the new culprit i which to go to
war is .... tobacco products.


In my view it's a little different, as my issue with smoking is that it is
smelly, obnoxious, filthy, and grossly inconsiderate., not only to those around
the smoker, but to those that will occupy the same space in the future (long in
the future if it's indoor). It has a big adverse aesthetic impact. I would be
pleased if smoking was banned for those reasons alone. However, if people want
to chew tobacco, or take it intravenously, I don't care.

However, we are bandying about this health thing like a mantra - another
example of society protecting us from ourselves, which makes me angry. If I
want to put MYSELF in danger, I should be able to. In fact, if I want to harm
myself, I should be able to. I should be able to choose my own risk vs.
benefit relationship and live with the consequences. Seat belt laws are
another example, and the fact that society pays for health care costs of those
that choose "wrong" does also enter into this. I could go on for many
paragraphs (but won't).

I have a lot of respect for the FAA regs inasmuch as they respect the idea that
pilots should be able to make their own (informed) risk vs. benefit decisions
on their own behalf. The rules are stricter as pilots make these decisions on
the behalf of others, as they should be. But from a safety point of view,
pilots have an enormous amount of discretion (and responsibility).

This security thing turns everything upside down. It takes advantage of the
fact that people are ill-informed, and don't really care about the consequences
of these decisions, to advance the political agenda of those in power. (have I
said anything new here? We're so afraid of our shadows that the most
effective thing terrorists could do now is throw shadows. It will shut us down
in a week.

Jose



(for Email, make the obvious changes in my address)