Ahhh, here it is. The Most Wonderful Day of the Year.

With Thanksgiving breathing down your neck and Christmas being gently shoved down your throat, who on the planet couldn't use a good ole reminder that they're considered a wart on the ass of the world. That's why anti-smoking has chosen this time of the year for "The Great American Smokeout". Just to get you into the spirit of things.

The best thing about "The Great American Smokeout" day is how it always comes as such a surprise. If you smoke, you well know that society has allowed tobacco users to be abused because most don't really give a shit about smoking. So, it should come as no surprise that there's a flipside. You may not hear about "The Great American Smokeout" for the whole day because, well, most don't really give a shit about smoking.

That is, of course, unless some busy-body special interest group comes around and starts making a big stink about the whole thing. Such groups seek out the young and uninformed, the Oprahfied, and the institutionally dependent. By "institutionally dependent" I mean anyone that anti-smoking can defame and ruin if they don't cooperate.Your local shopping mall, of course, doesn't need to deal with anti-smoking's bullshit, so they'll even allow them to set up little kiosks for the purpose of nagging donations from mall-wandering, over-shopped zombies who've been overwhelmed with the giving spirit.

You see, it's a funny thing. Perhaps I'm a hopeless humanist, but despite all of the hatred, hysteria and mass stupidity, I believe that your average guy on the street really does want to do good. In fact, this inclination in people is so powerful that everyone in the world out to screw someone has caught on and wrapped themselves in the disguise of charity, good will, and love for their fellow man. Such interests have been so successful at destroying any traditional notions of virtue that the guy on the street now finds himself lost, letting himself be lead by his emotions and tripping blindly forward to anyone with a sympathetic face, a sorry story, and a tin cup.

It only makes sense that anti-smoking would choose this time of year to memorialize itself with its own half-assed holiday. You might even get a present. Like your eight year old coming home to tell you that you're killing yourself, everyone around you, not to mention your "carbon footprint". This why people pay property tax, you know, so special interest groups can come and fill your kids' heads with horror stories. Where was the permission slip for that?

Being a bit of an information junkie living in a world that is constantly providing more and more access to information, I discovered "The Great American Smokeout" around 3PM today, when I used to be able to, goshdarnit, miss the whole damn thing.

Here is what I learned.

A few hospitals got together with some MSA funded special interest groups and made the entire grounds of their hospitals smoke-free. I heard this on the radio. I also learned that they christened the occasion by obtaining use of a wrecker and destroying the "smoking shed" that was created to accommodate smoking employees. Just in case someone wasn't getting the message from the jubilant, brainwashed assholes running around in front of microphones. Really, it's better to put an exclamation point on the whole thing by bringing out some heavy equipment to obliterate the designated smoking area in the middle of the day, in full view of everyone.

Oh, I forgot the bed bound patients. Well, what better opportunity is there to spread the holiday spirit than when someone is confined?

But, you see, I misunderstand. I listened further and I learned that this was actually done in a spirit of good will towards the hospital's smoking employees. These anti-smoking people are very smart. Shocking, and, I know, a big surprise to those who smoke. Gather around all who smoke, because apparently we've misunderstood. I'm absolutely sure that you've never heard this before.

You see, it works like this. People who don't smoke are very, very happy. Also, they're immortal. You and I, though, will someday die of horrible diseases like cancer and heart disease and (this is very important from what I've heard), it involves tubes and tubes are very scary things when you're dying. Non-smokers don't die, but if they did, it would be without any use of tubes. Ask any non-smoker who saw a smoker die and they'll quickly tell you "Oh, all those tubes!"

Now, people who smoke might think that they're perfectly happy. However, I've learned that this is an illusion that is created by addiction to tobacco. You see, the tobacco makes you think that you're happy when you're really not. If you stop using the tobacco, you'll notice benefits that are hard to pass up.

First, your hair and clothes will smell better. (I don't know how we've missed this awesome bonus.)

Second, you will have more money to enjoy other things. For instance, if you don't smoke for a year, you'll have enough money to go on a vacation where you can't smoke!

Third, anti-smokers are really our friends and love us a great deal. They just don't want us to smoke anymore, so we'll be just like them and, as they're sure to tell you, they're all wonderful people! Isn't this great? Anti-smokers will be our friends!

So, when you quit smoking, you finally know what REAL happiness is.

I also learned that "smoking rates decline when communities send a clear message."

For instance, destroying your place of respite at work with a bulldozer. This sends a "clear message"; similar to burning down a church or crashing a plane into a symbol of capitalism. Such actions shouldn't be misinterpreted. These are messages of love. A signal that you will be embraced if you simply change your ways.

In the season of "doing good", isn't it nice to know that people are hard at work with heavy machinery to make sure you feel their love?

Happy Holidays, everyone! I'm off to rent a wrecker and take some cars with subwoofers away! (In the holiday spirit of love and giving, of course.)

Yeah, I've said for years the bastards chose this time of year (just before the holidays begin) just to further bring down and demoralize smokers, and ruin their holidays.

Good one.

Really, really, good one.

Do you live in Montgomery County, MD Winston? I ask because I read that all hospitals within the county were banning smoking everywhere on their grounds on the great american smokeout day... though I'm sure there are other hospitals elsewhere doing the same thing. To be honest, this was the first time I heard of any activity for the smokeout since they distributed "kiss me, I don't smoke" stickers when I was in high school 20 years ago...

quote:

Originally posted by WinstonSmith:
For instance, destroying your place of respite at work with a bulldozer. This sends a "clear message"; similar to burning down a church or crashing a plane into a symbol of capitalism. Such actions shouldn't be misinterpreted. These are messages of love. A signal that you will be embraced if you simply change your ways.

WOW, There IT Is....

Brilliant Piece Winston

quote:

Do you live in Montgomery County, MD Winston?

Nope. I was listening to the radio at work because our power had gone out, so I was spinning the dial for news and came across the NPR affiliate (which I usually try to avoid). I think the story I heard was in reference to a Pennsylavnia ban.

Anyway, this is going on all over the place.

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=hospitals+ban+smoking

Yeah, PROMEDICA, which is a group of local hospitals and health related businesses/organizations annouinced they're going to ban all types of tobacco products anywhere on their properties (including smokeless, such as snuff, chew, etc; try and enforce that). Incidentally-they just happen to be one of the largest sponsors for most of our local news-on all four stations.

Exactly what day is this? I haven't seen ANYTHING in our local "news" media about it...I for sure won't quit as long as the ACS supports it...Scum bags!

good luck enforcing this one indeed - I guess the hospital can fire employees who violate the ban if they catch them but what about patients - are they going to kick them onto the street in their hospital gowns? Will hospital rent-a-cops arrest visitors who light up? I had a summer job right after I finished high school where I worked in a hospital laundry room and everybody smoked in there as well as in the cafeteria - those were the days...

First, 383 and Gilster, grateful for the praise. My humble thanks to you both.

Second, My God, how transparent do the larger motives of all of this have to become until people wake up. I just can't believe that the world has come to this. I can try to rationally explain it, but I just can't believe it.

I try to avoid invoking Hitler to make my points because it's manipulative, trite and cliched.

Really, though, this is getting to be extremely Hitler-ish. Actually, it's not "getting to be", it's becoming more and more a matter of time rather than a matter of societal increment.

If people have abandoned reason to this extent, what's to keep them from abandoning the moral forces that prevent them from gassing people to death? Do they even have these moral forces within them?

Look at this plainly. People are actually wheeling bedbound people down the hall, down the elevator, out the door, and off the property so they can smoke a cigarette, when 20 years ago it was expected that people did this everywhere. In six years, we've gone from an ashtray on every table to no ashtray 1000 yards away from civilization.

These notions have been completely institutionalized, both governmentally and in corporations.

I really dislike framing discussions in terms of extremes. I dislike it alot.

But when hospital patients are being wheeled away to... come on, it ain't smoking. To do whatever. To eat Ding-dongs, if you like. Whatever works, whatever fits the agenda.

I've got to tell you something extreme and extremely frightening, and I think I believe it.

I don't think that we're "coming close" to the German society of the late 1930's, I think that we've actually surpassed it.

WinstonSmith: "I don't think that we're 'coming close' to the German society of the late 1930's, I think that we've actually surpassed it."

Well... except for the death factory thing. Maybe. The German people weren't aware of that, and maybe we're not either. Torture and murder tend to be hushed up in any country that practices them.

But, comparing the restrictions on the average (non-Jewish, non-Gypsy, non-homosexual, non-handicapped) German in the '30s and '40s to the restrictions on the average U.S. citizen today, yeah, I agree. We've surpassed it.

My son is visiting and reported going into a local bar Friday night with a friend. In the bar was a 20ish couple approaching patrons taking a survey, in response to participation you got a free pack of Camel Lights. My son declined but noticed responses were entered into a handheld device along with a scan of the participants driver's license bar code.

I am wondering if they are creating a smoker's list of those in the 21 to 40 age group and further wonder why?

There was no mention of sponsorship and not knowing the questions asked it is hard to determine their intent in collecting the information.

quote:

But, comparing the restrictions on the average (non-Jewish, non-Gypsy, non-homosexual, non-handicapped) German in the '30s and '40s to the restrictions on the average U.S. citizen today, yeah, I agree. We've surpassed it.

Yes, that I was alluding to.

BTW, tonight, I was out in the car and there was a DWI checkpoint. I rolled down the window and the cop asked me where I was coming from and where I was going. I answered and was on my way.

What if I said "I don't want to tell you where I'm coming from or where I'm going"?

You see how this works? It would be difficult to argue that there shouldn't be enforcement against DWI, but at the same time your rights are being completely violated. Police officers don't have the right to stop you without just cause and start asking you questions about your intentions. The flip side is that if you exercise your rights and refuse to answer, the police officer is free in this circumstance to put you under additional scrutiny. To this some will answer "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about." My answer to that is "Okay, I guess we don't need The Bill of Rights then, because according to this logic government authority is always good and always looking out for your best interest."

Re: WS DWI comment.

Agree 100% with your statement. No reason police can't stop anyone driving weirdly, any time day or night. Could be booze, could be cell phone, could be sleepy, could be medical. Erratic driving? Check it out. With probable cause and a public safety objective.

Road block fishing expeditions are just Big Brother at work and collecting names - and do virtually nothing to reduce traffic accidents.

But be careful. The fanatic anti's would rather have the same patrol cars lurking near doorways in case someone ducks in before extinguishing their smoke.

Consider supporting the National Motorists Association.