People who smoke weed have awesome ideas

[Sal Atticum]

I missed the whole Michael Phelps thing until I heard about it today.  I have nothing against marijuana (although, like drunk people, I'd rather high people would not drive or otherwise bother me), but I don't engage in it myself.  It looks like Kellogg's is picking an interesting fight.

This should be very interesting to watch.  Glad to know Michael Phelps getting high is more important than tainted peanut butter (see bolded below).

Pro-pot lobby rips Kellogg Co. for dropping Phelps
David Crary, Associated Press
Published Tuesday, February 10, 2009
NEW YORK — Snap, crackle ... pot?

Bursting with indignation, legions of marijuana advocates are urging a boycott of Kellogg Co., including all of its popular munchies, for deciding to cut ties with Olympic hero Michael Phelps after he was photographed with a pot pipe.

The leader of one of the biggest legalize-pot organizations, the Marijuana Policy Project, called Kellogg’s action “hypocritical and disgusting,” and said he’d never seen his member-ship so angry, with more than 2,300 of them signing an online petition.

“Kellogg’s had no problem signing up Phelps when he had a conviction for drunk driving, an illegal act that could actually have killed someone,” said Rob Kampia, the group’s execu-tive director. “To drop him for choosing to relax with a substance that’s safer than beer is an outrage, and it sends a dangerous message to young people.”

Also urging a boycott were the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Drug Policy Alliance. They encouraged their members to contact Kellogg to vent their views.

In one sign of the campaign’s impact, the Phelps saga took precedence over the tainted peanut butter outbreak in the recorded reply on Kellogg’s consumer hot line Tuesday.

“If you would like to share your comments regarding our relationship with Michael Phelps, please press one to speak to a representative,” said the recording. “If you’re calling about the recent peanut butter recall, please press two now.”

From Kellogg’s media office, there was no immediate reply to a request for an assessment of the boycott campaign. A Kellogg spokeswoman, Kris Charles, said by e-mail, “Our contract with Michael Phelps was set to expire at the end of February and we made a business deci-sion not to extend that contract.”

Last week, the company announced his contract would end and described Phelps’ conduct as “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” Kellogg has been placing images of Phelps on the fronts of Frosted Flakes and Corn Flakes boxes since September, after the swimmer’s record-shattering haul of eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

The groups calling for the boycott were angry at Kellogg, but also eager to use the oppor-tunity to restate long-standing calls for decriminalization of pot.

“It’s not just that Michael Phelps did what millions of other twenty-somethings do,” said Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “It’s that he did what over one hundred million Americans have done at least once in their lives, including the presi-dent, former presidents, members of the U.S. Congress and Supreme Court.”

Similar commentary sounded even in mainstream media — including columns in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and National Review Online questioning the ra-tionale and effectiveness of U.S. marijuana laws.

Of Phelps’ numerous big-name sponsors, Kellogg was the only one to publicly cut ties after the pot photo emerged. While it received some support, the giant food company has also been singled out for mockery by a host of comedians, bloggers and others.

On Saturday Night Live, Seth Myers questioned whether marijuana use was in fact at odds with Kellogg’s image.

“Every one of your mascots is a wild-eyed cartoon character with uncontrollable munch-ies,” Myers said. “Every one of your products sounds like a wish a genie granted at a Phish concert.”

On the Huffington Post, blogger Lee Stranahan pursued that theme in a proposed petition to the company that said in part, “We believe that most people over the age of 12 would not eat Kellogg’s products were they not wicked high.”

Stranahan’s petition concluded with this call-to-arms:

“Given all these facts and the total disregard for your customer base ... we the undersigned plan to BOYCOTT your products. And we’re serious. Even though the Pop Tarts thing will be HARD.”

On the Net:

Kellogg Co.:http://www2.kelloggs.com/

Marijuana Policy Project:http://www.mpp.org/

[pmp6nl]

Somethings get blown up way too much, at least in my opinion.

[Sal Atticum]

I wonder how this is working out.

Boycotts may be able to work, in certain cases.  I just read a NYT article about the idea that boycotting some of the huge touring bands might get ticketmaster to give fair prices and not sell only to scalpers who can get tickets online. 

[pmp6nl]

Do boycotts work?  It would have to be big enough for the company/organization to notice.

Anything in particular we can boycott?

[Sal Atticum]

We could boycott Campus Dakota!

We have to have a list of demands first, otherwise they won't know what to change.

[pmp6nl]

oohhh, lets do that!  Down with Campus Dakota

What are our demands?

[Sal Atticum]

I demand that they listen to me when I ask them to do something.

I also demand cake.

[pmp6nl]

I dont think they like you.  By the way what have you asked for?

What sort of cake?

[Sal Atticum]

I dont think they like you.  By the way what have you asked for?

What sort of cake?

I've asked for a vote in the super-secret meetings, but they keep telling me that they don't have any super-secret meetings, and that it's really only two people on the "team" anyway.  Highly unlikely.  Like a student-run website wouldn't have secret meetings...

Yellow cake.  Maybe rumcake, but plain yellow with good frosting would work as well.

Don't you have any demands?

[pmp6nl]

They dont invite you to the super-secret meetings?  That stinks.  Maybe I can sneak in a spy camera or something.  They have a "team?"

Students are all about secret meetings, I know I like them!

hummm, yellow cake would be good. Did you submit the request in writing?

Yes I have some demands.  I want a place where I can post "news" about individual schools and be able to discuss the "news".