If you buy a pack of cigarettes or cigars, you will find a warning from the Surgeon General printed thereon: “Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks To Your Health.”

Strangely, you don’t find such warnings on certain sporting equipment such as “Quitting Rock Climbing Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks To Your Health.” Sorry to have digressed. Now, back to my point (which you shouldn’t notice much with my hair combed this way). Click Continue reading.

Foods (canned, bottled, etc.) are required to list the ingredients in descending order of volume or weight. This, I believe, is an FDA ruling. Drugs come under this ruling, as well.

There are other safeguards for consumers. Movies are rated. Many TV shows have warnings such as “Viewer Discretion Is Advised.” The FCC should take the media to task.

The First Amendment to The Constitution guarantees the Freedom of Speech. This is of paramount importance. Freedom of the Press must be maintained. I submit there is a difference between actual unbiased journalism and commentary (the latter most prevalent during election cycles).

Print journalism is generally self policed by noting when an article is an “op-ed” or  commentary. TV news stations (particularly cable) don’t do this. The FCC should make this a requirement. Some folks may take as fact an on-air personality’s opinion. This is not to say that folks being interviewed shouldn’t air their opinions and that those opinions aren’t actual news. But when an interviewer adds his/her own thoughts, it then becomes commentary. This is also true when a news organization favors one side over the other in the on-air time it allots to each. Political ads don’t require this type of oversight because it is always obvious what they are.  The constant muck raking, attack ads stink. No law against that. That is part of having free speech.

To the benefit of the often overlooked “tweens”: The onset of puberty should also come with some sort of warning…..as well as printed instructions.