TICAP, The Hague, March 15th 2010

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

National Smoking Day


Ladies and Gentlemen,

Hundreds if not thousands of venues are already breaking the law outright or with illegal smoking areas and others plan to join them on New Year's Eve. Some illegal smoking areas have better facilities than the pubs they are connected to. Help force the government to backtrack and save the jobs that are being lost every week because of the smoking ban. National Smoking Day has decided to show the government that we demand respect. Sadly we have to face civil disobedience on New Year's Eve as the only choice left. They will not engage with us in any way.


We have support in 413 towns and cities across the UK to date. We are at the tipping point. Let's make it a more miserable winter for the government; let's stop these attacks on our society before others who don’t conform to a government ideal have to face persecution to the same extent; let's stop a dictatorial government meddling. One week is enough to make the difference.
If you visit our website you will find some recent press about National Smoking Day, our list of recommended actions and our latest press release. Anything you can do to distribute the information will go leaps and bounds towards us achieving this noble aim.


Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year,

James Wilson
Frederique Dupont
National Smoking DayE: info@nationalsmokingday.com
Please visit our website at: http://www.nationalsmokingday.com/Support National Smoking Day on 31st December 2007

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Friday, December 21, 2007

Reading the Mind of a Weak Government:


By Blad Tolstoy

Many years ago whilst a martial arts student, I remember my instructor telling us that those who bully the weak show themselves to be weak.

This is one of those lessons that has stayed with me and I reflect upon it frequently when I consider how often this government directs the forces of law and order to persecute law abiding citizens whilst ignoring the actions of dangerous criminals.

Smokers, of course, have been an easy target as our most hypocritical Executive tries to court cheap popularity by victimising them whilst enjoying the enormous contribution the latter make to the treasury.

In the last couple of days, many of us have noted that fact that Nu-Labour now intends to make driving whilst holding a mobile phone an offence punishable by imprisonment. Most of us, however, can see what will follow, as this will provide a "perfect" excuse (well, it will be perfect in the thinking of the feeble-minded) to apply the same penalty to those people who choose to smoke and drive.

For those unacquainted with the details, according to the AAA study, which is one of the largest ever undertaken, smoking at the wheel is the lowest cause of accidents, lower, in fact, than not just mobile phone use but also talking to others and fiddling with radios.

See here, page 12:

http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/DistractionsInEverydayDriving.pdf

Note too, that smoking comes out as the lowest cause of accidents on both sets of data, and n the CDS data, which is the result of a far longer study using a larger number of people, it egisters at just 0.9%.

Of course, technicalities such as this are of no interest to a dishonest and inept government because it just likes easy targets so it can fool itself into thinking it's doing a great job.

What a pity, however, that the government has not yet cottoned on to the fact that smokers have now become militant. Then, add to the smokers, who are becoming increasingly irate, all those people whose businesses have and will be damaged by the smoking bans, and you have a very large group of people who will not be voting Labour at the next election. In fact, far more than enough to wipe Labour off the political map as a significant force. Moreover, if after all the damage it has caused, the government thinks it will then be able to salve the pain by some kind of sop or buy-off in the future, it can forget it. Memories are long. We shall nurture them and we shall enjoy our revenge cold...The very best way to do so!
Poll puts Tories 12 points ahead of Labour

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/21/npoll121.xml

See also this one by Anthony King:

Gordon Brown is staring at election meltdown

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/12/21/npoll221.xml

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Wednesday, December 19, 2007

International Meetings - An Update

By Blad Tolstoy

I have already reported that international meetings are now taking place via Skype between a number of different countries from around the world in order to develop a successful global strategy to tackle the antis.

Considering that we don't have the antis' fat pharma and tax payer funded budgets this is quite remarkable, in that, the level of agreement plus the time, effort and co-ordination people are willing to input is quite substantial, indicating that we are truly a grass roots movement whereas the antis are not. Indeed, the latter are imposed upon us by mendacious zealots and certain medical professionals who long ago overstepped their remit, believing it is their role to dictate to us how we should live life as opposed to assisting us to enjoy it as best we can and to our own satisfaction and choice.

So, for the record, the participating countries for the last two Sundays (9th and 16th December) have been:

9th December: England, Scotland, Wales, Holland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Denmark, and USA.
Apologies: France and Rep of Ireland, Canada.

16th December: England, Scotland, Wales, Holland, Italy, Germany, Austria, USA and Canada.
Apologies: France, Rep of Ireland, Spain and Denmark.

Our Skype facility can only take nine participants at any one time but this facility will be extended early next year to accommodate more countries and we look forward to including yet more of our European neighbours and transatlantic friends.

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Saturday, December 15, 2007

Bereavement - A cause of anti-smoking behaviour.

It is with some trepidation that I post on this subject, however I feel it is better not to ignore the anonymous comment on my earlier post linking to Enstrom's new paper. The poster's comment raises issues that are of importance to the cause of the pro-choice minded individual, but also are germane to the bereaved. It is a known phenomenum that the anti-smoker will post bogus remarks such as these but I will assume that this posters situation is genuine.

The process of emotional upheaval after the death of a loved one has been the subject of much analysis over a long period of time. Psychological opinion breaks done the turmoil into several sections and variably suggests that for the process to run a complete course leading to resolution these stages must be traversed. Some experts believe that the order is not set in stone and that some of the processes may need revisiting or iteration.

These processes theoretically lead to solutions for the all too overwhelming emotions of "Guilt", "Sadness", "Loss", "Anger" and "Blame" to mention a few. The negative and powerful emotions brought by the feelings of guilt, anger and blame are often too easily dealt with more immediately by assuming or assigning a "scapegoat"; an easy peg to hang the blame on; a person or concept to explain the unpleasant event.

Commomly health professionals see this manifest as anger directed at them and are trained to deal with this as compassionately as possible. Guilt, usually wholely inappropriate, is natural and it is the case that, sometimes, the only way to deflect this guilt is to search for an outside source for fault. If the bereaved smoked, as a result of 50 years of public health information, it is reasonable to think that this habit may have contributed to the death of the individual. However, some go further than this and blame tobacco, the tobacco industry, smoking, the bereaved for smoking and even other smokers for the event and furthermore find it difficult to pass onward from this position. The position harbouring and nurturing feelings of guilt, blame and anger.

It is my belief that this can halt the bereavement process and if such a process is mandatory for for resolution, then the bereaved persons life is scarred for eternity. A very well known example of this is the family, friends and fans of Roy Castle. He didn't smoke and so it is the misinformation of the WHO, who probably awoke this idea that his exposure to ETS was to blame. My anonymous commenter is another one although early in the process.

For the pro-choice protagonists reading it is well recognised that this phenomenon contributes to the numbers of anti-smokers as detailed by Michael J McFadden in his book, "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains".

My mother died a year ago on the 9th December and my personal experience of loss has naturally coloured my views, as has a very considerable experience of contact with the bereaved. My mother died of ovarian cancer and was a smoker for a short period of her life. She accepted her lot with consumate dignity, there is a family history. My guilt was immediate as the symptoms had been present for a good year or so before diagnosis. This is however a well recognised problem with ovarian cancer. I am helped by this and knowledge of the poor treatment results for this condition. I am resolved to accept that death is an inevitable consequence of life and can fondly remember my mother for her strength, support and her smile. I could blame multitudes of health professionals who had contact with her in the year before diagnosis but this would serve no purpose. I could blame her for not making more fuss. However, there is no blame, it was and always is inevitable that we will die and I prefer to praise the care she received and her heroic attitude.

I'll conclude for now, and hope that if this post causes any discussion, it is constructive.

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Thursday, December 13, 2007

Passive Smoking - Enstrom


Oh, for principled epidemiologists. Hot off the press, Enstroms answer to his critics. The evidence surely is clear - Environmental Tobacco Smoke does NO harm!


Here is a link to his document which is a pdf file so you can save it and read it later!!

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Tuesday, December 11, 2007

National Smoking Day

National Smoking Day



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Monday, December 10, 2007

Mirror Forum Thread

Smoking BansExcellent thread going on The Mirror's forum in the "What are we talking about" section. Lots of nice people to chat to and a few antis, who are not two bad either. Your challenge, should you accept it, is too keep this thread at the top of the forum section.

This message will not self destruct.

http://forums.mirror.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=30113

Oh! There's a vote too at http://forums.mirror.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=30461

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Monday, December 03, 2007

Something New and Different Is Happening

By Blad Tolstoy

Something new and different is happening.

For the last two Sundays - the 25th November and 2nd December respectively - there have commenced international link ups, via Skype, of different groups of pro-choice activists from around the world in order to plan ways of collaborating and working together to combat the tyranny of the anti-smoker movement.

This will now become a regular feature as our organisations recognise the need for a more effective pooling of resources and the implementation of more rigourous discipline in our effort to achieve common goals.

On the 25th November, the countries represented were:

Holland, Italy, UK, Germany, Denmark, France and USA.

On the 2nd December, the countries represented were:

Holland, Italy, UK, Germany, Denmark, Austria, France, USA and Canada.

More national representatives are lined up to join the discussions and we look forward to some positive results.

Blad Tolstoy.

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Sunday, December 02, 2007

The Wilting of Integrity

Would you Adam and Eve it? Three doctors discussing integrity in science one of 'em is yours truly. It's 48 minutes long and I have not had the chance to listen to the result yet.

However, it must be the prime objective of all visitors to click the link below and listen in. Why not let us know what you think?

Gian Turci's Roundtable discussion: "The Wilting of Integrity"

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Hamish Howitt - My hero

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F2C Hacked

They're getting scared!! A communication from Colin Grainger:

The Freedom to Choose website has been attacked. Hackers attempted to shut us down and now the hosts are investigating. The site will remain down until all parties are satisfied that the threat has been removed. Our site is hosted by the same people that host the Forces site. It is interesting to note that the hackers bypassed Forces to close down F2C.Its a backhanded compliment. We are upsetting some people. Enough for them to take extreme action against us. I wonder what we said that hit home?Maryetta Ables (Forces President), just called me to give me the update, but she was unable to say when normal service would be resumed.Please can you distribute this note to as many people as you can so that they are aware it is a malicious attack.

Many thanks,Colin.

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TIME WE LOCKED 'EM UP!


By Bad Blad Tolstoy

Ah well, ASH and their cronies in the British Heart Foundation are at it again and this time it's banning the sale of cigarettes through vending machines. The pretext? Why, protecting the tiny tots again!

Yes, ASH and the BHF claim that one in six child smokers get their fags from vending machines. How on earth they can know this beats most people as no-one has been recorded spending hours watching vending machines to count how many youngsters buy from them, and even if they did, how would they know it was one in six?

In fact, Simon Clark of Forest, in his blog - Taking Liberties - makes these points:
"Are they seriously suggesting that over 50,000 children regularly march in to pubs, clubs and hotels with the correct money (£5.80) and walk off with their booty without being stopped? It doesn't make sense, bearing in mind that cigarettes from a vending machine are as expensive as you can get; there are rules about the siting of vending machines; and allowing children to use them is illegal (and potentially costly for the proprietor)."
(See: http://takingliberties.squarespace.com/home/2007/11/11/in-defence-of-cigarette-vending-machines.html#comments)

Indeed, as Clark indicates, this is more to do with continuing the process of denormalising smoking and, as usual, it appears that any old statistics can be made up to support this latest move on behalf of the anti life enjoyment brigade. This wonderful crowd of prohibitionists has lied continuously about the dangers of secondary smoke and without those lies their campaign would never have got off the ground. The damage it has caused has been substantial worldwide with the hospitality sector in the UK already hard hit by the effects of the smoking bans in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Add to this the vicious campaign of hate against smokers promoted by these sub-human evangelicals, and you have elderly people and people who have defended their country sent out in the cold to smoke and catch pneumonia and bronchitis, patients in hospitals having to drag themselves in wheelchairs and dragging drips over busy roads, hard working nursing staff and doctors denied easy access to a convenient spot for a quick puff, patients refused operations for non-smoking related ailments, people loosing jobs or being denied job interviews and a general air of social division amongst many people who would once have never had a problem being friends.

And then of course, there is the outright corruption of medical science as smoking is blamed for every sickness and malady under the sun, and frequently, wrongly.

In saner times this anti-smoker brigade would not have been tolerated. In fact, after all the lies they have told they should not be now, for some of these people deserve to spend time in jail.


Lock 'em up, I say! Lock 'em up and throw away the key!

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Sunday, October 28, 2007

You choose: seven more years of worry, or a pint and a fag

"What’s going on here? Why aren’t the proles behaving like the healthier middle classes keep instructing them? It’s got to stop. It makes us middle-class people feel bad. ..."
"...But the truth is that seven extra years may cost more than a PPP health plan, a yearly gym membership and a lifelong abstinence from anything that looks like fun. It may cost you a long life that you never really lived in the first place."

Two short quotes from Tim Lott in The Times on 26th October 2007. He briefly explores the reasons why the poor do not live as long as the rich. He comes out with thoughts that I very much connect with, and I suspect you may feel the same.

Read the whole article...

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Saturday, October 27, 2007

The third march organised by our heroes, Paul and Chris, of Starstruck karaoke fame, was a big success with an estimated 250 people on the march

The march started at 2.15 at the " La Tasca Restaurant " restaurant, at Clifton heights and proceeded along the triangle, Queens Road, Park street and finished at collage green outside the council building.
There were few problems on the march, apart from being stuck at traffic lights for what seemed like and hour, the march continued on at a stately pace, with many a stop for photographs, and 2 for shouting antis.
It was very telling that the first of these antis was a chap of little wit who was sat outside a coffee shop and his entire argument consisted of loud booing until being told to shut the f up by another patron. The second was a load American woman who after ranting about what smoke pollution was doing to her babies, and being put in her place by Paul, put her family into a large 4X4 and drove off. Well that showed us then.

There were a few pedestrians who thought it all rather sad and amusing, but on the whole the reaction was positive and we even managed to sign up a few to our cause.

The highlight to the day was arriving at collage green, a major hang out of Bristol's student population, where the march numbers were increased by hundreds of students, while only joining at the tag end of the march they did hang around the van at the end and ask questions.
They also agreed to pose for photographs outside the council offices which had a huge flag proclaiming a smoke free Bristol, they were happy to do this and took a collection of placards, and the 10 foot Freedom2Choose.info banner, all in all it made a good picture. One young lass was even offering free hugs :)

All in all a very enjoyable day, I say day, because this correspondent had to catch a train at 6:00 in the morning to be there and didn't get back until gone midnight. But this is just a small commitment compared with that of the 3 fighting landlords, Nick, Tony and Hamish who really do need all our support.

Your roving reporter :)
Pete J
(Freedom2Choose)

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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

And Then They Came For The Drinkers

Alcohol Ban

By Blad Tolstoy

Now it's the drinkers' turn to come under the hammer. At the beginning of the week, Harpers announced the formation of a new "Alliance" between the BBC and several "leading" health organisations to counter the damage done by demon drink.

These health organisations include: The Royal College of Physicians, which will chair the Alliance, Action on Addiction, Alcohol and Health Research Trust, College of Emergency Medicine, Institute of Alcohol Studies, The Royal College of General Practitioners, Royal College of Nursing and The Royal College of Surgeons.
Ha, ha, what a field day they'll all have as they come up with lots of new alcohol negative studies - whilst getting lots of publicly funded grants - in order to give drinkers a hard time. People are already aware of the proposed restrictions on alcohol consumption touted recently but we know that all of this is just the start. We know, because for example, many of our associates pay regular visits to the website of the Robert Wood-Johnson Foundation (RWJF). This is the "charitable" arm of the pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson and this wonderful philanthropical body is now spending as much money buying public health and university research departments to promote alcohol prohibition as they do on anti-smoking propaganda. This is easy to discover as American "not-for-profits" must publish whom they sponsor and searches around the RWJF website will reveal all anyone needs to know. In addition, the EU has already been making all sorts of noises about tighter alcohol controls and warning labels on bottles and cans of booze are expected soon.
Now let me make it clear, as a dedicated pro-choice activist and anti-prohibitionist I do not want to start giving drinkers a hard time. But, I had to laugh at the squeals of that sectionof the non-smoking drinking community who, to date, have thought they are so superior to smokers. "Oh," they pompously assert, "unless you pour my beer/glass of wine down someone else's throat, then my drinking doesn't affect anyone else, not like nasty old cigarette smoke."
To these idiots I have to say: "Take this test. Go out on a cold day and breathe out. You will see just how far your breath travels. When you've been drinking your breath travels into the immediate environment in the same way. Just because in warmer locations you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't there!" Nothing worse too, I shall add, than standing in the queue at Tescos and having the person in front of you hawk their booze soaked breath in your mush either!Incidentally, ethanol, the active ingredient in all alcoholic beverages, is a Class "A" carcinogen too.
So these people need to learn about tolerance and being much less self righteous. If they learn that lesson they might find that smokers are very supportive because we've learnt to fight and are becoming stronger and more vociferous by the day.
Welcome to the club, boozers!

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Brown's Modest Budget Package

Blad wanted us all to see this "The Economist" cover. Here, the cartoonist makes some subtle reference to the size of The Chief Nanny Unelect's budgets. Ha! I think he's robbed Blad's style myself!

You may have to click on the picture to maximise the budget and see the writing on the fig leaf.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Nanny's Duty of Care

She is wise and caring, resourceful and protecting. In your formative years She clothes you, feeds you and even wipes your bottom. When you grow and mature, her watchful diligence attempts to guide and protect you. She knows, that to tell you not to do something guarantees that activity. She lets you make your mistakes and is there to run to when you mess up. She cleverly looks after your physical and psychological wellbeing. She teaches you some stuff but knows you also have to learn from others. As she ages she wonders at the evolution of a new and original spirit and receives your learnt wisdom and support. She has enabled you to continue on your expedition a free, thinking person. Then come your choices in life.

Nanny Interfering-Health-Bandwagon-Scaremongering-Health-Safety-Risk-Management-Do-Gooder-Control-Freak-McFee-Brown-Bush-Blair-Cameron-ASH-We-Know-What's-Best, however, is not a nanny of the wise and caring kind. She tells you what to do and only does that. She doesn't care for you as a person or wish to nuture your developing spirit. Rather, she has but the one over-riding priority: self, self, self. By telling you what to do, she attempts to further her career and gain even more power over you by the use of her principle area of expertise: deceit. She has no regard for the consequences of her decisions as short term gain is her only goal.

Nanny Gasdoc says smoke in your car, avoid trans-fats, have a beer or a glass of wine or fruit based drink for the lady, live each second as if it is your last. Above all, laugh and laugh loudest at ASH, for they are truely sad. Obey the 10 commandments or for the non-believer, do only as you would be done by! Say thank you, sorry and excuse me. Take time to enjoy a strangers company. Only one thing really matters, and that is that you are true to yourself. Your chances of dying are 100%. One thing is certain, that if you worry about your weight, how much you drink or how much you smoke, you will laugh less, and life will be dull. Simply put, live first and then die, do not die before you live.

A guaranteed laugh can be had from this most excellent internet game. Follow this link and Whack-a-Murdoch...!

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Bristol March Sat 20th Oct 2007



Big shout for the Bristol Protest march!!!

Loads of effort from Paul and Chris has spawned the march. Photos below show previous successes.

They so badly need people, numbers, to correctly represent the real amount of discontent amongst smokers and non-smokers.

We must show the government and ASH just what they are dealing with here.

Be there or be square!

If the flyer to the left doesn't show clearly, try clicking on it and it might get clearer.

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Friday, October 12, 2007

Fuck me!


Now he's won a nobel peace prize!

We're all doomed!

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Thursday, October 11, 2007

Bloody Al Gore

Thank the Lord, Judge Burton has said Al Gore's self-absorbed Global disaster video has been criticised as being sensationalist and exagerating. I have never felt better. This comes after I have recently started recycling. I hasten to add that despite my misgivings as to the wisdom of recycling, I have been alarmed by the growing threat of fees for domestic waste collection. My black bin is now much lighter!

Even better I wanted to find out about the truth about the chemicals produced by paper recycling and stumbled across a group called "Fiends of the Earth", whose article designed to reassure poses more questions than it answers. Have a read and find out just what gets chucked into the water table after paper processing...

So once again, we hear half of the story. My personal hate is diesel cars, what an invention of the devil. It's particulate combustion products responsible, in my opinion, for more respiratory hassle than cigarettes, and what a row they make. It doesn't even make economic sense now.

You can't do this, you can't do that, and supermarket trolleys will tell you that you will get fat if you eat that! The NHS is getting more money to waste, the BMA is going to look after it though, the labour party wants to join the conservative party and Mr Brown fancies Lady Thatcher. Thank god I don't have to worry about these heavy issues, I'm just a smoking voter.

But I must worry about all the distractions I get when I'm driving. I must not smoke or eat or adjust the radio. But then I yawned and sneezed and blinked. Yes I closed my eyes when I was driving. I will call for an urgent review of wot's safe to do when I drive. I suggest an immediate removal of all advertising boards with semi-clad ladies. A ban on advertising wouldn't be a bad idea actually. It would stop the deliberate lies and deceitful deception.

And to top it all Boots in its final days of trading, having been purchased by those sharks, is marketing water in a spray as some magic cure for faces. I despair but I laugh, you have to find it funny, otherwise you might go mad. Oh, but wait, the new mental health act, they won't be able to prove me mad anymore, freedom at last!

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Monday, October 01, 2007

Campaign For People's Rghts

I received this email from Sue & Steve about a venture of theirs. I would suggest that you visit and make up your mind whether you wish to support them. Seems a very interesting idea to me and potentially self-funding. Have a look.....

Hi, if you have five minutes spare would you care to visit http://www.cmprinfo.co.uk/ . As yet there are no links on the site, a situation that is in hand this week, on that note,
would you care to exchange links, if that is the correct terminology? We are very new to this but are learning out of annoyance and lack of option! I could rant on indefinately about the smoking ban but I am sure you are of the same opinion and feel the same.

Best Regards, Sue & Steve

So, once again, have a look at this new idea to apply pressure to those in power!
http://www.cmprinfo.co.uk/

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Brown's Joyless Britain

By Blad Tolstoy

Following the Labour Party Conference there is no doubt that those of a more freedom and fun loving disposition will have had their worst fears confirmed. Gordon Brown is a joyless bore and Blad's forecast is that twelve months from now the country will be screaming to be rid of him. What a pity then, that the opposition cannot put up a better show!

Add to this, motorists can expect even more persecution under Brown's moronic regime and smokers, in particular, can expect a double dose of trendy victimisation. What's red and thick? A Nu-Labour MP!

Anyway, when in mourning I usually find some comfort in Simon Heffer's columns in The Daily Telegraph. As I have said before, I do not see eye to eye with Heffer on many issues, but when it comes to the defence of liberty delivered with a dry, caustic sense of humour, Heffer is a tonic. Here are two of his articles from last Saturday's Telegraph (29th September, 2007).

Smoking is bad for your driving licence

By Simon Heffer

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the inevitability of banning drivers from turning on the radio in their cars, or doing several other things that might entail taking a hand off the wheel, because of the health and safety fascism in our country. I had neglected to mention smoking - I forget there are some people who still do it - but the fascists have, indeed, said that having a fag at the wheel will lead to a charge of dangerous driving. I suppose having banned mobile phone use this was bound to be next, and it has an added piquancy of joining the road safety campaign with the campaign to ban people from smoking, even in a very private place like their own car. No doubt the dental fascists will be next, urging (with impeccable logic)that anyone eating a Mars Bar at the wheel should get six points on his licence. And, since the prisons are not nearly full enough, we await the spectacle of the police rounding up pensioners who pop in a Murray mint while trundling along at 25 mph. You know it makes sense!

Garbage, lies and more years of hard Labour

By Simon Heffer

In 20 years of writing about politics I have heard some garbage, but never, I think, quite so much in such a short space of time as the effluvia that came out of Bournemouth over the past week. Precisely because there is no opposition in this country, our new Prime Minister can get away with saying that he will find school places for every five-year-old in the world. For a disconcerting moment I thought he had become the Prime Minister of Earth; but then he said he would eradicate Aids as well and I realised he must in fact be God. Even more hilarious was Jack Straw - who has routinely voted against any measure to give householders more power to deal with intruders - saying that he was instituting a "review" of whether you can shoot a burglar. Having also "reviewed' casinos and round-the-clock boozing, it is presumably only a matter of days before the restoration of hanging, flogging and the pre-decimal currency are put under "review," too. Of course it is all lies, but we have at least five more years of the liars yet, I fear.

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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Inspiring Smoking Ban Protest Poem

Today, my friend coyly admitted to me that he wrote poetry. I was impressed and after only 4 hours he came out completely. He had written a poem for his friends in the Coffee Shop. I publicly announce that Lee Jeffreys had a hidden talent that is now in the open!

Coffee Shop Magic! by Lee Jeffreys

Your daily routine can be somewhat repetitive with what you choose to do, but this can be changed with a little effort, for example who you talk to.

It's very easy to carry on and keep your old routine, but why not try the other side and see if the grass is in fact green!?

A few months back I was the same, tied to the same régime, in the coffee shop at 8 o'clock and out by 8.15.

One morning I decided to sit and watch the people who came in daily, all with a different story to tell Linda, the coffee shop lady.

Sat around I see people with the same idea as me, a doctor, his wife, a rival banker, and a gentleman called Lorie. A simple "hello & how are you?" soon turns to general chat, with one thing in common we're smokers and proud, you can be sure of that!

A spanner was thrown into the works of our newly found Clan, the government introduced it ("Bunch Of Bastards") in the form of a smoking ban! So out to the garden we all went with the elements sent to test, but one things for sure we're all still here, AS SMOKERS ALL KNOW BEST!

Doing the crossword with the good doctor and his wife as we sit there on our lunch, maybe I’m in a routine again, but who cares there a quality bunch!

Friends have been made, weddings attended and nights in London too, all this happened from a change of routine of which I chose to do!

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Friday, September 21, 2007

Which Face isYours?

Beauty and the Beast

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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Scottish Smoking Ban Cures Heart Disease

Dr Michael Siegel says:

Also of interest, data obtained from ISD (Information Services Division) Scotland reveal that between 1998/1999 and 1999/2000, total hospital discharges for acute myocardial infarction (heart attacks) in Scotland dropped from 19,216 to 17,208, a decline of 10.4%. This large single-year decline occurred during a period in which the smoking ban was not yet in effect.These data also reveal that there was a steady decline in heart attack admissions in Scotland between January 2005 and September 2006 (the smoking ban was implemented in March 2006). From December 2005 to February 2006 (prior to the smoking ban), there was a 16.7% drop in heart attack admissions for the regions for which data were consistently reported throughout the study period.

Carlos Lopez says:

"I consider this article nothing short of propaganda and it is a shame such a great profession as the medical one has reduced itself to this level. I'm really disappointed by the amount of lies being spouted in this article and indeed at the antitobacco conference in Edinburgh. The most advanced studies have shown "passive smoking" to be nothing more than a mere irritant and I rest my case on those."

Charles Godwin says:

"I hate smokers. Serves you all right. Ha...ha...ha..ha..."

Freedom To Choose says:

"a ferociously one-sided article that neglects to mention the furore that erupted over the publication of yet more flawed heart attack studies, carried out with no control group and no attempt to show that tobacco sales had in fact decreased during the period following the introduction of the smoking ban in Scotland..."

I think, more of the same! This website does offer a chance to vote and comment on this article that reports the Scottish "Study" that claims a preposterous drop in heart attack admissions to hospital. I recommend we all comment and I'll mirror the comments here.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/82387.php

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Sunday, September 16, 2007

Phil & Blad's Pin-Up

This angel magically appeared in Blad's inbox recently,so we have adopted her as our Blog Pin-Up Girl.
The mystery sender attached the picture with this message:
"I was out at the pub the other night and I recruited a new member to our group. I think she can be a real asset, particularly for video interviews.... "

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The biggest social problem

Gian Turci of Forces International - Italy

By
Gian Turci
FORCES International


The biggest social problem today is not smoking, obesity or drinking. The fundamental problem is what almost everyone seems to overlook: institutional incompetence and corruption. So widespread is the problem, in fact, that most people take it as sort of “normal”, because any ethical and moral standard to measure it against has been utterly obliterated. In the case of smoking the problem is even more obvious: scientifically unsound propaganda is used to systematically “educate” people with what amounts to plain and simple false information. That falsehood is used to forward an ideology and to create a mentality that justifies horrors and social frauds such as smoking being denied employment or medical care, as in the case I am linked to. It is quite obvious that we are talking about a breach of a social contract that, when it was established, did not include at all behaviour control as a condition to receive public care. What is even more upsetting is that the victims of this sour deal are not exonerated from the taxation imposed for delivering the services they do not receive. Would you pay tax to City Hall for garbage removal if the garbage man would remove the trash of your neighbour but not yours? The corruption and incompetence of national and international public health institutions has become so endemic that it has turned to both a policy and an ideology, whilst an immense construction of assumptions and scientifically unsubstantiated hypotheses is constantly passed as solid science to further those policies and ideology. Let’s quickly go to the foundations of that construction. If those foundations do not exist (never mind being on shaky grounds), the rest of the building can stand only with the help of external crutches: your public money. In spite of the big claims, we all know that not even one death can be scientifically demonstrated to be caused uniquely by smoking. Furthermore, it is scientifically impossible to quantify the contribution – if any – of smoking to that death or disease. Finally, there is no disease that is unique to smoking. There are only questionnaire-based interviews on the basis of which statisticians attribute causality to masses of individuals -- but without ever being able to establish the actual cause. We are talking about epidemiology – which, in fact and by definition, cannot establish causality. As people actually die of diseases (but, except for accidents, disease is always the cause of death), the causality of those diseases lies in the interaction of hundreds of un-measurable factors, of which one may be smoking. It follows that the number of “tobacco-related” deaths claimed anywhere in the world is incommensurable – differently than what happens, for example, for polio, malaria or TB. Then it follows that the “cost to society” of smokers is also incommensurable, since you cannot count the “tobacco-related” deaths or diseases in the first place. But then it follows that the “prevention” campaigns are trying to prevent something that is incommensurable at a very high and commensurable cost to the public. It also follows that cigarettes are taxed at high and commensurable levels to “prevent” incommensurable damages. The conclusion is that what is presented as “science” by media and health authorities (but it cannot be science because it can’t establish causality) wants to measure un-measurable costs and deaths while the cost of the politics due to the adoption of that junk science is totally measurable – in millions or billions. But there is an even more horrific conclusion which , for most people, seems to be psychologically unbearable: the institutions are lying to us – deliberately. But a deliberate lie is a crime – especially when it bears costs for society and when it is spoken and implemented by public institutions. Laws against false or misleading advertisement, fraud and misrepresentation exist in every country of the world. Private institutions that practice deception are punished, but clearly, public institutions are not. Politicians caught perpetrating those crimes are finished in all democratic countries, but politicians who practice systematic fraud and say that it is “for your health” are heroes. It follows that fraud is legitimate if the claim is that it’s good for you – although a "fraud that is good for you" is a moral and logical non sequitur. It follows that it is “fair” that children are told lies in schools and that people are taxed to death on the grounds of junk science – and also blamed for the non-deliverance of social contracts because the state says it is their fault. It follows that it is OK that people die and suffer because they are denied operations in hospitals. It follows that criminals who make it to the chairs of “public health” have the licence to offend because they say that what they do is good and that they are “helping” you. If you find something morally wrong in this logic, reflect on that instead of thinking that it is flawless and inescapable. Especially, do something substantial against it. Just a hint: writing petitions and crying from websites or newspaper columns just will not cut it – for crime has never been a democracy and could not care less about your opinion.

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Saturday, September 15, 2007

More on Smoker Refused Surgery

The Royal Cornwall Hospital

By Blad Tolstoy

One begins to wonder which planet the doctors at The Royal Cornwall who are refusing to operate live on. Before the corruption of the anti-smoking lobby took hold of the minds of once decent medical professionals, many smokers were operated on for broken bones plus a wide range of other complaints. In fact, smoking was once the pastime of the majority and if we cast our minds back to the history of WW2 and subsequent wars when the majority of the population smoked one is prompted to wonder how so many of them recovered so well from all sorts of major injuries. It's a good thing that the anti-smoking lobby was not very strong in those days or many people still around and healthy to-day would have been permanently crippled.

Nuttall himself makes the point: "I want to warn other smokers. We have paid our National John NuttallInsurance stamps all our lives and now we are being shut out of the NHS."

Nuttall is right and his remarks illustrate further the hypocrisy of these clinicians for we have commented a number of times on the money that smokers provide to the Exchequer. Not only do smokers pay their National Insurance contributions but also the government is richly benefited in terms of both the direct taxes levied on the sales of tobacco products plus the corporation tax levied on the profits of the tobacco companies. In fact, without such input to the public purse, the rest of the population would have to make up the shortfall in additional taxes. So whilst the doctors at The Royal Cornwall are happy to benefit from the input of smokers' money they are not prepared to play fair in return. This amounts to saying: "give us your money and sod off!"

Moreover, if these doctors think they are saving money in some warped and twisted way then nothing could be further from the truth for consider the cost of providing Nuttall with years of morphine supply. This drug is not the cheapest on the market.

So we name and shame you Royal Cornwall Hospital Truro. Your thinking and conduct are disgraceful and it is a good thing that there are still many decent doctors around who have not succumbed to the profoundly "sick" ideas that you have espoused.

Link to original article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/14/nsmoker114.xml

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Friday, September 14, 2007

Smoker Refused Surgery

Smoker Refused SurgeryUrgent need to overwhelm this article with comments:

Smoking Builder Article

My comments as yet not approved:

I can only agree with these earlier comments. On the surface this seems to be an utter disgrace. Reading between the lines, I suspect that the smoking is not the only issue here. There may be some conflict between John and his medics as he refused surgery when it was advised, and most likely to succeed. He may even have been labelled as a "difficult" patient. This however compounds the issue because obviously none of these factors should be grounds for refusal of treatment. It is very likely that someone involved in the decision is an anti-smoker.

So the surgeons are reluctant to operate as there is only a percentage chance of success. This chance is statistically lowered because John smokes. However, it appears, if the report is taken at face value, that John is prepared to accept the risk. It should be John's choice not the surgeons. They have advised him, he has tried to stop and decided he cannot.

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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Visit Smoking Doctor on MySpace


I've been fiddling on MySpace and have come up with this. Why not give it a visit and see the excellent "Angry Man from the Bronx" video. Also the most perfect song by The Pretty Things called "All Light Up" will play if you have your sound on. It's also a way to find plenty of like minded people who don't mind speaking out...very therapeutic.

The url is http://www.myspace.com/smokingdoctor but the title above works as a link too!

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Friday, September 07, 2007

Freedom to Choose Launch New Forum

Freedom 2 Choose Forum
By Colin Grainger

It gives me very great pleasure to announce the launch of our new forum which can be found here: www.freedom2choose.info/forum

The old forum, known to many as The Big Debate, was due to expire and we had trouble contacting the site owner so we had to make arrangements to move house. It was a fantastic opportunity to start afresh, build a new, more organised forum that members could navigate with ease, quickly find information on the fraud surrounding second hand smoke, and keep up with the daily news from our (one-sided) press. At the time of writing we have around 750 members, but, to be honest, we could do with a few more. Around 14 million would be nice. 30 million would be better.

Far too many of you good people, smokers, and tolerant non-smokers alike, have been hoodwinked. For almost five decades the anti-smoker zealots have ruled the roost. We have had enough. We say, “No more. We are fighting back”. We caved in when they “just” wanted flights of less than two hours to be smoke-free. We caved in when they wanted cinemas to be smoke-free. We caved in when they wanted trains to be smoke-free. We caved in when they wanted buses to be smoke-free. We caved in when they wanted offices and almost all work places to be smoke-free. And why not? We are nice people. We are friendly people. We are laid back people. We were happy to compromise with their reasonable demands.

Then they came for our pubs.
Then our clubs.
Then our restaurants.
And our bingo halls, our taxi’s and our cafe’s.
Now they want our cars. Now they want our football stadia. Now they want our parks. Now they want our beaches. Now they want our homes.

Being reasonable, being nice, being friendly, was our undoing. We caved in once too often and they took advantage. They lied to our government, and in turn, our government lied to us. Successive polls showed that 67% of people wanted restrictions, not an outright ban. HMG ignored the polls. They listened instead to the poison being whispered into their ears by liars who were paid to do the whispering by pharmaceutical companies. Incidentally, pharmaceutical companies are the only entity to gain from a smoker ban. Check their stocks. Sales of useless nicotine replacement therapy products rose by 285% in the two months following the ban. (For interest, these products have a documented long-term failure rate of 94%). The government didn’t even give us a fair hearing. They debated the smoker ban for less than three hours. Three hours! They debated the Iraq War for thirty hours. They debated the fox hunting ban for over four hundred hours. When asked, and believe me, we have asked plenty of them, your average MP has absolutely no idea what any of the junk science means. They don’t know that there has never been a single recorded death due to second hand smoke. They don’t know that the two biggest studies in the world have declared second hand smoke to be grossly exaggerated. They don’t know that of 75 original studies 51 say that there is “no statistically significant risk from second hand smoke”, and that the remaining 24 say that there is “a protective effect”. They certainly don’t know that 74 of these 75 studies were bought and paid for by the (so called) good guys. Only one was sponsored by a tobacco company. A shocking dereliction of duty, in my humble opinion. They leapt on a band wagon and they had absolutely no idea why, or what harm it would do to business, and to the social fabric of this nation. It was simply another law to add to the 3,000 they had enacted during ten years of Labour government. Just one more control mechanism. If you think for even one moment that your government would not lie to you, I would say, “Think Iraq. Think WMD”.

At this point you may be asking yourself what you can do about it. You can come and join us at the Freedom to Choose forum. Once there, you will be able to study the science we have amassed, at your leisure. You can attend protest marches. You can attend peaceful demonstrations. You can assist with our fundraising efforts. You can learn the email (or postal) address of every one of those bone idle MP’s who couldn’t be bothered to look at the science before hurling 14 million smokers and their friends out on the streets. You can sign our petition. You can get involved. You can DO something. You can fight back! You can help us to end or amend the ban.

Help us to restore choice. Help us to get our senior citizens back inside, where they belong. Help us to campaign for Regulated Indoor Air Quality Standards. Help us to prevent more kids from smoking by getting smokers back inside. Where they belong. We are human beings. We do not deserve this treatment. It is barbaric. We will not compromise on this. In short, we have had enough. The War on Smokers will end. We will make it so.

I look forward to welcoming you to the Freedom to Choose Forum.

Colin Grainger
Chairman
Freedom to Choose

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Sunday, September 02, 2007

Broons Britain


By Blad Tolstoy

Whether or not you are religious, the Bible has a lot to teach and reference to the Bible is particularly apposite where Gordon Brown - known to some as Gordon Broon - is concerned, for he is a son of the kirk.

The question has often been asked: why did Christ prefer to mix with sinners such as whores, tax collectors and publicans, as opposed to the great and the good? One answer is that it is only sinners who need the salvation that Christ can offer but another is that the sinners were simply more fun to be with. Christ was not particularly partial to Pharisees and Zealots for he found them intolerant, self satisfied and convinced of their own moral worth.

This is what many people find with todays puritans and post-modernist moralists who are the architects of the nanny state. Many of these people are boring, smug and self preening in their occupation of what they fancy to be the moral high ground.

Brown would undoubtedly seem to fall into this category for at the age of ten, when other boys were playing with Mecanno and reading Biggles, Brown wrote a paper on the dangers and damage of alcohol and smoking and expressed the prohibitionist hope that people would stop indulging in these pleasures.

Now many people would agree that such pleasures should be indulged in, in moderation, but as we can see with Browns endorsement of smoking bans - and no doubt the alcohol prohibitions that may follow - his zeal is not that of the newly converted but of one so nurtured from the cradle. He must indeed be happy that so many public houses are going out of business due smoking bans, as for him, this must be the perfect double whammy.

Unfortunately, however, Brown is not as moral as he probably considers himself. He claims his muse is prudence but the impression we receive is that it is really spendthrift.

This man as chancellor - and now as prime minister - is intent on bleeding the country dry with taxes, and those taxes which he extorts are never enough as large numbers will testify when they assess the continually deteriorating condition of many of our public services and institutions.

Britain now has a debt mountain of 1.3 trillion and star amongst Nu-Labours recent rip-offs of the less well off are the removal of the 10p lower income tax rate and the removal of the zero corporation tax levy on profits and surpluses of under 10,000 per annum. The latter has been supplanted by a 19% rate which will adversely affect many small clubs and community organisations which are not registered charities. So much then for Browns concern for the less well off.

With regard to the smoking prohibition issue with which many of the readers of this site are very familiar, this last week, in Browns Britain, we have been bombarded with new and exaggerated smoking mortality figures as the anti smoking lobby, desperate the shore up the publics declining belief in the dangers of second hand smoke, ups the hyperbole to new and increasingly hysterical levels.

To date, we have heard claims of 10,000, 13,000 and even 44,000 smoking related deaths per annum and, moreover, we know how such figures are obtained. They are obtained by taking records of anyone who smokes or has ever smoked and categorising any subsequent diseases or deaths with regard to those people as being smoking related irrespective of whether they are or not.

This last week heard figures of 13 smoking related deaths per hour bandied about as fact. If we get out the calculators that now increases the smoking mortality figure, at a stroke, to 113,880 each year. Small wonder then, that ASH, at the BBCs invitation, refused to debate the smoking ban issue publicly with Freedom to Choose this last week (28th August 2007), for they would have been confronted by Freedom to Choose's formidable media debater Bob Feal-Martinez, and the result of such a confrontation would have been the exposure of the junk that ASH and their cronies present as science.

That junk science should be the order of the day in this field and others (such as climate change) is of course, no credit to Gordon Brown either, for this man, in his puritanical zeal, is content to preside over a diet of lies and scientific subterfuge. Worse still, whilst castigating and discriminating against smokers, he is still content to take the enormous revenues generated by smoking taxes. These taxes, I shall add, are twofold: they consist of both the direct tax levied on the sales of tobacco products and the corporation tax levied on the profits of the tobacco companies.

Yes indeed, beneath the facade of every puritan lives a hypocrite.

Blad Tolstoy

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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

People Polls

Posted by Lyn Ladds - Guest

I have been thinking over the weekend and something applies to more than just the smoking ban and can also apply locally as well as nationally are these so called Polls of People that are apparently undertaken and we are then told that "the majority of people polled were in favour of ...."

I would like to know if anyone out there knows anyone who has been polled. I have never known anyone on any of the pro smoking sites who has admitted being polled, nor do I know of anyone personally.

Do these polls actually exist or do the people setting the polls have a group of people who will vote the way they want and these are the only ones polled, except for perhaps a handful of ordinary people, just so some anwers are different?

Does anyone have any idea how these work or how anyone can find out how wide these polls actually are?

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Sunday, August 12, 2007

Lifestyle Cancers

(a letter printed in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday August 11th, 2007)
Graph inset to show relationship between incidence of all cancers and age of onset.

Smoking BansSir - The notion that half of all cancers are caused by lifestyle factors is nonsense. Cancer is overwhelmingly a disease of old age, and because we are living longer the incidence of cancer is increasing.

What the "experts" ignore when discussing health statistics is that we all die. If one cause of death decreases, another must increase. Deaths from so-called lifestyle diseases have increased as deaths from accidents and infectious diseases have declined. That does not mean that our lifestyles are killing us, but that we now die of diseases related to age.

The cancers quoted in your report (August 9th) - mouth, kidney, womb and malignant melanoma - account for a total of perhaps 25,000 cases a year, affecting around 0-03 per cent of the population. This is a tiny percentage and demonstrates how unlikely it is that our modern lifestyle is primarily responsible.

Tim Hammond
London SW6

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Wednesday, August 08, 2007

At least somebody at The Guardian is not prissy old fart?

Simon Jenkins article linked in this post provides plenty of well written foodfor thought. I apologise for not linking it earlier but I have to admit The Guardian newspaper is not one of my preferred reads! It is frankly a bit of a pleasant surprise that such an enlightened essay is allowed space in this strange rag. Read more here...

"This ban is a classic instance of centralised meddling which ignores the potential of local self-discipline"



Simon Jenkins
Friday July 6, 2007
The Guardian

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Tuesday, August 07, 2007

True colours of ASH

ASH are Nazis

An original posting from a guest contributor - John Hughes.
Here novelly presented by Gasdoc Visuals as a bitmap.
Thanks to Blad Tolstoy for recognising the brilliance!

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"Stars Are Born"

By Blad Tolstoy


After some deliberation as to what protesting smokers should be called, it was decided, following the suggestion of a canny Scotsman and without too much difficulty, that we should refer to ourselves as STARS.

STARS stands for: "Smokers taking a rebellious stand"...Good eh?

Yes, we have added positively to our terminology. We are Stars and the antis are "Extremists," which indeed they are for never has a truer word been spoken. Moreover, the antis' cannon fodder - those witless, well meaning, yet badly informed morons who make up the rank and file of ASH and other similar human atrocities - are also pretty stupid. I once remember a discussion with one of them and when I pointed out that ETS, in the quantities in which we normally experience it, has never been shown to be a deadly toxic substance, she asked: "Are you trying to insult my intelligence?" I pointed out she had already done that to herself. She has never spoken to me since. Excellent!

So there we are. Go forth good people, take your rebellious stands, give the antis more headaches, for we are stars in the ascendant, and they, are but waning moons.

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Monday, August 06, 2007

As usual it's time to strike the most vulnerable...Again!

By Blad Tolstoy

Yes, as usual the anti-joy movement strikes the most vulnerable first in its voracious desire to impose its will on the world. This time it's pregnant women who make such easy targets as they are emotionally blackmailed into Smoking pregnant womanstopping smoking and drinking for fear of damaging their unborn child. A very worrying feature of this approach is that it makes the woman's body no longer her own as busybodies and do-gooders stick their snouts in because they always know what's best for everyone else. What would be best for everyone else, of course, would be if the busybodies dropped dead which, thank goodness, they all will do at some time or another despite the fact that they think that if everyone lives like they do we will all live forever. All I can say is that life is far too short to worry about living forever and that worry and guilt are probably two of the factors most damaging to good health that there are.

It is with that in mind that I dug up this fairly recent article by my old pal Simon Heffer at The Daily Telegraph. Well, he's not my old pal really but sometimes I feel he is for although there are subjects on which we differ in our opinions very sharply, when it comes to the defence of liberty Simon is up there with the best of them. So here we go:

"Nine months without a drink"

All around us are normal, healthy, intelligent and fit people whose mothers committed what it seems is shortly to be the crime of drinking alcohol while pregnant with them. I know the medical profession means well, but this is simply another part of its not-so-hidden agenda where alcohol is concerned. Having helped to make it almost illegal to smoke except in the Sahara Desert in a westerly wind - and then only if there are no camels within a 20-mile radius - doctors now wish to do the same for boozing. Expectant mothers are a soft target. Presumably men will be next, being told that more than a pint of beer a month will wreck your chances of fathering a child. I know you think I'm joking so laugh while you can.

Simon
Heffer.

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Friday, August 03, 2007

A quick guide to the smokefree law!

My workplace, like many I'm sure, have circulated a helpful leaflet to explain the smokefree law. I felt it needed improvement so this is it:


A quick guide to the smokefree law.

Smokefree Law DocumentThe new smokefree law is being introduced to protect non-smoking employees and the general public from absolutely nothing; to arbitrarily alienate a large group of society; to line the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry; to facilitate ill people’s wrongful claims against whoever they feel like and to passify a large group of vociferous bigots with anxiety disorders. Read the whole thing...

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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Nonsense on the High Seas

The government now intends to introduce smoking regulations at sea. To be precise the ban will be inflicted on all vessels with crews and passengers sailing up to 12 miles off the coast and on inland waterways and will not just apply to UK registered ships but to ships of all flags.

See:
http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=IPED11%20Jul%202007%2007%3A05%3A43%3A097

Now, it would be untrue to say that the government has finally gone completely nuts because it reached that point some time ago where smoking bans are concerned. However, unable to enforce its ban on land properly with resistance growing daily, HMG spreads its idiocy even further.

This ban at sea will yet another law which will be flouted regularly and easily in many cases by both passengers and sailors. Imagine too, the crazy picture of the Royal Navy having to board foreign ships just to see if someone is smoking in an off limits area. Well, oh yes I can. The Royal Navy is in a terrible state with Gordon Brown just having mothballed half the fleet. What better role for our hard pressed matelots (many of whom smoke themselves) than to play nanny on the high seas? Did someone say: "Rule Britannia"?

Blad Tolstoy

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The Dutch are exploding in Amsterdam. Solidarity Rules!

A message from Forces Netherlands, with several worthwhile links. Looks like they are on our side!

Hi folks,

We had a wonderfull surprise action against the smoking ban plans in Amsterdam last sunday. It was the main event during our crusader trip against the smoking ban'. On boats we have been driving through the Amsterdam canals ('grachten') while playing an anti-smoking ban song loudly from two boats and producing clouds of smoke. We got a tremendous media coverage and even were invited to start a weblog on one of the Dutch main TV media's websites.

Pictures can be found on our site:

http://www.forces-nl.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1516

A TV report can be found here:

http://www.at5.nl/speler_at5nieuws.asp?newsid=27948

The song that was played from the boat:

http://www.antirookverbod.nl/downloads/antirookverbod.mp3 (anti-smoking ban song)

As a result of our crusade action, an enormous petition action has been started that tries to gather 300.000 signatures against the smoking ban plans.

We are back on the map again!

Wiel

Message received from Blad

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Parkinsons & Smoking

passive smoking, smoking bansThe Times yesterday demonstrated a fairly high standard of journalism yesterday when reporting on the latest puplication into the association between Parkinson's Disease and smoking. Using words like "may reduce risk" and "research suggests", Joanna Carpenter managed to present the facts rather than the hysteria.


However, the fact that it was reported is the issue. As usual the publication was an epidemiological study but not only that it was a study that simply pooled the available past data. By doing this the authors managed to satisfy the God of statistics and produced their Nirvana, statistical significance. Of course it still has no real significance and certainly doesn't mean that smoking reduces your chances of developing Parkinson's Disease.

The statistically significant risk ratio produced was 0.13 to 0.32. This was of course referred to as 13% to 32% as these are bigger numbers and no-one understands decimals. Hang on, does anyone underststand percentages. However, the God of epidemiology is not satisfied as such small relative risks are not supposedly reliable. Nevermind, so long as the God, Statistics is happy!

This report and the academic publication is an example of the level of science reporting we are exposed to today. It has an exact parallel with "Passive Smoking" reports and puplications as they too glorify the God of Statistics and fail to prove anything at all at exactly the same spurious or irrelevant relative risk ratios.
Put another way...
If the anti-smoking lobby is right about the passive smoking risk studies then I am definitely 32% less likely to develop Parkinson's disease! Hurray!

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Saturday, July 07, 2007

Hawaii Support


Here is Hawaii news report on the phenomenal pacific support for our Day of Defiance. It's very good reading. Read more...


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Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Day of Defiance in Hawaii

From Dave Crowley in Hawaii:

The TV stations here treated us well! One of the stories opened up showing me light up a cigar close up...the big banner "WORLD DEFIANCE DAY ... AMERICANS FOR FREEDOM OF CHOICE" was an awesome site...will send pics...we had about 200 people show up during the event at O'Tooles...no police confrontation...WHICH IS A PRIME EXAMPLE THAT THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS...

Sen. Sam Slom showed up, a big supporter of small business and our cause of freedom of choice...big whip in the minority party...REPUBLICAN OF COURSE...HA!...but i guess the biggest moment of the affair was when my cell phone rang and lo and behold it was NICK HOGAN calling from england, about lam his time...and it was about 2pm our time...the place was packed...so i stopped the entire party and told them our brit brother was on the phone and shall we give him a scream and yell of support...boy, you could hear it for miles i bet..."go brits go" over and over again! He was so overwhelmed with our support from hawaii...as he states "from you mates across the pond"...that was an awesome feeling...to be connected with someone halfway around the world TOGETHER celebrating an act of defiance against an intrusive unfair government entity...

I DO BELIEVE THAT WHAT THIS EVENT DID WAS GIVE ALL OF US ON OUR SIDE OF THE MOVEMENT A SENSE OF UNITY AND SOLIDARITY THAT WE HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED IN SUCH A LEVEL BEFORE...FOR THE FIRST TIME I FELT THAT I WAS PART OF A HUGE MOVEMENT...IT WASN'T JUST US LIL OL FOLKS WAY OUT HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN...NO...THIS TIME IT WAS LIKE WE WERE ALL HOLDING HANDS IN SOLIDARITY ALL THE WAY AROUND THE PLANET!

WHAT THIS EVENT DID ALSO WAS TO SHOW IN A STRIKING MANNER TO OUR GESTAPO OPPOSITION THAT WE ARE NO LONGER, YES NO LONGER, A SCARED STIFF WIMP ASS PUSSY WUSSY THAT CAN BE JUST SHOVED UNDER THE RUG WITHOUT A FIGHT GOING DOWN! THEY ARE NOW LOOKING AT US WITH A DIFFERENT SET OF GLASSES... AND BELIEVE ME THERE WILL BE MANY COMMITTEE MEETINGS ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE THIS WEEK..."OH SHIT...THIS WAS WORLDWIDE...WHAT DO WE DO NOW"?

WELL...WE WILL BE PREPARED FOR WHATEVER THEY COME UP WITH...AND WE NOW HAVE ONE FULL YEAR TO PREPARE FOR WORLD DEFIANCE DAY 2008 WITH MILLIONS ACROSS THE GLOBE PARTICIPATING...THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN, FULL STEAM, WORLDWIDE!!!

We were all a part of history in the making, as every July l will live on for generations to come!

aloha, dave

Received by Blad

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Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Smoking Bans by Prof J Brignell!

Black Sunday!

Today in England we have a smoking ban.

  • Innocent children are being stabbed to death by feral gangs who chase them down the street screaming “Kill! kill!” – but we have a smoking ban.
  • Child gangs fight deadly pre-arranged battles with clubs and chains – but we have a smoking ban
  • Over a quarter of children have taken illegal and dangerous drugs – but we have a smoking ban.
  • Gun crime is rife in our inner cities – but we have a smoking ban.
  • You are far more likely to be mugged or burgled in London than in New York – but we have a smoking ban.
  • People are being killed in their thousands by filthy Government run hospitals – real people with real autopsies, real tissue samples and real grieving families, not imaginary people produced by fake statistics – but we have a smoking ban.
  • The entire population are seized with a new fear, acairasthenephobia , the fear of being taken ill out of hours, which has already resulted in death – but we have a smoking ban.
  • Police in crime and drug infested Scotland spend their time looking out for smoking van drivers – for we have a smoking ban.

An excerpt from a most agreable article on TheNumberwatch Site of the great and good Professor John Brignell. All Hail! Read the whole thing...

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Gordon Brown – One Term Prime Minister

Whether you like it or not, what happened on Sunday 1st July when thousands of smokers the length and breadth of Britain defied the smoking ban was democracy at work.

Indeed, when adults decide how they want to live their lives as opposed to allowing themselves to be dictated to by others is freedom of choice and that is the very essence of democracy. Moreover, although most of us who read and contribute to the sites of pro-choice movements would all have found absurd, even a week ago, the notion that the humble and controversial cigarette would become a symbol of freedom, that is nevertheless what it has now become.

However, we must look forward to a new prime minister – Gordon Brown – and ask ourselves whether or not this man will have a better sense of justice and fair play than the previous incumbent of his office.

As we contemplate life under this overweight man not only must we consider that he is a poor example for healthy living, but also that his most natural inclination when things need to be achieved is to be a bully: an overweight bully with a clunking fist who demands that we all comply in accepting collective responsibility.

Collective responsibility on what terms we may ask ourselves because such concepts are normative and hence largely subjective in their detail.

The answer to this is probably pretty obvious. Brown, the rather boring and ponderous son of the kirk, operating without the people’s mandate, will impose his heavy handed nonconformist ideals upon us in order to create a more moral Britain. He is a joyless bore and his choice of health minister speaks volumes. This is Alan Johnson, a man who erroneously and lazily believes that “all the evidence is in” with regard to the issue of second hand smoke. Johnson is another herbert, another brick in the wall, who has allowed himself to be seduced by the words of corrupt and senior members of the medical establishment who have sold science down river in order to promote a health cause either for fanatical reasons or for pharmaceutical money.

Under Gordon Brown then, we can look forward to the further erosion of democracy as freedom is subjugated in the name of health and population control. This charge neither he nor his coterie of sycophants and career politicians would accept for they are so afflicted by the blindness of their own conceit that they no longer consider it necessary to listen to what the people of Britain have to say, except in the pseudo sense whereby we are consulted and then completely ignored.

However, I have a warning for Gordon Brown. Many people in Britain are waking up and we shall assist this process. A general election will inevitably come and it is my bet that the boring bully boy fist clunker will not be very popular.

Subsequently, I stick my neck out, although I think the odds are greatly in my favour. I therefore place the wager of £100 that Brown will be a one term prime minister. If I loose, and I am confident that I shall not, then I shall pay my £100 to a charity or charities chosen by the members of Freedom to Choose.

Blad Tolstoy

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Monday, July 02, 2007

Day of Defiance at Bolton on 1/7/09

I attended Freedom to Choose’s second Day of Defiance at The Swan pub, Churchgate, Bolton, Lancashire, UK on 1st July 2007 and what a great event it was. Well, I say what a great event it was, but in fact it’s due to continue until 4 am tomorrow morning (July 2nd).

Nick Hogan, the landlord, reported that on the evening and night of 30th June his establishment was almost completely packed with about 700 attending and following on from a briefing provided earlier in the day for other pub landlords and the press.

To-day’s event commenced at about 12 midday and by about 2 pm the Swan was pleasantly filled with a fluctuating crowd of about 300 people from all over the UK. Freedom to Choose members were drawn from Scotland (quite a few) and Wales with one even turning up from Northern Ireland. English locations represented were: Nottingham, Leicester, Cambridge, Peterborough, Bolton and Manchester.

There were also a lot of non Freedom to Choose members too (and of course) and some had come specially from Manchester and other towns and cities surrounding Bolton to attend the event.

There was a superb traditional jazz band which played throughout most of the afternoon and a particularly colourful performance was given by the Accrington Scottish Pipe Band which was most stirring for the soul.

The press appeared to be there in abundance as well although this writer studiously avoided them preferring instead to leave the task of speaking to them to others more gifted in that department. Some of the “defiers” even wore imaginative rigouts with a cowboy flavour which provided excellent material for press photographs. It was good too to hear people on mobile phones telling their friends to “come on over as everyone is smoking”.

Furthermore, on more than one occasion I heard non-smoking attendees stating: “everyone should have freedom to choose”.
Nick Hogan also reported that his phone had been ringing continuously with messages of support coming in from all over the world including our colleagues from Hawaii.

The police were great and did not interfere, as promised, and the afternoon proceeded in an orderly fashion (no loutish behaviour at all and everyone friendly). However, just in case anyone thinks this means the event was dull would be wrong. It was a good old fashioned type pub event and nothing whatsoever similar to the rather crummy soulless atmospheres of pubs and bars which have been polluted by the policies of antismokerism.

With antismokers in mind, the highlight of the afternoon resulted from the actions of three of them who turned up to try and push their message. One particularly bold woman of uncertain age informed Nick Hogan that she had a right to choose too and that his pub was not, by permitting smoking, allowing her, her choice. Nick explained that despite the fact The Swan is called a “public house” it is, nevertheless, still private property in addition to being his home and that he may choose the conditions that prevail there and, moreover, that she was able to choose whether to enter or not. The antismoker started to become enraged and a little aggressive, in fact she reminded me of an irate turkey with a knitting needle stuck in its bottom. Nick’s response was to give her a practical lesson in what it means to have one’s freedom of choice truly taken away. He physically removed her from his premises and told her she was barred!

I haven’t laughed so much for quite some time…

Bladimir Tolstoy.

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