Giant Corporations that can squash you like a bug need love, too

Watchdog Group Blasts FDA is the title of the article in Brandweek.com, a site devoted to advertising, branding, and leveraging (there's lots of leveraging happening in the Brandweek Universe). The 'watchdog group' in question is the 'Washington Legal Foundation', whose site can be found at wlf.org. The WLF believes the FDA is overstepping its bounds when it comes to policing drug advertising, and has written a letter to the FDA about just that, referring specifically to the letter the FDA sent to Eli Lilly about a Strattera TV ad (see previous entry for more details). They're not just stopping at writing this letter, either. They've started a new program to monitor the FDA's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Promotion, called, “DDMAC Watch.” Presumably this is like a neighborhood watch, only with lawyers.

After spending a little time at the WLF site, it seems a more accurate title for the story might be 'Lapdog Group rushes to Lilly's Aid'.

The first thing I notice about the site is the way they try to use the word 'Freedom' as much as possible. The WLF seems to have joined forces with the people who brought us 'Freedom Fries' in the war against 'Freedom'. That is to say, the war against allowing the word 'freedom' to retain any kind of meaning whatsoever. The WLF also drags 'Justice' into the fray, and has either copyrighted the phrase 'Advocate for Freedom and Justice', or maybe just the word Justice. It's not really clear.

A quick look at some of the cases the WLF has been involved in reveals a pattern you don't need to be John Nash (or, as P. Diddy refers to him: 'the Beautiful Mind guy') to detect:

Overturning the criminal conviction of Arthur Anderson, LLP for their part in the Enron debacle is considered a 'victory'.

They stand up for poor R.J. Reynolds.

If there's one thing the residents of Chicago need, it's more advertising, damnit!

Again with the poor tobacco companies.

They take a bold stand against punishing people that lie to their customers, and make money based on deceit.

They really don't like the idea of trying to keep the price of pharmaceuticals from getting out of hand.

Well, you get the idea. For people getting involved in FDA and health issues, they sure are cozy with tobacco companies.

Nobody knows what it's like, to be the bad man, to be the sad man, behind blue eyes.