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Free Ben & Jerry's In Union Square Today To Promote Constitutional Amendment
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 24, 2012
Modified Oct 24, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 24, 2012
Modified Oct 24, 2012
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According to a press release from OccupyWallStreet.org, Unilever's Ben Cohen will be in Union Square today handing out free rubber stamps as part of a campaign to amend the Constitution to "get money out of politics." The so-called Stamp Stampede will distribute tens of thousands of stamps and encourage people to use them on their currency, stamping bills with one of four messages:
- NOT TO BE USED FOR BRIBING POLITICIANS
- STAMP MONEY OUT OF POLITICS
- CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE; MONEY IS NOT FREE SPEECH
- THE SYSTEM ISN'T BROKEN, IT'S FIXED
In addition to the stamps, there will also be free Ben & Jerry's ice cream, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. But wait, isn't stamping stuff on currency illegal? In college we were always worried about getting busted for writing "I Grew Hemp" in a bubble next to George Washington on our dollar bills. Well, according to the Stamp Stampede website, it's only "illegal to destroy paper currency or deface it so much that it’s no longer recognizable and has to be taken out of circulation." So if the Secret Service comes knocking on your door, just show them this link.
According to OccupyWallStreet.org, "Stamping money is like a petition on steroids. It's monetary jiu jitsu—using money to get money out of politics. Stamping money is an easy and fun way for regular people to make OUR money talk." Sure, it's not as fun as tenting (what IS?) but at least Ben Cohen will be handing out free ice cream! Assuming, of course, Occupy Wall Street isn't pulling another Radiohead.
Tagged
ben and jerry's
free food alert
free ice cream
occupy wall street
stamp stampede
union square
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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