The Role of Boycotts in the Fight for Peace

[Zorra]

Notes on Post-Election Strategy
by Paul Rockwell
snip---
Weekend protests, Roy tells us, are not enough. "What we need to discuss urgently are strategies of resistance...Gandhi's salt march was not just political theatre. In a simple act of defiance, thousands of Indians marched to the sea and made their own salt. It was a direct strike at the economic underpinning of the British Empire."

"Already the Internet is buzzing with elaborate lists of American and British government products and companies that should be boycotted...They could become a practical guide that directs and channels the amorphous but growing fury in the world."
snip---
All over the world, peace and anti-globalization movements are preparing to put Roy's concepts into practice. They are calling for a new kind of strategy to end the occupation of Iraq: a well-organized, sustained boycott of U.S. and British goods. In its range and scope, the coming boycott (including divestment from U.S. corporations) could resemble the historic boycott of South African apartheid.
snip---
The boycott is spreading. Greenpeace is already involved in a boycott against Exxon-Esso and Mobil Oil. Fermiamo La Guerre, a coalition of peace groups in Italy, called for a boycott of Esso when the U.S. invasion commenced. Sales of Pepsi and Coca Cola have plummeted in the Mideast during the occupation, and Islamic nations are creating alternative cola drinks called Zam Zam and Mecca Cola. Iran banned ads for U.S.-manufactured goods. South African protesters in Cape Town demanded that Denel, a South African contractor, cancel all its contracts to supply military components to the U.S. war machine. The people of South Africa are well aware of the power of boycotts. As South Africa Indymedia put it: We must "take aim at the only thing that can bring Bush to his knees—the American economy."

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/1118-24.htm

Bu$h stole 2 elections. He deceived our nation into fighting an unjustifiable war. He is destroying our country.

The Democratic Underground Economic Activism Forum:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=255

The Campaign To Starve The Beast Thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2600099&mesg_id=2600099

[villager]

1. yes (n/t)

[Turn CO Blue]

2. Perhaps you will call me lazy, but what I'd like to see

from some of you brilliant DU'ers -- is a list of SPECIFIC companies/manufacturers that deserve boycott (and why). I'd also like to see the opposite list of companies/manufacturers where we should shift our business/consumerism.

I'd start with the biggest Bush contributors or Fox News advertisers, I guess.

If there were an agreed-upon list (perhaps narrowed down to 30) - that I could print or memorize, then I would jump on this and pass the word.

Please don't flame me - I do care, and wish I could compile this myself. I'm just working so many hours right now.

For instance, 56 Million Kerry voters not EVER shopping at Wal-Mart (which is a major Bush campaign contributor, and therefore by extension a major supporter of his policies) could be incredibly effective - to the points raised above in this post.

[NuttyFluffers]

5. Fastest way to get involved.

Go look up biz investment into politics. now i expect some companies to hedge bets, so a few 45/55% companies don't pull my ire. and others are mere dabblers, so a few companies that only spend a mere $10,000 total are not on my radar. but blatantly slanted 30/70% and $1 mil+ donating companies definitely hit my radar for avoidance.

fundrace.org

and

opensecrets.org

are great places to start your own research.

one that i think has great potential is avoiding UPS, FedEx, and DHL in favor of USPS. this way when we buy local biz products from poor isolated 'blue folk, red state' people we give them business and yet deprive the 'axis of shipping evil' from gaining from it. UPS and FedEx are huge GOP donors, deeply biased, deep pockets. DHL has ill associations with oppresion and is requested by burmese boycott watchers to avoid. so why support evil? support USPS, support unions, support lonely, isolated 'blue folk, red state' people. it's a very winning strategy.

go out there and do a little research on your own. have a particular interest in the markets? find out which video game companies we should buy from, the best silverware manufacturers, which peanut brittle suppliers we need to know.

we give you tools, we give you a simple game plan, we need you to flesh it out into something both powerful (boycott the 'beast') and yet positive (helping the 'lamb' economy). we need you to add to our lists. so go, do research! :D

[Zorra]

6. We are working on it - Look here:

DU Economic Activism Forum:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=255

[Warpy]

3. The best way to help

is to turn off your television set during the news hour. In fact, keep it off as much as you can. Don't allow advertisers or propagandists into your lives. You'll feel better after the withdrawal period.

Stop eating that corporate food that is killing us. Learn to cook. You don't have to become a chef or slave for hours over every meal. Shoot, buy a Chinese cookbook. Once you get the hang of chopping, there's nothing quicker. You can beat the junk food delivery man every time. Crock pots are also good for the meat eaters out there, just do the prep work the night before, dump it into the pot on your way out the door, and it'll be finished as you get home.

Consider what kind of weasel is getting your money with every single purchase. Sometimes there is no substitute for a corporate brand. More often there is. Use it.

With the TV off and commercials for evderything no longer blatting into your ear every 12 minutes, think about what you need and what you really can do without. For instance, it doesn't take a separate cleaner for every surface in the house. One generic concentrate from a janitorial supply house will do the whole bit, and last forever.

Above all, be mindful that starving the beast will also increase unemployment. Give to people, to food banks, and even to the churches with solid programs that actually help people.

Good luck. The next few years will be terrible ones.

[bluedonkey]

4. Right

boycott them and take our business to our own people!

[hvn_nbr_2]

7. Most obvious boycott target

It seems to me the most obvious boycott target would be Diebold. I've suggested this a couple places but no one seems to pay any attention. Maybe this thread is a better place. Diebold's ATM business is much bigger than their election stealing equipment business, if I understand correctly. Can we can find out which banks use Diebold ATMs, how to recognize if an ATM is a Diebold machine, and boycott their ATMs and the banks that use them?