Monday, February 16, 2015

John Oliver on the tobacco industry's attacks on public health laws in developing countries. Yeah, you need to watch this.

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

On HBO’s Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver lambasted American tobacco companies for aggressively suing developing nations that have attempted to create public health laws in order to stem the tide of citizens who become addicted to the their cancer-causing products. 

Oliver pointed that the soaring profits are due to tobacco companies aggressive marketing of their products in overseas markets where they have learned to bully governments in the international court system. 

Oliver explained that Australia was initially successful in defending their tobacco packaging laws, which replaced tobacco brand names with appalling photos which Oliver described as looking like a “demon eye,” and another featuring a section of diseased lung he compared to looking like “baked ziti.” 

However tobacco company lawyers are using trade agreement laws banning government appropriation of company assets to get around laws that would replace tobacco brand names with public health warnings against smoking, stating it would lower the value of their trade marks.

Once again JOhn Olvier knocks it out of the park.

With Stephen Colbert and John Stewart packing it in, I swear John Oliver has never been more important to me.

Let's hope that he has a long and fruitful career on HBO.

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:15 PM

    How ironic to see this pop up as we're sitting here watching "The Insider" with Russell Crow as whistle blower Dr. Jeffrey Wigand.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Insider_%28film%29

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:22 PM

    John Oliver is brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous6:45 PM

    Gryphen

    LOL Check Palin hands @ SNL

    After using self tanner, always, ALWAYS, wash your hands immediately. Sarah Palin must have missed the memo

    https://twitter.com/AshleyCodianni/status/567506912250724353/photo/1

    http://twitchy.com/2015/02/16/today-shows-social-media-manager-possibly-stained-by-touch-of-sarah-palin/

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've heard of this activity whereby a company can sue a government over the failure of its product to gain market share due to a trade agreement such as NAFTA. Think of the problems with the new, secret agreements being considered now such as TIPP etc. Scary stuff! Way to go John Oliver!

    ReplyDelete
  5. laurensd17:40 PM

    John Oliver!
    You ARE a national treasure!

    Hey low rent Palins!
    You were so not welcome at the biggest Hollywood event of the celebration of Stevie Wonder!
    It is undeniably historical and; you were not, nor will ever be included in this show business happening. It will go down as one of the greatest events in American music history.
    You lost.

    Jealous? Get over it already.
    When you get a job.............................

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous9:48 PM

    These court cases (like Australia) would never succeed if the TPP as being pushed for "fast track" by the Obama administration becomes law.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:00 PM

    North Carolina, home of Philip Morris and Franklin Graham. Graham's missionary medical Dr. and Nurse who were both infected with Ebola. Graham had permission from 'certain members of Congress' and brought them to the U.S. for treatment under a clandestine plan on a private jet. They were both treated with 'Zmapp' (PM's only 2 doses available drug cure). Is this a conspiracy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:57 PM

      Yes. It worked at scaring the hell out of many, especially fauxnews viewers and rabid rwing radio ranter listeners. It did not work to unseat President Obama.

      Perhaps it was a distraction from the more real measles outbreak here for those whose political bent is pseudo-christiany domionist homeschooling and drown government in a bathtub adherents.

      dowl

      Delete
  8. Anonymous10:47 PM

    Health insurance companies are big investors in tobacco stocks.

    ReplyDelete
  9. physicsmom4:42 PM

    I haven't watched the clip yet, but I will. I wanted to pass along the best replacement for Jon Stewart I've heard : John Fugelsang. I think he'd be terrific and it's about time someone recognized his abilities. Well, I can dream.

    ReplyDelete

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