A simple question

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Thinking about my last post during my morning ablutions, a simple question occurred to me (and before lunch simple questions really are all I can manage). I know it’s been asked before but I think it’s worth asking again:

If tobacco and alcohol are so dangerous why aren’t the anti smoking/drinking campaigns asking for them to be banned?

Seriously think about it, none of the pressure groups that claim that smoke and drink are destroying lives, wrecking society and killing thousands of people a year at extreme cost to the NHS are actually asking for them to be banned. If they’re really that dangerous why not? After all we banned the use of asbestos, we’ve reclassified numerous other drugs as illegal why no campaign for an out right ban? Just more and more taxes and greater restrictions.

ASH themselves say:
“ We do not attack smokers or condemn smoking.”
But why not if they want to eliminate the “harm caused by smoking”, how can they not condemn smoking, if it’s as dangerous as they say. Surely that’s a bit like saying:
“We want to eliminate the harm caused by people shooting themselves in the foot, but we’re quite happy for people to shoot themselves in the foot”

I suspect there are three obvious answers:
1) They’re lying but going for an out right ban they know wouldn’t work (pretty much proved by prohibition).
2) They’re self serving control freaks, that know if they ever get us all to stop with our filthy habits they’d have to get real jobs and they’re much rather just meddle in other peoples lives.
3) Both of the above.

If anyone’s got an alternative answer to why none of these health campaigns don’t out right ask for things to be criminalised (as the anti-drugs groups do), I’d love to hear it.

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Smoke signals

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Review the smoking banWhilst I still posses my doubts and a certain cynicism towards the new government e-petitions site I figure that it can’t hurt to try it. If nothing else it gives them another thing to ignore and us another thing to point at and say “look you’re ignoring us” – one day this might achieve something. However in the meantime Dick Puddlecote has brought to my attention a petition to “review the smoking ban“, not repeal just you know maybe see if it could be relaxed a bit. It’s even support by Anthony Worrall Thompson so it’s got celebrity kudos and everything.

The antipodean media has noticed that smoking bans are illiberal and maybe it’s gone a bit far. As they say we all “know” that we’ve been told that smoking is terribly bad for us, however over here there are murmurings about banning smoking on cruise ships which would require either a change to maritime law or the simpler method of cruise companies catering to their customers so maybe you could have drinky smokey cruises for those that like them. Also in the firing line are e-cigs even though they don’t have to contain any tobacco or nicotine at all, mine don’t just coffee so what’s there to control – except of course it makes it harder to spot the “smokers” and nicotine is big business these days so heaven forfend that it not rake in huge profits and taxes.

There are load so f reasons to sign it, but I think that has it nailed best “via LegIron)

“However, Smoking Hot raised a good point. One of the staples of the smokophobe’s imaginary world is the phrase ‘most smokers support the smoking ban’ and if we don’t sign this petition, they’ll hold up the low numbers as proof.”

I’d actually extend that to say even us that don’t smoke were never really asked, and I know an awful lot of people who having seen the effects of the ban would be glad to see the back of it. So do sign the petition and spread the word.

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A lesson from the frozen north

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The main stream media seems to have been keeping very quiet about this, perhaps they’re worried that we might gets ideas. The story of how Iceland refused to accept liability for private banks, prosecuted bankers, politicians alike, resisted international pressure and forged a new constitution really is proof that power can rest in the hands of the people if they choose to take it.

“An Italian radio program’s story about Iceland’s on-going revolution is a stunning example of how little our media tells us about the rest of the world. Americans may remember that at the start of the 2008 financial crisis, Iceland literally went bankrupt. The reasons were mentioned only in passing, and since then, this little-known member of the European Union fell back into oblivion.

As one European country after another fails or risks failing, imperiling the Euro, with repercussions for the entire world, the last thing the powers that be want is for Iceland to become an example. Here’s why:…”

Go read the rest of the article, and then I can’t help but suggest that you point everyone else at it.

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