Jennifer,
    Your two Lactnet posts just now are so clear and logical, and with a call to action.  But why wait for some prominent advocate to come forward?  It is letters from the "little people" - from individual voters to their congressmen/women and senators, from parents to their children's doctors, from mothers to maternity hospital administrators, from consumers to pharmacies and baby equipment shops - that add up if there are enough of them.
    So, what can US-based Lactnetters do?  Create an avalanche of such letters, each individually written (in preference to form letters) and they cannot be ignored. Get together in groups and encourage colleagues and friends to write to their political representatives, doctors, and shops.  Get active in various organisation of all types (professional, school, religious, welfare and aid groups) and send media releases about your group's opposition to the influence of the ABM companies on the Ad campaign.  But *do it*, don't just wait to see what happens or what others are doing.  This is too important an issue to ignore. These ads looked like leading the world in the way they focused on hazards, and if this effort fails in the US, what chance have the rest of us to do the same?
    With an election year coming up, it might be good to write to *all* candidates for your area, not just those in office, and encourage lots of other individuals to write, too.  Make use of the fact that an election is coming up - it can't hurt to make elected representatives nervous, and perhaps more receptive, if they receive *enough* letters in support of the Ad Council campaign remaining unchanged.  Cashed-up companies might be worth campaign dollars, but that won't keep coming when people don't get elected - which depends on the "little people" whose votes count in a democracy.  Actually, a letter campaign is democracy in action, showing the people's voice, rather than letting commercial entities dictate policy.
    Virginia
(about to go out walking on this lovely sunny day, after rain)

On Sat, 6 Dec 2003 Jennifer Tow wrote:

I keep thinking we are all just slightly missing an opportunity here. How do you legitimately deduct advertising that is intended to harm your business? And if it is intended to aid your business, then how do you legitimately claim that it is breastfeeding promotion? This paradox isn't missed on those in the AAP or the govt who are "waffling" on their committment to promoting breastfeeding. How do we act to hold them accountable? We (LC's, LLL, all breastfeeding advocates) have often behaved as if we are powerless, and so we have been.

Anthony Robbins says "When you want a better answer, ask a better question." So, I suggest we ask some better questions--not "how do we salvage the campaign as best we can" or the like, but "how do we hold public health officials and AAP leaders accountable for their actions?" and "how do we blow the lid off this industry's strategic planning methods?"

Frankly, it may be a lot easier in this country to take legal action against doctors than against an industry like the pharmaceutical companies. Maybe, those doctors who are clearly educated about the risks of AF, but are choosing to ignore those risks should consider that they may pay the price later on when families learn that they acted in good faith--on behalf of industry rather than babies? And public health officials ultimately have a mandate to promote human health--what are the consequences when they wittingly do otherwise?

Press releases are used so often by industry b/c it is the very best way to control and manipulate information. Press releases are no longer treated as industry propaganda, but rather as factual information and often printed with no verification of accuracy. IMO, we should be using the same method, but we will not have to fudge the truth to be compelling. We need to find someone who is willing to expose this entire situation for what it is, and we need to maintain a consistent message among bf advocates that  "the next best thing" isn't good enough for babies--either in their diets or in an ad campaign.

Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA

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