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DFA Calls On Progressives To Boycott BP
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Democracy For America is calling on its million-plus members to buy gasoline from "anyone but BP" until the Gulf Coast oil spill is cleaned up.
"Even as we await the results of the latest attempt to stop the flow of oil gushing from the well," DFA chair Jim Dean wrote in an email to members today, "BP continues to not allow anyone other than themselves the ability and access to fully investigate the extent of the problems."
"Enough is enough," Dean continues. "It's time to speak to BP in a language they will understand."
For DFA, the best way to target BP is to cut off the flow of profits streaming into the company from gas pumps across the country. DFA hopes to unify frustration with the company through a central boycott organized through the group's website.
BP has pledged in the past to pay for the cleanup of the spill, but the company has been universally panned in public opinion polls since the oil started flowing out of the broken well off the coast of Louisiana. Recent polls show public frustration has spread away from the company and toward the White House, which has has pledged to hold BP accountable during the spill.
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Indie Pro
May 27, 2010 5:11 PM
I'm all for a boycott, but working for these actions is also good:
10 ways to kick the offshore-oil habit
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-05-24-10-ways-to-kick-the-offshore-oil-habit/
as well as working to get Obama to put the moratorium back in place permanently for the east coast, etc
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May 27, 2010 5:22 PM
The problem is for the most part BP does not own the stations in the US that bear its brand, so its the franchise owners who will take the bullet and don't deserve to. The amount of gas BP sells in the US is a relatively small part of their portfolio. As I understand it they make way more on things like Castrol oil and Aluminum can manufacture via subsidiaries here in the states.
My original idea was to buy stock at the currently low price, if enough stock was purchased by progressive orgs the board could be influenced, but there isn't enough common stock out there held in non-institutional accounts to pull that off.
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Sailormarlowe
May 27, 2010 5:31 PM
Progressives? Is that what they call 'em now? Proud customers of BP/Amoco will never desert a great company with high-quality gasoline and pay-at-the-pump cards.
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KingCool
May 27, 2010 5:37 PM in reply to Sailormarlowe
Your mom wants you off the computer and washed up for supper NOW!
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ZeraLee
May 28, 2010 2:45 AM in reply to KingCool
lol !
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bluebell
May 27, 2010 5:57 PM
How about voting Green until one of the major parties displays some aptitude at government.
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NerdRage
May 27, 2010 6:02 PM
BP, like every other oil company, also sells gas to stations that don't bear their logo...
and to companies that distribute the gas that don't bear their name...
so even if you didn't want to buy exxon or BP...you could end up doing it and not knowing about it
sigh
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Scout
June 4, 2010 8:04 PM in reply to NerdRage
In one of your comments you say that BP sells its gas to BP stations and to other stations. If an other station is say, a Gulf, station, why would Gulf allow it's station owner to purchase gas from BP?
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Scout
June 4, 2010 8:05 PM in reply to NerdRage
In one of your comments you say that BP sells its gas to BP stations and to other stations. If an other station is say, a Gulf, station, why would Gulf allow it's station owner to purchase gas from BP?
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bluebell
May 27, 2010 6:18 PM
Hmm...the buck stops...the buck stops....
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/buckstop.htm
"On more than one occasion President Truman referred to the desk sign in public statements. For example, in an address at the National War College on December 19, 1952 Mr. Truman said, "You know, it's easy for the Monday morning quarterback to say what the coach should have done, after the game is over. But when the decision is up before you -- and on my desk I have a motto which says The Buck Stops Here' -- the decision has to be made." In his farewell address to the American people given in January 1953, President Truman referred to this concept very specifically in asserting that, "The President--whoever he is--has to decide. He can't pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That's his job. "
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joel3000
May 27, 2010 6:42 PM
As stated above, boycotting BP stations won't help anything. The oil companies have largely gotten out of the retailing business. The branded outlets are licensed vendors.
If you really want to send a message to the oil companies there is only one thing you can do: use less.
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Sailormarlowe
May 27, 2010 7:20 PM in reply to joel3000
Yeah, turn off that AC and ride a donkey to work.
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NerdRage
May 28, 2010 2:21 AM in reply to Sailormarlowe
whoah whoah whoah buddy...
sounds like you're one of those "horse humpers" that JD Hayworth was talking about...
you are very bad at trolling
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slowrichard
May 27, 2010 8:28 PM
Boycott them all. Carbon based energy is a no-win situation and we have very workable alternatives. We made the switch to solar and wind many years ago cutting our entire petrol-fuel usage to a little less than 150 gallons in the last 12 months. We live aboard a sailboat requiring no heat. We simply go north in the summer and south in the winter. Our main fuel use is for the outboard on the tender and for making power for cloudy or windless days. Choosing to not use a lot of petroleum does not mean big sacrifice either, but living in a small space (42 foot boat) does control the urge for over consumption.
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NerdRage
May 28, 2010 2:23 AM in reply to slowrichard
...lol, your response is ignorant at best and moronic at worst
your small scale solution will never manage to scale up...ever
try thinking within the box of reality and looking for 'out of the narrow mindset' box for solutions
don't get me wrong...i'm all for less oil...but seriously...
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alfo
May 28, 2010 10:45 AM
all of you "STFU",RESISTANCE IS FUTILE,WE WILL ASSIMULATE YOU
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