Posted on 12/09/2006 12:19:13 PM PST by Technoman
Plaudits to city officials in Belmont who are drafting a plan to ban smoking citywide (Page 3B, Dec. 5). The California Medical Association began opposing tobacco use even before the surgeon general issued his warning in the 1960s, and led the fight in banning smoking on planes, in bars and restaurants, and in all public places. Belmont's plan is more closely in line with our goal: to make California tobacco-free. It will happen, as long as cities like Belmont take a stand against the powerful tobacco industry, which continues to encourage people to smoke and fights anti-tobacco efforts in the face of clear scientific evidence that tobacco is deadly. The physicians of California see this as the right thing to do for the health of Californians. We hope other cities follow Belmont's lead.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Dear Editor,
I found Anmol S. Mahal‘s support of Belmont Mayor Coralin Feierbach's repressive smoking ban interesting, since there has never been any proof that secondhand smoke poses the health hazard that he and his colleagues allege (“Belmont has right idea about ban on smoking supporting”, Dec 9, Letters). In 1981 and again in 1988, the American Cancer Society did two major US studies (CPS-1 and CPS-2) into the link of secondhand smoke and lung cancer. Both investigations yielded no correlations. Moreover, can he point to any evidence that smoke can pass from one insulated dwelling to another to be detected as a “hazard“?
We already have the “honorable” San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Morris Maya ready to file charges against people -- you know, the one’s that the good mayor was elected to represent -- who had the ‘audacity’ to write angry letters to her for pushing the ban. I would like to know what “physicians of California” Mahal claims to support budged thugs storming into my home for lighting up a cigarette.
People of Belmont, stop listening to this goblygook -- from the mayor, the constitutionally challenged DA, and Anmol S. Mahal, MD and his ilk. As a non-smoker, if you let your government do this, you deserve any other Marxist policies they throw at you.
So the mayor wants the political speach of angry citizens to be suppressed by filing false charges?Can anyone say impeachment/civil rights charges against her?Just who in the hell does she think she is,queen.
Not queen...commissar.
Dam.............I guess that the City of Belmont will not be collecting any more taxes from people smoking. If they don't stop the taxes, then they support smoking.....right? I'm confused here.
Nanny State Ping!!!!!!!!!!!
This is class warfare at it's best folks.............
The Mayor has publicly claimed that the emails against the policy containing death threats are being orchestrated by an online forum of smokers........and has named the forum by name.
I have long been a member of that forum, in fact it's my membership there that lead me to FR, and I know for fact that while we encourage participants and readers to contact elected officials, no one encourages nastiness or threats.
Yet, they have no problem with behavior that can lead to AIDS?
When do we see the proposed bans on bungee jumping, gangs, motorcycles, marijuana use (in light of the move to legalize it), sports cars, alcohol, football, boxing, sky diving, bicycle riding, eating, candy, ice cream, dogs in resturants and doctors offices and so forth?
Seems they are very particular in what they feel affects ones health.
You terrorist, you.
Yeah, that's me alright..........sheesh
I remember that.....but was so tied up with stuff in Delaware I couldn't get up there for it.
Apparently neither could anyone else. Only 4 people showed.
In NJ on Monday 12,000 teachers are going to march on Trenton to make sure they still get free health insurance for the privelege of indoctrinating todays youth to liberalism.
When they came for the employees of the oldest profession in the world, I did not speak out, as I had no interest in purchasing sex. When they came for the purveyors of what was deemed to be "obscene" or "offensive", I did not speak out, as I was not a fan of Lenny Bruce or Howard Stern. When they came to ban the female mammary gland from TV, I did not speak out, because Brian Boitano told me not to. When they came for the people who don't wear seatbelts, I did not speak out, as I always wore my seatbelt. When they came for the marijuana smokers, I did not speak out, as I was not a marijuana smoker. When they came for the steroid users, I did not speak out, as I was not a steroid user. When they came for the gamblers, I did not speak out, as I was not a gambler. When they came for the cigarette smokers, I did not speak out, as I was not a smoker. When they came for the overweight and the obese, I did not speak out, as I was not overweight or obese. When they came for the drinkers (again), I did not speak out, as I was not a drinker. Then they came for me...and there was nobody left to speak out.
While I can't seriously understand why anyone would want to smoke, this is insane. I'd like to see one giant class action lawsuit that would basicly destroy one city's government for generations to come.
While they're at it, I'd like to see those damn traffic bumps begin to cost cities big-time. I pay taxes to build city streets and I want access to them without haveing to keep my speed down to 15 miles per hour or less.
Please, Eric, don't make it sound like I'm making excuses. I haven't figured out how to clone me to be in 2 different places at one time. I was a resident of Delaware, not NYC at the time and when having to make a choice between protesting in NYC or testifying in Delaware, tell me which was I going to choose?
Busy puffing
Sure, you cannot smoke, but damned if you touch their tobacco revenue.
"People of Belmont, stop listening to this goblygook -- from the mayor, the constitutionally challenged DA, and Anmol S. Mahal, MD and his ilk. As a non-smoker, if you let your government do this, you deserve any other Marxist policies they throw at you"
Very surprised they even published the letter. Wrote a simularly to city council here and it was sooooo edited I was shocked.
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