Boycott the Accomplices of War
Anti-war organizations are still at it. Some are planning protest marches or raising large cash sums for TV or newspaper ads against the war. But,we have marched many times before and in massive numbers. But we have contributed umpteen dollars many times before. In fact we have also protested, signed petitions, held vigils, campaigned, written letters and of course put Democrats back in power, but the atrocious Iraq war continues, with no end in sight and little has changed. Instead, George Bush continues to wield absolute power. He breaks laws, spies on US citizens, lies to wage an illegal war, his cronies profiteer, his unsuitable nominees are approved and all without any consequences.
. This is the bitter reality we must face. We have failed. Our methods have failed. Time is overdue to try new methods. It is time to roll out a national coordinated strategic boycott. We have been wasting time with middlemen by targeting politicians. Let’s cut out the middleman and go after the real power, the corporations that pull the strings to make these politicians dance. Let us go after the corporations that have funneled vast sums into the warmongering Republican Party. Let’s use our marches and media advertising to promote a coordinated strategic national boycott of these companies on a scale and proportion never seen before. We have the potential to enlist millions of passionate supporters, angry and frustrated by the Iraq war, to join this boycott. The war has brought untold suffering. Now it’s time for its corporate accomplices to feel some pain and withdraw their political dogs of war.
No Ordinary Boycott
Boycotts are dime a dozen, but this is no ordinary boycott. This is a coordinated boycott by a coalition of groups around not only the war but a coalition of issues. Here is an outline of the features of this special strategic coordinated boycott:
Coalition of issues - not just peace
· Antiwar
· Employee rights
· Universal health care (single payer)
· Women's rights
· Environment
· Civil liberties
· Any group that wants to
Coalition of groups
· Antiwar - ANSWER, United For Peace and Justice, Code Pink, World Can't Wait
· Employee rights- AFL-CIO, United Farm Workers, JWJ, American Rights at Work
· Progressive - Move-on, Americans Coming Together (ACT), Acorn, Alliance for Retired
People, Global Exchange
· Women's rights - NARAL, NOW
· Environment - Sierra Club, Environmental Defense, League of Conservation Voters
· Civil liberties - ACLU
· Others - Wal-Mart Watch, other anti- Wal-Mart groups
Coalition duties
· Enlist other groups
· Create the data base of millions whether it be one data base or a daisy link chain of data bases but the data must be organized so that decisions, instructions and similar information may be shared with all virtually immediately.
· Decide on companies to boycott and boycott procedures like how and duration, etc ..
· Monitor these companies for change to ensure accurate current information
· Publicity for boycott campaign
· Compose and send letters to companies giving them advance notice that they are potential targets for boycott of millions.
· Provisional boycott where product is bought only if price drops to a substantially lower designated limit. ( below profit level)
Boycott strategy
· Boycott pledge - a signed pledge (online) by individuals to join the boycott, why and for how long
unless the company makes change before the time period.
· Letter to company before the boycott goes into effect with copy to congressperson
· Create database of pledgies - aim is for a minimum of 1 million pledgies
· Set conditions company must meet to call off the boycott
· Time period for boycott after which conditions will be reviewed to decide whether to discontinue, continue or to switch boycott to a competitor
· Play one vs the other like Coke vs Pepsi (take advantage of product wars such as cola wars, burger wars, credit card wars)

EXAMPLE
The following example will best show how the boycott would work. This example uses Wal-Mart, one of the greatest financial supporters of the warmongering Republican Party.

Boycott Letter to Wal-Mart
Dear Sir,
On behalf of a coalition of organizations that are outraged by your company policies I am informing you that we intend to boycott your company. We are horrified at the
· atrocious illegal Iraq war
· the relentless attack on the rights of the working man
· the hiring of union busters
· the lack of a living wage
· the inadequacy of health benefits for workers
· other miscellaneous injustices


We are boycotting your company and other companies like yours which have also supported the warmongering Republican Party and have been exploiting and victimizing workers too. Please be warned that we will not be bribed by lower prices.
All these companies will be considered for boycott, but we think it is more effective to concentrate on prime candidates. We think it will take about six weeks to unite our forces for the boycott and decide on the prime candidates from the list which includes your company.
One of our tactics is when there are two companies in the same sector, we will pick the worse of the two to boycott and support the other. I think it is called playing one against the other. Considering this, if there is any new improvement in your policies, please let us know before we make a decision.
We are in this boycott for the long haul. It will last for two years or until the conditions below are met. After two years, we will review conditions and decide whether to continue the boycott or switch to another company in your sector.
Please be assured that this is no simple boycott. Although we currently consist of a few organizations, we intend to reach out statewide and nationally for other organisations to join this action and we are confident that they will do so enthusiastically. Already there are numerous organizations, which a google search will show, are fully engaged in fighting your abuses. Even though you are one of the biggest contributors to the Republican party, we know the Republicans of goodwill will not be bought, so we intend to seek bipartisan support for our action. We fully expect to unify hundreds of organizations in the cause. The core of our campaign is that every member of these organizations and others will be invited to sign a “Boycott Wal-Mart Pledge” as follows:


Boycott Wal-Mart Pledge

I, Michael Phillips, pledge that:

· I will not shop at Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club or any Wal-Mart subsidiary and will encourage family and friends to do likewise
· I shall not buy, and will actively discourage others from buying, any shares or stock in the Wal-Mart company
· I shall actively campaign and enlist support for any legislation which seeks to end the Wal-Mart abuses such as the Fair Share Health Act, passed in the Maryland House in 2005 but vetoed by Governor Ehrlich. This act requires companies with 10,000 or more employees in the state to spend at least 8% of their payroll on worker health care. Wal-Mart is the only company in MD with that many employees that does not meet that threshold

until Walmart meets the following conditions:

· Stop funding Republicans because of their 100% support of the Iraq war
· Instead divert these funds to legitimate organizations in the rebuilding of Iraq such as “Doctors Without Borders”, etc.
· Certification of and cooperation with the union in order to protect workers from past Wal-Mart abuses such as forced overtime without overtime pay, discrimination, child labor laws violation, intimidation, illegal union busting, etc
· Living wage minimum for employees
· Putting pressure on Wal-Mart factories in China and other foreign countries to upgrade the current slave-wages and sweat shop working conditions of workers there.
· Provide affordable healthcare insurance for all employees by providing a minimum of 10% of its payroll for worker health care
· Publicly supporting national health care for all, single payer preferably or equivalent.

Our funds will no longer fund this war indirectly through you. We think the work conditions we seek are reasonable as reputable companies like Costco and Giant already have these policies in place. Wal-Mart does not. Instead it seeks to gain a competitive advantage by the callous exploitation of workers. Unless these unfair practices are stopped, other companies may be forced to adopt them to remain competitive resulting in more widespread abuses of employees.

Signed: ____________________________
Email ____________________________
State _____________________________
Organisation (if any) _________________________
Date: _____________________________

Yours truly ………………….


This strategy comes from my book “Boycott Money and Save Your Soul – Launching the Goodwill Revolution”. Lets not be stuck with old methods which have failed to end the Iraq war. Time for the new and I am confident it will work. It is time to let capitalism work for us! Most of our actions so far have been preaching to the choir and it’s the wrong sermon. The sermon should be “Boycott!”