Posted on 05/12/2005 2:03:38 AM PDT by SheLion
ALBANY, N.Y. - Smoking rights' groups, tavern owners and libertarian political parties in nine states are calling for a boycott of donations to major charities, saying their support of smoking bans is a threat to small businesses and civil rights.
"No more," says Audrey Silk, founder of NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, which is leading what appears to be the first-ever boycott of the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association and American Heart Association.
"We will stop contributing to Big Nanny," she said. "Why do we want to donate to groups that are out to ruin our businesses and demean us as human beings?"
Smokers' and libertarian groups from Minnesota to Massachusetts are targeting the nonprofits for their political activities. The smokers' rights groups complain that the charities don't just support research and people afflicted with disease, but use their considerable lobbying power to help write smoking bans in states and municipalities.
Silk says her group gets no money from tobacco interests.
Silk targeted the American Cancer Society's radio and print advertising campaign in New Jersey, which calls on residents to urge their elected officials to pass an indoor smoking ban. Such bans hurt "mom-and-pop businesses and are intended to make pariahs out of adults engaging in a legal behavior," she said.
American Cancer Society national spokeswoman Colleen Wilber said she hasn't heard of such a boycott before. But she said the organization's lobbying efforts to support smoking bans to protect workers from secondhand smoke draw local opposition.
"We know people lose their lives to secondhand smoke and we see it as our obligation to protect those people from getting sick or dying," said Karen Becker, spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey, which supports New Jersey's proposed indoor smoking ban.
The boycott effort is supported by Silk's CLASH, the national Smokers Club Inc., Illinois Smokers' Rights group, Indiana Amusement & Music Operators Association, the Kentucky Licensed Beverage Association, the Metro Louisville Hospitality Coalition, the Cambridge Citizens For Smokers' Rights in Massachusetts, the Smoke Out Gary group based in Minneapolis, Minnesotans Against Smoking Bans, the Fight City Hall group of Minnesota, Taverners United for Fairness New York, the American Arborist of New York, the Madison County Chapter of the Independence Party Ohio, the Lakewood Hospitality Association of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Smokers Action Network and Tennessee's Yes S.I.R. group.
The groups are urging members and sympathizers to continue to donate to charities with similar goals including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Mary Crowley Medical Research Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the Shriners Hospital for Children as well as local medical charities.
Frightening isn't it? I'm glad my child rearing days are long behind me.
Yes, it is a good beginning, but there is so much further to go.
Take a look at how the National Cancer Institute (NCI) frivilously throws away taxpayer funds on "research" (sic) to support the taking of private property rights from our citizens. The NCI supports idiots like Stan Glantz to study crap like this? It's time to get past being mad and time to start making these people accountable for their blatant misuse of funds from the public treasury for the purpose of lobbying for laws against the people.
It really is out of hand, Lock. And even Fox News who is supposed to be so fair and balanced has done nothing during the past week but bash and trash smokers and smoking.
Audrey Silk was scheduled to appear yesterday, but Fox canceled her out, saying they couldn't get anyone from the ACS or the ALA to go up against her. Pity they couldn't just have her giving our side of this issue.
It's interesting to me that the same people who lobby for the 'right' of a 14 year old to be taken across state lines by strangers to have an abortion, are screaming that allowing this same 14 year old to glimpse a cigarette ad on a racing car at 200 mph will send her straight to hell.
Uh huh. So they think they can do this? Send them to Angola and see how well they do with Marburg...
Me either. I quit when the "research" money was getting used to do antismoking ads instead of cancer research. Imho, there is a lot that causes cancer, and while prevention is nice, it is not a cure.
That (a cure) is what the goal should be, because long after tobacco has been eliminated, cancer will still be around. (Then what will they blame it on?)
It's interesting to me that the same people who lobby for the 'right' of a 14 year old to be taken across state lines by strangers to have an abortion, are screaming that allowing this same 14 year old to glimpse a cigarette ad on a racing car at 200 mph will send her straight to hell.
Oh there is no tobacco advertisements on NASCAR cars allowed today. They cannot take any tobacco product on as a sponsor.
But guess what? Jack Daniels, Smirnoff, Beer and some other liquors are now the big NASCAR sponsors. And on the race cars, their logo's stand right out there.
The kids see this. So I guess the anti's would rather the kids see the hard liquor logo's on the race cars but not cigarettes?
I'm really upset over this!
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