Should we boycott Maine businesses?

[MineralMan]

Poll question: Should we boycott Maine businesses?

Poll result (92 votes)
Yes	(26 votes, 28%)	Vote
No	(55 votes, 60%)	Vote
Boycott any business that didn't publicly oppose Prop. 1	(6 votes, 7%)	Vote
Other	(5 votes, 5%)	Vote

[MineralMan]

1. I cast the first Yes vote.

[AngryAmish]

2. I, for one, am boycotting Ben and Jerry's

[MineralMan]

4. L.L. Bean?

They seem to have a mixed record of support for GLBT people.

[mainer]

80. LL Bean has GLBT friendly policies. But Linda Bean makes me puke.

She's one of the most conservative people in the state. I say, DEFINITELY boycott Linda Bean's stupid lobster roll stands.

[Maine-ah]

85. I'll second that....

she's a hag.

as for boycotting ME businesses...remember...it was a damn near even split vote.

I voted no.

[BurtWorm]

7. They're from VT

Boycott Beans and Tom's of Maine. And lobster. (Ouch!) That will hit Maine where it really hurts. (And I will feel sorry for the nearly half of the voters who tried to defeat that referendum.)

[MineralMan]

16. Not so. They're a Maine company

From their web site:

"L.L.Bean, Inc. has been a trusted source for quality apparel, reliable outdoor equipment and expert advice for more than 95 years.

Founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, the company has grown from a one-man operation to a global organization with annual sales of $1.5 billion. Our company headquarters are in Freeport, Maine, just down the road from our original store."

[-..__...]

20. Ben and Jerrys is located in VT.

I know... I've been there(you responded to the wrong post).

[DaveinMD]

45. I need to boycott Ben and Jerry's

for my weight.

[BurtWorm]

22. I'm talking Ben and Jerry's.

I know Beans is from Maine.

[MineralMan]

29. Sorry. I misread the thread structure.

My bad!

[FLAprogressive]

3. emphatically yes

[cali]

9. So you're willing to boycott businesses that supported marriage equality?

[FLAprogressive]

14. I'm willing to boycott any Maine business which took a stand against or did not take a stand at all.

Maine deserves an economic hit for their laziness and stupidity.

[eShirl]

19. Which Florida businesses are you boycotting?

[cali]

32. don't understand your point.

[FLAprogressive]

38. if someone can find me a list of Yes on 2 donor companies I will boycott them.

[NoSheep]

57. I found a list of individuals and you can see the companies

they work for but it didn't look like there were any large entities listed except the Catholic Church in Portland.

Their addresses are there too. I think we should send them some literature about how we want them to join our Ban Divorce movement since they are so avid to "save" marriage.

[NoSheep]

58. here is what I found:

http://news.lavenderliberal.com/2009/10/15/red-hot-bigo... /

[GreenPartyVoter]

59. Thank you. That'a good start toward targeting the right people.

[GodlessBiker]

26. Collateral damage. In the Montgomery bus boycott, I'm sure there were drivers who supported ...

civil right but lost jobs or income as a result of that most justified boycott.

[MineralMan]

37. The poll offers an option for that.

[Frances]

5. I am very upset by the vote

but I think boycotting Maine businesses is a bad idea.

However, if you want to boycott the Catholic and Mormon churches, that's another thing. Even better, if you are Catholic or Mormon, go to church, but don't contribute any money. And do speak out against homophobia.

[Nye Bevan]

12. The religious boycott idea also applies to followers of Islam

If you follow Islam, go to your mosque but do not contribute any money. Also, speak out against homophobia.


http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/homosexuality.htm

According to a pamphlet produced by Al-Fatiha, there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that all humans are naturally heterosexual. Homosexuality is seen by scholars to be a sinful and perverted deviation from the norm. All Islamic schools of thought and jurisprudence consider gay acts to be unlawful. They differ in terms of penalty:

The Hanafite school (currently seen mainly in South and Eastern Asia) teaches that no physical punishment is warranted.

The Hanabalites, (widely followed in the Arab world) teach that severe punishment is warranted.

The Sha'fi school of thought (also seen in the Arab world) requires a minimum of 4 adult male witnesses before a person can be found guilty of a homosexual act. Al-Fatiha estimates that 4,000 homosexuals have been executed in Iran since their revolution in 1979. 10 public executions of homosexuals have been performed in Afghanistan by the Taliban army.

[harun]

56. We aren't financing the defeat of these initiatives.

Go hate on someone else.

[eShirl]

6. Make it even more likely that young voters will move out of the state to find jobs?

How does that help?

[rd_kent]

8. Yeah, make a bad situation worse......

Unless a company has PUBLICLY endorsed a certain position, what good does a boycott do for those that depend on those jobs?

[ajvan1]

82. Yeah, make a bad situation worse......

Heaven forbid we make anyone uncomfortable! Its interesting to see how "committed" to civil rights many of you are when you actually might have to do something besides talk.

[rd_kent]

94. Who the fuck are you?

And what the fuck do you want?

[ajvan1]

96. Funny

Another snappy comeback by rd_kent...

[rd_kent]

100. Seriously, who the fuck are you?

And with 4 posts, I'm not sure how you could know what my comebacks are like. Besides, you opened this discussion with insults to begin with. Did you have a point?

[The Straight Story]

10. no (nt)

[redqueen]

11. Not unless they funded any of the Yes campaign.

It seems like it was more the meddling of churches that did it, so maybe some religious people will stop pretending that it's all sunshine and rainbows and stop supporting the churches who engage in this shit.

[PJPhreak]

13. No,

Because if we do a blanket boycott of "Maine" Business we would inadvertently be boycotting the Businesses and People that gave us support.

Lets find the people who helped shoot this down and boycott THOSE Businesses and the People that own them.

Not the People or Businesses that tried to help.

[MineralMan]

34. That was one of the poll options.

[Are_grits_groceries]

15. Find out who funded the damn opposition.

Then boycott the hell out of them or whatever can be done.

[-..__...]

17. No.

Should we boycott CA and the other 29 states that have banned gay marriage also?

I go and shop at the Kittery outlets about once or twice a year and I'll still continue to shop there.

[FBaggins]

18. Are there any?

I mean... any that sell something nationwide?

Ok... I'll boycott Bath Iron Works. My kids are going to be upset that they won't get that new destroyer for Christmas, but hey... them's the breaks kids.

Seriously. Their legislature passed the law in the first place. Why boycott the ones who are at least trying when there are dozens of states that won't ever try?

[Taverner]

21. Yes, and boycott anything connected to the Catholic Church

Do not feed the kitty if you are Catholic

If you look at who supported 1, they were the Mormons this time around

[Toasterlad]

46. Definitely. The Catholics Close Schools and Whine About How Hard Times Are...

...and yet they gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Yes on 1.

Every single catholic enables this hatred. EVERY SINGLE ONE. If you're catholic and you believe you do not, you're lying to yourself.

[Taverner]

52. Well Catholics who don't give the church $$ aren't at fault

But yes, I agree

[Toasterlad]

60. Catholics Who Identify As Catholics Promote the Brand Name.

They are not blameless.

[Taverner]

62. Yeah, you're right...

[TommyO]

23. Yes

I had planned on visiting Maine this past summer, but never made it. Next year's plans don't involve a visit to a state that thinks it's OK to vote against my civil rights.

[Frances]

28. I'm upset too

but I think both Maine and California are more gay friendly than many other states. They have come closer to passing marriage equality than other states.

Maybe we should try rewarding the people who helped with the marriage equality campaigns.

[high density]

55. Were you coming here to get married?

How do you stand to live in the USA at all?

[Xenotime]

24. Yes We Can!

[Freddie Stubbs]

25. Why not boycott every state which does not permit gay marriage?

[mainer]

72. That would be most of the country, unfortunately.

Including California.

[Freddie Stubbs]

79. My point exactly

[WolverineDG]

27. No & this is region-bashing

the people of Maine put up the good fight. I'm not going to punish them for losing a close race.

dg

[TommyO]

33. More people in Maine fucked over gay people once again.

[WolverineDG]

36. So let's just throw the ones who supported them under the bus, right?

Idiotic idea FTW!!!



dg

[TommyO]

43. No, we hold their feet to the fire to change things.

[GodlessBiker]

48. When we boycotted South Africa, a lot of good people were hurt. Was that a bad thing to do?

[TommyO]

68. You make a good point here

Thank you.

[WolverineDG]

83. So let's just beat up on all the folks in Maine

that'll win 'em over to our side.

dg

[GodlessBiker]

102. You're right. We should send them all gifts and say thank you.

Boycotts are a tried and true device to exercise economic power to drive a point home.

Are you against all boycotts, since there are always good people who get hurt in them?

[WolverineDG]

104. to the ones who campaigned & voted the right way, yes

Imagine how they must be feeling today, after having worked so hard....they come to DU expecting sympathy but no, they get crapped on. WTG!

dg

[mainer]

76. But our state legislature and governor DID do the right thing

Unfortunately, the religious right and rural conservatives are lagging far behind the leadership.

[WolverineDG]

105. Kudos to them & to you for fighting the good fight

Thank you for taking a stand.

dg

[MineralMan]

41. The poll is not region-bashing. It's just a poll.

There is a No option in it.

[WolverineDG]

42. Wrong nt

[TokenQueer]

64. Religion needs a good bashing. Bible bullshit is the root of most human misery.

[Gormy Cuss]

30. Are we boycotting California businesses?

Fair's fair. After all, the same group of strategists who developed the campaign for Prop 8 in CA interfered in Maine.

[WolverineDG]

39. California is a High Holy Blue State, so no

Sorry to see that Maine is getting a taste of the region-bashing that is allowed on DU...it's usually focused on Texas & southern states.

dg

[Toasterlad]

40. Yes, We Are.

There were a great many articles about GLBTers boycotting California business which contributed to Prop 8, and which continue to be boycotted. There was one in particular about a popular Mexican restaurant with a large gay clientle; the owner was a Mormon who was discovered to have donated money to the Prop 8 campaign. The local gay community gave her an opportunity to apologize and give an equal amount to a gay charity, and she refused. She whined and cried about being persecuted for her beliefs, and yet no one bought her bullshit. Her cult was more important to her than her livelihood. The same kind of boycotting should be done in Maine.

Not to mention, the Catholic and Mormon churches should be villified and harrassed until their tax exemption status is revoked.

[Gormy Cuss]

63. Boycotting individual businesses is one thing, Boycotting the whole state? Not so anyone has noticed

I live in CA. There is no widespread boycott on visiting the state or buying products from this state.

Let me make clear that I wholeheartedly support targeted boycotts of the proponents of Prop 8 here and 1 in Maine (I also support removal of tax exempt status for the churches who were active participants, but that's a different issue.)

I just don't see the point in boycotting entire states when over 45% of the voters were on the side of gay rights.

[Toasterlad]

69. I Agree With You.

I don't think a wide-blanket boycott of the whole state is fair to those who were (and are) on our side. I also think that a loud boycott of individual businesses makes more of a difference than an blindly all-inclusive one.

However, Maine (OR California) won't be on my vacation schedule for the foreseeable future. While it may not be fair to hold the entire state accountable for the actions of the majority of its citizens, it is still human nature (mine, anyway) to have a sour taste associated with a state which votes to take away rights from its citizens, by however wide a majority.

[Sebastian Doyle]

31. Can I still use my "Tom's of Maine" toothpaste?

Since they got bought out by Colgate, and therefore, technically aren't a Maine business anymore.

[Toasterlad]

35. Other

Boycott any business contributed money to Yes on 1.

[clear eye]

44. Don't be ridiculous. You'd be punishing the innocent more than the guilty.

Maine is an aging state w/ a depressed economy except for a few tiny areas. Gay marriage is partly a generational issue, so a lot of the "Yes" votes must have come from retirees. Odds are most of the "No" votes came from younger, working people. Why punish them?

[ajvan1]

78. Get a spine

The constant namby pamby position that the gay community and our supporters take is one of the primary reasons that we are still regulated to "the back of the bus." Get a spine, realize that there are unintended consequences to everthing but sometimes the consequences are necessary. But of course, we wouldn't want anyone to actually think about anything or act on anything. It might take too much time away from our party scehdule or gym time.

[ellie]

47. Sometimes you have to

scare people up to get them to do the right thing. Aren't economic sanctions what the U.S. does to foreign countries who don't get in line? I say boycott them and let them all hurt. Maybe the good people will rise up and overthrow the chains of their bigotry.

[eShirl]

50. Because it works so well when the U.S. throws its weight around?

[high density]

49. Yaknow we also defeated libertarian tax policies and voted in a more liberal medical marijuana law

Tourism is our biggest industry, so I guess if you want to "boycott" us, just don't come here. (Which is fine by me since our roads can't handle the traffic.)

[forum slut]

51. Yes, drive the price of lobster down. drive it way down.

[Maine-ah]

88. honey, it's already around 2.50lb off the boat.

The lobstermen are already seriously hurting.

[forum slut]

90. sorry. I was just kidding. That's probably too low to be healthy for the lobster population

[Jane Austin]

53. No! My friend there is a seller of African fabrics, a bookbinder,

a supporter of public radio, an all-round great person and simply a stellar citizen who is grieved by this latest vote.

If you'd like to give yourself a visual treat and maybe help her in her fabric business go here:

http://africanfabricsales.com /

or visit her blog at

www.africanfabriclady.com

[Brickbat]

54. I voted "other" because I already don't buy anything from L.L. Bean, because none of it is made in

the USA.

[BlueDemKev]

61. Boycott WHAT Business....Potato-Picking?

[mainer]

74. Aroostook (potato) County is very conservative

but no tourist has any reason to go there anyway.

[Fla_Democrat]

65. I wont be doing any business with them

[Maine-ah]

89. yeah...well you're from Florida...

[LynneSin]

66. So for you 'na-sayers' I guess we should have tread lightly during the Woolworth boycotts

I mean some of those owners might have supported civil rights? Why boycott them?



The point of a boycott is to express anger against a group of people who might help obtain a desired result. When you do a boycott you do it of everyone even if their happens to be supporters in there. Perhaps a boycott will help those people speak out and make change.

[eShirl]

70. well go ahead then knock yourself out.

let us know what you accomplish.

[LynneSin]

77. I'm glad that wasn't the attitude 40 years ago

[pipi_k]

67. Boycott Maine and all its products...

Tom's of Maine (just because the word "Maine" is mentioned)

Maine potatoes

Christmas trees from Maine

Poland Springs (Maine) water

Maine lobster

Maine blueberries

maple syrup

paper products from Maine

apples

list from: http://www.maine.gov/sos/kids/about/products.htm



Actually this post is mostly tongue-in-cheek

Boycott all of Maine? Even the innocent people who actually voted FOR gay marriage? I suppose they'll just be...collateral damage.


And who among us here would be willing to go whole hog and check every. single. thing. we use to make sure it's not produced in Maine?


I'm sorry, but boycotting a whole state is just stupid, IMO.

[Dreamer Tatum]

73. Kenny Mayne is now on my list, as are

Brent Mayne.
The Main Ingredient.
The ReMAINs of the Day
State and Main
The New Main Street Singers
MAINland China
ReMAIN In Light

Plus the reMAINder of any division problem I happen to run across is DEAD to me.

[ajvan1]

75. Say yes to Boycotting Maine and all its products!

pipi_k

You go right ahead and dont be stupid. For me, I don't think its stupid. We come from a nation of hillbillies and the only thing they understand is getting hit in the wallet. So go, knock yourself out and spend, spend, spend in Maine. Me, I'll spend in VT, MA, CT or NH. I'm not big on giving my cash to folks who dont want me or mine, especially when there are several great alternatives.

[mainer]

71. Boycott northern maine. Boycott rural redneck counties.

But Portland and most of coastal Maine strongly supported gay marriage. Restrict your spending to liberal towns.

I say, let the liberal areas flourish with tourist dollars. And let those bigoted counties know you don't care if they go belly-up because you aren't spending one cent of your money there.

[izzybeans]

81. How do you know you won't be punishing people who support

gay marriage?

Collective punishment, the tool of the wanna be tyrant.

[TommyO]

87. Yet acceptable when done to get rid of Jim Crow laws here in the US

and against Apartheid in South Africa.

Supporters of equal treatment under law were innocent victims in those boycotts.

[izzybeans]

92. The boycotts in the south were of "white only"

establishments and targeted for specific transgressions (e.g. the bus boycott). There is no equivalence. Apartheid was a brutal regime of repression. So if you really think that this is the same as Apartheid then by all means go ahead.

[TommyO]

95. When people's rights are being denied, there is most certainly equivalence

Thank you for your dismissive attitude.

[izzybeans]

103. Dismissive?

I have my opinion on this boycott issue, you have your's. I'm sure we both agree that GLBT citizens in Maine have been wronged.

Our difference is tactical.

On equivalence: I do not think specifically boycotting "white only" establishments is equivalent to boycotting an entire state in this context. If there is a way to target the "straights only" crowd, I'm for it. If there is no other way, I'll get behind the state boycott 100% Though I do so with the understanding that a statewide boycott will unwittingly target our allies in this fight.

[Neecy]

84. I'd rather boycott Utah

Since so much of the funding of the Yes on 1 campaign came from the Mormon church.

[HughMoran]

98. me too

[HughMoran]

99. me too

[Iggo]

86. Then boycott California, too.

Be consistent.

[slackmaster]

91. No doubt everyone who is boycotting California will join in the effort

Good luck with that.

[Balderdash]

93. Don't boycott 'em

Go up there and spend insane amounts of money and let them know what they'll be missing without us.

[HughMoran]

97. Most Maine businesses are small and many are liberal

It might not have the desired effect.

[Iggo]

101. Boycotts are great, though...

...because by joining a boycott, people can agree to not do what they were already not doing...and to feel like they're doing something.