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Nico
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 3160
Location: Derbyshire
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 Posted: Tue 10 Apr 2007 3:12 pm Post subject: Dr Elizabeth Wheelan |
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http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.800/news_detail.asp
American Science and Health
Dr Elizabeth Whelan
That brings us to the most important concepts of all: dose and length of exposure. Both the Surgeon General's and the CDC report completely omit any reference to these critical variables. The CDC motto here is "It hurts you; it doesn't take much; it doesn't take long," and they note that "even a little (ETS) can be dangerous." The SG goes even further, with this totally outrageous statement: "the scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke." This leaves us with the clear impression that if we merely walk through a smoke-filled room, we have put our health in irreversible jeopardy.
These statements violate the basic tenet of toxicology: "only the dose makes the poison." What is most alarming here is that the top doctor in the land is communicating a message that anything that is harmful at high dose can be lethal at low dose -- when that is simply not true.
Nico
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Loss of freedom seldom happens overnight. Oppression doesn't stand on the doorstep with toothbrush moustache and swastika armband -- it creeps up insidiously... step by step, and all of a sudden the unfortunate citizen realizes that it is gone |
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nochkrap
Joined: 08 Nov 2006
Posts: 473
Location: A barren rocky outcrop to the Northern end of this damp little island
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| Posted: Tue 10 Apr 2007 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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Some interesting stuff on the ASCH site if you follow the link. I liked this post from a confessed smoke hater:
| Quote: | I think the real problem here is how easily the distinction between the public and private domains gets blurred in modern-day politics. According to our country's founding principles, private individuals running private enterprises should be free to act or run their business in whatever manner they choose so long as they do not forcibly interfere with another's right to do the same. Public establishments (those receiving government funding) are traditionally not privy to the same guarantee of rights because the government is force, and thus cannot operate by virtue of voluntary transactions. Bars, restaurants, and other such businesses are private, and they should have the right to control the behavior of patrons that enter upon their property. Non-smokers are never forced to go into smoking establishments and smokers are never forced to go into non-smoking establishments. The same is not true for agencies where the government has a monopoly (like the courtroom and DMV), and people are forced to enter into public property.
It should be known that I hate smoking. I hate the way smoke smells, I hate the way it feels, and I hate how it clings to my clothes and hair for hours after I leave a smoky bar. Cigarette smoke makes me tired and lethargic and it burns my eyes, making my contacts scratchy. This can ruin a good band or a fun night downtown. Lastly, cigarette smoke can give me an anxiety attack. It's happened more than a couple of times. This is all in addition to the dangerous health issues concerning secondhand smoke.
But I never want to see smoking banned in private places. As someone mentioned in a previous response, you have a freedom to and a freedom from. These are not contradictory. You have a freedom to go to any bar that accept customers. You have a freedom from any bar that accept customers. If you don't enter a smoking bar, that bar will never ever hurt you in any way, shape, or form. You also have the freedom to enter non-smoking establishments or ? gasp! ? maybe you could start your own! If there were such a demand for a non-smoking bar or venue, don't you think that demand would be met by the market? Or are people just too stupid and ignorant to know what they really want?
I'm sick of people whining and complaining because they don't want to take personal responsibility for their actions. I'm sick of people looking to the government as a "guardian angel" that will protect them from all dangerous substances and situations. Every attempt at this has failed miserably, and people still die everyday from substances that the government supposedly regulates or prohibits. What's more, people now believe that everything the government doesn't control is perfectly safe (see the ephedra article), because they've come to rely on the state as the ultimate and omnipotent "Consumer Reports" for the populace. Common sense and personal responsibility are increasingly thrown away in favor of the indisputable "common good."
The real consequence of smoking bans is that nothing will be sacred any more, especially not private businesses that are trying to provide customers with what they want. Their critics are intent on proving that such enterprises are injuring the health of patrons all in the name of greedy profiteering. Once reasoning like this enters into law, all bets are off. Nothing will be private, and nothing will be voluntary. The government will determine where you should and should not go and what activities you should engage in. Everything will become the public domain, where rights get tossed aside like junkmail. If you think this is an overzealous doomsday prediction, just look at American politics for the past thirty years. Once rights go, they don't come back.
Daniel Gardner
Decatur, Georgia |
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Simbolin
Joined: 05 Aug 2007
Posts: 24
Location: Henley-on-Thames
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| Posted: Sun 12 Aug 2007 9:55 am Post subject: |
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Now if only everyone could be so sensible
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PROUD SMOKER, INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY |
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