The Guardian gives a straightforward description of this weekend’s corporate conspiracy confab hosted by rightwingers David and Charles Koch: “Amid great secrecy, about 200 of America’s wealthiest and most powerful individuals from the worlds of finance, big business and rightwing politics are expected to come together on Sunday in the sun-drenched California desert near Palm Springs for what has been billed as a gathering of the billionaires. . .  . David and Charles Koch enjoy a combined fortune of $35 billion, run the second largest private company in the US, Koch Industries, and are increasingly using their fabulous riches to push their special interests within America’s political process. [Speakers and invited guests] will share ideas about how to tighten their grip on politics and the judiciary by shaping election campaigns.” Does it sound like a corporate takeover of American democracy? Common Cause is hosting a counter-event nearby to challenge the modern-day robber barons with its own all-star cast (you can attend via Internet), and Think Progress gives more details of Koch’s agenda. Have you signed this petition yet?