Smokers: Take Back Your Dignity/Sign This Petition/FREEPER Action Alert!

http://www.geocities.com/americansall/DIGNITY.htm ^ | 16 July 2002 | Spinn

[SheLion]

ANTI-SMOKER PROPAGANDA VS THE TRUTH

Smokers, Take Back Your Dignity

This petition will be delivered to President George W. Bush, to Tommy Thompson at DHHS (who spends $3 million a day funding anti-smoker activities), to John Ashcroft (who is crafting another attack on Big Tobacco which will be paid by smokers alone), to the ACLU Lifestyle Discrimination Division, to all Congressmen and Senators, and to the governors of the fifty states.

This petition will be delivered to President George W. Bush, to Tommy Thompson at DHHS (who spends $3 million a day funding anti-smoker activities), to John Ashcroft (who is crafting another attack on Big Tobacco which will be paid by smokers alone), to the ACLU Lifestyle Discrimination Division, to all Congressmen and Senators, and to the governors of the fifty states.

PETITION

We, the fifty million smokers in the United States, believe that under the Constitution our interests should be represented and that we deserve equal protection under the law. In the current climate of fanatic extremism against those who choose to smoke, a legal activity, we have neither. We are burdened with oppressive, punitive taxes and selectively discriminated against in employment, medical care, property use, and even in our homes and families, with the blessing of our own government. We reject the label of "addict," which validates the desire to vilify, ostracize and demonize us by those who think it's their right to dictate how others live. We are not weak, selfish, ignorant or stupid; we are not murderers or child abusers because we smoke; we are one in four of your friends, neighbors, and family. We deserve the same respect and dignity afforded every other American. The War on Smokers must be stopped now by defunding the hate-filled anti-smoking movement that is built on lies and arrogance. The unfair, divisive and destructive behavior modification campaign must be dismantled and those unelected non-governmental organizations and officials stripped of their power to legislate and levy taxes on the citizens of this country. We demand a return to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution with inclusion of ALL Americans, including smokers, in the anti-discrimination statutes of this country.

[SheLion]

Sign Petition, forward to others, use your PING LISTS and BUMP to the TOP!

[SheLion]

Sign the Petition, use your PING LISTS and BUMP to the top!

[Just another Joe]

We demand a return to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution with inclusion of ALL Americans, including smokers, in the anti-discrimination statutes of this country.,

Sorry She, I can't sign it because of this one phrase. I don't agree with it.

[SheLion]

If you value your freedom to choose to smoke, please let the lawmakers know.
We are losing our private property rights and individual liberties on a daily basis. If you don't speak up now, it just won't matter.

[SheLion]

If you value your freedom to choose to smoke, please let the lawmakers know.
We are losing our private property rights and individual liberties on a daily basis. If you don't speak up now, it just won't matter.

[SheLion]

Joe! You have Freep Mail.

[ArmoredCav]

We are burdened with oppressive, punitive taxes and selectively discriminated against in employment, medical care, property use, and even in our homes and families, with the blessing of our own government.

Oppressive, punitive taxes-- on a product you choose to purchase. Similar taxes apply to such things as candy, alcohol, and entertainment in many states. It's not just you.

Selective discrimination in employment-- smokers are absent from work at a greater rate than nonsmokers not to even mention the smoke-breaks! (This is where the smokers yell "gimme your reference!" and then deride it as propaganda...)

Medical care-- smoking related disease is big $$$ from a limited pot (insurance). Why shouldn't heavier utilizers pay more for what is an elective disease process (you choose to smoke even knowing the risks!)

Property use-- your activity stinks up a place. You may like the smell (or have wasted your olfactory sense), but smoke drenched hotel rooms, rental cars, etc are offensive. Businesses know this, but I guess that is only important when you want businesses to side with the tobacco lobby.

In our homes and families-- ?? Nahh- second hand smoke couldn't possibly be related to childhood asthma {sarc>

Looks like the smokers are now going for VICTIM status! Maybe Jesse and Al will pitch in: Tobacco combustion is in the Consti-tution, and for the weed we do plead. Sign the petition to protect our position, and puff away as you please..

Asbestos suit on...

[SheLion]

Did you see your name in the Puff List? I don't remember paging you.

Go back in your box.

[Gaston]

LOL... You don't care a damn about the subject... you just like to pi$$ people off.

[SheLion]

LOL... You don't care a damn about the subject... you just like to pi$$ people off.

He is so off the mark with his comments it isn't even funny.

[poet]

I am not a smoker, but, I'll sign the petition. Where's the link?

[SheLion]

It's up at the top. But here it is:

Smokers Take Back Your Dignity

Thank you!

[scholar]

-- smokers are absent from work at a greater rate than nonsmokers not to even mention the smoke-breaks! (This is where the smokers yell "gimme your reference!" and then deride it as propaganda...)

Yes, I want your reference and then based on the source we can decide whether or not it is propaganda.

[poet]

To paraphrase: It is better not to type and be thought a fool than to type and remove all doubt.

Get a life man. This is freedom of choice we're talking about. BTW, I repeat, I do not smoke nor do I butt into other people's business! Were you a former smoker ( as I am) because most of the former smokers are the most virulent in their attacks.

You people put up signs that say 500,000 people die a year from second hand smoke, but, you cannot produce one death certificate from a doctor to prove that! You have a totalitarian mindset and sadly you don't even know it.

You even want to keep them from smoking in their own homes!
Think about that for just a minute.

[Gaston]

smokers are absent from work at a greater rate than nonsmokers not to even mention the smoke-breaks! (This is where the smokers yell "gimme your reference!" and then deride it as propaganda...)

Here is one for you....

Myth: Smokers on average suffer poorer health than non-smokers and may be more likely to miss work due to illness. Ault (1991) using US data from 1968 show that smokers miss no more work than non-smokers. Rather smokers tend to be younger, heavier drinkers and blue collar workers and this group tend to have high absentee rates regardless of whether or not they smoke.

From LABOUR MARKET PERFORMANCE AND THE EFFECTS OF DRINKING AND SMOKING

J. Lye and J. Hirschberg, Department of Economics, University of Melbourne

[Gaston]

smokers are absent from work at a greater rate than nonsmokers not to even mention the smoke-breaks! (This is where the smokers yell "gimme your reference!" and then deride it as propaganda...)

Blacks have the highest absentee rate by far.

Should you not hire blacks?

[SheLion]

You people put up signs that say 500,000 people die a year from second hand smoke, but, you cannot produce one death certificate from a doctor to prove that! You have a totalitarian mindset and sadly you don't even know it.

Thank you, poet!

[Gaston]

You people put up signs that say 500,000 people die a year from second hand smoke, but, you cannot produce one death certificate from a doctor to prove that!

The same can be said of the statement that obesity causes some 300,000 premature deaths each year. Except for a few who suffocate under their own weight, there is no proof.

[Gabz]

Aren't you just a sweet heart??????

I beg to differ regarding the punitive taxes. when this state didn't have the funds togive state employees a pay raise, the governor in her imminent wisdom decided that increasing taxes on smokers was how that could be done. Excuse me, but smokers are only a small portion of the population of the state that benefits from happy state employees. let everyone foot that kind of bill.

Kindly prove that smokers are absent from work more often than non-smokers. If I made a similar remark about women who are the mothers of small children I would be drummed right off FR.

You're comments regarding medical care are totally off base and unrelated to the language of the petition. As to property use - if the owner of an establishment wishes to permit smoking, he should be permitted to do so. He is perfectly within his rights to prohibit it, but in very few areas is he allowed to permit it in a manner in which he chooses, if given the choice at all.

Secondhand smoke is not related to cildhood astham. show me proof that it is. Smoking has been decreasing, yet the instances of childhood asthma are skyrocketing. Can you explain that?

Smokers aren't claiming to be victims - we are just working to counter the VICTIM status adopted by those who don't like the smell of our tobacco smoke.

I don't see why you bothered with the asbestos suit - you strike me as the kind who will notbother to engage in the conversation.

[SheLion]

The same can be said of the statement that obesity causes some 300,000 premature deaths each year. Except for a few who suffocate under their own weight, there is no proof.

Gaston, the one thing about obesity, you can see it. And we all know that all the extra fat around one's heart is no good. Being heavy slows a person down and they can't breath.

Also, when a person is heavy, they have all that extra weight on their little knees, and this causes a lot of knee problems. I can understand the health problems being connected to obesity.

The Surgeon General put forth a report before he stepped down:

Surgeon general warns obesity may overtake tobacco as leading preventable killer