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Loading...Ben & Jerry’s to Stamp Anti-Corporate Slogans on Dollar Bills
If the Supreme Court claims that money is considered speech, then why not turn money into actual speech? Ben Cohen, one half of the famous Ben & Jerry’s ice cream duo, is leading the charge to stamp money with Occupy Wall Street slogans and spread the word about overturning Citizens United.
Cohen, along with the group Move to Amend, will make and disperse rubber stamps with messages about corporate money in politics to be stamped onto dollar bills. The bills will then feature slogans like “Corporations are not people,” “Not to be used for bribing politicians” and “money is not speech.”
While the tactic is new, the cause is hardly a departure for the ice cream company. As Care2 previously reported, Ben & Jerry’s revealed its “Get the Dough out of Politics” campaign a few months back to take on Citizens United.
In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in its Citizens United v Federal Election Commission decision that corporations could spend unlimited funds on elections. Move to Amend considers challenging Citizens United to be a populous cause, citing that polling shows that 80% of citizens would like to overturn the decision and a majority support a Constitutional amendment to declare that corporations are not entitled to the same rights as people. Under the current Congress, there have already been 13 resolutions attempting to undo the consequences of Citizens United, but the decision still stands.
Cohen and allies will sell the stamps at Philadelphia’s Occupy National Gathering on July 4, with the hope that stamp owners will brand all of their currency with the slogans. In the months to follow, supporters will travel across the country with a large “money stamping machine” to get more local communities involved in the act. There is some question about the legality of marking up U.S. currency, but Cohen’s attorney insists that it is fine “as long as the bills are still legible after the stamping.”
Political change — now available in your local grocer’s freezer section.
Related Stories:
Sweet! Ben & Jerry’s Joins the Fight Against Citizens United
Read more: Ben & Jerry's, ben cohen, citizens united, corporate money, corporations, free speech, ice cream, occupy, occupy wall street, ows, politics, rubber stamp, Supreme Court, US currency
Photo Credit: theimpulsivebuy
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This is totally disgusting and unacceptable. No wonder our animals are getting the same horrendous diseases…
It's long overdue in my opinion...thanks
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56 comments
+ add your ownA simple but very effective plan.
The republino goal: Provide more wealth for the wealthy.
A: Cut taxes on the wealthy to reduce revenue
B: Blame deficits on public workers
C: Cut workers' benefits to raise revenue.
D: Success
Voting needs to be returned to the citizens; corporations have no place in governement.
I love ideas like this. It 's Both a good idea and might it may be fun. So often doing something political is dreary and hard. That/'s why more people don't get involved with government. Who wants dreary and hard....added to sometimes boring. We need more idea like this, that allow people to express how they want their country to operate, without the hard part. I also think it's nice that they didn't just go buy a politician to get them what they want. I think I'll check out who the different companies are supporting this and support them. Let my consumer spending back my political aim. And maybe I'll stamp a few dollars too.
I love Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I love the stamp thing....I want one.
This would be great if Ben & Jerry's hadn't sold out to corporate greed.
Great idea Ben & Jerry's. Its nice to know that the hippie spirit and activism of the 1960's still resides in the hearts of some who ended a war and fought against racial discrimination for civil rights. Well done.
Ben and Jerry's is a responsible company. They promote moral and social responsibility instead of greed. Too bad more companies don't follow the Ben and Jerry model.
Elaine A.: Is this more of the "Christian Ideology" you always seem to be spewing? Hypocrite! I bet your vibrator has KOCH stamped on it.
I don't know that this will be very effective but it will sure make folks look at their money in a different way...it could be interesting getting one of these bills
Very good idea!
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