If the skies and ground of the US were blackened by the presence of a foreign enemy, the call would go out to mobilize all available manpower and resources to the task at hand. "Stop the enemy and preserve our American freedoms" would be the battle cry and most everyone would heed the call to do what they could to win the battle. Our freedom to stay an autonomous nation is worth it.

Autonomy for our nation may still collectively be important, but it seems that the autonomy of the individual is given up without so much as a wimper for most.  It used to be that we all lived lives where health, sickness, vices and death were part of the picture and things were fine.  The authorities and the medical community left us alone to live, wherever it took us. Liberty and the pursuit of happiness were paramount.  Individuals were autonomous, as designed by Americas' founding fathers.

Individuals are now judged by the "lifestyle" choices they make. Do you smoke, drink, take drugs, eat fatty foods or ones that are not considered good for you? Are you overweight?  Do you ever exercise?  Do you have "high risk" hobbies like bungie or parachute jumping, sun bathing or riding motorcycles?  The list goes on and on.

How long will it be before individuals no longer are free to make individual decisions about their lifestyle, health or hobbies?  Being free to choose is the very essence of freedom.  Having a choice at all, to some, reflect risk.  Preventable risk. 

How have we as a nation gone from "live and let live" to "choice can be a real danger"?  The answer lies in a desire for CONTROL.  Pure and simple control.  Politics and health have become bedfellows.  There are those who wish to bring the entire population under tight behavior controls, but under the context of "For your own good."

In the past health officials gave advice, and advice only on what an ideal of health should be.  Now we are overwhelmed by health scares. We now live longer, and are more safe than at any time in our history.  Despite this, there is a climate of fear that hangs over us.  Literally thousands of reasons to fear uncontrolled behavior and risk have been pushed onto us by the media, politicians and special interest groups.  By government at all levels assuring us protection through ever increasing regulation, personal will and personal autonomy are laid down in the hopes that answers will follow.  Answers never do follow because risks that you were protected from in the first place were either exaggerated, beyond government control or never really existed at all.  Americans gives up freedom to be rescued from dangers that were never really there to begin with or not controllable.  It is the perfect con game.

There are some health warnings that have really served the public interest. Public health can serve a purpose. However, most that cover the subjects of foods, guns, alcohol, gambling, smoking and the environment, among others are designed, by political skill, to make us less free but no less ill or safe.

Dave Pickrell-President and founder
Smokers Fighting Discrimination, Inc.
A not for profit corporation
P O Box 5472
Katy, Tx 77491