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Posted on 07/23/2002 5:05:10 AM PDT by Clive

I'm so glad to see hockey great Wayne Gretzky is unabashedly a cigar aficionado and movie star Russell Crowe refuses to be cowed from smoking his Marlboro cigarettes.

It's said fanatics are individuals who have forgotten their real aims but have redoubled their efforts. This has to apply to the frenzied anti-smoking brigade -- whose members have now become so fanatical about socially engineering society they would merit a chapter in George Orwell's frightening novel 1984.

Apparently, it's not enough Ottawa should try and tax the tobacco industry out of existence or put hypocritical messages on packages of cigarettes --for now it's considering portraying industry executives as "manipulative and scheming" and spreading "lies" to sell its products.

Yup, Health Canada is pondering a proposal to try and further undermine the tobacco industry and attack smokers with an campaign of "denormalization."

"Denormalization" -- now that's a heavy word.

Somewhat sinister and reminiscent of the "re-education" camps to which dissidents were sent in Communist countries to have their minds revamped.

The idea of "denormalization" campaigns comes from the U.S. where some anti-smoking zealots decided governments shouldn't simply warn people of the health dangers allegedly associated with smoking -- the thrust had to be to turn people off the cigarette companies themselves by portraying them as part of an "illegitimate" industry staffed by individuals using deceitful tactics to get people hooked on cigarettes.

Health Canada -- once the fiefdom of the sanctimonious Allan Rock, but now under the guidance of the more rational Anne McLellan -- is now studying a 78-page report prepared by University of Regina associate professor Anne Lavack which urges Ottawa to follow the lead of these zealots in the U.S. and start a "denormalization" campaign against the industry in Canada.

Suggests Lavack: "The objective of these tobacco denormalization campaigns is to point out negative traits of the tobacco industry, including the opportunistic, manipulative, mendacious and unethical activities in which the industry engages."

Please ponder those words: "Opportunistic. Manipulative. Mendacious. Unethical."

Remember that Lavack is aiming them at a perfectly legal industry run by business executives who have never been convicted of a criminal offence.

They also likely have families, are good neighbours, and probably likely community workers.

Just like the rest of us.

But under Lavack's "denormalization" campaign they would be portrayed as extremely unsavoury characters.

Now, we all know Rock and his Lib-Left adherents would like to socially engineer Canadians in many, many ways to produce a docile, grey society of government-controlled serfs.

Yet if I were on the board of directors of a tobacco company and were described -- even if somewhat indirectly -- of being manipulative and mendacious, I'd be taking legal advice with an aim to launch a million-dollar lawsuit.

Lavack actually talks about the campaign focusing on the "lies" put out by the tobacco industry's personnel -- and uses other words of that ilk such as "scheming."

Again, her words, and again heavy words.

Well, since the Jean Chretien's government has already earmarked almost $400 million of the taxpayers' money to be spent on anti-smoking campaigns if the "denormalization" approach gets the green light, we can expect a barrage of advertising designed to denigrate, dehumanize and demonize the industry and the people working in it.

The word from McLellan's office is while she and her officials are indeed looking at the idea of a "denormalization" campaign, McLellan -- being more cautious than her predecessor -- is somewhat worried about the legal ramifications of it all. Our libel laws are far tougher than those south of the border -- you can't go trashing people without solid evidence.

Yet even if you don't smoke -- and don't even feel particularly sympathetic to the tobacco industry -- what should frighten you is the very idea of a campaign of this kind, because, after these people have dealt with the tobacco executives, as well as their families and staff, who will be next on the list for a "denormalization" process?

It truly is Orwellian.

That's why we should all shudder.

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