I rarely read the letters to the editor in the Lubbock paper anymore. It seems like the editorial board is a bit crazy, and will allow anyone to publish whatever nonsense they choose. I just wish they'd show more integrity than this.
Smoking Dangers Don't Compare With AlcoholRe: The letter "Raise Public Awareness About Impaired Driving" (A-J, 01-30).
If legislators and others would put as much force behind alcohol as they have tobacco, maybe we could get rid of alcohol all together, but that's not going to happen.
In my opinion, alcohol is the real killer, not tobacco. And I know a little about both. My dad was an alcoholic. He died at age 55. My brother was on his way to being one. He died at age 60. On the other hand, my mother lacked two months being 89 years old when she died. She smoked two packs of cigarettes a day.
I read somewhere the younger a kid starts to drink, the more likely they will become alcoholics. Kids in grade school are drinking. Yet every city and small town is scrambling to sell this poison.
I read in The A-J this morning (01-30) of yet another alcohol-related accident. Young people are dying in droves and so many are killing innocent people while being impaired by alcohol.
But it seems like people care more about secondhand smoke. I would rather a kid of mine smoke than drink. In my opinion, you would have to set face to face to someone and continually blow smoke in their face for a long time to hurt them.
Folks, we better wake up. It could be one of our kids or loved ones who gets killed or kills someone because of alcohol.
SHIRLEY DAVIS/Snyder
Comments
Actually, I don't entirely disagree with Shirley.
True, her apparent desire for prohibition and her understanding of second-hand smoke are patently ludicrous, but she makes a good point.
The recent crack-down on smoking by city and state governments is done in the name of "public health and safety". But it's getting out of control - in some California cities, you can't smoke outside, in your car, or even at your own residence.
Shirley is right - alcohol causes more deaths, injuries, and ruined lives than tobacco. If our government truly were pursuing "public health and safety", they would go on the offensive against alcohol as well. But they're not - and this reveals the cognitive dissonance of our government.
Smokers are an easy political target, and city and state governments can trample their freedoms for the most net political gain. Far be it for the government to tackle a popular vice. We can poison our livers with booze, get fat playing Halo, and develop diabetes from chugging 500 calorie frappacinos, but I can't smoke a cigar at the park.
Think what you what about tobacco and the health risks, but anyone who thinks the government really cares about our collective lung health is just a fool.
Posted by: Hoover at February 7, 2007 12:53 PM