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“From the beginning, I was in it for real”: Ice cream legend’s plan to radically up-end America
“From the beginning, I was in it for real”: Ice cream legend’s plan to radically up-end America
Ben Cohen is best known for Ben & Jerry's ice cream. But his new project to transform politics may change all that
Elias Isquith
snip//
For those who don’t know already, could you tell us a bit about what “The Stampede” is and what you’re trying to achieve?
The Stampede is essentially a petition on steroids. We call it monetary Jiu-Jitsu. We’re using money to get money out of politics, and essentially we’re turning money into media.
The Stampede sells rubber stamps online, essentially at cost, and people buy one of those stamps and then they stamp messages on paper currency that says one of three major statements. One is “Not to be used for bribing politicians, amend the Constitution”; another is “Stamp money out of politics, amend the Constitution”; and another is “Not to be used for buying elections, amend the Constitution.”
The beauty of it is that, usually, if people want to make their voice heard in the political process, the most they can do is sign a petition that hopefully gets seen at some point by the petition’s target. In this situation, if you stamp a piece of money with your statement, 900 people see each bill that you stamp, as it gets put in circulation and passed from hand-to-hand. The numbers are kind of amazing: If one person stamps three bills a day for a year, that message gets seen by about a million people. It’s actually very powerful.
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As long as the Supreme Court rules money is speech, corporations and the wealthy are using it by giving piles of it to politicians to pass or not pass laws that they want. Now, the rest of the people, {those} who don’t have that money, can actually make their voice heard by using money to stamp a message out.
The Stampede sells rubber stamps online, essentially at cost, and people buy one of those stamps and then they stamp messages on paper currency that says one of three major statements. One is “Not to be used for bribing politicians, amend the Constitution”; another is “Stamp money out of politics, amend the Constitution”; and another is “Not to be used for buying elections, amend the Constitution.”
The beauty of it is that, usually, if people want to make their voice heard in the political process, the most they can do is sign a petition that hopefully gets seen at some point by the petition’s target. In this situation, if you stamp a piece of money with your statement, 900 people see each bill that you stamp, as it gets put in circulation and passed from hand-to-hand. The numbers are kind of amazing: If one person stamps three bills a day for a year, that message gets seen by about a million people. It’s actually very powerful.
advertisement
As long as the Supreme Court rules money is speech, corporations and the wealthy are using it by giving piles of it to politicians to pass or not pass laws that they want. Now, the rest of the people, {those} who don’t have that money, can actually make their voice heard by using money to stamp a message out.
You launched the campaign about two years ago. How do you think it’s gone thus far?
Up. Sales this year are twice what they were last year, so the trajectory is good. We have a Facebook page and there’s been a whole lot more action on it.
In general, the movement to pass an amendment as well as state and national legislation to get money out of politics is gathering a tremendous amount of momentum, and it’s kind of amazing that already people in the Senate {are debating an amendment}. I understand {the Udall amendment is} not going to pass this time around but just finally having a vote in the Senate is quite ahead of where we expected we’d be.
In general, the movement to pass an amendment as well as state and national legislation to get money out of politics is gathering a tremendous amount of momentum, and it’s kind of amazing that already people in the Senate {are debating an amendment}. I understand {the Udall amendment is} not going to pass this time around but just finally having a vote in the Senate is quite ahead of where we expected we’d be.
more...
http://www.salon.com/2014/09/04/from_the_beginning_i_was_in_it_for_real_ice_cream_legends_plan_to_radically_up_end_america/
38 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
B&J's is awesome on a myriad of levels! 
I most certainly will! Love their ice cream and allegiance to what's right!
Last edited Sat Sep 6, 2014, 04:26 PM - Edit history (1)
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I always - ok, not ALWAYS, but often - write VOTE DEMOCRATIC on the restraunt copy of credit card receipts when we eat out
I once sent a new $2 bill to Hubert Humphrey for his signature (There had just been some story on the news about somebody getting Gerald Ford's signature on a dollar bill) Humphrey sent the bill back with a letter explaining that it was illegal to sign U.S. currency. Included a pre-signed card.
But since money is speech, why not make it say what I want?
I'm in it for the money.
Huge K & R.
Babylonsister, shake it.
Obviously, I've been paying attention... 
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i use cash quite frequently. 
Hippies to the rescue! 
