Better than beer

[skdadl]

I followed Berlynn's post at EM about this series of ads back to her blog, Politics'n'Poetry, which itself looks very interesting.

There's an interesting discussion going on there. The editor of the supposedly alt newmagazine that ran the ad is defending himself in bully-boy fashion ("nitwits" is one of the nicer things he calls his critics); a few women, including Heather Mallick, are beginning to answer each of the stereotypically sexist charges he makes against them (feminists have no sense of humour, y'know).

What really puzzled me was what the ad was all about. I mean -- is that part of a breast-feeding campaign, or what? So I followed the link to these charming fellows. It's sort of like dropping in on a frat party. Very late in a frat party.

But you do find out who is sponsoring this crap.

Bacardi. Those lovely folks who helped to bring you the Helms-Burton Act.  From a review at Amazon.com of a book called Bacardi : The Hidden War, by Hernando Calvo Ospina:

This book explores the murky world of the Bacardi Empire. Bacardi has had dealings with the CIA and the extreme right-wing National Cuban-American Foundation (CANF) as well as links with both political and violent attempts to overthrow the Cuban government. This began almost from the Revolution in January 1959 and has continued to the present day. As the prologue puts it, the book: "raises fundamental issues about the relationship between multinational corporations and imperialist politics, about the instrumental use by the state of private corporations to serve state-directed terrorism."

Bacardi has sought to use US laws to put a stranglehold on Cuban trade. This includes sponsoring the Helms-Burton Act that tightens the 40-year blockade. The author comments that "the text is so severe and over-arching that doubtless not even the laws and treaties imposed on African colonies by the European powers have contained such a degree of arrogance and lack of respect for a sovereign nation."

Bacardi lawyers were also heavily involved in writing the new trade laws that mean Cuban brands are no longer recognized in the US. Havana Club rum's French partner Pernod-Ricard (the major competitor to Bacardi) has convinced the European Union that such moves are an infringement of fair-trading laws.

Bacardi and others are aiming not just to remove Castro from power but establish Cuba as a colony of the US with chosen front men running the place.

Weren't we just talking about boycotting Bacardi?

Shouldn't we all go over to Berlynn's blog and give her some support against frat boy?  :)

[Gigi]

There is a "boycott Bacardi" campaign.  We could definitely help step it up a notch.

(I have a certain amount of experience with this - though I'd prefer if someone else wanted to be the Canadian face of this particular boycott. I'd rather not be "boycott girl" in the press in perpetuity.)

[chcmd]

My hubby is a rum-lover, but no-no on the bacardi at our house.  We say hang with Captain Morgan, he's an OK guy!

[lagatta]

Or buy Cuban rum! Not a great sacrifice, that!  

[Gigi]

This needs to be augmented.  (Not with a third breast.)

Last time I did what needed to be done to raise a boycott's profile, it almost took out my server. (goddamned /.).  Lesson learned: use third party hosts up front so that if it suddenly gets a shitload of press you don't have to run around trying to get people to point shit elsewhere.

I can help Berlynn, if someone will go get her and bring her to the table.

[Berlynn]

I'm here, I'm here!  I didn't know about this forum and it's taken me a day to get registered.

Thanks, skdadl, for your support.  I really appreciate it.  All of the support has been quite overwhelming, actually.  I mean, I sent an email to a few close friends, one national feminist listserv and posted at enMasse, (which seems to have become weird, btw).

My blog has been viewed more than 1300 times in 36 hours.  That's up 100X from the usual.  I blogged a followup to the original post with A lesson in blogging which includes a portion of skdadl's comment and links to a Boycott Bacardi site and an article at The Nation.

BTW, one of the commenters, Mr. Arnason, appears to be someone who works at the Prairie Dog's sister publication Planet S.  At least he's posting from that site.  What's uncomfortable for me is that the Publisher of both and the Editor at S were friends from university days and I think they may be taking this personally, which was not my intent.  I respect what they've done to give SK people the two mags.  But their feminist content and ad policy are lacking.

Anyway, I'm here, good women, hopefully safe, and to stay. :D

[chcmd]

Welcome Berlynn!

[skdadl]

Hee hee hee. I figured that you would track back, Berlynn.   :D

I learned that trick from pogge. Wherever and whenever I would post a link to him, he would turn up very fast. The penny finally dropped ...  :D

[Berlynn]

I love WordPress for that.  And that it's Linux-based.

Can you point me to the earlier discussion about boycotting Bacardi, please?  I don't have the familiarity I'd like with this forum style.

[skdadl]

It is here somewhere, I think, but I forget where. I guess we could search.

Yesterday, remembering that someone had taught us about Bacardi, I just googled Bacardi, and up came all kinds of interesting info. (I didn't include the link to the Amazon page because no matter what I do, Amazon recognizes me, and I was afeard that I would be publishing my history with the link.)

Do you know how Heather Mallick found you?

[deBeauxOs]

Link to Bacardi boycott:

This needs to be augmented.

Look up, way up.   :wink:   I'll get Rusty.

[skdadl]

I like to rock.  :)

[Berlynn]

Do you know how Heather Mallick found you?

PAR-L

[skdadl]

Wow.

Live and learn. I have never seen that site before. Great stuff.

[Gigi]

Ok, need some feedback before step 2.

http://betterthanbrains.blogspot.com/


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