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How Many Oreo Cookies Does It Take to Bankrupt a Nation? [VIDEO]

Posted by Adam Howard at 5:41 AM on August 3, 2007.


Ben & Jerry's Ben Cohen delivers a demonstration using Oreo cookies to illustrate what's wrong with America.
Ben Cohen's Oreo Cookie Demonstration

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The video to your right was produced earlier this year by True Majority and it's still relevant today. It features Ben & Jerry's Ben Cohen giving an animated demonstration on how our nation's resources are distributed currently and how they could easily be put to better use. Send the link of this video to your friends and spread the word on Cohen's message.

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Tagged as: budget, defense spending, cohen

Adam Howard is the editor of PEEK.


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This guy can go get stuffed
Posted by: kelt65 on Aug 3, 2007 6:42 AM   
Current rating: 1    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
This guy is a poster child for alternet's article on progressive sell outs earlier this week.

"Ben and Jerry's" are a couple of deadhead, boomer sell outs, union busters and phonies. We don't need any of their elitist claptrap here. They're part of the problem, not the solution.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: This guy can go get stuffed Posted by: buffeliscious
» RE: This guy can go get stuffed Posted by: Christopher
» RE: This guy can go get stuffed Posted by: LeftCoastProgressive
Budget matters
Posted by: Schroeder on Aug 3, 2007 8:33 AM   
Current rating: 5    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I've seen similar demonstrations and believe that there are some valid points. I think the greater issue for government though, is the issue of earmarks. Why not make earmarks completely illegal UNLESS such earmarks can be determined (via hearings in the senate or house) to benefit the entire country. For example, should anyone but Alaskans be able to vote on the need for a bridge to nowhere? If the vote is yes, should anyone except the Alaskans have to pay for it? Should anyone in any small town USA be able to vote to fund a swimming pool, save those who live in that small town? Should anyone but the small town pay for it? If our federal funds were used to benefit the nation, as a whole, maybe we wouldn't have bridges (Interstate) collapsing...maybe we could figure out a way to make airline safety a reality, maybe we could figure out a way to fund mass transit, etc...etc....Maybe congress could actually get on with the business of governing instead of wallet padding and their own job security.

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Issues
Posted by: RobNLA on Aug 3, 2007 9:58 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Well unfortunately the US is more capitalist and less democracy.

However, now it looks like people are getting more fed up with our government. As time goes on, I think this will increase. As a result, you will probably see more turnover in elected officials.

Right now the Republicans are getting the brunt of this. But Democrats know they can just as easily lose their seats.

That's our form of revolution I guess, it's slow and tedious but hopefully it's not too slow to fix some of the big problems facing our country now.

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» RE: Issues Posted by: LeftCoastProgressive
Good, but...
Posted by: mercianomad on Aug 3, 2007 3:29 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Good presentation with the cookies and all. A tad goofy with the music and "Schoolhouse Rock" style. As much as I love "Schoolhouse Rock," that silly bassline is not as good as anything on that old show, and it's going to be in my head all day now.

Anyway, most of this stuff should be old news to anyone who knows how insane our military budget is compared to the rest of the world, and how slashed everything else is to feed that beast.

And as for criticism, I think he made a gaff towards the end when he said that the government sits up and notices the people when they speak out. In today's political climate, that supposition is becoming increasingly erroneous in my estimation, with congress giving themselves pay raises and Bush's team doing pretty much whatever it wants to weasel out of the latest scandale du jour, despite basement-low approval ratings. I'm not sure that speaking out really cuts through to the pseudo-Patricians in power these days.

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» RE: Good, but...(cont'd) Posted by: mercianomad
» RE: Good, but duh... Posted by: LeftCoastProgressive
» RE: Good, but duh... Posted by: mercianomad
» RE: Good, but duh... Posted by: mercianomad
Ice Cream Man is condescending
Posted by: sumwoman on Aug 3, 2007 6:18 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Why does this cartoon portray Americans adults as if they were retarded two year olds?

Why not spend a few cookie crumbs showing the American people who their REAL enemy is?

The American Military Industrial Media Church Complex.

Please don’t perpetuate the lie that Middle Easterners or North Koreans are terrorists, just drooling to drop bombs on Americans. They have much better things to do.

And i'm sure Americans have a lot better things they can spend their money on...
things like education, health care, BRIDGES!

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

» Speaking for yourself I see. Posted by: johngary66
Simple and Brilliant
Posted by: opeluboy on Aug 3, 2007 6:44 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I saw this years ago when Ben first launched his website. I thought it was simple and brilliant then, and still do. It is a short video that anyone can understand and no one can refute.

That's called making the point.

Yes, more could be said, and should, but this short film does what it is supposed to do. Let Chomsky or Zinn or Johnson or Bovard fill in the details.

Good work, Ben!

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