Not One Dime

Happy MLK Day to you.  Here's a protest option I received in an email.  Have you considered participating in this on Thursday?

Not One Dime Day - Jan 20, 2005

Since our religious leaders will not speak out against the war in Iraq and since our political leaders don't have the moral courage to oppose the war, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime Day" in America.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending. During "Not One Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Not one damn dime for anything for 24 hours.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day," please boycott Wal-Mart, Kmart, or Target.

Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food, eat at a restaurant, or buy groceries. For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down. The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it. "Not One Damn Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is about supporting the troops. Now 1,200 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The politicians owe our troops a plan - a way to come home. There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No left or right wing agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take action by doing nothing.

You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed. For 24 hours, nothing gets spent, not one damn dime, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

Please share this email with as many people as possible. Commercial speech must not be the only free speech in America!

Comments

[frog]

No, I'm not participating in this. I don't see the point, frankly, because there won't be specific impact, and it's going to hurt small businesses.

Might I suggest, instead, that you make a purchase from your favorite independent bookstore on that day? Or, go and buy something from flea's store: http://www.honeysuckleshop.com

[Mieke]

I am participating in this. Frog is wrong, if everyone did participate it would have a specific impact. It would tell Bush he's wrong, the election was not a referendum on his policies in Iraq and that when pushed we are still a force that needs to be considered.

By the way, please amend your post -Bill Moyers has nothing to do with this. His name was somehow attached in the email frenzy that was going around.

There's an interesting article about it in USA TODAY. Here's the link if you are interested.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/2005-01-12-not-one-dime-protest_x.htm

Here's an excerpt.

But no one seems to know who fired off that initial e-mail. Not even retired PBS host Bill Moyers, whose name was attached to some of the missives.

Despite his well-known liberal leanings, "I wouldn't sign a petition if it was one asking Jesus to come back," Moyers says. "It's just not something journalists should do."

[ange]

I think it's a terrific idea. Imagine the impact it WOULD indeed have if every single American refrained from spending. I wish we could stretch it a whole week. It certainly wouldn't kill me.
I would love to see the repercussions of it.

[Robin]

In my inbox the USA Today article came with the email attributed to Bill Moyers. Who knows where it started, but the simplicity of the idea appeals to me. Based on my own spending habits, I do think it would be effective. For example, instead of buying my afternoon coffee at the multinational chain, I could brew a pot at my office. I could bring leftovers from home for my lunch instead of eating out. These are the directions my dollars tend to take, day by day. I guess it all depends on your spending habit.

[M]

I LOVE this idea. Thank you for sharing it. In fact, I love it so much, I shared it on my blog too with a link to your blog so they could see the full email...hope this is ok! I think Frog is wrong too. I own a small side business, and I know tons of small business owners, and I guarantee most of us will be participating in this. It will make an impact.

[frog]

There's wrong, and then there's "has a different opionion/perspective." :)