Ben & Jerry's delivers 'Baked Alaska' in protest

To protest the House energy bill and its provision to open ANWR to oil drilling, activist ice cream makers Ben & Jerry's delivered an 1,100 pound Baked Alaska desert to the U.S. Capitol on Friday. Made from 3,600 scoops of ice cream, it was apparently meant to symbolize the folly of the drilling decision.

Naturally, not everyone was amused. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, noted that it must have taken a lot of energy to make the massive desert.

"This stunt goes to show that Ben and Jerry's does not have a firm appreciation for our county's energy crisis - or the very significant role oil plays in our daily lives," Stevens said. "I suggest that they use a horse and treadmill to run their ice cream machines if they are really concerned about decreasing our nation's dependence on fossil fuels."

Further calling into questions its motives, Ben & Jerry's also is selling a special "Baked Alaska Sundae" at select stores through the Earth Day weekend.

I'm sure Ben & Jerry's stunts have nice symbolic value. But I don't think it helps anybody to make a joke out of a very serious policy decision. Why does everything always have to be a joke?

[Technorati tags: ANWR, Oil]