Post by Island Head on Aug 29, 2014 8:59:33 GMT -5
Article in the Times Dispatch:
Movement to be shown at Lockn’ uses dollars as political message
Messages stamped on the dollars read: “Not to Be Used for Bribing Politicians,” “The System Isn’t Broken, It’s Fixed,” “Corporations are Not People” and “Not to Be Used for Buying Elections.”
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has little to do with the multimillion-dollar ice cream franchise now, but he is still on the radar with a new movement that will be showcased at this year’s Lockn’ Festival, coming up Thursday through Sept. 7 at Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington in Nelson County.
In 2012, Cohen launched the Stamp Stampede campaign, and its key component is the Amend-O-Matic Stamp Mobile. The colorful Rube Goldberg-like machine stamps a message onto dollar bills as part of a political campaign.
Cohen said the campaign is part of a large movement working to get money out of politics in the United States.
“It’s based on a growing understanding in people’s minds that the root cause of most of the problems in terms of how our country is run is because of some recent Supreme Court decisions,” he said. “The Supreme Court has said that corporations are people and they are entitled to all the Bill of Rights.”
But is it legal? Cohen says yes; this is just “decorating your dollars.”
“The way the law reads, you cannot cut or punch holes, glue, staple, mutilate, cannot change the denomination or advertise business. Other than that, it’s free speech,” he said.
In 1974, Congress passed amendments to the Federal Election Act that allowed the government to regulate contributions and spending. However, in the 1976 case Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court struck down many of those provisions, ruling that spending money to influence elections is a form of free speech and is constitutionally protected. In Buckley, justices also ruled there would be no limitations on candidate spending by campaigns or individuals.
Cohen believes these rulings have led to money drowning out the voices of the people and claims that money is not speech and companies are not people.
In the 2010 case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court upheld the First Amendment, stating that political spending is a form of free speech and the government has no right to stop corporations from spending money to support or oppose candidates during elections. However, those corporations cannot give money directly to campaigns.
Cohen believes the movement is important because unlike traditional protests that happen once and then are over, the Stamp Mobile is capable of producing a long-lasting movement.
While at Burning Man Festival in Nevada, Cohen heard of Lockn’ and someone mentioned to him that the Stamp Mobile should be at the festival.
Lockn’ attendees can try the free Amend-O-Matic and watch their dollar go through a roller-coaster-like machine until a message is stamped onto their bill.
Movement to be shown at Lockn’ uses dollars as political message
Messages stamped on the dollars read: “Not to Be Used for Bribing Politicians,” “The System Isn’t Broken, It’s Fixed,” “Corporations are Not People” and “Not to Be Used for Buying Elections.”
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen has little to do with the multimillion-dollar ice cream franchise now, but he is still on the radar with a new movement that will be showcased at this year’s Lockn’ Festival, coming up Thursday through Sept. 7 at Oak Ridge Estate in Arrington in Nelson County.
In 2012, Cohen launched the Stamp Stampede campaign, and its key component is the Amend-O-Matic Stamp Mobile. The colorful Rube Goldberg-like machine stamps a message onto dollar bills as part of a political campaign.
Cohen said the campaign is part of a large movement working to get money out of politics in the United States.
“It’s based on a growing understanding in people’s minds that the root cause of most of the problems in terms of how our country is run is because of some recent Supreme Court decisions,” he said. “The Supreme Court has said that corporations are people and they are entitled to all the Bill of Rights.”
But is it legal? Cohen says yes; this is just “decorating your dollars.”
“The way the law reads, you cannot cut or punch holes, glue, staple, mutilate, cannot change the denomination or advertise business. Other than that, it’s free speech,” he said.
In 1974, Congress passed amendments to the Federal Election Act that allowed the government to regulate contributions and spending. However, in the 1976 case Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court struck down many of those provisions, ruling that spending money to influence elections is a form of free speech and is constitutionally protected. In Buckley, justices also ruled there would be no limitations on candidate spending by campaigns or individuals.
Cohen believes these rulings have led to money drowning out the voices of the people and claims that money is not speech and companies are not people.
In the 2010 case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court upheld the First Amendment, stating that political spending is a form of free speech and the government has no right to stop corporations from spending money to support or oppose candidates during elections. However, those corporations cannot give money directly to campaigns.
Cohen believes the movement is important because unlike traditional protests that happen once and then are over, the Stamp Mobile is capable of producing a long-lasting movement.
While at Burning Man Festival in Nevada, Cohen heard of Lockn’ and someone mentioned to him that the Stamp Mobile should be at the festival.
Lockn’ attendees can try the free Amend-O-Matic and watch their dollar go through a roller-coaster-like machine until a message is stamped onto their bill.
