(1) Yanking chains; & (2) At this time, silence is not golden. It might be yellow, but it's risky for sure. -- FDA pulls Viagra's 'wild thing' ad.

Did you see this article in Monday's ajc entitled "FDA orders Viagra to pull 'wild thing' television ad"?

The FDA ordered Pfizer Inc. to yank the cheeky TV ad where blue horns sprout from the man's head and then the horns morph into the letter "V" of Viagra.

The FDA listed a couple of reasons for its action, one being that known risks in taking Viagra aren't disclosed in the ad, something that would seem easy to correct.

But the reason that caught my attention (or in parlance noted later in this post, yanked my chain) -- this ad promises better sex for men taking Viagra, according to a letter to Pfizer from one Christine Hemler Smith, a FDA regulatory review officer. Why is that a no-no? According to Ms. Smith:

"The TV ads claim that Viagra will provide a return to a previous level of sexual desire and activity. FDA is not aware of substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience demonstrating this benefit for patients who take Viagra."

Spare us will you FDA. Why didn't you just have the intestinal fortitude to order that the ad be removed weeks ago when it first aired because it is not in good taste; because it is offensive; because it causes the madam bureaucrat regulatory review officer to be embarrassed if her children are in the room when the ad airs during prime time.

The timing of the action by the FDA and a column that came out on the same day by Jay Bookman in the ajc was most coincidental. Mr. Bookman's writes in his column:

"[M]any voters supported Bush despite misgivings about his policies because they were reassured by his character and faith and believed that he shared their traditional values. They saw him as an ally against the things they feared the most, while Kerry, with his foreign-born wife and Boston accent, in many ways epitomized those fears.

"That fear — that sense of being under assault in your own country — is a powerful thing. And it no doubt grows every time people see a TV commercial talk of four-hour erections, every time they go to the ATM machine and are asked whether they want to conduct business in Spanish or English, every time a business announces mass layoffs and a tax-subsidized move overseas.
. . . .

"[E]ven though conservative politicians may depict themselves as culture warriors, they will do nothing to stop that pharmaceutical company from running erection commercials, because you don't interfere when there's money to be made. And while illegal immigration stirs fears among millions, no effective action will be taken because businesses find those immigrants a cheap and docile source of labor."

After I read the Bookman comment on having to suffer Viagra ads in our family and living rooms and prior to seeing the ajc on the FDA action on Viaga, I emailed a friend about Jay Bookman's column.

In the email I wrote that our Party has messed up by allowing the Republicans to get away with portraying Democrats as not caring about values.

Although the Janet Jackson issue was not discussed by Mr. Bookman, I asked in my email why wasn't it our Party's spokesmen complaining and telling the FCC to get the Janet Jackson crap out of our faces rather than our Party allowing Zell to be the one saying as much on the screen of every TV in America.

I went on in the email to say that the public perceives itself getting trampled, or Jay Bookman so atly put it, being under assault in our own country.

I concluded my email by addressing the Viagra topic that Mr. Bookman had alluded to in his column. I noted that what if during one of the presidential debates -- and even though some of his fellow elitists and do-gooders would accuse him of being a populist with a little demagoguery thrown in for good measure -- John Flipflop Kerry had been "one of us" enough to have noted that the 'wild thing' ad was unfit for public TV, that he was embarrassed to have the ad come on while he was watching TV with his daughter, then it was at least conceivable that we might have a different president next year. At least more might have been able to relate to him, something I could never do.

Having written the email a couple of hours before, imagine my surprise to later read about the FDA action. While maybe a missed opportunity by our now minority party, the result has been accomplished (and we are aware that the FCC is acting on the TV content stuff by fines, etc.).

Maybe as a Party its time we begin to yank some people's chains?

Maybe at this period of time in our Party's history, silence isn't golden (a Four Seasons song for you younger ones). It might be is yellow, but for sure its risky. Doing so could go a long way in righting the Democratic Party’s ship and, in the process, change the perception around the state and nation that our Party has most some of its luster.

Bottom line. No one appreciates a demogogue. But as noted in the following speech, just as reflected in Mr. Bookman's column, there is a feeling of discomfort in our land. Though it may not be perceived as being politically correct to speak one's peace, if we don't we soon may not have any our Party around to speak at all.
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To speak out does not require one to do so in Spit Balls Miller style, although he sure can put it in a way that everyone knows where he is coming from. But it does require that one not be intimidated from speaking his or her piece and saying things that need saying.

Tonight I reread his recent "Deficit of Decency in America" that I had in my 08-30-04 post, and portions are included below (this is the speech that he made on the Senate floor about this year's Superbowl halftime show; I laugh so hard everytime I read the speech that my belly hurts):

I'm not talking just about an exposed mammary gland with a pull-tab attached to it. Really no one should have been too surprised at that. Wouldn't one expect a bumping, humping, trashy routine entitled 'I'm going to get you naked' to end that way.

Does any responsible adult ever listen to the words of this rap-crap? I'd quote you some of it, but the Sergeant of Arms would throw me out of here, as well he should. And then there was that prancing, dancing, strutting, rutting guy evidently suffering from jock itch because he kept yelling and grabbing his crotch. But then, maybe there's a crotch grabbing culture I've unaware of.

But as bad as all this was, the thing that yanked my chain the hardest was seeing that ignoramus with his pointed head stuck up through a hole he had cut in the flag of the United States of America, screaming about having 'a bottle of scotch and watching lots of crotch.' Think about that.

This is the same flag that we pledge allegiance to. This is the flag that is draped over coffins of dead young uniformed warriors killed while protecting Kid Crock's bony butt. He should be tarred and feathered, and ridden out of this country on a rail. Talk about a good reality show, there's one for you.

The desire and will of this Congress to meaningfully do anything about any of these so-called social issues is non existent and embarrassingly disgraceful. The American people are waiting and growing impatient with us. They want something done.

So, as the sand empties through my hourglass at warp speed - and with my time running out in this Senate and on this earth, I feel compelled to speak out. For I truly believe that at times like this, silence is not golden. It is yellow.