Posted on 08/05/2002 5:09:05 AM PDT by SheLion
"A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke" -- Groucho Marx
Frankly, I'd far rather have the companionship of a woman than even a good cigar, but that's the way one of the greatest comedians in the world expressed his love for cigars.
But, I'll give it to Groucho, in a free society an individual should be allowed to make their own choices.
Duck Soup Groucho died at the ripe old age of 87, which surely shows smoking cigars was not bad for his health.
Sir Winston Churchill, arguably the greatest man of the 20th century, smoked cigars incessantly, drank like a fish, and ate as much red meat as he could get his hands on.
Winnie lived to be 91.
Adolf Hitler, along with Josef Stalwas one of the most evil men of the 20th century, was a vegetarian, abstained from alcohol, and would not allow smoking anywhere he was. Hitler shot himself in despair at the age of 64.
Now, would you rather pattern yourself after Winston Churchill or Adolf Hitler?
Well, the anti-smoking zealots surely don't want to you to pattern yourself after Churchill and from their rigid, fanatical authoritarian and totalitarian psyche, you might well wonder just how far they'll go if they successfully ban smoking.
Some are already pushing the vegetarian agenda, others animal "rights."
Junk food and fast food are already being targeted, and some 'animal rights' types don't believe people should be allowed to keep pets -- that's enslaving an animal.
Yes, we're dealing not only with zealots here, but 100% proof crackpots. It's amazing politicians -- even Calgary's city council -- listen to them.
In my column "Orwellian dreams" (July 30) I pointed out how mean-spirited, petty busybodies --- some of them on city council -- are threatening to bring financial disaster to hundreds of small bars, restaurants and pool halls.
And at the same time throw thousands of young waiters and waitresses out of jobs as they enforce draconian smoking bans on these enterprising people.
I centred on Charlie Mendelman, owner of The Garage Billiards Bar and Restaurant in Eau Claire, who is typical of small owners who are now at the mercy of the city's stringent anti-smoking committee.
That column was well-received -- Charlie's a popular fellow in town -- but a couple of readers said I had neglected to mention an extremely valid point.
It is this: While the city plans to ban smoking entirely in "public" places, a bar, restaurant, pool or bingo hall or casino are not "public" places.
A "public" place is owned by the public -- through a government agency, usually -- but none of the bars, restaurants and other businesses now under threat from our aldermen are owned by the city or any other government.
They are owned by men and women who have often invested their life savings in them.
In a free society, such places are called private property.
That they are not public property where any citizen can freely enter is also evidenced by the fact that Charlie and his fellow bar owners are legally entitled to refuse admission to anyone they do not want in their establishments -- and can throw you out should your behaviour upset them.
Neither Mendelman nor any other bar or restaurant owner I have spoken with wants to prevent any other owner from voluntarily banning smoking in their establishments, they just want customers to have a freedom of choice in whether they want to go to a bar that allows smoking or one that doesn't.
Seems sensible to me.
Now here I'm indebted to American author and consultant Craig J. Cantoni, who put the matter of freedom of choice in a nutshell in a column in the Arizona Republican.
This is what Cantoni had to say: Free markets work this way: Person A allows smoking in his Mexican restaurant. Person B believes in the second-hand smoke hysteria spread by the anti-smoking fanatics, so he chooses to eat at a Mexican restaurant that bans smoking.
Person C refuses to eat at any Mexican restaurant because he does not want to clog his arteries with lard-drenched refried beans.
Person D does not worry about secondhand smoke or secondhand beans, so he patronizes Person A's restaurant.
All four people have made their own free choices and taken their own responsibility for their own decisions.
Seems pretty sensible to me.
To you, too, probably.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jackson, associate editor of the Sun, can be reached at paul.jackson@calgarysun.com. Letters to the editor should be sent to callet@sunpub.com.
EVERY SINGLE DAY, I have smokers and their families sitting in my office crying when I tell them that an early death is likely. When I tell them that there's nothing more I can do. When they realize that "their habit" has caused the horrific pain that is cancer
Many of them were as smug as you...
Now we can be friends!
For the sake of discussion, I would point out after Stalin had his fatal stoke, his doctors applied leeches to his neck veins trying to help. He did not exactly have expert medical care, but came of Georgian stock, which are known for their longevity. The value of healthy genes cannot be overestimated.
That said, SheLion, my grandfather smoked cigars and died at 90 of diabetes complications. Both my father and father-in-law died at 83, due to lung cancer. I smoke, but keep trying to quit, after going through their deaths. Both my father and father-in-law were on morphine in only the last week of their respective lives, both died at home on hospice care.
Oh boy, are you in for it!
Ok DOKTOR! Were your smoking patients obese? Did they exercise? How old were they? 60? 70? Did they have a generic heredity that made them prone to cancer?
Your not getting off THAT easy! Oh yes……..since obesity causes more health problems and cost more in health care then smoking, are you now advising your “patients” to go on a DIET??? Inquiring minds need to know. Heh!
Am I? As an oncologist, I see a daily parade of death of both the young and old caused by smoking. I am not interested, nor do I have time to engage in debate with the self-righteous smoker - I see enough of them when they have to visit me. Of course by the time they have to visit my office, they're much more contrite...
Except in those days, people didn't run to the doctor for every little sneeze and sniffle, even if you could afford it, you see the population had yet to be trained in hypochondia.
Go to another thread where you can make more sense.
And what would you say to my 86 year old grandmother who smokes three packs of Camels a day, eh?
Bye, CYA!
You're lucky...
Tell that to Doktor Luuuuuuuuuuuv. But you can't talk any sense to him. He is an Anti of the WORST kind, Great Dane.......
I bet he wears a brown jacket and jack boots when he is at the hospital. ack! Just another one that want it his way or no way!
Perhaps that's because every day I come face-to-face with the needless suffering brought on by the consumption of tobacco "products".
Fact is, we are all going to die of something. Might as well enjoy the things like to do in life.
AMEN! None of us are going to get out of here alive! That's for sure!
Thanks Sam!
YESSSSSSSS
In four states so far, lawsuits have been filed against the fast-food industry on behalf of plaintiffs claiming themselves victims of a burger and fries conspiracy.
Recent federal reports put the national increase in obesity during the last decade at 60 percent with the greatest percentage increase among kids and at a health care cost in 2000 _of $117 billion.
So THERE!
In fact, all you can say about tobacco is that it "appears" to be one of the causes of lung cancer.
And as for being contrite about having lived life making free choices, all I can tell you is that there is no sympathy in my mind for those who wimp out and cry at the end.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.