Reply #142: Notes on what I have read ... [View All]

The Army last year banned smoking, except in designated areas, in military offices, barracks, vehicles and aircraft, a policy affecting 780,000 soldiers and 450,000 civilians.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9B0DE4DA1538F934A35751C0A961948260

I agree, using the soldier argument was pretty lame especially since we are talking about 1 state (Ohio) and NY has had the law on the books since before the Iraq war.

The article actually has some nice facts to it, it's not like this non-smoking direction is a new thing.

I remember my mother telling me a story about when smoking was found to cause cancer and other health related issues. My mom asked the doctor if smoking would harm her baby and the doctor said "Only if you tip an ash on it". Imagine if a doctor said that today?

Someone mentioned smoking rates vs other cancer related deaths- pointing out that other cancers are a higher rate. Smoking does not only cause cancer, it causes emphesima, copd and other smoking related illnesses.

In the office- I can remember about 20? years ago when you could smoke in the office, I think 15 years ago they banned it in NY and people complained but now no one is complaining. People complained a few years ago when they banned smoking in bars in NY. Sure there were people who ignored the ban, some placed were fined- I remember the owner asking me why I was standing outside smoking and I told him I didn't want to be responsible for him getting a fine. I remember still being a smoker-right after the ban, taking my son (2 years old) to a restaraunt and having some ass smoking right next to him. I yelled at the guy rather rudely "hey, you see a baby here?" - I appologized later.

I was a smoker but atleast I was considerate of other people. Sure you have the right to smoke and I have the right to not breathing your tar and nicotine. I cannot believe in this day and age, people still smoke in their car with their children in the backseat. What I love best is hearing the old ladies saying "smoking while pregnant, smoking in front of my kids never harmed them".

and the complaint that there are so many other chemicals in the environment... We are fighting to get rid of Carbon Dioxide, atleast some of us. We fought to get rid of ozone destroying chemicals, why should we not fight to get rid of other chemicals such as the countless chemicals from Cigarette smoke?

I dated a girl who had asthma, she worked in a non-smoking office and some guy who owned his own business down the hall thought it was safe to smoke behind the door in his office. It just so happens, the smoke was going through the vents and one day she had an asthma attack- This despite her contacting them a few times about this.

It just seems that some smokers think they have the right to smoke where they want, whenever they want. Hey, I was there, at times when I was smoking and these laws were being passed, I wondered where my rights where. Although I started thinking of others, the first time I really understood is when I had quit smoking. About a month after I quit smoking I walked passed the front entrance of the office I was working in, 10 or 15 smokers were gathered around and I nearly gagged from the stank.

You guys can bring up the nanny's, the liberals, the repubs, the soldiers...etc but the bottom line is smoking is becoming less and less of an accepted habit. No one is telling you not to smoke, they just don't want to be subjected to it. Why should I have to breath your smoke? or even the remnants of it?

Dapper