A SMOKING RULING THAT ISN’T (ENTIRELY) ABOUT SMOKING
A federal judge is ordering cigarette companies to run a massive advertising campaign in which they admit that they lied to the public.
The ruling – issued by liberal Washington, D.C. judge Gladys Kessler – will force the companies to run a two-year nationwide campaign across multiple media (and multiple markets) in which they admit that “smoking kills” and that they “deliberately deceived the American public” as to its health risks. This massive campaign – the precise breadth and cost of which has yet to be determined – is on top of the billions of dollars the government has already sucked out of this industry.
Obviously we think this ruling is ridiculous … but not for the reason you might suspect (everyone knows smoking is as deadly as it is sexy).
But this ruling isn’t just about smoking … or an overreaching government extorting more money out of an easy mark. It’s about government buying off the press to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The longer we’ve been in the media business the more we’ve realized (the hard way) that our competitors in the mainstream press preserve their advantage over us in no small part thanks to government assistance (for a national example of this, click here … for a South Carolina example, click here).
Of course it’s not just direct payments and tax breaks that help keep the MSM’s competitive advantage intact, they are propped up by all sorts of other government-dependent mechanisms – like federal, state and municipal laws which require legal notices (like foreclosures) to be printed in newspapers.
And let’s not forget direct government advertising – like the $50,000 spent in Richland County, S.C. earlier this year to “educate” voters about the “benefits” of a $1.2 billion tax hike. And that’s obviously just a small sliver of a much larger pie. According to the Congressional Research Service, in 2010 the federal government spent roughly $1 billion in direct advertising – and the agency acknowledged that this total did not include all of the executive branch of government.
“It is unclear how much the executive branch, let alone the federal government as a whole, spends on communications each year,” the report found.
It’s amazing what happens when you follow the money, isn’t it?
And so while this ruling is certainly about smoking – and about government overstepping its bounds to demonize a convenient enemy – it’s also about government steering another massive pay day to the liberal press. And of course the liberal press will reciprocate by continuing to promote the virtues of big government – while at the same time ignoring any candidate who dares to criticize the big spending bipartisanshit that enables such largesse to flow into their pockets in the first place.
Remember that the next time you ask yourself “why is the mainstream media so liberal?”
***
59 comments
I am sure this post contains some valuable information however I have found myself unable to read the damn thing
I keep scrolling back to the picture
Dynomite!
One of your silliest yet
Who gives a damn about the tobacco companies?
I remember back in the nineties when they hauled all those nicotine peddlers before that Congressional committee and raised their hands,swore to tell the truth, and said they had no idea that smoking was a health hazard.
Just a bunch of lying sacks of shit!
How bout crack dealers Fits?
At least they’re honest and will tell you crack is bad for you.
Hell they’re morally superior to this latest load of excrement you are defending!
Joe Wilson is a fucking moron asshole.
What idiot would post as “Joe Wilson is a Very Smart Man”? This is either Joe, that idiot sidekick Butch Wallace or Roxanne but collectively they aren’t smart enough to spell FITS so may be another of Joe’s lackeys on here. In any event I agree Joe Wilson is a lying backstabbing POS who is going to be OUT in 2014. Dist 2 will have a fine candidate to run in GOP primary to unseat Joe. If Joe is so smart he will QUIT.
What idiot would post as “Joe Wilson is a Very Smart Man”?
I’m hoping for a sarcastic idiot. :P
So many ways in which this post is possibly the stupidest post to ever be posted in the history of posting, you post.
First, who cares about tobacco companies? How about their employees, and the countless other companies/employees that benefit from their legal product. That’s right, moron, it’s legal. If you want it criminalized, go ahead and promote that. But as long as it is a legal product, fuck off, and stop trying to promote even more damage to an already beleaguered economy.
Second, anyone who picked up smoking after, say, the 60s, when warnings on the packages started (at least here in the US), did so at their own risk. If you think anyone in the 90s thought smoking was safe, regardless of what testimony may have been given in court or before Congress, you may be the stupidest person alive.
Third, if your crack dealer is telling you the crack you smoke is bad for you, good for him. I’m not very familiar with that market, but I seriously doubt many dealers are cautioning their customers about the dangers of the illegal products (not to be confused with legal tobacco products) they sell.
So, in summation, JWIAVSM, I would hope you never reproduce, just to make sure the integrity of the gene pool is at least somewhat protected from your horribly damaged DNA. And I mean that in the kindest possible way.
Have a swell day, retard.
What brand do you smoke Sid?
I used to smoke American Spirit, but I quit. Where are you getting your crack?
Always amazing how those defending the tobacco industry are either non or ex smokers
I believe that
I mean I believe Joe Wilson is a very smart man!
I would wager that many who defend the perfectly legal tobacco industry are current smokers, too. I get how you would be so easily amazed, though, since you don’t seem to be very bright.
Apparently, it amazes you when anyone does not agree with your twisted, crack-addled views. How enlightened of you.
I know the concept of personal responsibility may be a bit confusing to you, but there are a whole lot of people who support such a radical idea. Everyone knows smoking can be bad for your health, and everyone has known that for quite some time. Some choose to take a chance, while others do not. Nobody is forcing anyone to light up, so maybe you can lighten up.
Still curious as to where you get your crack that comes with the warning of its potential dangers.
Well apparently not
The Tobacco company executives said under oath before Congress that they didn’t know anything about the health consequences of smoking
(here’s where a good “conservative” like you comes in with that line about everyone lies etc etc etc)
God Bless the Free Enterprise System!
Technically, it is impossible to say “everyone lies,” as that simply cannot be proven. But it is likely that the vast majority of people either do lie in some way, or at least have lied once in their lives. I’m not really sure what your point is in this regard, but it is likely you are not sure either.
As for your statement about what was said under oath, you are lying. They never said any such thing.
You still haven’t answered my question, though. Where does a lying crack smoker buy his product from a dealer who warns him of the health risks? Or is everything you write a lie?
Smoking is NOT sexy, even when sexy chics do it…
This is a good write up Will. Giving us an *inside* view of how you have to compete with those companies on the public dole is eye opening.
Stay tough, even those that pretend to dislike you/your site spend a lot of time here….you are making a difference and providing a valuable service to SC, otherwise they would never be here to start.
I will donate more.
You’re being sarcastic, right?
Nah, he’s keeping people wanting to be a bit more educated thann they would have been, say 6 years plus ago. That’s making a difference.
In the big picture the pols of the state keep rollin on, but you know the ones up to no good(about 95% of them) despise him and hate seeing their antics on full display even if they don’t really have to do anything to change what they are doing most of the time.
Will has busted open more dirty pol stories than all the “majors” combined over the last few years. Sure, sometimes he gets it wrong, but that doesn’t detract from the 85% of the time he has it right substantially. SC’s “MSM” should be ashamed of themselves.
One guy with a laptop and a fetish with chicks having freckles is kicking their proverbial asses.
I’m incredulous to read FITS condemning a ruling compelling cigarette companies to advertise to their misled customers that cigarettes in fact are unhealthy. Deadly. Sickening.
Due to his cigarette smoking, my father’s life was cut short by around 10 years, according to his doctors.
This “news posting” is absolutely looney.
Incredulous;
I agree. We should also have oil companies pay for the crap that all the cars on the road spew into the air everyday. Benzene is a known carcinogen that comes out of your tailpipe, if you drive.
Fracking causes earthquakes. They should pay. BP should be run into the ground. Tanneries should be shut down world wide. All farm animals should be immediately released and shot on sight. They produce methane which adds to global warming. They also add bacteria to the environment which is harmful to wild animals. All dogs and cats should be staked.
Have a Great Day!! :) There won’t be many left with the likes of Incredulous in charge!!
Frank Pytel
No offense, but didn’t your dad know it was unhealthy? He should have.
Sometimes we lose sight of personal responsibility.
Frank is right. Giant corporations should be allowed to lie about anything they want to with impunity, free from any negative consequences, even if millions of people die as a result. It’s the American Way(TM)!
Why not? If the libtard politicians can, why shouldn’t corp’s be allowed?
Have a Great Day!! :) There won’t be many left with the Demlicans and Republicrats in charge.
Frank Pytel
Will Folks has sucked on too many Dunhills. It is obvious he gets a hard on every time he and his kids watch 101 Dalmatians and he ogles Cruella Deville with that cigarette holder and black stringy hair.
bow wow, bow-wow, bow-WOW WOW WOW!
This girl is truly SMOKIN’….. but drawing us in this late at night with this sort of photo is just too devious….. THANKS!
Here’s a novel idea fits… Get liberal and get some of that money or STFU with ur whining…
Beautiful hands!
Hands. Yeah Hands. Yeah.
Frank Pytel
Sorry, but those nails look dangerous. One inadvertent move while handling sensitive areas of the anatomy could result in some rather uncomfortable results. I prefer my kitties declawed.
Sid:
Those nails are dangerous — thatz’ the point. You may not know what to do with them but I have some ideas.
Written like someone who has become used to anal fissures. You can have ’em, and I’ll stick to unprotected sex with junkies for my dangerous sex fix.
Putting tobacco companies in a bad places will undoubtedly create a situation where more jobs will be lost.
The funny part is that people who protect the tobacco industry out of a “concern for the jobs it produces” (i.e. complete bullshit) are usually the same people who don’t want marijuana legalized, despite the fact that an industry for MJ would create a ton of jobs too.
Tobacco makes cancer patients, weed helps cancer patients. Guess which one’s legal and which one isn’t?
So, tobacco jobs are bullshit, Smirks? Sorry, but you couldn’t possibly be more wrong. It’s a legal product, and the health risks involved with it have been widely known for a long time. The jobs associated with tobacco are very real, and contribute in a positive way to the economy.
The notion that some who protect tobacco might also oppose legalixing pot is irrelevant. There are many (myself included) who have no problem with both being legal consumer products.
Furthermore, smoking pot is not completely safe. It does contain carcinogens, and smoking ANYTHING is going to cause damage to your lungs. I still have no problem with legalizing it. Although it may be “safer” to smoke than tobacco, it is not “safe,” nonetheless.
So, tobacco jobs are bullshit, Smirks?
Never said they were. My opinion of the tobacco industry is that they sell a product that, while extremely addictive and hazardous to one’s health, is completely voluntary for one to consume. Also, by ridding the industry you just relegate the production of it to a darker side of society, as with marijuana and alcohol production.
Tobacco does employ a good number of people. That doesn’t speak for anything regarding the fact that tobacco kills and that the tobacco industry spent huge amounts of resources and spun a pretty big web of lies to cover its own ass. Take, for instance, this:
“Evidence is building up that heavy smoking contributes to lung cancer.”
Philip Morris scientist, 1958
“I’m unclear in my own mind whether anyone dies of cigarette smoking-related diseases.”
Geoffrey Bible, Chairman of Philip Morris, 1998
Now, if government decides that hey, you fuckers lied for a long ass time and never had to stand before the class and apologize for it, so we’re going to make you do it now, that’s no skin off my teeth. And, honestly, I don’t see how this is going to cost any number of jobs to be shed from the industry, especially over the long term. Unless, of course, that equates to fewer customers and thus less demand. However, there’s that pesky moral implication of wanting to keep tobacco industry’s customer base thriving to save a few jobs when you know it’s going to cost more consumers’ lives.
Luckily for companies like Philip Morris, they could walk up to their customers directly and say “I’m trying to kill you for your money” and it likely wouldn’t make a damn difference in cigarette consumption, although the customers may be tempted to switch brands. So no, I don’t think this is going to cost any jobs, ergo I don’t give a shit.
What creates the jobs is the necessity for people to work. Alcohol and tobacco companies have, for the longest time, had to deal with rules and regulations, taxes, and even shelling out money to fund advertisements against what their products sometimes results in. Neither of these industries are in dire straits. If anything, the decades of lying and covering up the truth by the tobacco industry has made them liable for this kind of punishment. Really, this is more of a slap on the wrists as it probably won’t result in a big loss of long-term profits, just short-term. Big whoop. As long as the demand is there, they’ll still need people working the line.
The notion that some who protect tobacco might also oppose legalixing pot is irrelevant.
Wow, really? Who do you think supports keeping weed illegal? Other than private prisons who love high occupancy rates, I’m sure alcohol and tobacco companies would like to keep competition in the world of vices at the very least illegal. You stand to gain a lot more money if weed stays illegal, maybe people will smoke more cigarettes or buy another suitcase of Bud Light instead?
I’d also point to lots of politicians who lash out at every single bill that comes up against the tobacco industry (mostly because they are paid to). They complain that it will hurt tobacco jobs, oh the humanity! How many of those guys staunchly oppose marijuana legalization?
If the primary motivation driving one’s opinion of this is to “keep jobs,” so much so that we can’t have a bunch of cigarette manufacturers publicly admit their products kill people (despite it likely having very little impact on the industry), then why not do something that will definitively create new jobs, hell, an entire new industry?
Legalizing weed and this court decision are two different ball games, but jobs are jobs.
“Never said they were.”
I guess your “complete bullshit” comment confused me. Perhaps you can explain the meaning of that comment.
As for the past, it is, of course, the past. Big Tobacco already made a deal with numerous government entities regarding its product. It was a dumb deal if they thought it would keep government and anti-tobacco activists placated, but it was a deal, nonetheless. They’ve been paying for anti-tobacco ads for many years. And the warnings of potential health risks have been on their products for even longer. This should not be an issue, except to anti-business Obamabots like you.
Your tired, leftist talking points about big business can handle more raping by the government is to be expected.
“Wow, really?”
Yes, really. It’s a common tactic you use of guilt by association. If somebody you don’t like opposes something you do like, then you try to link them to everyting in your particular argument, and tie others to the same anchor, whether deserved or not. It’s very weak tea.
“Who do you think supports keeping weed illegal?”
Perhaps Big Booze, but they are not part of this discussion. If you honestly think Big Tobacco would not be able to quickly adapt to a world of legalized pot, and make a ton of cash, then you are either really stupid or really naive.
Let’s see, pot is legalized, and now there’s a market for packaged joints. What industry already has everything it needs to process pot, put it into cigarette form, package it, and get it out to distributers? Maybe you can help me here, because I seem to be drawing a blank.
“I’d also point to lots of politicians….”
And I’d point to politicians who don’t want to hammer Big Tobacco into the ground and also support legalizing pot. So what? Again, your argument is weak tea.
Honestly, you’re one of the more selfish people I know. You just want what you want, and are willing to screw everybody else to get it. You want legal pot, and don’t care if the already legal tobacco industry suffers.
Ah Sid,
Nice to know you haven’t changed much in six months. I do read this board on occasion. Where’s all the psych analysis of old? I’m disappointed that you only called Smirks selfish. Maybe you’re maturing a bit. Tuff to say. Still looking to be right rather than educated, I do see.
Now while here, what about all your predictions that went wrong? Romney winning? Michigan going to Romney? I didn’t see that you owned up to them. I mean for a self-proclaimed genius, your track record is barely better than BigTs.
Gotta run.
Am I supposed to know who you are? No offense, but you could be one of a number of dim bulbs that post here and have a perverse fascination with me. I’m touched (concerned?) that you have been lurking in the shadows monitoring my posts, though. Too bad you haven’t had the courage to post. Seems like you’d be fun to bat around a little.
As for the elections, I guess you haven’t been following as closely as you imply. I addressed it in a post from a while back. Again, though, you are obviously following me as closely as your limited intellect will allow, so I hope you have been learning, even if you have been too timid to join in any discussions.
I guess by “gotta run” you mean you won’t have the courage to actually address any of the points raised in this discussion. To Smirks credit, he actually tries to address the actual discussions, even if he avoids the points where he is demonstrably wrong. You can’t even be bothered with trying to stay on the topic, which is a good sign of one with little confidence in his abilities to debate. Too bad. Even those who have a misplaced confidence in their abilities offer a more engaging discussion than you.
Keep running. It seems to suit you.
Um..yes. Having a few senior moments now?
I’m the professonial statistican JASA Editor who studies climate change who called you on the bullshit you were writing about a year or so ago. You then made the attacks personal (amusing). So I invited you to the next IPCC meeting. You then told me I should find someone to debate me. I never understood why we were to debate — my walk publishes scientifically based papers.
Anyway, I see you’ve made yourself a pest once again. For someone who self proclaims himself to be so smart, you sure make a mess of things.
Ah, yes, the unimpressive alleged educator. Actually, what happened was some folks were discussing some of the fallacies about climate change, then you showed upninsulting them, and challenging them to a debate. I only got involved later, when I offered to get an actual expert in the field of climate stydy to debate you, rather than some guys posting on FITS. You quickly backed out of the debate challenge. Thanks for the reminder, as you really were not that memorable. Glad to know you can’t seem to forget me, though.
BTW, did you want to go round on the actual subject here, or are you just a one-trick pony?
You offered to get an actual expert in the field? What? Even as I go back and read your shit again, it says completely something different. That ***I*** should be able to find someone component to debate me.
Two things….
1) You have a very poor memory. Or are just an asshole fuckin liar.
2) But if you want to find that person, please do. Anytime. You know where I am, little man.
Holy shit! You actually saved our exchange? Tell me what, exactly, I said. You really need to learn to let things go. I guess I really got under your skin. Yay for me!
Anyhoo, got anything to say about the topic here, or are you too fixated on a beating you were given, what, more than a year ago?
Sid: You are dishonorable.
So, you are lying about having access to what was actually written however long ago it was? That’s all I can figure, as you have an excellent opportunity here to show I was not honest about what I wrote v. what you claim I wrote. And you have the nerve to talk about honor? Funny, coming from someone who seems to be openly lying.
Again, I understand the wounds I gave you so long ago take time to heal. But it really should not take this long. You have what appears to be a rather fragile ego. No wonder you are so unremarkable and easily forgettable. The tough battles I remember, but I must have dispatched you so easily I didn’t bother remembering.
I’ve caught a lot of fish in my time, but the only ones I really remember are the big ones. You are clearly a rather small fish.
Don’t entities like the Ad Council and shit get to do PSA’s for free or at a reduced rate or something? Can the cigarette companies not use something like that to do this?
I’m indifferent on this because I honestly don’t give a shit if something hurts the tobacco industry’s bottom line. What I will say is that nothing these fuckers can say will stop people from smoking. Making them put warnings on the box, to running PSA’s and anti-smoking campaigns funded by cigarette companies, to restricting where they can advertise, to making them put pictures of tobacco-related conditions and diseases on every box, to making them publicly admit “Hey, we’re trying to fucking kill you with these things, for money,” won’t do jack shit.
The industry doesn’t give a damn. Yes, they know it is addictive. Yes, they know they put all kinds of poisonous shit in their cigarettes. Yes, they openly target underage teenagers and young adults to lock in a future customer supply. Everyone knows they peddle cancer sticks and kill thousands every single damn year and make a killing doing it. No one cares.
If anything, the tobacco industry is THE American way of doing business. Make money by any means necessary, don’t give a fuck. Anything government tries to do of any consequence can be easily solved by sending their lapdog Boehner to pass out a few checks on the House floor. Even apple pie isn’t that American.
They do not actively put crap in the cigarettes. All of the crap in the smoke is a byproduct of combustion of the marterials. You would get many of the same carcinogens out of burning meat, sugar and vegetables.
Look for an article on the incidence of cancer of chinese women working in china as cooks. The cancer rate relative to the population is rediculous. Its directly related to not having hoods over the stove.
Have a Great Day!! :) There won’t be many left with the Demlicans and Republicrats in charge.
Frank Pytel
Frank:
It’s a proven fact that the tobacco companies for years used additives to alter taste and manipulate nicotine levels to achieve maximum addiction potential. It’s also true that this nugget was a closely guarded industry secret. You know, a trade secret.
While it’s true that anyone in this day and age who picks up a cigarette does so with knowledge of the hazard, it’s equally true that none do so with the thought that they’re going to get hooked and continue to smoke for the rest of their lives- even after the cancer diagnosis.
Wouldn’t a “free market” make sure that the cost of cigarettes reflect their cost to society as a whole? By that I mean lost productivity due to more sick days, medical expense due to increased risk of several types of cancer and heart disease, not to mention pollution caused by that part of the device designed to remain after use.
“While it’s true that anyone in this day and age who picks up a cigarette does so with knowledge of the hazard, it’s equally true that none do so with the thought that they’re going to get hooked and continue to smoke for the rest of their lives- even after the cancer diagnosis.”
Really? People don’t know smoking is addictive? Maybe the people under the rock where you live, but everyone I know understands the addictive nature of tobacco. Sure, they kid themselves by saying they can kick it easily whenever they want, but those are the same type of people who say that getting mindlessly drunk on the weekends is not a big deal, and that they can drive perfectly fine after a couple belts.
As for your “free market” comment, that’s not what you are describing.
Crooner;
So what’s your point. I didn’t say anything about aditives being non existant. I said they don’t actively put crap in them.
I can see how you might have misunderstood that crap was meant to mean known carcinogens.
Benz(a)anthracene
Benzo(b)fluoranthene
Benzo(j)fluoranthene
Benzo(k)fluoranthene
Benzo(a)pyrene
Dibenz(a,h)anthracene
Dibenzo(a,l)pyrene
Dibenzo(a,e)pyrene
Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene
Quinolineb
Dibenz(a,j)acridine
Benzo(b)furan
Furan
N-Nitrosodimethylamine
N -Nitrosoethylmethylamine
N -Nitrosodiethylamine
N -Nitroso-di-n-butylamine
N -Nitrosopyrrolidine
N -Nitrosopiperidine
N -Nitrosodiethanolamine
N -Nitrosonornicotine
4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone
2-Toluidine
2,6-Dimethylaniline
2-Naphthylamine
4-Aminobiphenyl
AaC
PhIP
Formaldehyde
Acetaldehyde
1,3-Butadiene
Isoprene
Benzene
Styrene
They do not put these into tobacco. They are a by product of combustion. You know like when people drive. Unlike tobacco the oil industry actively puts some of these items into your fuel. It is not a byproduct of combustion.
But hey Crooner, I’m an azz. I should have written a book for your benefit to ensure that my point was clear and concise. I have no love for the tobacco industry, or any other industry. I was simply pointing out a false hood in the prior statement. It was not intended to offend, insult or berate anyone. Any resemblance to this being an independent thought on my part should not be construed as I actually actively participate in my thought processes. Please forgive me. I BEG YOU. PLEASE PLEASE FORGIVE MY INSOLENCE MASTER.
fracking libtards.
Have a Great Day!! :) There won’t be many left with the Demlicans and Republicrats in charge.
Frank Pytel
I’m all for making the tobacco companies having to buy ad time to admit they lied. Now a precedent has been set that can force other industries (and individuals) to also be forced to admit their lies and falacies. Next up will be the banks and financial institutions that caused this current recession.
Excellent article.
The masses don’t have a clue that this takes place.
Keep up the good fight on this one.
Media is the Fourth Estate. Which used to consist ENTIRELY of print. Obviously, radio and television now play a prominent role.
What you are complaining about is the evolution of mainstream media. You are not that and may never be. But the publishers of handbills no longer are, either.
If you want to complain, you should complain about the fact that the corporate world now controls the media, which prevents it from performing its traditional function of informing the masses of corruption and abuse by the powerful.
Fourth Estate = Fifth Column
I See a Nipple!
Seriously though, who is the floozie?
She is not a floozie. Only Payne will be the floozie in my new story. I would like to have this girl on the cover, though.
No title yet – anybody have suggestions?
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-century-of-the-self/
She’s not smoking a cigarette.That’s a ‘freedom torch’.
Tobacco companies lied about selling poison and ALL of us pay and will continue to pay for the massive bloodbath which resulted.
Our WAR casualtie, ALL of them in US history, are a drop in the ocean compared to smoking-related deaths. While I support the right to smoke, (and the right to other methods of slow suicide), the companies who helped kill and maim Americans by lying to them should be destroyed for so doing.