Where There Is Smoke, There is ... Vapor?

Hey folks and welcome back. Mr. Peabody, fire up the wayback machine and let's go back to the 1970's. Back in the seventies I was your basic teenager; wild, and stupid. One of the things I learned how to do was smoke cigarettes. Now a few years later I realize that is just about as smart as using concertina wire as dental floss. Don't get me wrong. I truly enjoy smoking. I like the ritual, the social aspect, the taste, etc. But, I realize that the health risks to myself and more importantly to the people around me are huge. So, I decided to quit. Heck it was easy. I managed to quit 15 times over twenty years .

Well I found a new way to feed the need. I've got this thing called an electronic cigarette, e-cig or PV (personal vaporizer) for short. It's a battery, an atomizer, and a cartridge that contains liquefied nicotine. Take a nice long drag and feel the throat hit and lungs expand. Savor the taste. Exhale, and you blow water vapor the looks like smoke. No tobacco, no added chemicals like arsenic, no odor, no sidestream or second-hand smoke, and no dangers to passersby. I have a wife who used to smoke, and kids who've never smoked. None of them were shy at telling me how bad it stunk up the house. And so far all of them think I did the right thing. By the way, I've been tobacco free for almost a month now. I can feel the changes in my body from not inhaling a few thousand chemicals. I'm still addicted to nicotine, but I am convinced that I am better off.

Oh, and did I mention that while the up front cost is sorta steep in the long term it pays for itself in savings? Talk about being a realist. Money talks. Taxation of tobacco is a big revenue generator at all levels of the government. So, what do you think they are going to do about this new phenomenon?

Enter the Food and Drug Administration. These people are not elected. Instead they are appointed and get to make regulations within the very general guidelines provided by the actual law. But make no mistake, these regulations have the effect of law even if the Congress never voted on it.

Right now the FDA stands poised to jump in one of two directions. They can classify e-cigs as a tobacco product and regulate it that way or they can call it a drug delivery device. If they call e-cigs a device they can ban them outright.

I personally couldn't care less what you do in your personal life and your personal time as long as you don't hurt anyone. And, I strongly feel that the .gov has no business in that realm either. And I do get a little bit upset when the government tries to tell people how to live their lives. So if you want to walk down the street butt naked smokin a big ol stogie and a carrying a samauri sword..... go for it. Just don't infringe on others rights when you do.

You need to be aware that the reality of today's government is that the politicians (crooks and liars for the most part), are the ones enabling the bureaucrats. They do this to appease the various lobbies that keep the cash on tap.

If you believe that everyone has the right to live their lives as they see fit without government interference, you might need to watch this issue. If you believe that lifestyle choices (think gay-rights for example) are your choices and not subject to government approval, you might need to watch this issue.

This blog is about facing reality. FTFGIMAD stands for face the facts, get involved, make a difference. So, how can we do that and keep it real? The answer is to challenge everything that has the potential to encroach on your personal liberties. I respect a non-smokers right to breathe clean air. So, I support regulating smoking in a way that preserves smokers and non-smokers rights. I don't support potential adverse regulation, taxation, or outright banning of a device that has the potential to be a healthier alternative to tobacco. And, my elected reps from the mayor to the president have heard from me on this issue.

You may be wondering why I am on a soapbox over an electronic cigarette when there are high profile issues dominating the news. Part of it is my own self-interest to be sure. But, the bigger part is that it's not always the obvious civil liberties contained in the Bill of Rights that are stolen. Sometimes they sneak around the edges and just whittle 'em away from other folks. They figure you won't care about other peoples rights as long as yours are left alone. That might work, for now.

Here are some links that discuss this issue. Remember the WIIFM principle. What's In It For Me? Tax Revenue? Protection of Big Tobbacco companies? Or is it just a government that has decided you can't be trusted to live your own life? You decide.

From Wikipiedia
Smoking Everywhere V. FDA
Oregon AG moves to block 'E-cigarette' sales
Debate continues over e-cigarettes | Jackson County Floridan
FDA and Public Health Experts Warn About Electronic Cigarettes

FTFGIMAD
Technorati Tags: smoking, anti-smoking, FDA, e-cigarette, e-cigarettes, addiction, politics, public health, civil liberties

The New Look

Special Thanks go out to Hoctro for his continuing great work in customising the user interface at blogger.com. I am slowly relearning language ala the internet and without folks who publish the knowlege and take the time to make tutorials and explain the process, I'd be lost. He isn't the only one by any means. But, his style compliments mine more than the others. Thanks again.

Break Time

Ha! I made it thru two more snowstorms and a(nother) fifty odd hour work week. Everything in the new house is still covered by those three little words In A Box...... I've been doing a lot of political entries lately and so need a break. So now we are going to look at the rest of the world......

Some say that I only praise the military. And after slamming back at a diary on daily kos, I can see why they would think that. But let me tell you, anyone, anywhere can be a hero. In Houston, this act is enough to break your heart. It's a tragic story and doesn't have a happy ending. But, the man is a hero in the truest sense of the word. I heard it on the radio and had to find the print version. I hope his last act mitigates any potential sins to be held against him.

I heard this today on Sirius radio. All I can say is that I better not have to buy new hardware. I subscribed to Sirius during my truck driving days and haven't looked back. Back then you had to shell out about one-forty for the receiver. Now you can get one that records (like TIVO) for about seventy bux . I like listening to everything on it. I have a system where each time I stop my van to do a job I switch channels. From the AP...

(AP) If Sirius and XM have their way, Howard Stern and Oprah Winfrey could soon be sharing the same airwaves.

Long bitter rivals, Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. have decided that they would be better off working as one rather than duking it out in the marketplace -- Full Story

On the other end of the tech spectrum, crime is rising. One has to wonder what these guys could accomplish if they applied their skills other than on the dark side. It is getting so that you need a bodyguard to surf the web. There goes the neighborhood.

'Phishing' Scammers Try New Tactics
by Jack Speer

Morning Edition, February 15, 2007 · It used to be that phishing attacks, a kind of computer fraud, centered around e-mails that attempted to trick users into giving up passwords.

But the assaults are getting more sophisticated. In some cases, phishers are employing special software that allows them to persuade users they're dealing with a legitimate Web site.

Scott London, an attorney in Santa Barbara, Calif., and thinks of himself as Internet savvy — not the sort of person who gets taken in by online scams.

Until he did.

Story

Of course no entry about life in general would be complete without the "I cannot believe they did this" category.

Pelvic thrust led to Chippendales arrests
Blowing on a woman’s neck and thrusting a pelvis led to 11 arrests last weekend after police shut down a male review at Jake’s Sports Cafe, said the bar’s owner. The dancers, their manager, a production manager and a manager of Jake’s Sports Cafe were arrested during the first of three performances scheduled for Feb. 16. Lubbock Police Lt. Greg Stevens declined to elaborate on what “simulation of a sexual act” caused police to shut down the dance performance, but said “they engaged in behavior that falls under the city code for sexually oriented businesses.” Scott Stephenson, one of Jake’s owners, said one of the dancers blew on a woman’s neck and thrusted his pelvis toward her the rest of the story

Yep, with all the online porn, strippers just on the edge of the city, hookers walking the street, we have to get a hold of the half dressed men who entertain the women. I smell a lawsuit.

Y'all have fun now.

Internet Fun

I just revamped my personal homepage using a google account. You get to pick your own stuff and just drag and drop it.

So now, when I log onto the net, I have a homepage with three tabs labeled general, news, and games. Google is great. I had a game attached to this blog but it took up too much real estate. As I continue to learn, I will re-add it.