We're Not Buyin' It: National Boycott To Impeach For Peace and Justice.
This is a week-long campaign starting April 15th and running through April 22nd, 2007.
...Conservative estimates of the amount of money that could be drawn away from corporate accounts for the week of the protest range from tens to hundreds of billions or more, representing what could potentially be a serious threat to the economic well-being of the nations wealthiest class. Given that over 87% of Americans in the last MSNBC poll (out of 422,614 response) favored impeachment that could translate into more than 60,000,000 registered voters taking part in a boycott with the potential to shut down the economy...
Personally, I'm very intrigued by this idea. While I appreciate the "charge" (no pun intended) people experience at marches and protests, I admit to having soured on them since watching the anti-war movement do its Cave For Kerry routine three years ago. Marches start to seem like merely cosmetic solutions that the masters were happy enough to let us have-- so long as they are permitted, well-behaved, and dominated by those content to stay within the Democrats' veal pen.
Of course, a lot of folks will probably make the exact same arguments about a national boycott. Here a commenter wonders why there can't be a call for a permanent boycott of major corporations in the U.S. Heh. I'm guessing that a week without going to Starbucks, using one's debit card, or pulling into BP for gas would be enough of a challenge for a great many folks. It's also noteworthy that the call for the boycott has gone out during the season that more than one religion calls for the faithful to "do without" a particular food in the name of remembering the struggles of their oppressed ancestors;In order to stimulate thinking about struggle and reform in the present.
...Lew Brown stated that, "This is not a top down organization, "We Are Not Buying It" is an idea that people take to their homes and workplaces and work to implement within their own community. As coordinator, all I can do is answer questions and provide resources; the actual campaign is decentralized and democratic in the best traditions of American political activism. People aren't just signing a petition here, they are committing to do whatever needs to be done to change the course of history". With over 600 organizers working around the country and more than a month to go before Tax Day "We Are Not Buying It" might have an impact far beyond that of a march, a vote or a petition-at the very least it provides another way to put pressure on decision makers to move forward with impeachment...
(All quotes courtesy of Portland Indymedia)
I'll be looking into local organizing for this action soon, and if you all want to get involved or just share your own thoughts on the idea, please do it. Of course, U.S. corporations operate all around the world, so no need for the Canadians and Aussies to sit this one out if you find the notion appealing, too.
Some additional thoughts here as well.
26 comments:
I'm so glad yu posted tis - a 1st glance, it sounds like a GREAT idea! kinda busy now, so I'll go follow the links later.
There is no one way to stop the war, or the imperial presidency. While we all have to make personal choices as to where to direct our time & energy, all means of bringing pressure to bear are needed. It's never been a choice between writing letters vs. marching vs. sit-ins vs. boycott vs. individual guerrila actions.
Those argumetns make me sick.
Impeachment porn!!
;)
A few things. First of all, it's tough enough to get people to participate in Adbuster's Buy Nothing Day - and that's just a one day boycott. I don't know how they're going to wrangle consumers into a whole week of boycotts.
Secondly, what if (and I don't know the answer to this) some of those corporate entities actually favour impeachment? Won't consumers be punishing the wrong people? Don't get me wrong here, I believe big corporations suck the life out of people but has anyone actually polled the CEOs to find out where they stand on this issue?
Thirdly, I'm all for protest marches - always have been, always will be. They make a big statement. Just look at the huge marches last year to support immigrants in the US. They were extremely powerful.
The antiwar marches may not get as much notice but, at this point, most Amercians are (at least) against the Iraq war (although they still seem to support the Afghanistan fiasco - I could be wrong about that since I haven't looked at recent poll numbers.)
Now, having said all of that - don't get me wrong - I believe every possible action should be taken to impeach these bastards. That's not going to happen, however, if the Dems can't be convinced to do it. If this boycott is to work, the companies affected would logically then have to whine to the Dems to get off their butts because their businesses have suffered a bit of a loss. On the other hand, they could just ride through it and simply move on without making any kind of political statement. Then what?
Whoot Portland IndyMedia :)
Damn, I've been boycotting most of the suppliers on the list... except one. The one my spouse works for... ACk :)
We need to protest the "Dems", too. Letters, calls, faxes and standing outside their offices till they grow a damn spine or a set of hairy ones.
arcturus, I am exasperated with marches myself, but that doesn't mean I think people shouldn't go.
catnip, the website stresses (and I mentioned it when I cross-posted to LJ but not here) that unlike the Adbusters boycott, this is not a campaign to "buy nothing." It's a campaign to cut financial support from the corporations who fuel the war machine. The main page has links to the companies participants should try to avoid.
As for the "ride through" effect, I guess you could make the same argument against marches. We go downtown, shut down the city for a few hours, then everyone goes home and things continue as they were before-- until next time.
Somehow I suspect that if these corporate entities favored impeachment, it would happen. My suspicion is that they favor whatever makes their numbers go up. No more, no less.
nlinstpaul, I'm in favor of trying anything that might work. Or as many things that might work. The House and Senate won't cut the war funds, so perhaps we can make a few small cuts ourselves.
BTW, what do you mean by "able to do it ?" As I pointed out in the initial post, there's a certain parallel here between the campaign and hollidays like Passover and Lent, in which people are urged toward a temporary change in behavior as a vehicle to growth and long-term change. I can't speak for the Catholics out here, but reform Judaism taught me that anyone can be exempted from a ritual or practice if it imperils their life. If you needed a life-sustaining medication from Phizer and ran out the week of the boycott, I don't think that anyone would suggest that you just do without the medication.
Anyone remember divestiture in SA ?
Arrgh. Conservative Judaism, not Reform.
Janet ? catnip's pal Janet ? Can I have yer' autograph ? Also, have you been following the story of the Port demos in Tacoma ? Those people rock.
I love to make fun of Indy, but I couldn't live w/o it. :D
Yup. Two were arrested the other day. My friend was worried it was me so called my spouse to make sure. I'm just glad it's getting some coverage because there are lot of demos going on that aren't.
I'm "DamnitJanet" most everywhere and I am indeed a pal of Catnips. Why you'd want my autograph is beyond me :)
Like I told catnip, I bus/drive past a certain military recruitment office in PDX all the time and I always notice if the picketers are there.
mr_xeno (varro on kos) likes the demos too, because he used to get hounded by military recruiters all the time when he had a convenience store gig in High School.
I was thinking that we should steal Anna Nicole Smith's body and drag it to a demo. Then we could finally get the press to show up. >: Fuckin' hacks. No point in relying on them to do their jobs. Boycott them, too. :p
You're in Portland?? Me, too. Maybe one protest we'll meet up.
As to boycotting the news.. I have been. I give my money to Democracy Now.
As to Kos, I left that place a while ago. I was just a "meaningless marcher" to his high and mighty.
I'd put up action alerts because it was still a big bullhorn blog. But if the action alerts were about Lt. Watada or supporting the war resisters... all hell would break out and I got tired of the namecalling.
Dissent is bad for the bottom line, Dear.
;)
You are well rid of Kos. To put it mildly. Madman's jibe at them as being "Little Orange Footballs" is right on the dot...
Since you are a Portland Indy reader, then you know of the people from Defund The War were arrested at Smith's office...again.
Smith and Wyden .. .both are pure, worthless aholes.
I see so many arrests and outright violence from the pi... cops and rarely does it make the news.
Marching is obviously NOT meaningless. Neither is non-violent civil disobedience.
The clock is ticking down lately. Things are picking up. You can feel it.
PS nice to "meet" you.
Actually, Janet, you hit on one of my major frustrations w/marching and the mainstream anti-war groups ? Why occupy Smith's office but not Wyden's ? Why do so many marches pussyfoot around the fact that DP officials will rarely if ever "dirty" themselves by speaking at a march-- unless they think it'll score them points at election time ?
I felt the same way reading about the last big pro-choice march: One big advert for John Kerry, who (so far as I'm concerned) cared as little for feminists as he cared for the rest of the traditional base.
I despise the DP and am heartily sick of it getting a free ride.
Sory, nlins. You wrote "actually do it" and I misread you. :o It's been a long day.
On a related note, I was talking to mr_xeno about war tax resistance the other day and he commented that we probably won't owe any taxes this year because his medical-related bills were so high. Hard to avoid paying when you don't owe. Laugh or cry. Your choice...
Do you have links regarding a potential pull-out from the market ? I'd love to see that.
Hmmm... Actually, I've infiltrated Wyden's office a few times. :) I call his office at least once a week to bitch about his lack of balls.
And we've Bird Dogged Hillary Clinton. In fact, that was a nasty protest that got our girls hurt. I think my diaries about some of the actions we've done are still on Booman... not sure. I need to find a place for all those past actions.
We protest these fuckers ALL the time.
PS I'm not a Democrat... I'm a Liberal :) But most importantly I'm a Human.
Oh and read up on the "Oregon 19" they were arrested in Wyden's office by Homeland Security simply for asking Wyden to not support the war.
Now he's supporting the esculation.
Janet, that's what I get for disappearing from the internet for too long. Good for you for going after Wyden, especially, that conniving butthead. I remember when he was my rep fifteen-odd years ago, and if I'd known then what I do now, I would have pied him. Preferably with a pie that was fresh out of the freezer after a six month stay. Yarrgh.
catnip, the website stresses (and I mentioned it when I cross-posted to LJ but not here) that unlike the Adbusters boycott, this is not a campaign to "buy nothing." It's a campaign to cut financial support from the corporations who fuel the war machine. The main page has links to the companies participants should try to avoid.
Are you saying I have lousy reading comprehension, ms xeno?
Tis true, alas, at times... and this is obviously one of them. ;)
[Insert purity web design complaint here in order to pump up whiner's ego.]
catnip, you are not eligible for the official flogging unless you get in line behind me, since I had trouble grokking both Janet's and nlin's points.
It's been a long day in the ol' salt mines...
You get to work in the salt mine? Geez. And here I am stuck in sludge at the sewage plant looking for spare change.
What can I say ? The hours are reasonable and I'll get a great in-house discount should I ever need a truckload of custom-sized metal girders for the skyscraper going up in my backyard.
And all I get is shit, as usual.
[Hands catnip deluxe x-tra large shovel.]
ms xeno..I've forwarded the links on all of this to everyone I know who has money to spend! I already go weeks on end without making purchases, (outside of groceries) like many who do NOT have bucks, so it's no problem for me to go along with this..
I also just got back from a short look see at the current BBB blogging wars being waged on several sites, and it all has left me in dire need of a shower. I am SO damned glad I left the BBB's behind me, once and for all.
With all the dead kids and adult piling up in this world, everywhere I look, and an insane government in charge of trying to destroy America while it conquers the whole freakin world, no matter how many more have to die..I am damned if I can see ANY sense in this kind of immature turf battling.
It's like watching kids lined up for a parade, when someone on an expensive float (read: corporate ad money, etc ) tosses handfuls of candy into the street, and they all run out to fight with each other over who can get the most. (hits,links, whatever) ratings, whatever). Those kids could care less that while they're scrabbling for candy, someone might be burning down the whole rest of their town.
Ack. Ptooey.
scribe:
...It's like watching kids lined up for a parade, when someone on an expensive float (read: corporate ad money, etc ) tosses handfuls of candy into the street, and they all run out to fight with each other over who can get the most. (hits,links, whatever) ratings, whatever). Those kids could care less that while they're scrabbling for candy, someone might be burning down the whole rest of their town.
I couldn't agree with you more. And bless your heart for passing the boycott info along to your friends. I expect that this thread will get buried under others before 4/15 but I'll post updates when/if I can. If nothing else, I plan to put the URL in my window on a poster for passers-by to see, and to do some postering on the main drag over the weekend.
I am exasperated with marches myself, but that doesn't mean I think people shouldn't go
*nod, nod*
my frustrations are w/ the 'but what about this instead' or "that's not gonna ___ __ __' type of commetns that so often come up when new creative ideas are bein gput forth
the more the merrier, in my book
gives a wider variety of people a chance to express themselves
sorry if the brevity made it seemed directed at you
Well, arcturus, I may have to go to the march this weekend anyway, just for supersoling's sake. I'm taking a jumbo bag of Oreos along to placate the cops with...
Hey, Xeno, I'll be at that rally. Will be hard to meet up there but who knows. :)
This time I'm marching - last year I hung around with Eman, an IRaqi delegate. Anyways... hope to see you around.
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