The Man Who Killed Joe Camel

This is a commentary on a recent CNN program on the settlement that was won from the tobacco industry. Mississippi's former (1988-2004) attorney general, Mike Moore, is featured. The transcript is here. (You'll need to scroll about halfway down the page.)

After reading this BS, I feel like a mosquito in a nudist camp: I hardly know where to start.

First, since when is it government's duty to teach kids not to smoke? Are the public schools doing such a fantastic job of teaching academics that they have plenty of time to also take care of parents' responsibilities?

And what about all that "tobacco money" that has been given to groups to spend on things that have absolutely nothing to do with tobacco?

"Some say it all boils down to politics between the Republican governor and his longtime Democratic rival."

Since when is Mike Moore the "rival" of Haley Barbour? The Clinton News Network must be confusing Barbour with Gov. Kirk Fordice, who called the then-attorney general "Flash Bulb" Moore.

Mike Moore did get a massive 21 percent of the vote in the 1989 special election for Congress, but Barbour wasn't involved in that race.

"The original dragon slayer of big tobacco..."

Actually, Moore is a camel slayer-- as in Joe Camel. Yes, thanks to Mikey, we no longer have to worry about old Joe jumping down off of those billboards and making our kids smoke.

And contrary to the cartoon in the March 24 Clarion-Ledger, it would be impossible for Gov. Barbour to put Joe Camel on the state Board of Health, since everyone knows that Mike Moore personally "busted a cap" on poor Joe.

Next there will be a lawsuit to squeeze billion$ out of "big fast food," so government can set up a new program to eliminate obesity.