Why is it wrong for Camel cigarettes to use a cartoon character and not for junk food companies to do the same? Think about it. Obesity is a much larger (pun intended) threat to the lives of America’s children than cigarettes.

In 2008, an article reported by the BBC stated that of the 19 cartoon characters used to sell food to kids, not one of them promoted healthy food. All of these were junk food products. That doesn’t even touch on promotional marketing such as Spider-man, Shrek, and the numerous movie and television tie-in licensing. In fact, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, less than 3% of the total food ads are for healthy products.

Sure, kill Joe Camel – but how about a little protection against Ronald McDonald and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while we are at it?