Cultural Contradiction: Tobacco Ads Banned but Not Liquor Ads

Shame on NBC and its parent company, General Electric [“NBC Falls Off the Wagon, Will Air Liquor Ads,” Dec. 15]. At a time when alcohol-related traffic crashes nationally have increased for the first time since 1986, are up 38% from 1999 and account for 40% of nearly 17,000 traffic fatalities yearly, NBC and General Electric don’t know when to say when.

And when drunken-driving incidents constitute our nation’s most common violent crime, it’s high time the legalized pushers of our most common drug of violence--alcohol--feel the weight of American society’s opprobrium.

But, alas, witness the cultural contradiction: tremendous progress in tobacco control measures, but no bill has emerged from a congressional committee to ban the advertising of alcoholic beverages on the public airwaves, as occurred with tobacco ads in 1971 during the Nixon administration.

Ray Chavira

Board Member

National Latino Council on

Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention

Palmdale

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Anyone who has been through rehab will tell you that a shot of whiskey or vodka is no different from a beer or a glass of wine. It’s all alcohol. They advertise beer and wine. Why not booze? The people who would ban advertising this product are the same crowd who won’t take responsibility for their own actions in most other activities of life. No advertisement can “force” you to drink. If you don’t want your children to drink, be a parent, and teach them not to.

Steven V. Behm

Burbank

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Another Dispute for Grammy Organization

Re: “Grammys to Settle Another Complaint,” Dec. 17.

How much longer is the music industry going to continue its support of this sleazy organization?

Tama Winograd

Studio City