The Jump Blog

and speech is supposed to be free in this country. Are we going to target the countless hordes of hip-hop, pop, punk, and rock performares who glamorize and use alcohol, and drugs during their shows? No? Then why target her? This is simply odious. Using the power of the state to inhibit legal expression –especially when that expression is artisitc– seems to me to be at the very fabric of what this country is about.

The Tenn. AG Paul Summers is blowing smoke and he knows it, and so does the artist. He couldn’t possibly win a case against Wilson because she is not being paid to promote the product in a venue that would reasonably be interpreted to be targeting children. In fact, she is not a spokesperson for Skoal at all.

But he knows that the mere threat of governmental action is enough to make the label go scampering for cover. This is governmental intimidation and bullying and I’m calling “bullshit”.

You can call his office here:
Switchboard (615)741-3491
Opinion Request Line (615)741-2518
Public Information Officer (615)741-5860
Tobacco Unit Hotline (615)532-9840 or 1-800-890-8366
Consumer Protection (615)741-1671
Victim Information Services (615)532-1971

Be polite, he has long years of service invested in the armed forces, but he is dead damned wrong on this and people ought to let him know it.

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