Is It Safe to Use the "F-word"

I'm talking about the other four letter "F-word"... free.
A list broker recently advised me that it's ok to use the "F-word" in a recent email blast. Until now, I was using "complimentary" and "no charge" instead of the more powerful "free." The rationale was that although deliverability is lower when using the "F-word," it was offset by a much greater click-through rate, than "complimentary" or "no-charge."

I have to admit, I'm a skeptic. So tell me out there in the blogosphere... is it ever safe to use the "F-word" in an email marketing campaign?

Are corporate politics hurting your marketing programs?
I recently read an article on why marketing programs fail. I can't remember where I read it, but one of the top reasons was "corporate politics." I've had the displeasure of experiencing that one first hand. No matter how hard you try to integrate all aspects of your campaign, some folks feel the need to do what I refer to as "scent the bushes." You know... like a dog claims his territory. Has this ever happened to you? What did you do about it?