MADD

[mrdutton]

I read an interesting article the other day about Freedom of Speech. The jist of the article was that we middle grounders are finding out more and more that the left is no longer defending free speech. It seems we now have to look to the right if we want to find some vanguards of free speech.

One example used was interesting. MADD has been quite upset recently with PETA. It appears that PETA was using a "Drink Beer not Milk" campaign aimed at college students as a means of pointing out the plight of the poor, abused milk cow. They were offering church keys in the shape of a beerbottle as gifts with the above slogan (or something like that) printed on the opener. This campaign was being run on a web site, there were no printed ads in magazines or newspapers, and no TV or radio spots and no big billboards. It was done "tongue-in-cheek" and was not intended to promote alcohol (according to PETA).

The local press picked up on it when MADD went mad and started attacking PETA about PETA's awful ads. Apparently PETA has backed down. In the meantime, the ACLU has kept very quiet during all of this business.

I don't support either group; I strongly dislike PETA and don't have much respect for MADD anymore. But, I think the whole thing is both hilarious and dangerous.

By-the-way, PETA says that the college kids, they were trying to educate about the plight of the milk cow, clearly understood PETA's attempt at sarcasm and were reacting positively to the campaign to save the cow.

Now I wouldn't mind getting one of the bottle openers as a novelty item. Unfortunately, PETA has run out of them.

[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 03-19-2000).]