How To Save Lives!

I have an idea, but most of you probably won’t like it. Let me back up a bit. People in government have gotten together and said, “Hey, let’s ban tobacco, because it kills people.” Well, they can’t really ban it but they can make it expensive to buy legally. The key word, of course, is the last one. A pack of cigarettes in Manhattan (or anywhere in NYC) will set you back $14.00. That doesn’t make too many people quit, but it does make criminals out of most of them. They can probably buy a pack for anywhere from $8.00 to $10.00; maybe less. I don’t really know since I smoke cigars and I wouldn’t even consider buying them anywhere in New York.

What all of this means is that New York is losing a lot of tax dollars. And they top that with the ridiculous statements they make trying to convince people to stop smoking. The Surgeon-General of the United States (by the way; exactly what does the Surgeon-General of the United States do? What are his/her duties? If you guessed that it is a political patronage job, like so many others in all levels of government; you guessed right) recently stated to the press that smoking just one cigarette can kill you—really? That should be news to the medical establishment who has told us that you can save your life by quitting the habit now. But, according to the Surgeon-General, if you smoked that one cigarette, I guess you are a goner. Then someone “discovered” second-hand smoke. It takes a two-pack a day smoker about twenty years to develop lung cancer or a circulatory ailment; so how much harm can fumes from cigarettes that you might inhale (if you’re too stupid to open a window) for a few minutes cause? That’s assuming, of course, that the second-hand smoke inhaler doesn’t already have some lung condition or disease. But, they weren’t satisfied with that. Now, they are talking about “third-hand” smoke. What is that (?) you may ask? They are tobacco fumes that come off of your clothes. Give me a break.

They have also banned “Trans-fats” and several other items they fear harm your health. They are also after sugar and salt. God bless their hearts. Now here’s my idea: if they really want to save lives, why not ban religion? After all, religion, particularly Christianity, is responsible for more deaths than any known disease with the possible exception of malaria. World War I (fought by Christian nations) caused 20 million deaths. World War II caused around 60 million deaths (again, primarily fought by Christian nations.) Christians wiped out the Aztecs and Inca nations and, in general waged wars of genocide against Indians in both North and South America. They did the same to the Maoris in New Zealand and the Aborigines in Australia. Then there was the Crusades, the Inquisition; well, you get the idea. And Muslims are just starting to catch up. The only thing they haven’t figured out yet is how to kill their enemies without killing themselves first.

Now Buddhists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Quakers aren’t into any of this stuff, so I would allow them to practice, but you have to wonder about all of the others however. Jesus and Mohammad were two of the greatest figures in history with a message of peace and love. Look what their followers, with the two aforementioned exceptions (Quakers and Jehovah’s Witnesses) have done.

Now, I put it to you. Wouldn’t we save more lives by banning religion than by banning tobacco, trans-fats, salt, sugar, DDT, alar, drugs, etc.?