"Obesity a problem? Hell no! We've got $600,000 that says that's a lie!" (But... for some reason we "could not say" who we are.)

Top Stories - Reuters

U.S. Ad Blitz Dismisses Obesity Threat as 'Hype'

Mon Apr 25, 5:36 PM ET Top Stories - Reuters

By Nichola Groom

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A group backed by the U.S. food and restaurant industries on Monday launched an advertising campaign aimed at dismissing as hype concerns about the large number of obese Americans.

The full-page ads in major U.S. newspapers were inspired by new government data questioning government assertions that obesity causes nearly as many deaths as smoking, according to the Center for Consumer Freedom, which paid for the ads.

The group, based in Washington, does not disclose names of its donors, though spokesman Mike Burita said casual dining restaurant chains "are predominant sources of funding for us."

A spokesman for Darden Restaurants Inc., the nation's largest casual dining company and owner of the Red Lobster and Olive Garden chains, could not say whether Darden was among contributors to the group.

Applebee's International Inc., another major casual dining chain, also could not say whether it contributes to the group, a spokeswoman said.

The group spent about $600,000 on the ads, which appeared on Monday in the New York Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, USA Today and the Chicago Tribune. Ads are also to run in Newsweek magazine and on billboards in the Washington-area metro system.

SOURCE - http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=2&u=/nm/20050425/ts_nm/food_ads_obesity_dc_2

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If you don't like something, just disagree.

There are two sides to every debate.

They are automatically equal in moral and ethical value.

They have to be (even if one is invisible).

Anything less is just impolite.

Right?