[Bill Ferny]

I agree with Squatter in theory, though maybe not in emphasis. From my experience in the real world, those who do not live healthy lifestyles end up being a termendous drain on society.

However, pointed attacks against smoking miss the target all together. The fact of the matter is that heart diasese, obesity, STDs, unwanted pregnancies, and terrible driving habits land people without insurance in the emergency room far more often than lung cancer and emphazima. The coerosive affects of achohol and drugs are just as damaging to the individual and society on a pychological level as the physical affects of immoderate smoking.

Don't get me wrong! Smoking, even in moderation, is certialy not physically healthy, and it does cause lung cancer and emphazima, slows down recovery time after injury, and is damaging to a fetus.

However, other poor living conditions, such as poor diets (fast-food), lack of excersise (sitting at computers all day), and stress (unhealthy interaction with others and poor life managing) are equal contributing factors to poor health. If you are going to mark smoking as the devil, you should also be prepared to equally attack fast-food, luxury technology, and how people live and work with others and manage their day to day lives.

Back to Tolkien: Hobbits seem to live very healthy lives. They excersize, eat well, enjoy (for the most part) healthy interpersonal relationships, and seem to have a good handle on what is truly important in life. Thus, occassionally smoking or drinking doesn't seem to be all that unhealthy, and might even, as Gandalf said, "help to clear the mind of shadows within."

[ October 16, 2002: Message edited by: Bill Ferny ]