Friday, September 28, 2007

Mixed Messages

Quick: What's the American Cancer Society's number one issue?
Most (if not all) of us probably answered "well, cancer, of course." And we would be wrong:
So the ACS has decided to give up on its ads about the dangers of smoking and other risky behaviors in which we're prone to indulge, nor will it tout the importance of potentially life-saving cancer screenings. In their place, we'll see a year-long series of advocacy pieces about the wonders of "universal health care." Ironically, they won't mention that such systems themselves do a pretty poor job of fighting the disease.
Instead of focusing on (and funding) research to actually cure a deadly disease, the ACS is choosing to play politics, with money it ostensibly raised for that aforementioned research. I can hardly wait for next year, when they decide that global warming causes cancer, and start running ads about that.
The reality is that this is purely politics, with no scientific basis, and a deliberate sidetracking of funds for that purpose. How many patients will now die because the ACS has lied about the uses for which its fundraising was driven?
My suggestion: find another outlet for your charitable contributions and fundraising efforts (such as this one).
Starting now.
UPDATE: If you're in southwestern Ohio, this is a worthy cause, too:

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