Men from black helicopters forced Tim May to say:
(I say "worst" in the liberty/freedom of choice sense. Personally, I have never smoked a single cigarette and think anyone who does is foolish. But being foolish is everyone's right. Taking away choice is not a solution a free society can live with. This applies to advertising, which is pure speech, in my view--the aforementioned point about sponsorship of sporting events, or print ads, has zero, zip, nada to do with any alleged FCC role in limiting use of the "public airwaves," so it's a speech issue. There are possible FTC (advertising claims) and FDA (safety of nicotine if it is deemed a drug) roles that some could plausibly argue, but these are not central in the Grand Deal discussions, and are not at all the same as halting sports advertising, etc. Lots of issues, obviously, and our posts are only touching on a few facets.)
What if private citizens decided to place Joe Camel ads in print and TV or sponsor an event. Would they also be constrained in their freedom of speech? --Steve