Pass the Marlboro and pass the the ammo.
Posted on 07/15/2009 9:44:58 PM PDT by JohnRLott
Combat troops put their lives on the line every day, but there is one risk the government considers too dangerous for them -- smoking.
"Combating Tobacco Use in Military and Veteran Populations," a new report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, advocates restricting smoking in the military and limiting recruitment of those who smoke. As with so many government regulations, this proposed ban may actually do the opposite of what is hoped and put soldiers' lives in danger.
Troops returning from deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan "may be" 50 percent more likely to use tobacco than military personnel who have not been deployed, according to the report. We wouldn't be surprised if troops in the field had even higher rates of tobacco use -- but for legitimate reasons.
Cigarettes, and tobacco in general, can relieve stress. They make people more alert and calm at the same time, which are two dispositions soldiers in dangerous areas need. There is a lot of tension on duty when lives are on the line; it can be hard to keep attention focused, especially when troops haven't slept in days. Just letting one's mind wander for a second could mean lost lives. . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I read that the Pentagon already rejected the idea.
The insane are in charge of the asylum: they want to ban cigarette smoking in war zones, and legalize pot in California. Hey, wait, I have an idea. . . .
Pass the Marlboro and pass the the ammo.
What a great Picture of the war.
That’s a
Pulitzer picture.
The following is directed to Freepers who haven't donated or signed up for monthlies yet...
Soldiers would just start drinking instead of smoking. Very very bad idea. But we now have sheltered overgrown children in charge of our society. God help us.
The Battle of Fallujah.
It is OK for the CIC (Obama) to smoke, but the troops under his command cannot.
Ya, that seems like a well thought out plan to keep the troops happy.
I detest libs.
They have. Gates said: "Smoke 'em if you got 'em."
Because with the screwing-over Obama’s already giving to the military, this might be the last straw that pushes troops over into mutiny.
I remember being told that at night a lit cigarette can be seen 2 miles away and targeted. I’m sure it’s more since the advent of night vision and infra-red equipment.
Therefore, one can make a case for or against cigarettes depnding on how on is disposed.
That is not what threatens soldiers. What threatens soldiers is lack of financial and morale support from the civilian front. The imposition of rules that really are matters of personal choice threaten their morale and cause them to question the legitimacy of the civilian authority over them.
When of age, let them smoke or let them drink just the same as you would their same-aged civilian counterparts.
It is silly to treat as a child someone you’ve sent out to kill for you.
This is a return to the Clinton era when the military was forced into dangerous, stupid social experiments.
This is a perfect idea for people put into situations where stress is THE WORD. Muddled and confusing ROE’s. Extended AND MULTIPLE tours of duty. A political agenda that tends to persecute AND prosecute. Hmmm...
“Soldier, why did you you shoot 138 civilians, 14 of your fellow troops and six small dogs?”
Hmmm...
I work in an industry where I have access to a multitude of sharp objects. When it is time to step outside for a smoke, IT IS TIME TO STEP OUTSIDE FOR A SMOKE! :-)
....and six small dogs?
Oh, the humanity!
"“Let no one be slow to seek wisdom when he is young nor weary in the search of it when he has grown old. For no age is too early or too late for the health of the soul. And to say that the season for studying philosophy has not yet come, or that it is past and gone, is like saying that the season for happiness is not yet or that it is now no more. Therefore, both old and young alike ought to seek wisdom, the former in order that, as age comes over him, he may be young in good things because of the grace of what has been, and the latter in order that, while he is young, he may at the same time be old, because he has no fear of the things which are to come. So we must exercise ourselves in the things which bring happiness, since, if that be present, we have everything, and, if that be absent, all our actions are directed towards attaining it.” —Epicurus
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