YESTERDAY I WAS DISAPPOINTED BY MARK LEVIN (UPDATED)
Listening to Mark Levin’s broadcast on 2/15/19, I heard a different website announced, “truehealthcarefacts.com,” and the website does appear to feature legitimate links to informative information on healthcare…
Checking the Internet Database, we find that this site was created on January 9, 2019 and its owner has chosen to keep their registration details secret…
Does this mean that there was a production screw-up in the announced email address? Considering that Mark Levin cannot be everywhere at once and appears to be under stress from health and family issues, I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. – steve
The new site appears to be associated with CASE, “Consumer Action for a Strong Economy, the nation's foremost non-profit, non-partisan organization devoted to the singular cause of promoting consumer interests through the advancement of free-market principles.” It does not appear to have any connection to the vitamin supplement people. Rather than deleting the post or changing the “bottom line,” let us just say I used the strike-out type overlay to indicate a wrong conclusion based on incomplete information.
Original Post…
One of my pet peeves is that so many publications, broadcast media, and websites, the audience which contains an older, aging, and health-conscious segment, often supports advertisers who feel, at least to me, scammy. Offering gold and silver products to preserve your wealth, expensive subscription continuity publications which exploit the scientific and medical literature to bring a measure of false hope to the afflicted and suffering. And, of course, the supplement sellers whose high-priced products are advertised – with disclaimers – as nutraceuticals or biopharmaceuticals that appear to remedy or alleviate medical-related conditions.
And while I support someone’s right to make money, I am still shocked to find that some of the most trusted names in the conservative arena appear to advertise or recommend what I believe are marginal products to their audience.
But today was somewhat different. I heard Mark Levin seamlessly transition from his normal constitutional conservative content into what appears to be a commercial on behalf of an industry under attack by the government.
Mark Levin’s commercial announcement…
| You're never surprised when I defend freedom and free markets, even when it is not popular. Because I don't care about what's popular, I care about what's right. I care about liberty, and I care about what comes from liberty. On the next day's podcast, he added an extension to the ending ... "Because soon you will start hearing the propaganda. You're going to start hearing democrats and republicans coming around joining together to socialize pharmaceuticals. And, I can't think of a bigger disaster right now. I really can't. How much more of this are we going to take? I think that's the big question." |
So I decided to visit TrueHealthFacts.com thinking I would see another attempt by the government to restrict the consumer’s choices and impose onerous rules and regulations on the drug industry. But I was truly shocked to find that the website was not what I expected.
Instead of an industry-related defense of freedom, I found a pitch for Prodovite, “the greatest break through in the history of human nutrition.”
Disclaimers: what the advertising implies, the layers and fine print take away…
| These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. |
| *Disclaimer: Individual results may vary from person to person. PLEASE READ THE DISCLAIMER CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THIS SITE. By using this site, you signify your assent to this disclaimer. If you do not agree to this disclaimer, please do not use the site. Usage Disclaimer: The information presented through this Web site is presented for educational purposes only. Because there is always some risk involved when changing diet and lifestyles, the author(s) and webmaster are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences that might result. Please do not apply the techniques or the information on this web site if you are not willing to assume the risk. If you do use the information contained on this web site without the approval of a health professional, you are prescribing for yourself, which is your constitutional right, but the author(s) and webmaster assume no responsibility. The information presented through this Web site is not medical advice, and is not given as medical advice. Nor is it intended to propose or offer to propose a cure for any disease or condition. Before starting any medical treatment, please consult a physician. TRUEHEALTHFACTS.COM SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR DIRECT OR INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THE USE OF INFORMATION PROVIDED BY TRUEHEALTHFACTS.COM OR ANY OF ITS RELATED WEB SITES, AUTHORS, SPONSORS, OR RESULTING FROM ANY DEFECTS OR FAILURE OF THIS INFORMATION. This site contains links to other Internet sites. These links are not endorsements of any products or services in such sites, and no information in such site has been endorsed or approved by this site. Links are provided as Internet navigation tools only. The people responsible for this web site are not medical professionals. We publish the information on this web site as a public service. While we hope the information presented here is helpful, what you do with it is your responsibility. |
Bottom line…
I commend the marketers for using a topical tie-in and a trusted pitchman to present their products. I make no judgments about the company, the product, or its advertising. What disappoints me is Mark Levin’s implied “bait and switch” tactics that lead me to believe that I would find information on an industry attack and wound up looking at supplements. Had it been a straight-up advertisement with the product name and description, I would have passed on visiting the website. I feel like I was the object of audio clickbait and I took the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
I believe that the ad appears to confuse and conflate legitimate pharmaceutical researchers and drug manufacturers with the often scummy and scammy pushers of dietary supplements, many of them doing little other than to drain your pocket. Readers should also beware that many of the anti-scam or review sites are actually affiliate links where the site owner/operator is paid for each product sale or click-through. A useful Federal Trade Commission Guide to Dietary Supplements can be found here.
I believe this will change the way I look at Mark – more as a businessman and less like an incorruptible patriot.
-- steve
“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS