As the Soviet Union splintered in the early-1990s, Sushovan Ghosh packed his colleagues into a van and chugged across the collapsing nation, hitting depressed towns and famished cities, busted up factories and lonely kiosks. In each ragged destination, they stopped long enough to interview cigarette smokers.
Ghosh plied the citizenry with free cigarettes and, sometimes, McDonald’s hamburgers.
They were pursuing a lucrative target: determining what Russian smokers wanted out of a cigarette -- specifically, a Western cigarette. "We had to develop a brand the Russians would smoke," Ghosh explained to The Huffington Post. For one study, they interviewed more than 1,000 smokers. "We stopped the bus and offered them cigarettes. And they all queued."
Ghosh’s work for cigarette companies was chaotic, unbridled and, ultimately, deadly. To Mitt Romney and his colleagues at Bain & Co., it was a chance to rake in money. Ghosh said he reported directly to Romney, who was excited about the Russian market. "He was my boss," Ghosh said. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/blackberr ... id=1949812
Ironic that Romney is considered Temple worthy by keeping the Word of Wisdom, yet he can as the CEO of BAIN at the time be the top man responsible for pedaling death by tobacco.
One thing that is abundantly clear is Mitt is not at all like his relative the LDS Apostle Marion G. Romney. Marion G. Romney fought the Tobacco interests, but Mitt jumps right into bed with them for profit.
"I thought you might be interested to know that somebody does know that tobacco is not good for man," Marion Romney wrote on Aug. 11, 1971. "I am enclosing, for your information, a copy of a revelation received from heaven by Joseph Smith, Jr., in which the Lord told him in verse 8, as you will see, 'And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man …' There are tens of thousands of people who know this is the word of the Lord, and I am one of them, and I bear you my witness that I know that God has said that tobacco is not good for man. And I know further that you could know it too if you would be humble enough to read this revelation in sincerity and then in the privacy of your own office or home, you would ask the Lord, in prayer, if it is true. He would manifest the truth of it unto you."
Mormonism teaches the end justifies the means. It's no surprise when a Mormon adheres to what they are taught.
The Mormon God wants Romney to be rich, therefore, any means of obtaining what his God wants for him, is a "righteous action"... I'm sure he prayed about it first. Yup. God wanted Romney to succeed.
Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction -Pope Benedict XVI
Thanks to Bain and Romney, smoking rates for young Russians doubled or tripled (young women). How many of these went on to reject the overtures of the missionaries when they entered the former Soviet Union, because they were already addicted to tobacco?
The demographics Romney and Bain targeted with bubblegum flavored smokes and costume jewellery were the same demographics the missionaries would have had success teaching their American religion to.
I cannot see how Romney's actions would do anything other than cost the church members once Eastern Europe opened up to missionaries.
This is what I don't like about many Mormon businessmen. Mormon businessmen can compartmentalize their religion apart from their business ethics. Technically what Bain and Mitt did was not illegal. They may have used some loopholes and skated a fine line. Its not illegal to develop marketing strategies to sell more cigarettes. But is it moral and ethical? I don't think it is. This is par for the course for Mormon business. As long as its technically legal I can still keep my temple recommend and answer that I am honest in my dealings with my fellow man. Who cares if it is not ethical or moral? That's just business. A fine example is Marriot hotels. They put a Book of Mormon in every room and wear their faith on their sleeve yet they rake in millions of dollars with pay-per-view porn.
I work in a global business environment and travel all over the place. My colleagues and I see this type of shady behavior with our Mormon clients more than we do with the non Mormon clients. I wouldn't say this behavior is unique to Mormon businessmen, but it seems to be more commonplace.
I find this latest revelation just stunning. This is basically Mitt swooping in before the missionaries and innoculating the young people against "the spirit".