Ben &amp; Jerry’s founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield admitted in an interview with Axios that money is the main reason they don’t boycott sales in states whose policies they disagree with, in the context of their Israel boycott enacted in July.
Axios reporter Alexi McCammond pressed Cohen and Greenfield on their decision to not sell in Israel, but to continue selling in states that have been deemed problematic by Democrats, such as Georgia with its new voting laws, or Texas with its ban on abortions after a heartbeat is detected.
“I don’t know,” shrugged Cohen. “I mean &#8211; It’s an interesting question. I don’t know what that would accomplish. We’re working on those issues, of voting rights, and&#8230; I don’t know. You know, I mean &#8211; I think you ask a really good question. And, I think, I’d have to sit down and think about it for a bit [&#8230;.] By that reasoning, we should not sell any ice cream anywhere. I’ve got issues with what’s being done in most every state and most every country.”
At that point, Greenfield attempted to distinguish Israel’s actions from those of other states by claiming that Israel’s actions were illegal under international law. Perspectives on the legality of Israel’s settlement along the West Bank have long been divided. In 2019, previous Secretary of State Mike Pompeo <a href="https://2017-2021.state.gov/secretary-michael-r-pompeo-remarks-to-the-press/index.html">assessed</a> that their settlement wasn’t inconsistent with international law entirely, citing perspectives from strong leadership in the past such as previous President Ronald Reagan.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Axios on HBO: Ben and Jerry&#039;s Founders on Sales in the Occupied Palestinian Territory | HBO" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4mwoiAUM6nA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Cohen had made it clear earlier in the interview that a total boycott against all things they disagreed with politically wasn’t an option. McCammond had asked Cohen and Greenfield why they didn’t stop selling their product completely to protest Israel. Though Cohen said that wasn’t feasible, he didn’t offer any further explanation as to why.
“I disagree with the U.S. policy [but] we couldn’t stop selling in the U.S.,” said Cohen.
Cohen also disagreed with McCammond’s assertion that their boycott impacts Israel’s economy adversely.
“I don’t view it as withholding money &#8211; it’s just saying we don’t want our ice cream sold in the occupying territories,” stated Cohen. “[It doesn’t affect the economy] much. It’s a drop in the bucket.”
Ben &amp; Jerry’s <a href="https://finance.walla.co.il/item/3442683">made up</a> over 75 percent of Israel’s premium ice cream market share.
“So then is that really a big stand?” asked McCammond.
“It’s not a financial stance, it’s a policy stance,” asserted Cohen.
Greenfield then insinuated that Ben &amp; Jerry’s political stances were influenced by their money-making potential. 
“Ben &amp; Jerry’s publicly supported Occupy Wallstreet, Black Lives Matter [&#8230;] but over the years, the company continues to sell more ice cream and thrive,” explained Greenfield.
Greenfield also took issue with the characterization of their decision to stop selling their product in Israel as a “boycott,” which he says has caused states like <a href="https://3aa0b5fb-bb2e-4872-9184-5e5295e8fb3c.filesusr.com/ugd/8bb536_e2cfd32637a64f96bbaf8b5a9c2a4ecd.pdf">Arizona</a> and <a href="https://www.state.nj.us/treasury/news/2021/09152021.shtml">New Jersey</a> to divest millions from Unilever.
“I think it’s largely based on misinformation,” asserted Greenfield. “I think Ben &amp; Jerry’s and Unilever are being characterized as ‘boycotting Israel,’ which is not the case at all.”
Their initial <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/about-us/media-center/opt-statement">announcement</a> to end sales in “Occupied Palestinian Territory” does include the distinction that they aren’t boycotting Israel. The company justified its claim that their decision wasn’t a boycott by promising that it would “stay in Israel through a different business arrangement.” They have yet to announce this arrangement. However, their actions are a boycott by definition.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for The Daily Wire and AZ Free News. Have something you think the mainstream media won’t cover? Send tips to corinnejournalist@gmail.com.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Florida Plans To Cut Financial Ties With Ben & Jerry’s Over Israel Boycott

Ben & Jerry’s Founders Admit Money Is Why They Don’t Boycott Sales In States Whose Policies They Disagree With: ‘Israel Is A Drop In The Bucket’

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Two Tennessee Tech University (TTU) professors are suing TTU after the university punished them for “threatening, harassing, and intimidating” a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) advisor and students. TTU found the two professors, Dr. Julia Gruber and Andrew Smith, at fault for posting flyers that singled out TTU’s TPUSA advisor, a fellow TTU professor named Andrew (A.J.) Donadio, and accused him and TPUSA of racism and hate group activity.
As punishment, TTU barred Gruber and Smith from serving as faculty advisors to any student organization, participating in study abroad or faculty-led trips, receiving non-instructional faculty assignments or awards, accepting salary increases for one year. Additionally, the two were ordered to meet with the dean before and after the semester, attend behavioral meetings, and have their classes observed. TTU warned the professors they would be fired for any further violations.
Gruber and Smith <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/530376660/Gruber-and-Smith-v-Tennessee-Tech-University">filed suit</a> Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Judge Waverly Crenshaw, Jr., will preside over the case. Gruber and Smith asked the court to declare that TTU had denied them their constitutional right to free speech and to reverse TTU’s disciplinary action.
The pair made <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-tech-professors-post-fliers-calling-colleague-turning-point-usa-adviser-racist">national headlines</a> over their flyer earlier this year, which stated:
<blockquote>This racist college professor thought it would be a great idea to help start a Tennessee Tech chapter for this national hate group, where racist students can unite to harass, threaten, intimidate, and terrorize persons of color, feminists, liberals, and the like, especially their teachers.
Their organization created a national ‘Professor Watchlist’ to harass and intimidate progressive educators, including many women, African-American, and Muslim professors.
Professor Donadio and Turning Point USA. You are on our list. Your hate and hypocrisy are not welcome at Tennessee Tech. No unity with racists. Hate speech is not free speech.</blockquote>
Gruber, an associate German professor, and Smith, a senior English instructor, claimed that the flyers were protected speech under the First Amendment. The professors claimed the flyers addressed a public concern, not a personal grievance, and were a commentary on the perception that TTU was tolerating racism.
They also disagreed with TTU’s characterization of the flyers as “threatening, intimidating, and harassing.” Instead, they argued the flyers actually promoted TTU’s goals of diversity and fair treatment by calling out racism, hatred, and bigotry.
Smith created the flyers in early February after Gruber told him she’d witnessed Donadio clap in support of a local school board’s decision to keep its Native American-themed mascot, the Redskins. Gruber and Smith both thought the mascot was racially insensitive; Gruber had even <a href="https://ca.gofundme.com/f/replace-algoodracist-school-mascots">created</a> a GoFundMe to launch a campaign for replacing the mascot. It only raised $400 of its $5,000 goal. Gruber’s <a href="https://www.change.org/p/the-school-board-change-the-algood-middle-school-mascot">associated petition</a> received over 4,000 signatures.
Even as TTU was investigating Gruber and Smith for the flyers, the two professors doubled down on their decision to target Donadio and TPUSA. The pair <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=external&amp;v=935076647319921">appeared</a> on The Rude Pundit, a left-leaning podcast, to defend their actions in April. They claimed that they would be open to debating TPUSA over their differences, despite the flyer’s assertion that TPUSA’s speech was intolerable hate speech. Their main argument was that the flyer was a protected form of free speech.
Both <a href="https://www.professorwatchlist.org/professor/juliagruber">Gruber</a> and <a href="https://www.professorwatchlist.org/professor/andrewsmith">Smith</a> are now listed on TPUSA’s “Professor Watchlist,” a database of professors who “discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom.”
TTU didn’t respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment by press time.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for The Daily Wire and AZ Free News. Have something you think the mainstream media won’t cover? Send tips to <a href="mailto:corinnejournalist@gmail.com">corinnejournalist@gmail.com</a>.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

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Tennessee Tech Professors Suing After University Punishes Them for ‘Threatening, Harassing, Intimidating’ Turning Point USA Advisor

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Arizona Senate candidate Blake Masters walked viewers down a typical San Francisco, California, street for his latest campaign ad. In the fifty second video, masked pedestrians stroll by tent encampments lining sidewalks, while the homeless and drug addicts either shuffle past or slump over with heads hung. Masters suggested that Arizona would turn into the streets of San Francisco if Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) gets re-elected. 
“This is San Francisco; it’s disgusting. This is what Mark Kelly wants Arizona to look like: high taxes, crime, drugs through the roof &#8211; it’s insane. Kamala Harris wants to talk about the root causes of illegal immigration. They don’t want to talk about the root causes of urban squalor: Democrat policies,” asserted Masters. “[W]e’ve got to make sure that California stops at the Arizona border.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We have to make sure that California stops at the Arizona border. <a href="https://t.co/jFd4Twrnmn">pic.twitter.com/jFd4Twrnmn</a>
&mdash; Blake Masters (@bgmasters) <a href="https://twitter.com/bgmasters/status/1445170425701355520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
Masters didn’t spend anything on this campaign video &#8212; or the others. He <a href="https://twitter.com/bgmasters/status/1445487801676414980">revealed</a> Tuesday on Twitter that one of his friends made all of his videos “for free.”
In an interview with The Daily Wire, Masters expressed how surprised he was by the current state of San Francisco. He assessed that it’s become much worse since he’d lived there.
“They basically legalized crime,” stated Masters. “There were cars with shattered windows. It&#8217;s just smash and grab [for criminals]. They&#8217;ve legalized drugs on the streets. As you saw in the video, it&#8217;s just like tent cities everywhere. There was always some of that before, but it was a lot more than what I expected.”
Masters shared that none of the locals interrupted them while filming. According to the <a href="https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard">San Francisco Police Department</a>, overall crime rates for the area have increased this year compared to last year.
The senate candidate also remarked on the disparity between so-called middle-class neighborhoods and those areas where the more wealthy live. Masters opined that the squalor was the fault of governance &#8212; not a lack of income or opportunity.
“The crazy thing is the contrast between there and Pacific Heights &#8211; Pacific Heights is still a nice place. It has picturesque views of the Golden Gate Bridge, [and] 30 million dollar houses,” said Masters. “It’s the failed government. And I think most of the city is quickly becoming what you saw in my video and less like Pacific Heights.”
The Daily Wire asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) when she last walked the streets of San Francisco. Pelosi didn’t respond by press time. 
Pelosi’s last publicized visit to San Francisco was in February of last year when she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-pelosi-attacks-trump-dont-fiddle-while-people-die">visited</a> Chinatown to encourage tourism in the earliest stages of the COVID-19 outbreak. After that, Pelosi made various stops for her personal needs &#8211; such as her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/san-francisco-salon-owner-says-nancy-pelosi-broke-lockdown-order-for-blowout-just-disturbing">clandestine, maskless trip to a hair salon</a> in September.
Masters informed The Daily Wire that he would likely be releasing a testimonial video from one of the locals living on the streets: an aspiring rapper named “T-Bone” who explained what it’s like living under the current Democratic policies.
“He’s trying to get back to doing gigs and my sense is, with the high cost to succeed, it’s really hard to break out of [that environment] once you’re in it. I think it’s really telling when there’s no one there who thinks it’s working well,” explained Masters.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for The Daily Wire and AZ Free News. Have something you think the mainstream media won’t cover? Send tips to <a href="mailto:corinnejournalist@gmail.com">corinnejournalist@gmail.com</a>.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

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‘California Stops At The Arizona Border’: Senate Candidate Blake Masters Visits San Francisco For Latest Campaign Video

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Ben & Jerry’s Founders Admit Money Is Why They Don’t Boycott Sales In States Whose Policies They Disagree With: ‘Israel Is A Drop In The Bucket’

Tennessee Tech Professors Suing After University Punishes Them for ‘Threatening, Harassing, Intimidating’ Turning Point USA Advisor

‘California Stops At The Arizona Border’: Senate Candidate Blake Masters Visits San Francisco For Latest Campaign Video

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