There's been an almost daily assault lately of anti-smoker propaganda and the absurd Third Hand Smoke(THS) is one of the most obnoxious because it's aim is to create smokerphobia and exclusion of a minority group.
Those who want to eradicate tobacco by any means might think smokers are fair game to attack. But it would be nice to think, at least, that it's because they really do believe the health threats and are genuinely terrified of us.
So why do they admit to lying through their teeth to get funding - and why would funders and Govt continue to support these bigoted groups when they admit to being less than honest?
Rich White from Smokescreens points out that junk science is thrust purposefully on an unsuspecting public with the aim of causing prejudice and fear and ultimately exclusion of a social group.
What this really means is that individuals with a prejudice agenda are able to openly admit it and receive lavish amounts of money in return. It's a shame that America has just celebrated Martin Luther King day, a man who is revered for helping to erode social segregation, but simultaneously it is working hard to segregate another group of society - even fabricating evidence to do so.
America is embracing new prejudices while crowing about how far forward it has moved as an alleged "tolerant" and "equal" society. The UK blindly follows this trash because our leaders are quite simply thick, cowardly or naïve.
I fight for freedom of choice and I believe in individuality although I always thought of myself as more socialist than capitalist because I've always been poor. It was a surprise therefore to find this blog listed as "Right Wing" by Total Politics.
Perhaps I've changed and if so it is the smoking ban that has done it. Perhaps politics has and it isn't about "left" or "right" anymore.
I believe the battle is now between those who want to be left alone and those who want to control every move they make. Libertarianism V Authoritarianism as Josie Appleton writing in Spiked observes when examining the recent imposition of the smoking ban in Spain:
In this battle it is crystal clear what is at stake in smoking bans, and what the different sides represent. This is not a conflict between smokers and non-smokers, but between those who are for the bureaucratic regulation of social life and those who are for tolerance and liberty.