Coca Cola lacks responsibility... by RALPH NADER SOMETIME BEFORE the end of the year, the soft drink industry expects to overtake coffee as the leading liquid beverage in the United States. Having zoomed past milk in 1966, the family of Coke, Pepsi, 7-Up, etc. now is racing to outpace the only remaining liquid consumed in greater volume - drinking water. Given this surge, three issues present themselves for con- sumers. First, to express glee over the sales gains by soft drinks due to contaminated drinking water is downright parasitic. Insteadof trying to improve thehquality of the nat on water, the indostry's trade joornal would have the putblic believe that soft drinks suffer no such contamination and should be purchased as a safeguard. What evidence is there to back up such a recommendation that soft drinks are that pure? SECOND, WHAT are consumers receiving ytrtt.onally fromr their consumption of soft drinks at an ever increasing rate? Paul Austin, the head of Coca Cola, makes no nutritional claims for Coca Cola. He simply says that his company is selling "a re- freshing drink, nothing more, nothing less,." Although he denies that Cokes have any adverse effect, his claim merits closer scrutiny. To the extent that soft drinks like Coke replace more nutr linus beverages in the diet (for example, skim milk and ftut juice), they replace such nutrients as calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C with empty calories. Obesity and other health problems can result. Because the young are consuming such a large volume of soft drinks, they are cultivating a demand for sugar, for things sweet, for instant taste gratification that carries over to other parts of the diet. Morever, the heavy sugar content of soft drinks r; in childrens' diets contributes to tooth decay in the judgment of a number of specialists. AS THE LARGEST company in the industry, with over 42 per cent of the total market, Coca Cola has a special responsibil- ity to rethink its corporate direction. Is it beyond its capability to make both a nutritious and refreshing drink? The evidence is that is can do just that but so vested is its interest in selling Coke as it is that a conflict of interests has developed. Why pioneer the new, the better and the venturesome when the company can play it safe with the old, the diet-spoilerf and the successful? Because the former is the right thing to f { do. And when you are the biggest company by far in an inred- ibly profitable industry, you can afford to pioneer. At the least; think of the hungry or malnourished children in this country and around the world, Mr. Austin, and of the pipeline of nutrition which you can extent to them. 1972, Harrison-Blaine of New Jersey, Inc. Freaks and ringes a political kaleiloscope ...and its future looks even better By BILL LEAVITT AUGUST, 1980 - In answer to inquiries concerning the growth of Koca-cola, the soft drink conglomerate, the com- pany's president, Al Cohol, recently held a press conference. "Koca-cola has passed General Motors and is now the largest company in the world," Cohol said. "In fact, residents of the entire state of Idaho are being resettled to make room for a new Koca-cola factory. I've just returned from the Sprite House, where the President, the Secretary of the Treasury and I completed the arrangements," he added. According to Cohol, construction of the new factory will begin in 1912. Cohol further stated that the company would be market- ing nose plugs which should prevent swimmers in the nation's lakes and rivers, from getting Koke in their noses. "WE ALSO expect a big profit when the college students return to school in the fall," Cohol continued, "from our new item-Cola-beds. I don't know what those kids do on them, but as our slogan says, 'Do it on Koke."' Cohol refused to answer the recent charge by columnist Jack Anderson, that Presidential candidate Edward Kennedy was a milk drinkers and once collected empty milk bottles to earn spending money. "It's a vicious and completely unfounded attack upon a public figure," Cohol said. "And besides, everyone knows milk gives you cancer." Cohol's golden yellow teeth glinted just then as photog- raphers snapped his first smile. The Anderson charge followed his recent claim that actor Warren Beatty served a prison term for saying the word "un- cola" in public. "THE COMPANY is pleased," Cohol said, "that the nation is responding so well to our "Meal in a Koke" campaign, despite adverse propaganda." Cohol referred to a recent charge by consumer advocate Nalph Rader that the company's nutritional claims were false. The company, in its "Meal in a Koke" campaign, had stated that one glass of Koke contained the vitamins and nutrients of eight pounds of steak, fourteen grapefruits, four avocados and a bowl of pomegranates. Although the steak, grapefruit, and avocado figures were correct, according to Rader, the pomegranate figure was in- -correct, and should have been '"one tablespoon of pomegra- nates. COHOL SAID that officers of the company were uncon- cerned at the government's reduction in the price of drinking water to ten-cents per bottle. "There's always going to be some crackpot slashing prices to compete with us," Cohol said. "We're not worried. After all, for years The Michigan Daily has had the only nickel water machine in the country." Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual opinions of the author. This must be noted in all reprints. THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1972 News Phone: 764-0552 Editor's Note: Freedom of the press is not a guarantee for only those with whom we agree. Once we limit another's freedoms, we have taken the first step towards limiting our own. Even the voluntary censor- ship of unpopular ideas -- no matter how repugnant some of them may be to our sensibilities - could lead to complete censorship. Then too, it's a good idea to know what the other fellow is thinking. With these thoughts in mind, we regularly pub- lish these uncensored extracts froi America's not-so-popular press. HITLER'S BIRTHDAY Speakers at the "Hitler Birth- day Party" in Trenton, New Jersey were Frank Drager, Dy- namic leader and organizer of the White Action Movement, Roy Frankhouser. a vital and intense official of the Pennsyl- vania United Klans of Ameri- ca, and James H. Madole. Lead- er of the National Rennaissance Party. There was newspaper cover- age throughout the country, considerable radio commentary in different parts of the nation,. and TV coverage by ABC-TV which negotiated to have the exclusive films of the rally. Several bomb threats were made to the Holiday by Jewish mili- tants but none dared show up in person. After the rally all sorts of boycott threats were 'issued by the disciples of "freedom of speech and assembly" through the media of the Jewish Tele- graphic Agency. With the Jews freedom is always a one-way street. NRP Leader Madole praised Adolf Hitler as the founder of the world's first Ra- cial Nationalist government but stressed Aryan rather than Germanic Supremacy as our goal! -National Renaissance Bulletin FREE ENTERPRISE We hear a lot these days about the "Fat Cats" of indus- try who are paid big salaries by the corporations. But what about the amounts the unions pay their leaders? Let's look at a fewv figures: George Meany, tas just raised from $70,000 to $90,000 per year, right at a time the pay board urged that in- creases be held to not more than 5.5 per cent; Frank Fitz- simmons, president of the Teamsters Union, gets $125,000 plus expenses; Joseph Curran, of the Maritime Union, $102,000 plus expenses; James Jouse- wright, Retail Clerks, $73,708; Peter Fosco of the Laborers Un- ion, $71,132; John H. Lyons, Iron Workers, $77,674; Hunter P. Wharton, Operating Engi- neers, $93,000. Now we have heard from both sides: do two wrongs ever make a right? -The Brian Bex Report KISSINGER AND RUSKIES Each year for many years a number of top U. S. govern- nient officials have been invited to attend an annual celebration of extreme importance at the Soviet Embassy in Washington, D.C. A picture in The Washing- ton Post of Nov. 6, 1971, shows two grinning men with raised champagne glasses. The cap- tion reads: "Presidential ad- visor Henry Kissinger toasts the health of Soviet Ambassador Anatoliy Dobrynin . . . He was attending a celebra- tion at the Soviet Embassy for the 54th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. Kissinger had just the day before been named by the President to head the new National Security Council Intelligence Committee -the most important and pow- erful post in our government, second only to that of President. Kissinger's cordiality was of singular interest since, accord- ig to the FBI, Ambassador Do- brynin is the most dangerous KGB agent now operating in the United States-the head of ALL SOVIET ESPIONAGE AC- TIVITIES IN OUR NATION. -Humbard Christian Report HODGSON SHOULD RESIGN In behalf of the 60 million American working men and wo- men who have decided for one reason or another that they don't want to join a labor un- ion, the National Right to Work Committee has asked Labor Secretary James D. Hodgson to resign. The Committee's action came after the Secretary publicly en- dorsed compulsory unionism at a iews gathering at the Nation- al Press Club . . . The National Right to Work Committee is a coalition of em- ployees and employers estab- lished in 1955 with a single purpose; to protect the right of every American worker to join or not to join or pay due to a union without losing his job. The National Committee has about 40,000 members and con- tributors - about 16,000 of therm workers. -Free Choice Copyright 1972 by SCHISM To Th JOI bette miss nota gover inforr for Lion tives a viri ing i if tri lem repre Tot pract all ri strat: at la amon with Univ ed r maki too. DE sort wher ment Letters to The Daily e Daily: earn revenue by producing goods. HN KOZA's ideas about a But the University's differ:nt r board of regents m a y constituents share no such cim- the point. The problem is oson goal. To say that all are altogether who sits on the interested in "education" is 'ning board but the type of vague and confused. Certain mation they have as a basis groups - the students - want a deliberation. Koza's asser- diploma that costs little but has that "the full-time execu- high prestige; the faculty wants of the University maintain autonomy and high -alaries; tse tual monopoly over present- legislature wants degrees p r c- nformation to the Regents," duced expeditiously. Nothing is ue, signifies the real prob- likely to change this fact, and that interferes with proper given it, I see no reason to is- 'sentation for all interests. sume that Koza's plan will be o bad, of course, that in especially helpful. ice the regents are almost ich, white men. Ideally, all REGENTS WOULD meet wit' a and interests of society faculty members, with students, irge would be represented with executives, with low and ag regents. But to imagine middle level staff members, even Koza that groups within the with legislators. Any ad hoc ersity can supply fair-mid- group could apply for similar epresentatives to a policy- privileges when it wished. The ng body may be nonsense, point would be to avoid gi'i' any group more direct, person- al access to the regents than aniy MOCRATIZATION of t 1h t could work in a factory, othei e both workers and manage- --Blanchard Hiatt perceive a clear goal -- to Aug. 1 Today's Staff .. . News: Jim Kentch, Alan Lenhoff, Diane Levick Editorial Page: Carlo Rapaport Photo Technician: Jim Wallace