Tag: government

Ben & Jerry’s to Stop Selling Ice Cream!

Ben & Jerry’s to Stop Selling Ice Cream!

I didn’t mean to get you all upset with the title of this post telling you that Ben & Jerry’s are going to stop selling ice cream – that would be disastrous. But they are going to in a selected area.

The arm of the law has got its fingers everywhere. When a government is suing a company because it chooses not to sell its products in a specific place – isn’t this a little 2-faced from the said government?

Here’s what’s happened.

Do you know the ice cream Ben & Jerry’s? Darn good!!!

ben & jerrys

Now, B&J’s is owned by Unilever (since 2000); however, the decision to remove the ice cream from certain places was made by Ben and Jerry and the independent board of directors, which was set up to (among other things) protect and defend B&J’s brand equity and integrity.

The furore came when B&J announced that it planned to stop selling ice cream in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem. Wow – that got the heckles up, and the Israeli government quickly got into action, launching a legal attack.

Israeli PM Naftali Bennet said the move was “morally wrong” and would prove to be “financially wrong”. And the Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called the move a

“disgraceful capitulation to anti-Semitism and the BDS movement”.

Ah, then here comes the long arm of Israel.

Israel’s ambassador to the US asked 35 US governors to enforce state laws that make it a crime to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement (The BDS movement calls for a complete boycott of Israel over its treatment of the Palestinians.).

Meanwhile, Republican senator James Langford of Oklahoma, called on his state to block the sale of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, claiming the company’s new policy violates Oklahoma’s anti-BDS law.

Some grocery chains in Israel have pulled the ice cream off their shelves or are putting them to the bottom of the freezer. (I’d still find it!!!). They seem to think that boycotting is a waste of time.

Avi Kaner, Co-owner of Morton Williams Supermarkets, said:

“Even the most liberal-minded person who believes in a two-state solution knows that ultimately there will be territorial exchanges and swaps. It is not up to Ben & Jerry’s to dictate what the borders should be.”

So it’s okay for a government to boycott, bomb, be heavy-handed with apartheid type laws and dish out the racial injustices? But when a company chooses not to sell its products in certain areas, god forbid that this is seen as morally wrong!

Ben & Jerry’s have said that continuing to sell ice cream in the settlement would be “inconsistent with our values” they also said the decision reflected the concerns of “fans and trusted partners”.

Who are Ben and Jerry? Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are both Jews who have a track record of campaigning on social issues such as LGBTQ rights and climate change and now the blatant apartheid in Israel.

Ben & Jerry’s to Stop Selling Ice Cream!

I applaud any company that stands up for its ethics even in the face of financial loss and government harassment.

 

 

 

 

 

 




STAY IN THE LOOP

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Really?

Really?

Came across this yesterday Report Warns More Needs To Be Done To Address Climate Change   so here’s my take on it.

cd_5721ad052c8f5N.Z. will never step up and face the fact that we have a major problem with our emissions. Not only into the air but into the ground as well – a stunning example is a toxic lake in Canterbury that has already killed about 30 sheep and now it has been declared as unsafe for humans – “dangerous” was the word used. A couple of teaspoons could easily kill a small child.

Now, smack me around the head with a rotten leek if I’m wrong in saying that the cause of this algae bloom (which is not a new thing) is too much nitrogen and phosphorus – and where does that originate from? My thinking is – agriculture – and, because our agriculture has intensified over the past few years, so has the algae bloom (in more areas than just Canterbury).

Unfortunately, Canterbury is in a state of drought which has exacerbated the problem. And, blow me down, they are getting rid of water via Big Business who bottle it up and ship it off overseas.

But, getting back to climate change and this government’s approach. (you’ll get used to the fact that I digress a lot – but, hey, I always get back onto topic). And that approach is, that we don’t really have to actually DO anything, just buy carbon credits …. and dodgy ones at that! Wow, we really do have a “she’ll be right” attitude.

When Paula Bennet (our cd_5721ae8a30ca3Climate Change Minister) was asked whether the government would cancel any of the 122.2 million tonnes of these dodgy credits, she said “not ruling it out, but it’s not my focus right now”  –  translation:  “Nope not going to do a thing, and we’ll find something else to get you excited about – like the Olympics – and then it will be forgotten”

And just to finish off … Our government, who prattles on about our cd_5721af8d17614sustainable energy, has allowed Genesis Energy to extend the date of the closure of the two fossil fuel plants at Huntly, which were supposed to have been shut down in 2018 – guess what? they are now going to be staying open until 2022 – so much for making New Zealand electricity greener!

government shit
Note the clean shovel – no-one wants to start shovelling.

Oh, well, in the quagmire of politics one has to wade through the shit to find the gems…

Unfortunately for N.Z., there are no gems with this Government – only shit and we really are bogged down. Mind you, I seriously question the alternative parties and their abilities with shovels.

 

 

 

 

 

 




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Thanks for dropping by, my name is Fee O’Shea. I’m a mother and grandma, an author and an Improver. I’ve got a resource website to help peeps go plant-based, I’ve scribbled six books centred around veganism, and have helped others write and publish their own stories.
But this blog is for my thoughts, my rants, raves, reviews and things that have grabbed my attention. From politics to social media to beauty, health and the environment. Fee’s Ramblings Over Coffee is written to bring you a smile or get you thinking. Enjoy.

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