I've got a problem with Berman on a personal level as he opposed the Americans with Disabilities Act, a law that saves my butt daily. I can do my job just fine but I need a bit of understanding from my employer due to my migraines. Thanks to the ADA, my employers are required to accommodate me so long as I can do my job with reasonable accommodations. Berman said (re: the ADA):
"The ADA in its present form will cost our industry untold millions in added construction and labor costs" He begins the article with a reference to the ADA and AIDS. He stated, "Congress ... is seriously considering passage of a new law that would require employers to ignore AIDS infections among cooks and servers."
Berman uses the Center for Consumer Freedom to do the dirty work that its member corporations won't do themselves. Because membership is secret, he can sink incredibly low without damaging their reputations or brand images. When someone DID find out which companies gave CCF money, they found this list (found in Appetite for Profit by Michele Simon):
Applebee's International
Dean Foods Company
Excel/Cargill
Pilgrim's Pride
Perdue Farms
Coca-Cola Company
Outback Steakhouse
Wendy's International
The Sourcewatch site includes more donors to Berman frontgroups - a list with names you might know like Ruby Tuesdays, Monsanto, Tyson, White Castle, P.F. Changs, Marie Callendar Pie Shops, Max & Erma's Restaurants, Good Humor/Breyer's Ice Cream, Harrah's, Eli's Cheesecake, and Ruth's Chris Steak House.
Berman has proudly stated that his tactic is to shoot the messenger - discredit anyone who criticizes junk food, tobacco, and booze instead of taking on their message on its merits. In her book, Simon also lists the following "radical" groups that CCF has attacked:
Action on Smoking and Health
American Medical Assocation
American Corn Growers Association
Center for Food Safety
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Consumer Federation of America
Earth Island Institute
Friends of the Earth
Harvard School of Public Health
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
National Association of High School Principals
Organic Consumers Association
Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Oh yeah, cuz MADD and the CDC are the great Satans that are ruining this country. One way they like to attack these groups is by registering domain names for websites very similar to the groups' real sites or real names. He also likes to "expose" where non-profit groups get their funding (more info here).
Another project of Berman's is the FishScam website - a site that argues that levels of mercury in fish are JUST FINE. It's not that hard to prove him wrong there... I like the Environmental Defense and the Environmental Working Group sites.
And there's the pro-obesity campaign he ran:
That ad ran in major newspapers in 2006. Good one, huh?
For much more info about CCF and their tactics and history, I strongly recommend getting a copy of Appetite for Profit if you haven't done so already. Then set up a Google Alert so you get an email whenever Mr. Berman weasels his way into the news. |
