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TERRY’S TIDBITS by Terry Gray

November 15, 2004

"My country, right or wrong," is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, "My mother, drunk or sober." 

Gilbert Keith Chesterton

VETERANS’ DAY
           Veteran’s day means a lot to many people.  I hate to see it commercialized.  All the ads that tell us to celebrate our freedom and thank a Vet by buying a new couch or car irritate me.  Of course, car ads always irritate me.
           Sometimes I think that folks offering sales to veterans should be made to require a military I.D. of some kind.  I have a veteran’s medical card.  But there are other ways of proving current and past military service.  But then I come to my senses and remember that the idea of forcing businesses to require an I.D. goes against my principles of freedom and thus, the whole reason behind supporting veterans.
           So would it be out of line to request businesses to still have their sales but offer additional discounts to veterans and active duty personnel?  This would kind of put special back in special and say a true thank you to our veterans.

“Patriotism is voluntary. It is a feeling of loyalty and allegiance that is the result of knowledge and belief. A patriot shows their patriotism through their actions, by their choice.” 

Jesse Ventura on forcing the Pledge of Allegiance

                                                                         .

NO JOKE!

          Lexington radio station WXZZ, on Wednesday, announced that a smoking ban in cars for Lexington had been passed.  Hundreds of citizens jammed the city’s switchboard with angry calls.  Lexington officials are mad.  They say that emergency calls for legitimate help could not get through due to the calls from the hoax.  Officials did not say if any missed calls actually jeopardized public safety.  They were just mad because this prank could have prevented someone from getting police assistance in the typical and timely 30 to 60 minutes after the first gun shot.

          The FCC is looking into this hoax to see if it violates any laws on hoaxes causing “immediate public harm.”  Knock knock, FCC guys, no public harm has been reported.  Now, if there were a law against the embarrassment of city officials…

          If Lexington wants to press the matter, there is little doubt that they can get Wilma Smith to say she couldn’t get through on the phone and her son had to drive her to the hospital.  But what I think is important is that so many patriots actually responded to oppression, fake or otherwise.  Lexington may want to take notes on this, along with other oppression mongers around the country. 

          On a similar note, Lexington also elected a much more conservative, hence, more business friendly city council recently.  One of the issues being looked at is the current smoking ban.  Why do liberals hate business?  There seems to be a breakdown in thinking when a group of people can love jobs and taxes but hate the essential source of both.

          On another similar note, Louisville City Councilman George Melton has resubmitted a smoking ban proposal for Louisville restaurants.  His prime objective is to ban smoking from daycare centers, a useless ordinance, since almost all daycare centers voluntarily ban smoking.  He includes restaurants in the proposal.  Who can say no to the children? 

I think it is important that we watch this ordinance, not only for the restaurant ban but because it has the potential to destroy private property rights.  In some areas of the country, it has become illegal to smoke in daycare centers.  Read that carefully.  A few of these ordinances do not say that children need be present for smoking to be illegal.  Many of these daycare centers are in private homes.  When the day is done and the children are gone, Mary can’t kick back in front of the television and enjoy a smoke in her own home.  Heads up.

PHARMACEUTICALS RULE
           Lexington’s air is much cleaner and will eventually result in a much healthier society according to a study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“The study, funded by a $75,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sampled the air in 10 Lexington establishments -- three restaurants, three bars, two music clubs, a bowling alley and coffeehouse -- on weekend nights before and after the ban in September 2003 and 2004.”

          The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s parent company, Johnson and Johnson, is already reaping millions on the sales of alternative nicotine delivery systems such as nicotine gum and patches.  According to the smoke Nazis, bans help people quit the habit.  The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is happy to fund studies that promote smoking cessation.  Johnson and Johnson makes more money so the RWJF receives more money toward its oppressive agenda.  They beat a dog until it is lame and then beat the dog for being lame.

          I just received a “study” from the University of Toronto that claims that employees in working environments with few smoking restrictions smoke 5 more cigarettes a day than those in a smoke free environment.  What these studies don’t tell us is that almost all environments regulate tobacco to a certain degree.  When smokers find the opportunity to smoke, it is typically a hurried break and the cigarettes are inhaled more quickly, inhaled deeper and are typically smoked completely.

          But it is also important to know that the Ontario government has promised to introduce province-wide smoking bans.  The Ontario research unit responsible for the research for the bans is the University of Toronto.  It is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health whose specific duty is to find reasons to ban smoking.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all use ourselves as references?

          Back to Lexington:

“Last week's election will add some new faces to the Urban County Council. But nothing has changed the council's manifest duty to protect public health.”

And they lead us down the rosy path of a perfect world.  The Urban County Council will of course support public health, but will a more conservative council support reduced freedom, rape of property rights, and protection of those not wanting protection, in the name of public health?  One can only wonder.

EPIDEMIC WATCH
           Obesity, smoking, alcohol, gambling…all of these are experiencing epidemic proportions except the freedom to participate in all the fun.

SAVING  PARENTAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
           WHAS Television has made the decision this Veterans’ Day not to show Saving Private Ryan.  Parents need to be hostile and insulted at this stance.  WHAS is not protecting our kids from “bad” language or graphic scenes; they are protecting themselves from lawsuits.  They are spineless and wounded and deserve no purple hearts for they have been wounded by attacking our freedom instead of defending it.  Further, they wound the family.  Folks, WHAS is trying to raise us and in the process is removing our rights and responsibilities as parents.
           Several things strike me as odd about this assault on freedom and responsibility.  First and foremost is the fact that many of those depicted in Saving Private Ryan died for the right for WHAS to censor what we see.  But they also died for our right to be treated as adults and parents. 
           I wonder what is worse, violence and “bad” language or insulting commercials that WHAS thrives on.  Kids can be led by their noses down the consumer isle, but seeing a realistic depiction of war is not allowed.  Maybe those daytime soaps depicting adultery, lying, stealing, and murder are more in order. 
           I would applaud WHAS for standing up to the FCC and airing the show anyway.  I would applaud parents for standing up and telling WHAS that not airing it is not acceptable.  I would applaud the FCC for keeping its nose out of our freedoms and our business.  I can’t hear any applause, can you?

WHAT DO YOU SEE?  http://www.nypost.com/seven/11102004/index.shtml

     The cover of the New York Post on November 10, 2004 showed a photo of a soldier who is smoking.  Here are some letters that appeared on November 11, 2004.

That dirty face, the whiskers on his unshaven face, the cut on the bridge of his nose, the dangling cigarette and the 1,000-yard stare in those battle weary eyes tell the story of what's really going on in Fallujah. His features are reminiscent of the renowned World War II GI that Mattel replicated to make its GI Joe. Forget about these Pentagon generals with their spotless dress uniforms, spit-shined shoes, $100 haircuts and shiny, manicured nails. This guy's nails and hands are laced with blood. His sweaty body smells from sleeping in the sand. His breath stinks from eating field rations. As the winds of November blow across Indiana, I sit comfortably drinking coffee as this guy, and thousands of other GIs, bravely and valiantly battle throughout the filth and stench of these Fallujah neighborhoods. You are the best, and we think of you in the spirit of Veterans Day.

Earl Beal
Terre Haute, Ind.

“How many kids trying to emulate heroic U.S. soldiers in Iraq will choose to slowly commit suicide as a direct result of your ill-conceived Marlboro pandering?  Be a responsible part of the community instead of simply leeching off it 25 cents at a time.”

Terry Craw
Stamford, Conn.

“Thank you, New York Post, for Wednesday's cover. Finally, a newspaper that acknowledges our soldiers and reports the good news about the war in Iraq. I am going to frame this cover. For the first time, I feel the pride of our soldiers and am reminded that America has the strongest military in the world. Our soldiers need more positive coverage as a reminder to the American people that they are in Iraq, ready, willing and able to win the War on Terror. America needs to stand together, and the media should start covering the good news coming out of Iraq.”

Misty Sawyer
Manhattan

How much did Phillip Morris pay for the front cover advertisement? Thank you for continuing to encourage the development of cancer.

Mark Leininger
Manhattan

          Your cover is a disgrace. War is not a video game. Actual people are losing their lives. At least 10 U.S. soldiers died early in this battle, not to mention many innocent Iraqi civilians who hadn't left the area. This man is not a cartoon character. He is a real man who has just been through some of the most trying moments of his life — moments that will most likely haunt him forever. Yet, there you are exploiting him and promoting cigarettes. It's disgusting.

John Keenan
Manhattan

The Post's cover was horrible and crude. How could you compare our soldiers to the Marlboro Man? We are not "kicking butt" in Iraq. We are in an unjustified war with a people who will never allow democracy to come to their country.

Janna Passuntino
Manhattan

I was shocked to see the front page of your newspaper. Showing a GI smoking and portraying it as being cool is disgusting, to say the least. First of all, you are promoting smoking, even though it is a health hazard. Secondly, our brave men and women are fighting a tough war in Iraq, and to show them as you did does not do them justice. Maybe showing a Marine in a tank, helping another GI or drinking water would have had a more positive impact on your readers. Smoking should be outlawed, not endorsed.

Ali Mahdi
North Brunswick, N.J.

Thank God New York isn't occupied by terrorists. Mayor Bloomberg wouldn't allow a Marine who smokes to enter the city. He would probably rather be a prisoner than see someone smoke.

Hank Sbordone
Middletown, N.J.

          It seems that some people put their prejudices behind them in support of our troops regardless of the right or wrong of the war.  Others just can’t get past their own programming when it comes to social engineering.  I might suggest to the anti-smoking nannies that they join our enemies in Iraq but no self-respecting terrorist would have them.  If they were beside me on the battle line, in defense of all things American, I’d gladly shoot them myself.

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