Andymatic

Not One Damn Dime

Sort of like Buy Nothing Day.

From Lingo:

Since most of our religious leaders do not speak out against the war in Iraq, since our political leaders don’t have the moral courage to oppose it, 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. On Jan. 20. please don’t spend 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, Target… Please don’t go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don’t buy any fast food or any groceries. For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut down consumer spending.

The object is simple. Remind the President and his advisers that the war in Iraq is painful, immoral, and unsuccessful; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it, since they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who funnel cash into American politics.

“Not One Damn Dime Day” is about supporting the troops. The politicians put the troops in harm’s way. Now 1,200 brave young Americans and (it is estimated) 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 its people.

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15 responses to “Not One Damn Dime”

  1. sam Avatar
    sam

    Bullarkey. What you don’t buy on the 20th you’ll buy on the 21st. This is just a way to make people feel like they’re doing something when they’re not doing a damn thing. And “they” probably laugh their asses off every time something like this starts because they know we won’t do anything to endanger our comfortable lifestyles. I don’t have the answer, but I know this isn’t it. 😉

    Reply
  2. Paulie Sabol Avatar
    Paulie Sabol

    Sam,

    How about if we “figure” the sum of the damn dimes we’re not spending and fouse those funds to something.

    I know it makes the “idea” more activist in nature and thus less likely to be acted upon; however, I agree with you …a not a damn dime day… seems insignificant unless there’s a real shift of spending and not just a delay of it. (Especially a Tom Delay).

    Cheers,

    Paulie

    Reply
  3. AL Avatar
    AL

    Any action is better than NO action – If nothing else this idea will give the media something to talk about and maybe just maybe someone will listen!!!! After all what good are words if we never back them up with action ?

    Reply
  4. sam Avatar
    sam

    Well that’s just my point, this is “no action.” It’s indicative of the ignorance of people in our nation to think that we’re going to help cause change or even “send a message” by protesting something for ONE day… and then buying it the next. What’s next, a flash-mob outside the local GOP office? That’ll show ’em. Paulie’s right. If you really want to help, to do something, take your money and donate it to a cause you support or even volunteer and help with your hands.

    This is nice as a symbolic gesture, but it’s half-assed bullshit because we enjoy capitalism as much as anybody on the Right. You want to support the troops? Write them and tell them. Send them things they need for God’s sake. You want to send a message to WalMart and Kmart? Don’t shop there the other 364 days of the year, either. You want to send a message to the religious leaders? Stop going to church! You want to send a message to GWB? Well, you can’t. He has a “mandate,” and he don’t give a shit.

    So how about instead of leaving your money in your wallet, you put it where your mouth is.

    Reply
  5. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    I think that since Sam just stopped blogging he’s gonnna start haunting everybody else’s! 😉

    I agree with the comments so far – merely removing yourself from consumer culture for a 24-hour period doesn’t send much of a message. How about delivering 1000 empty caskets to the front gate of the White House? How about re-enacting poses from the Abu Gharib prison in front of the Capitol Building? How about running for office?

    Reply
  6. moby Avatar
    moby

    Bullarkey is right. Instead of some half baked idea like this, people could hit’em harder by taking a stand and ending any sort of financial relationship w/businesses that are profiting from the war in iraq. I only had to end one. If everyone did that, those “ones” would add up quickly.

    Being an optimist AND a realist, that probably won’t work either as most are too self absorbed in their own “gotta have it right now” life to make the effort. The big boys doing business over there know it too so they keep right on exploiting and we keep right on ignoring.

    Reply
  7. Terri Avatar
    Terri

    I plan to send a blue card to remind him that he is not part of my mandate.

    Reply
  8. Enchantress Avatar
    Enchantress

    Yes, I agree that it doesn’t seem like much. It’s only one day, after all. However, just allow yourself to imagine it for a moment. Imagine a day when there are NO cars at Walmart. Where every business everywhere in the nation closes out their books that day with absolutely no income taken in. Imagine the streets in every town across America less crowded–carrying only the traffic of people going to and from work. Imagine no bank transactions anywhere. Imagine how EERIE that would be.

    It WOULD be a statement. It would remind EVERYONE in this country that we DO have power…each and every one of us. We have the immense power of numbers. And I do believe that if we could really make this happen, it would be hugely noticed.

    Reply
  9. SM Avatar
    SM

    Why did so many misguided, idiotic voters vote for GWB on November2nd… That was the day to try to make a difference!

    This protest won’t change too much, but it is something to do while the fat cats are feasting at the inaugural balls.

    Opinions of thickheaded folks change slowly, but one way to get their attention is to hang on to your cash on January 20. I know I will.

    Reply
  10. fiftyonepercentisamandate Avatar
    fiftyonepercentisamandate

    Something to consider as you publicize this “protest”:

    As a functional protest, this one is equally off the mark. Although a boycott can be an active form of protest (even though boycott participants are in effect doing nothing, they’re following a course of action that directly affects the object of their protest), boycotts succeed by causing economic harm to their targets, thereby putting them out of business or at least requiring them to change their policies in order to remain in business. But the target of this boycott isn’t an entity that has the power to bring about the desired resolution (i.e., the government) — those who will be economically harmed by it are innocent business operators and their employees. These people have no power to set U.S. foreign policy or recall troops from Iraq, but they’re the ones who would have to pay the price for this form of protest, incurring all their usual overhead costs (e.g., lighting, heat, refrigeration) to keep their businesses open and paying employees’ salaries, all the while taking in little or no income. (And no, it doesn’t all even out in the end — restaurants, for example, aren’t going to recoup their lost business through boycott participants’ eating twice as much the next day.)

    http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/not1dime.asp

    Reply
  11. Andy Avatar
    Andy

    And that’s the problem – it’s an incomplete boycott.

    Reply
  12. Rebecca Avatar
    Rebecca

    Not sure how much attention a boycott will make, but perhaps if all those who oppose the administration’s policy, and who grieve for the dead and wounded of Iraq want to make a noticeable statement, consider wearing black the day of the Inaugural party. Or a black armband. Consider putting a candle in the window of your place and darkening the lights that face the street. Something visual. Something that the media may be able to report on throughout the day and show on the news. Consider doing something mournful while they party. Make it show.

    Reply
  13. CPerlRun Avatar
    CPerlRun

    I believe that the statistical anomaly of consumer spending dropping by eve 10% for a 24 hour period nation wide would be the equivalent of hoisting a flag. What does a flag do? Nothing it is just a marker. Likewise this action is just that, a marker. It is not intended to harm the vendors, in fact I am encouraging people to spend an extra $5 on the 19th and/or 21st. It is not intended to harm the general economy. It is intended to “get ink” that is all. By the logic I see presented Martin Luther King Jr. should never have made a speech because speeches do nothing. The Declaration of Independence was also a nothing – it was a statement presented to the ruling government of the time saying we won’t tolerate this anymore. Do I believe this day rises to that level – NO!!! My point is if you have the opportunity to say something about something you believe in you must take that opportunity before it is lost forever. This inauguration will only happen once. G.W.B. seems to believe he has political capital to spend. I want him to know that the bank account is empty. Now, what else can we do that will not harm the innocent.

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  14. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Take the dimes that you don’t spend and donate them to organizations that support the families of our troops.

    Reply
  15. Rebecca Avatar
    Rebecca

    I’ve googled everywhere and can’t find ANY results of Not One Damn Dime Day. A local store here in our small community said yesterday was “dead.” Did this have any effect at all??? Does anyone know??? Thanks!

    Reply

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