Does Doyle really want us to play follow the leader?

Well Like Ohio and New York, Illinois is finding enforcement impossible.
But in Downstate Illinois, where state smoking rates are the highest and opposition to the smoking ban is most vociferous, some communities are refusing to halt indoor smoking or levy fines.
Six months after the state’s blanket ban on smoking in indoor public places took effect, [...]

Fair press for a change!

Well, much to my surprise, the Leader Telegram actually printed my op-ed… And left it largely unedited.
http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-opinions.asp?id=BH0G2Q2ADTI

Majority Rules… Unless we disagree

Ah, there’s nothing like the absurd double standard of the anti-smoking advocates to start off a Monday.
We hear all the time that “a majority wants a ban” and as such we should all just bend over and take it in the short for the majority. However, according this little tidbit of an editorial, majority rule [...]

The Science behind ETS and Smoking bans part 1

In order to look at the studies and judge for yourself, you have to learn about the terminology and what they mean.
(RR)Relative risk In statistics and mathematical epidemiology, relative risk (RR) is the risk of an event (or of developing a disease) relative to exposure. Relative risk is a ratio of the probability of the [...]

Jokes of the week

These little gems are from the Eau Claire Leader Telegram. Let’s not forget that in just two short days Eau Claire will be going smoke free. And like any good media outlet, the paper is working hard to promote the “good” that will come of it…
Some have tried to frame this issue as Big Brother trampling [...]

Enstrom/Kabat

A comment made by Ryan compelled me to write a follow up to my Know the enemy part 3 article.
Ryan:
We need to de-stigmatize Enstrom first. The problem is that he has been so viciously smeared, that even though he is 100% correct in what he says and perfectly legit, he is blacklisted thanks to the [...]

Know the enemy part 3

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all [...]

ETS and asthma

Asthma incidence in under 15-year-olds has increased from 5.8 per 10,000 in 1970 to 35.8 per 10,000 in 1997. (These are hospital discharge figures, not initial diagnoses.) During the same period, smoking rates dropped from 40% to 24% and according to the CDC, exposure of children to ETS decreased 75%. (The National Asthma Campaign, American [...]

Smoker Segregation

Segregation: to require, often with force, the separation of (a specific racial, religious, or other group) from the general body of society. 
Discrimination: treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather [...]

Give the man a cigar!

 
Bob Barr
Anti-smoking Efforts Go Too Far
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
November 29, 2006
The cheap, six-paneled door cracked loudly and easily swung off its hinges as the burly Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent in full SWAT regalia rammed it with the metal battering ram. Eight fellow ATF agents, with automatic weapons drawn, burst into the [...]