Peter Gersten of CAUS expanded on his recent criticism of R.J. Reynolds' "dumbest people on earth" advertising campaign Thursday by calling the ads "gratuitously demeaning" and defamatory, but he said a lawsuit would be unlikely.
In a letter to the members of Citizens Against UFO Secrecy (CAUS), Phoenix lawyer Gersten chastised tobacco giant Reynolds for holding those claiming to have been abducted by UFOs up to ridicule and scorn.
However, he dismissed the idea of a lawsuit against the company as a viable course of action, noting that it would be difficult to prove the size of the abductee population in a climate where many self-professed abductees "are fearful of coming forward and talking about their experiences in any open forum, let alone as a sworn witness subject to cross examination."
Gersten, who is currently embroiled in a
lawsuit against the federal government and the state of Arizona over what he perceives as the government's criminal negligence in refusing to protect its citizens from mistreatment by UFOs.
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Last Monday, he expanded his range of attack to Reynolds,
blasting the company's Winston brand for its UFO-oriented newspaper ads that ask the question, "If aliens are smart enough to travel through space, why do they keep abducting the dumbest people on Earth?"
At the time, Gersten said there was a very real possibility that he might sue the company on the behalf of all those claiming abduction experiences.
According to a 1991 Roper Organization survey, some 2 percent of the U.S. population -- about 5.4 million people -- has had experiences that suggest UFO abduction.
Constance Clear, San Antonio psychotherapist, said she has heard that the figure now stands closer to 4 percent.
Although Gersten said members of the UFOlogical community have accused his position against Reynolds as being a case of "taking a gag too seriously," he refused to see humor in the situation, saying that "the time is coming when enough will be enough."
He again beseeched those keeping their UFO experiences secret to come forward if they want such "demeaning" behavior to end.
"Ridicule is the sign of fear," he said. "Serious study, in light of the overwhelming evidence of this activity, is the sign of a mature species. Something is wrong somewhere ... but does our species really care? It's time to come out of the closet."
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