Searching For the Victims of ETS

On the day that smoking was banned in bars in my state, a few years ago, I was an outraged virgin to the issue. I came home that day and I hopped on the net and started doing some searching. I was looking for the victims of secondhand smoke. My state government stated loudly and unequivocally that day on radio and television that 63,000 people a year die from secondhand smoke.

I started doing some Google searches. I typed in (with quotations): "Were killed by secondhand smoke." The results were shocking; tens of thousands had been dying for years from others careless smoking.

Then I thought a little. I said to myself "Google is the most powerful information finding tool in the world." Next, I said to myself, "No one can relate the experience of losing a loved one from secondhand smoke without using the past tense, first person of the verb 'to be' or 'was'". Considering how many people are dying every year from secondhand smoke, certainly there must be someone who typed the horrible tragedy of losing their loved one on the net.

So, I typed into Google "was killed by secondhand smoke". I found three results. Two were from people making the same complaint I was. The third was from a child who drew some picture of a horse who had supposedly died from secondhand smoke.

A couple of years have passed now. So, I did the search again.

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-...+secondhand+smoke%22

There are now 6 results.

1 of the results is a response that implies that someone wrote about losing a loved one to secondhand smoke.

2 of the results are other people making the same point I am.

1 result is still the child whose poor horsey got killed by the Marlboro Man.

1 result is someone taking for granted that people die from secondhand smoke, in a hypothetical situation.

1 result appears to be stream of consciousness mumbo-jumbo.

I am glad to say that my predictions were actually wrong. When I did this search a few years ago, and saved the results, I thought that I would find thousands of results after a few years of social engineering.

I also tested my findings by typing nonsense into Google (in quotations): "was killed by Mickey Mouse", "was killed by a toaster", was killed by Britney Spears"; that sort of thing.

"was killed by a toaster" gets 2 results.

"was killed by mickey mouse" gets 1 result.

"was killed by Britney Spears" gets 1 result.

"was killed by George Bush" gets 573 results.

Please feel free to do this Google test yourself. Misspell, rephrase, whatever; the trick is to look for individual experiences expressed in first person phrases rather than plural sayings ("were"). I hope that you'll try it.

There are no victims of secondhand smoke as far as the internet is concerned.

Other than that, there is an English comedian whose name escapes me at the moment. People claim he died from secondhand smoke. Some claim Andy Kaufman died from secondhand smoke. Of course, there is Heather Crowe, the one waitress they found to do commercials that played around America. Unable to find another victim, she was flown to Canada to make the same commercial.

I also have a co-worker who attributes her grandmother's death of emphysema in her sixties to secondhand smoke. I only discussed this with her once and briefly. I don't know if there is any validity to her claim. She's also known around the office for being a very PC type that is easily insulted if the latest, televised indoctrination isn't followed by others.

The absolutely terrific Dave Hitt at DaveHitt.Com, asked the same questions I did, and took these question many steps further: he asked many of the leading "anti-smoking experts" to tell him of a victim of ETS. He got answers from many. Take a look for yourself. Apparently, there are no victims of secondhand smoke as far as the leading anti-smoking experts are concerned.

http://www.davehitt.com/2004/name_three.html


Also, to put the 63,000 a year statistic in perspective, consider that 43,000 people a year die in car accidents. I don't know about you, but if I include celebrities and people I've known personally, I can name 20 people who've died in car accidents when I really think about it. Maybe more than 20 if I thought about it further.

I've never known, and have never heard of, other than the co-worker I mentioned, a person who died from secondhand smoke.

Another interesting, though anecdotal tidbit: while attending a family Christmas dinner last year, the subject of smoking came up (because of family members giving me the treatment when I stepped outside to smoke). My cousin said during the conversation: "Look at Grandma. She never smoked and she died of lung cancer. Everyone smoked around her." Actually, our grandmother had died of uteran cancer that had spread all through her body. My cousin, for reasons I'm not sure of, decided that she had died of lung cancer from secondhand smoke. He is a former smoker.

I found it interesting that if you actually do hear someone attributing death to secondhand smoke, it may be that they are misattributing because they've heard it so many times.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: WinstonSmith,

Excellent post, Winston.

As I have said before, the antis can't even come up with a concrete number to use in their "SHS" death propaganda. One faction claims 53,000 died, another says 20,000, and yet another proclaims it is 58,000. Now the number 60,000 comes up.

When they can't even come up with the same number, it just looks fishy. And it should.

Because it's all lies, anyhow.

I got this off a forum awhile ago:

"My uncle tried smoking a few times. He died from a respiratory disease JUST because of those couple of cigarettes years down the road"

I feel bad for whoever posted this.

quote:

Originally posted by Camelfan:
I got this off a forum awhile ago:

"My uncle tried smoking a few times. He died from a respiratory disease JUST because of those couple of cigarettes years down the road"

I feel bad for whoever posted this.

I feel bad for idiots too. But mostly just the ones born that way.

Must see! Interesting video about junk science. Also featuring: How to manipulate parents by abusing their need for caring and their natural fears.
Anti-tobaccos have learned the lessson for their propaganda: using children is an effective means to promote bans.

http://www.sadireland.com/penn_and_teller.htm

I hope that Radio Talk Show Host, Larry Elder, is at least 35. I want to nominate him for President.

Due to financial reasons I gave up broadband service, can't find anywhere to work that allows smoking.

Parents are very vunerable these days: sexual preditors on the internet, at school, at the mall, and even amongst their family members. Kids carring knives and guns to school for protection. Home invasions. Increased hours at work and in their trips to get to and from there. Higher energy prices. Stagnant wages. Higher insurance premiums. Global Warming. Pending higher taxes. And intrusive government.

I am glad my son is 31 and single. If I was in his shoes I would stay that way, I guess I am.

Danger lerks all around us. Should we be more concerned about radical religious fanatics abroad or radical religious fanatics here at home?

quote:

Originally posted by topal:
Anti-tobaccos have learned the lessson for their propaganda: using children is an effective means to promote bans.
http://www.sadireland.com/penn_and_teller.htm

I don't know about you, but I consider it EXPLOITING children!

Thanks

quote:

Kids carring knives and guns to school for protection.

You can add carrying M&Ms and toy weapons for show and tell to school to that list Bruce. My 4 year old nephew has just started pre-K in the DC public schools and had both of the above mentioned items confiscated by the teacher. The M&Ms are verbotten of course for contributing to the obesity epidemic, eventhough my nephew is probably the thinnest kid in his school. He tried to bring his toy sword and shield for show and tell and she grabbed those too. He and his parents have moved back here recently after living abroad for several years and they can't believe that this BS goes on in the Land of the Free...I'm like "get used to it"

Can you image what would happen if he brought in an ash tray?

I wish some parent would wire his kid for a day in school so we can find out what is really being taught.

I am beginning to think that a parent entering a school building sets off alarms throughout the building. It might also be interesting to see teachers scrambling to hide stuff as a parent is detected in the halls and past the office.

quote:

Originally posted by NickM_71:
You can add carrying M&Ms and toy weapons for show and tell to school to that list Bruce...The M&Ms are verbotten of course for contributing to the obesity epidemic...

I used to pack lunches for my kids and the day after Halloween I put a couple of fun size candy bars in my daughter's lunch for dessert.

A cafeteria worker saw them (what #@%$# snoops) and told her to tell me that I shouldn't have done that.

A few years later the school district got rid of dessert for those eating hot lunches (K-5) to fight the obesity epidemic.

In my next letter to the ed I mentioned that I wasn't aware that the school district had even weighed one kid (I knew they hadn't) to even see if there was a problem. I said they were merely jumping on the obesity bandwagon.

My school district is not perfect (what one is) but it is apparently better than others when it comes to this kind of nonsense. The only forbidden foodstuffs in the elementary school (preK-5) are chewing gum (same as when I was in school) and soda (ditto)

Parents are encouraged to "drop in" to see what is going on in the classroom, and a great many do, an since these are "unannounced, not shceduled" visits, it's going to be prtty difficult for teachers to switch mode as to what is being taught or how.

Your assumption is the teacher was in the middle of a presentation. A parent at the door is an immediate interuption and the teacher can easily change the subject. It is also possible that the same parents drop by and at about the same times. Teachers structure their days and blocks are assigned to each subject. The kids will not complain if the teacher does math instead of social engineering at the same time each day. Regardless, comments can be abridged from the time the teacher sees a parent at the door, opens and welcomes the parent, and proceeds with the presentation.

The only way to insure your child is not being brain washed is to attend throughout the day, every day. No parent can do that alone, it would take almost all the parents to cover everyday, all day long.

Let's say you tried, how often would you leave the classroom to use the restroom or to take a smoke break? If the teacher realises you are taking a smoke break you will be opeing the subject by leaving and the teacher has a period of time they know you will be away.

How long does it take to broadcast a "sound byte"?

I'm sorry, Bruce, but your comments are bordering on paranoia.

Being a non-smoker is not a prerequisite to being a teacher, as much as some in the anti-smoker cartel would like that to be. There is enough of a shortage of good teachers nearly everywhere, no district is going to be so foolish as to make that a criteria.

I am not blaming teachers - I am blaming federal programs that require teachers to do certain things.

Teachers are asked to inspect each child for evidence of child abuse. Teachers are asked to evaluate every child in terms of their mental stability and reccomend they be evaluated by professionals.

Teachers are made responsible for the well being of every child they teach. Many of those off hours they have are taken up writing reports on every child in their classes. They have the professional responsibility to correct every problem the child experiences. Many times this involves being a non-constodial parent for their entire class. This is one of the big reasons they want smaller classes.

If a child can not be made to conform the child is druged into submission. Children are being trained to convert their parents into proper citizens as well.