutz addition to what is already a bloated hosp..

That and the fact that Senator Michael Bennet is Anschuz's buttboy and/or his lickspittle.

I voted for Andrew Romanoff.

I chose to withhold my vote from Bennet, because I do not trust him at all. But two recent events has started to soften that, however, I have to wonder if it's for real or it's just political kabuki theater designed to make me happy? I want his and Udall's unequivocal support on reconfiguring the SSA formula, so it can be adjusted to meet and exceed inflation/deflation as adjusted. the CPI alone is not enough of a factor to justify the COL as we stand now.

Hawkeye-X

[DeltaLitProf]

8. Hannah, shouldnt you credit the reporting of Laura Clawson from Daily Kos?

Her story is here:

http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/10/17/910960/-Education:-follow-the-money

[Hannah Bell]

9. not sure why i should, because that's not where i got the info.

wikipedia & sourcewatch were my sources.

and there's been reporting, in teachers' blogs, about anschutz's role before lawson's article of 10/17.

but thanks for the link.

[Hannah Bell]

10. kj

[Hannah Bell]

11. k

[Starry Messenger]

12. k & r

Atlas Shrugged. Why am I not surprised.

[YOY]

14. and the Narnia films.

Those films that took the subtle Anglican Christianity of CS Lewis and pissed on it with pure fundie vitriol.

[Panaconda]

13. K&R

[RainDog]

15. This is all about letting the religious right get state money to teach their bullshit

And people who think that the poor will be better off with this kind of education are fooling themselves.

The problem isn't education. The problem is poverty.

[msanthrope]

17. OMFG--Walden Media is producing "Ramona and Beezus" & "Charlotte's Web!"

Well, they MUST be wingers...

Really.

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. Anschutz is indeed a wingnut

Ramona and Charlotte don't redeem him.

[Hannah Bell]

20. the discovery institute, focus on the family & the anti-gay initiative didn't clue you in?

hard to deal with the willfully blind.

but keep spinning, lady, keep spinning.

everytime you try to spin black into white it demonstrates the complete bankruptcy of your cause.



The Discovery Institute is a non-profit public policy think tank based in Seattle, Washington, best known for its advocacy of intelligent design...the institute describes its purpose as promoting "ideas in the common sense tradition of representative government, the free market and individual liberty."

Its Teach the Controversy campaign aims to teach creationist anti-evolution beliefs in United States public high school science courses alongside accepted scientific theories, positing a scientific controversy exists over these subjects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_Institute

Like a well-tooled electoral campaign, the Discovery Institute has a carefully crafted, poll-tested message, lively Web logs - and millions of dollars from foundations run by prominent conservatives like Howard and Roberta AHMANSON, Philip F. ANSCHUTZ and Richard Mellon SCAIFE. The institute opened an office in Washington last fall and in January hired the same Beltway public relations firm that promoted the Contract With America in 1994.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/21/national/21evolve.html