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...I just received this email from a friend who said : "I do not think this was done by Rev. Bill Moyers -- Nick".
Does anyone know if this actually was written by Bill Moyers? My response back to my friend is at the end.
<snip>
-- Not One Dime Day - Jan 20, 2005
~ By Bill Moyers
Since our religious leaders will 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 Dime Day" in America.
On "Not One 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.
During "Not One Dime Day" please don't spend money. Not one dime for gasoline. Not one dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Not one dime for nothing for 24 hours.
On "Not One 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 at all for that matter).
For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down. The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they
are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it.
"Not One Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.
"Not One Dime Day" is about supporting the troops. Now 1,200 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 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 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 dime, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back
to the people.
Please share this email with as many people as possible. Commercial speech must not be the only free speech in America!
<end>
<My response>
Hi Nick,
Thanks. Any idea where this was published? I can see Bill Moyers making a case against the war, but I can not conceive of him suggesting something that would be difficult as this to put into practical application. For example, if we go to work, we all have to spend money on transportation (gas, tolls, tickets, etc). Our houses and offices will all be heated and using electricity which the meter keeps running on. Our other utilities, communication, computers, internet, all continue to log in time and fees. And of course our taxes, those just keep on ticking!
So we have no control over those expenditures either. So what is we do have some control over spending? Only those expenditures which are discretionary disposable income and savings. Those we could to some degree just not engage in for 24 hours. But for most of us, that is a very small percentage of our total expenditures. For me it would be simple. But I would have to do it for a whole week to make a difference, because what I do is I give myself a cash allowance for the week and that is my control over my discretionary income. I just won't spend any of that for 24 hours, but the amount I would have spent, I would put back in my safe place to make sure it doesn't get spent at all. My credit card purchases, (gasoline and medications) will only get put off for 24 hours, but of course they will have to be spent eventually. Still if all conscientious objectors in the country observed this silent protest, the impact would most certainly be felt, although I doubt if any of the retail giants, media or politicians would acknowledge that there was any noticeable impact.
I'm on board for it so count me in on January 20, 2005......Whistle
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