IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED.....

We should have suspected that the absurd proposed legislation in Mississippi to prohibit certain food establishments from serving food to any person who is obese, was not a standalone lunacy from some ill inspired politician and that other financially interested parties must have been instrumental in drafting it.

And what do you know? It appears that the bill is backed by none other than Professor of Public Interest Law John F. Banzhaf III, the same lawyer behind ASH, one of the most extreme organizations, instrumental in influencing anti-tobacco policy globally.

But apparently he quickly realized that public opinion could simply not be swayed to see the issue his way. Well lo and behold! If we can’t ‘’sell’’ the legislation to the public the way it’s drafted, let’s manipulate people’s emotions and pull out our ‘’ace in the hole’’: the children! Who can possibly resist a legislation that will help children lead healthier, wholesome lives? Well listen to this John F. Banzhaf the 3rd : Citizens who are finally seeing through your manipulations and are massively yelling out ‘’enough is enough’’, that’s who! You cannot fool all of the people all of the time!

Let’s all unite our voices to clearly tell this man and his puppets to back off from our private lives and our children, NOW !

Excerpts from: "Don't Feed the Obese" Bill Salvageable, Says Expert -- But Narrow the Bill to Protect Children and Preserve Principle, He Urges

2008-02-02 21:04:58 - A bill which would prevent all restaurants from serving food to obese people - which is being roundly criticized or treated as a bad joke - can be made viable and worthy of serious consideration if it can be refocused on children eating at fast food chain restaurants without a parent or guardian, and only prevents them from ordering food items or meals which are extraordinarily and especially fattening, says the public interest law professor behind the modern anti-obesity movement.

The measure - which even its three sponsors agree has little chance of success in its present form - is being criticized for, among other things, interfering with the free choices of adults, for being so all encompassing that obese travelers could not eat out anywhere and obese employees of restaurants would have to go home to eat, for requiring scientific criteria by which food servers would try to single out the obese, and for many other reasons.

Banzhaf, who filed the first of ten now-successful fat law suits, and counseled on others as well as inspiring and appearing in "Super Size Me," has been called "the Ralph Nader of junk food," "the man who is taking fat to court," "a major crusader against big tobacco and now among those targeting the food industry," and "the man big tobacco and now fast food love to hate." He has written to the bill's sponsors asking them to refocus the bill.

Banzhaf suggests that the bill be focused exclusively on children, arguing that "While most people have a very strong and almost visceral objection to any governmental restrictions imposed to protect their own health from their own bad judgments, we have a long tradition of protecting children from the own inability to make mature judgments."

"Thus, while we traditionally have not prevented adults from smoking tobacco, abusing alcohol, engaging in very dangerous sports and other activities, etc., we have not hesitated to legislate against children purchasing tobacco or alcohol or fire works, engaging in a variety of activities presenting even moderate dangers (e.g., getting tattoos or even vaccinations, etc.

"Focusing your bill on protecting children rather than adults would remove the major objection to it, and provide a strong argument for it - one likely to be echoed by many groups concerned about child health and welfare."

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BELOW IS A DRAFT OF THE MAIN PROVISIONS OF THE REVISED BILL BANZHAF PROPOSES:

No employee of a fast food chain outlet shall serve to any child who appears, to a reasonable person, to be under the age of 16 and to be obese, any single food item reported by the company to contain more than 500 calories, nor any meal where the calories in all of the food items in the meal (including any drinks, but not including sauces not provided at the counter) as reported by the company exceed 1000 calories.

However, all such food items may be served if the child is accompanied by a parent or guardian, or if the child presents a letter or note on the letterhead of a physician, hospital, or other health care entity certifying that he is not obese or that for medical reasons he should be served such food items, or if he or she provides such proof in a form or manner approved by the State Department of Health, including but not necessarily limited to, a wallet-sized card from any of the above sources or from the school which the child attends.