Protestors to spend 'Not One Damn Dime'

After receiving an anonymous e-mail about plans to protest President Bush's inauguration last month, Jesse Gordon of Massachusetts began to search for the originator of the message and ended up in the middle of a media storm.

When he could not find out who sent the message, Gordon enlisted fellow Democratic activists nationwide in a protest of his own and set up the Web site NotOneDamnDime.com. Word of the site spread like wildfire and soon the protestors were giving multiple media interviews daily.

The Web site calls for citizens to protest what the founders of the site view as the excess of the Inauguration Day celebration and dissatisfaction with the Bush administration by refraining from spending money and using credit cards on Jan. 20.

The site states the purpose of curbing consumerism as an attempt to send a message to the government 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."

While Gordon was busy with other interviews, other participants in the protest spoke with The Spectrum, talking about why they joined the protest.

"Strategic consumerism is an opportunity for people to not feel so disconnected and without a voice," said Monica Boyce, an activist and resident in western Massachusetts. "We don't have an illusion that this is going to shut down the economy, what's important is that people are sharing it with their friends and neighbors and family members and coming to terms with how they feel."

Lesley Rebecca Philips, a Cambridge, Mass. resident and a self-proclaimed progressive Democratic activist, said the nation's atmosphere is perfect for a protest like this.

"Families are being hurt and the economy is being hurt and when people are hurting in the pocket they want to do something," Philips said.

Since it was set up, and as Inauguration Day draws closer, the activists have received a lot of media attention. Boyce said this attention provides an even bigger forum in which activists can raise their objections.

"It's us saying we're not OK with them spending $40 million on inauguration excesses, when they could have sent more money to Iraq in a gesture that says 'Let's protect our people,'" said Boyce. "Obviously (the troops) need it because they're asking for our help. To collect $40 million for a party is offensive."

The Web site, which has a petition and a place for people to state their opinions, has also been abuzz with activity. Boyce said there are many supporters and a fair share of people angered by the boycott.

"People come on and say we're anti-American and they say some pretty nasty things," said. "It's curious because they seem so threatened, they won the election and they still seem so threatened."

Even with the outcry, preparation for the Not One Damn Dime Day protest is still gathering steam.

Lisa Savage, a resident of Maine and an activist associated with Not One Damn Dime Day, is also one of the founders of the Waterville Area Bridges for Peace and Justice, an organization that she says "coalesced about a month or two after the invasion of Iraq" because they "find the entire Bush administration offensive."

"The inauguration party is just an imperial display of power, especially since the tsunami," she said. "I can't imagine why they wouldn't make a PR move of canceling the celebration and donating money to those who are suffering."

Gail Eilat, a senior communication and media study major, said she doesn't believe the protest will be successful.

"I don't see how it would be very effective, because it's going to take away more from the mom and pop stores and maybe a few corporations but it's not going to make a big dent," she said. "It's public knowledge how much the inauguration is going to cost and he obviously doesn't care so how much will he care if consumers boycott or not?"

Others, like Nikki Gorman, a sophomore fine arts major, believe the effect is already being seen. When she received word of the boycott she posted a message on TheFacebook.com.

"It seems like more people who actually took the time to read my message are interested than not," she said. "It's easy enough for people to do, it's action by non-action so I think that a lot of people are going to do this."

According to Savage, regardless of the national outcome, the protest was something in which she felt compelled to participate.

"I feel like it's my duty as an American who loves our country and cares about what kind of country my children are living in to say 'Look at (us),'" she said. "How much stuff we have and how much money we spend doesn't make us world leaders."