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Editor: C. Calvin Warriner
Profession: Cigarette & Tobacco Attorney

Category: Cigarettes

This is the response I have been seeing to a Palm Beach Post article that talked about suing Big Tobacco for injured smoking victims. Some other comments from the "political parrots": "People who smoke are responsible for there (sic) choice", "Lawyers will take all the money and give the Class Action Plaintiff's pennies, I suspect", and, my personal favorite, "What ever happened to personal responsibility".

Big Tobacco has already begun to pass around the "political parrot" talking points. They, for the most part, completely ignore what the "Engle class" injured smokers' case is all about.

The "Engle Class" plaintiffs are primarily comprised of folks who were born between 1920 and 1950. These victims grew up around smoking; their parents and grandparents smoked; their movie stars smoked; their doctors smoked. These victims were told that smoking was healthy and these victims fought wars in which the military allowed Big Tobacco to encourage smoking. These victims were told they should smoke.

They used Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble in Winston commercials; even Wilma was advertising for them!

They even drafted doctors to not only make smoking acceptable, but healthy for you. The message is that doctors are busy, important people, so when they smoke, they pick Camel; a busy, important person's cigarette--good for you, too!

As late as the '90's, Joe Camel is telling our kids that smoking is Cool and the manufacturers are manipulating nicotine levels in "light" cigarettes.

So, do we blame the injured smoking victims who were taught, seduced, and trained to smoke cigarettes or should we look at an industry who has manipulated the media, the government and the very drugs they put in their product. Do we really believe that these sick, dying, and dead victims seek to profit from their suffering or is it more likely that they seek some semblance of justice over an industry who has made billions in profits through manipulation?

Political parrots or intelligent, thinking Americans; you make the choice!