Cigars are the devil, you're all going to hell...or at least to jail. I know it sounds preposterous, but that's the message I get by the continuing barrage of anti-smoking sentiment and new proposed laws that I see in the news every day attempting to take away our freedoms...

...what has happened in this country and around the world in the last decade or two, and in the last few years? Reminiscing about the "good ole days" seems cliché-like, but indulge me for a minute. A couple of weeks ago we celebrated the end of World War II. It brings back memories of two smoking heroes, Winston Churchill (The Churchill cigar is named after him) and General Douglas MacArthur, who smoked pipes. These were "real men", international heroes that were not afraid of anything. Shall we condemn them as evil smokers? How about a modern day hero of 9/11 fame, Rudy Giuliani? He smokes cigars too.

Two weeks ago in the news, there was a piece, "Will Schwarzenegger Lose His Cigar Tent?" Re-published from Luxist.com, here: One of the world’s most famous cigar smokers may be in danger of losing his favorite place to puff. California governator Arnold Schwarzenegger may be in danger of losing his beloved smoking tent. The tent, set up outside the capitol building is where Schwarzenegger likes to talk policy and smoke cigars. Democrats have created a bill that will ban smoking in enclosed courtyards of state buildings which will mean that the tent must go. The Schwarzenegger camp says the tent promotes bipartisan relations and has vowed that no one will take away his tent. So they want to ban smoking outside? This will be an interesting one to follow. Maybe someone like Arnold will finally stick up for the rights of smokers. The anti-smoking zealots have gone too far a long time ago, and they keep going. What's the deal with people wanting to impose their values on others? I used to eat at McDonald's almost every day, either for lunch or breakfast. Three years ago I decided to make a  change, and now I might eat McDonald's food 2-3 times a year. I made my own decision. I do not try to impose my decision on others. I am not lobbying against against it just because I do not indulge in it. Anything that's overindulged in usually has a bad effect, smoking, drinking, fast food and lots of other things.

What if we found out what the anti-smoking zealots liked to indulge in and tried to make it illegal? How would they like that? I just did a search on the word "unhealthy" and found this page; http://www.holisticmed.com/toxic/. Here's some of the things listed under food that are bad; Aspartame, Artificial Sweeteners, Olestra, Monosodium Glutamate, Preservatives, Dairy Foods, Alcoholic Beverages, Microwave Oven Cooking...and the list goes on. Should we ban these?

On the same site referenced above, they also list air hazards, such as smoking. Of course, they should. Don't worry. I won't blow my smoke in anyone's face. They also list under air hazards; Natural Gas, Mold, Gasoline, Motor Vehicle Exhaust, and Copy Machine / Laser Printer Fumes. Hmmm...how about banning gasoline and motor vehicle exhaust? It sounds preposterous, I know. Bars and restaurants are losing money hand over fist. I know there's places i used to go where you could smoke a cigar after dinner. Now, I stay home. The February 2005 issue of Cigar Aficionado Magazine reported a 15% increase in cigar sales last year. People obviously want to smoke and the anti-smoking activists aren't going to stop them from doing so.  

The general argument that anti-smoking activists make is that tobacco is bad for you. Duh. No kidding. Really? So we should ban it, huh? Guess what? Everything is bad for you. Reading this article is bad for you. The computer screen is burning holes in your eyes right now! Quick, run and hide under the covers. The sky is falling! I am sick of this worn-out and illogical argument. Does tobacco smoke harm some people? Unquestionably. If we were to abolish everything that harmed people, then guess what? We'd have no food, no candy, no books, no television, no movies, no music, no entertainment, no schools, no workplaces, no parents, no siblings, no family members, no priests, no doctors, no lawyers, no mechanics, no men, no women, no children, no animals, no Earth, etc. etc. etc. We definitely wouldn't have any guns, but that's another political debate.

So to follow the logic of these people, we should blow up the entire planet to eradicate anything and everything that has the potential for harming people. 

Perhaps I'm being overdramatic, but if you listen to the argument these nuts are making and carry it to its logical conclusion, this is what you inevitably come up with - eradicating EVERYTHING.  Ok Arnie, we're counting on you to finally set a precedence in the other direction.

Kev