Letter to the Editor

[boxer757]

So in my communication in business class we were told to write a "letter to the editor" on an issue that we are concerned with. Obviously cigars are the first thing that came to mind for me. This is a very rough draft of what I just wrote. Unfortunately I can only use so much space and this is in truth probably too long already. I just couldn't get everything I wanted to say in. I'm not pulitzer prize winner and as I said this is a very rough draft but I am open for criticism or comments!


I am writing on behalf on a small subset of the United States populace. A group that is having their rights taken away by unjust legislation across the nation. We are not affiliated with any one race, religion, or political party. What bonds us together is our enjoyment of a fine cigar.

Unfortunately men and women who smoke cigars have been lumped into the same category as cigarette smokers. This stereotype is understandable but ignorant. While on the surface cigars and cigarettes appear to be very similar such is not the case.

Most cigarette smokers will admit that they want to stop smoking cigarettes. There are multiple studies showing the correlation between cigarette smoking and heart disease, emphysema, and lung cancer. Yet ask a cigar smoker if they want to quit smoking cigars and a much higher percentage will tell you they want no such thing. Try to find a study that shows direct empirical evidence linking cigar smoking alone to cancer and you will have no luck. I have searched since I started smoking cigars three years ago and have found that for those who smoke cigars only, meaning that they do not smoke cigarettes, the likelihood of contracting cancer is the same as it is for a nonsmoker.

Restaurants and bars across the nation have been forced to ban smoking due to an overzealous anti-smoking movement. The most prominent fear tactic used to pass these bans is the supposed threat of second hand smoke. However there are air filtration systems on the market which fall easily into the budget of a business that reduce the harmful emissions of second hand smoke to such an extent that the air has less carcinogens present than the air in a nonsmoking environment. Still owners are not allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to allow smoking. Furthermore states are now proposing bills that will ban smoking outside of public buildings if passed. Left unchecked this movement will have smoking outlawed completely; in public or private.

No taxation without representation. Ring a bell? The Federal Government’s State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) threatens to increase the Federal cigar tax by as much as 6,000%. This would essentially be the downfall of the entire cigar industry. While President Bush vetoed this bill last fall the House and Senate will attempt to resurrect the SCHIP bill after the upcoming 2008 November election. Take a stand not only for your freedoms but those of your countrymen. Write your congressman and state representative imploring them to vote against SCHIP until more reasonable terms for smokers can be reached.

America is supposed to be the land of the free. All men and women are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The antismoking movement is attempting to produce a nanny-state that tells us what is good for us and our neighbors. The prohibition and England’s exorbitant taxation of the colonies are two historical movements that our current situation brings to mind. Patriots did not let their liberties be taken away then. Let us not cower now in the face of injustice.

Respectfully,
Matt (last name deleted) – Fort Worth, Texas



Still needs some polish but it felt good to get a little bit out. I hope my teacher isn't an anti-smoking nazi

[ER Doc]

Well said. Hopefully it'll get some high marks for you.

[happy1]

Great letter,do you mind if I cut and paste??

[N2Advnture-cl]

Very good letter bro! (add comma: "While on the surface cigars and cigarettes appear to be very similar, such is not the case.")

You may want to check this out in regards to the second hand smoke

http://www.cigarmony.com/index.asp?P...n=Custom&ID=14

I hope this helps

~Mark

[N2Advnture-cl]

BTW - Once you're done and comments are made by your professor, we should sticky this everywhere so people can send it to their representatives!

~Mark

[boxer757]

Chuck go ahead with the cut and paste if you would like.

Mark that is a great link, thankyou!


My teacher actually liked it but I will have to cut it down alot in order to submit it to a paper since they usually limit to around 250-300 words. I am partial to the frist draft though. I had so much more to say but I was trying to keep it to a 1 page minimum.


Thanks for the support guys

[WarHorse-cl]

Matt,
Well said! I especially like your closing line. You did so well....would you mind throwing one together for the fight against gun control. Good luck on the grade.

[boxer757]

Originally Posted by WarHorse

Matt,
Well said! I especially like your closing line. You did so well....would you mind throwing one together for the fight against gun control. Good luck on the grade.

Thanks Ted! I am glad that you appreciated it. I will definitely see if I can put something together on gun control when I get some spare time in the next week or so if you would like.

[doblemaduro]

I agree with the previous posts. Excellent and it would be nice to send this to our reps!