JFD> Now smoking.. Use of cartoon charecters (Joe Cool) and some
JFD> of the other advertising gimics the Tobaco companies have
JFD> used is a clear attempt to hook kids.  In other countries
I have to jump in here.  Do you think Metropolitan Life
(the insurance company) is trying to sell health and
life insurance to kids?  Why not don't they use cartoon
characters in their ads?  Very well known characters
that are seen in millions of newspapers everyday.
Characters that even have their own prime time specials
two or three times a year.  You might know them as the
PEANUTS.  You know; Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and et
al.
Now if the use of Joe Cool was Camel's attempt to
market to kids then Snoopy must be Met Life's attempt
to market to kids.
OTOH, if Met Life's Peanuts ads are NOT aimed at kids
then the same must apply to Joe.
Almost every ad I have ever seen aimed at kids had kids
in it or had the msg cut down to kid size.
JFD> And if you read any of the released minutes of meetings and
JFD> memo's and the like from folks like the board of R.J.
JFD> Reynolds.
Been there and done that.  They are all over the WWW.
JFD> You WILL be heading to the store for a pitch fork and some
JFD> rope. 
Not me.  I believe in individual responsibility.  I
would no more tell a someone how to run their company
then I would tell them how to run their church.  It is
up to who ever is buying the product to make up their
mind using the available data.
If the product is dangerous it should be pulled from
the market, if not then the companies producing it
should be left alone. 
The only thing is the tobacco companies are a cash cow
for the government because no one wants to resist a tax
increase on cigarettes.  I'm surprised they haven't
already legalized all drugs and put a tax on them to
get more money to waste.
                      Remember:  Freedom isn't Free!
--- timEd-B11
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