Posted on 02/03/2006 7:03:12 AM PST by ZGuy
GET READY for the next mass-tort crusade: protecting our kids from the ravages of Big Cola. According to reports, a group of lawyers is gearing up to file lawsuits that will seek to blame Coke, Pepsi and others for obesity, tooth decay and other childhood health ailments. An article in the Boston Globe Magazine has called it part of a "national legal movement to make soft drinks the next tobacco." Instead of tar and nicotine, we'll be hearing about corn sweeteners and caffeine; maybe Dr. Pepper can stand in as the new Joe Camel.
Ridiculous? More like inevitable. For some time, a noisy campaign has been underway to portray the food and beverage industry as the villain in the nation's ongoing battle with the waistline. Without the snack hucksters' machinations, it seems, we'd all eat raw bell peppers and be reed thin.
Backed by "progressive" foundations, nutrition advocates are demanding a national obesity policy aimed at changing our collective diet, by force of law if necessary or quite possibly by force of litigation. As one advocate, Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, put it: "If someone is saying that a 64-ounce soda at 7-Eleven contributed to obesity, that person should have his day in court."
That brings us to Northeastern University law professor and associate dean Richard Daynard, point man in the forthcoming courtroom onslaught against fizzy drinks. Long quoted in the media as a cheerleader for tobacco lawsuits, Daynard has now set out to assemble a legal strike force to file obesity actions. He wants to duplicate the success of the tobacco campaign, whose strategies included invoking "the children" and launching scores of suits on novel legal theories in hopes that one would stick.
WALTER OLSON is senior fellow of the Manhattan Institute.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Michael Crichton,`State of Fear'=
John Grisham, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_of_Torts
Since I don't like coffe, I have a coke to get me through the morning. I think I'm addicted to it. And Think of all the long term health problems I'm going to have because of Cocca Cola. I think we need a multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit so that those who have suffered dearly at the hands of big cola can be properly compensated for their physical and mental anguish.
The bastiges can pry my Diet Coke FMCDH!!!!!
yanno, i've been joking for years that i should sue mt dew for all the tooth decay it caused me. maybe i should call one of these lawyers and jump on the bandwagon.
after all, its not MY fault they didn't put a warning label on the bottles and i ignored the dentists that told me it would happen.
The Mexican Coca-Cola with real cane sugar is also much better than the corn syrup version. Jolt used to use sugar, but even they went to HFCS, forcing them to drop the slogan "All the sugar, twice the caffeine. I WANTED to like Jolt, but it just didn't taste very good.
Without getting into a need for litigation, I wouldn't be surprised if that High Fructose Corn Syrup is a problem. However, my wife and I do our own "litigating" by not buying those products. We don't need a lawyer to do it for us.
That's right, we're victims of big cola.
I think we need tort suits against tort attorneys. They're bad for everyone's health...driving up cost of products which causes everyone to work harder to buy the things they want.... causing stress... which ultimately breaks apart families....which truly hurts the children most...not to mention how it affects their mental health. Yup. Me thinks someone needs to take them to task. :)
All of those things are available at fast-food places and vending machines here in Indiana. Maybe you need to get out more!
Doesn't seem to me people consume the mass quantities of "the real thing" like they used to. It's not as good as it used to be, it's got too much sugar, and I think Diet Coke far outpasses it in sales. I think they're reaching with this one. Like attacking sugary cereals, apparently not realizing a child can pick up the sugar bowl and easily make up for any deficit incurred by law or parental decision.
Actually not a bad idea. If we can convince some lawyers that there is enough money in it for them.....
I know for fact that all the fast food places offer salads, some sort of fruit cup, milk, juice, and water. It is right there on the menu all you have to do is order it. Or is it just o hard for you to order anything other than by a number? The choices are there it is just up to you to make them.
My wife and I order off the dollar menu, making up our mind what we want to eat and feed our kids. I recommend you do the same.
Your'e not being sarcastic are you? Because I think we absolutely need some way to drive these sleazy trial lawyers to the poor house. Not kidding.
That's part of the zero tolerance mentality. Means people don't have to think, choose, or make rational decisions...
Having had a major histamine reaction just short of fullblown anaphyletic shock last week, I can say schools should have the wherewithall to deal with them, though.
For some people, touching the hand of someone who touched peanuts is enough to induce shock. For others, eating nuts is an excellent food choice that prevents things like gall stones and gives you hight quality fats that your body needs.
I think banning nuts is an exagerated response, but people with potentially severe allergies do need to be remembered. What happens, though, if the response is to ban...you ban dairy, rubber, nuts, and so on and so on. It's not necessarily the most sensible method.
I am seriously addicted to Diet Coke. I am living proof that diet soda is not harmful. If it was, i would have been dead 10 yrs. ago.
Absolutely. And you can thank the U.S. Gov't for that.
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