BDS Can Be Hard, But It's Worth It

I was with a young grandchild recently as they considered spending their own money on a trendy refillable water container on display in front of a Starbucks. I mentioned to the child that I personally am boycotting Starbucks because they feed the army that is killing people in Gaza. Later they overheard me say something about going to the town of Scarborough and reminded me that I was supposed to be boycotting it LOL Then, a couple of weeks later, they mounted a spirited argument to get me to drop my boycott of McDonald's -- because a certain McDonald's has a PlayPlace indoor playground.

They also tried the argument, But other people in our family go to McDonald's. That was a good opportunity to explain that I don't control other people's choices, only my own.

Boycotting the Zionist entity raises more than one moral dilemma. Many of us here are willing to put our money where our mouth is and boycott businesses based in or doing business with Israel. Easier said than done though, isn't it? If you're not sure which brands to boycott, there's an app (and another one and another one) for that.

The good news is that BDS is working! Here's an explanation of why.

Some boycotts are relatively easy to accomplish. Did you know Valero Energy sells Israel most of its jet fuel? If you live in a state where they operate retail outlets, you could boycott them.

Source: https://boycott-israel.org/boycott.html

But it can take a lot more motivation to locate and employ cumbersome workarounds to replace apps like airbnb or Google maps.

I've been boycotting Amazon for years, and got off Chrome in 2022, but how to actually boycott Google? Because they really, really deserve it.

https://x.com/RyanRozbiani/status/1823937350629499176

Which brings me to one of the most difficult areas to apply the B in BDS: seeds. 

Most tomato and pepper seed crops are grown in California, Israel and Chile. 

Maine Organic Farmers & Growers Association (MOFGA)

Interestingly, research sites I located for information on the provenance of seeds were repeatedly blocked on various browsers I was using (no, not Chrome). But I was able to find a bit of info with a little help from a friend.

Johnny's Seeds was selling mildew resistant Prospera Basil which is sourced from Israel in their 2023 catalog. 

Genesis Seeds Ltd, privately owned, is one of the world’s largest producers of certified organic vegetable, herb and flower seed since 1994. The company is based in Israel (Ashalim, High Negev, South of Be’er Sheva), where all research, and production takes place. All Genesis Seed products are grown only in Israel.

Source: Madein-Israel.com 

On September 21 at 11am we will be taking our monthly statewide coalition protest to the streets of Unity, Maine because thousands of complacent consumers will drive by on their way to the annual Common Ground Fair put on by MOFGA. 

Does that organization know it has vendors selling seeds from Israel? Based on their response to inquiries others have made about this, they do know.

But knowing is not enough. To defeat Israel, we will have to act with conviction. Even when it hurts.