November 29, 1997
John Banzhaf, Esq.
Action On Smoking And Health
2013 H Street NW
Washington D.C. 20006
Re: Promotion of lethal cyanide product tampering on ASH web site.
Dear Mr. Banzhaf,
Enclosed herewith is a copy of the ASH web site page titled, "Protagonist Tells How To
Kill Smokers". That copy of your promotion of Mr. Freudberg's book, "Gasp! A Novel of
Revenge," was retrieved from the ASH web site via internet access at the Redmond, Washington
public library on October 27, 1997.
As you are aware, "Gasp! A Novel of Revenge" contains an explicit, tested, and
proven plan for successful product tampering in order to insert cyanide in cigarette packages. As
your promotion of Mr. Freudberg's book makes abundantly clear, such a plan is quite feasible as it
has already been successfully tested by the author, to the point where, ". . . in every case the
unsuspecting consumer either bought or picked up the pack with the red X . . ." and that the
author ". . . had enough cyanide to murder 2,500 people."
Given the explicit wording of your headline title regarding how to "kill smokers", and
the clear use of the word "murder" by the author in describing his work, there is no possibility
of misunderstanding that the purpose of such a plan for product tampering could only be to
administer a lethal dose of cyanide to consumers of tobacco products. In view of this reality, it
is inescapable that the purpose of promoting the book, in the form as chosen for the ASH web
site, could only be to put persons who smoke in fear of lethal cyanide poisoning should they
continue to consume tobacco products.
On May 24, 1997 The Washington Post reported a series of four product tampering
incidents in Virginia. These incidents involved the use of explosive devices, resulting in burn
injuries to those unsuspecting consumers who purchased the packages that had been tampered with.
On February 14, 1995 the New York Post reported that a 60 year old male patron of a restaurant
was beaten to the point of being in intensive care in a coma because he lit a cigarette in a
restaurant. On December 19, 1995 The High Point
Enterprise reported a man assaulting and battering a
woman who was eight months pregnant because she was smoking at a West Dundee, Illinois
shopping mall. In late June of 1997 a local radio talk show host here in Seattle, Dori Monson of
KIRO AM 710, advocated that persons who smoke outside sports arenas be assaulted and battered by
throwing liquids at them. And the list goes on and on: from Head Start instructors in Modesto
California who torture and physically abuse their own children because they had tobacco products
in their possession, to police academy instructors in Huntington Beach, California who poison
cadets by forcing them to eat a tobacco sandwich because they admitted that they smoked.
My purpose in mentioning the above incidents of assault and battery, as well as
other forms of emotional and physical abuse, directed at those who choose to lawfully consume
legal tobacco products is to establish beyond any doubt that a pattern of anti-tobacco violent acts
is clearly apparent. Once violence has become acceptable behavior, the only question that is left
to reasonably consider is the degree to which violence is perpetrated.
Page 2
John Banzhaf, Esq.
Given that we now have a public record of elderly men being beaten to the point of
a coma, pregnant women being assaulted, children being intentionally abused, and law
enforcement cadets being deliberately poisoned, there can be no reasonable or responsible
question that hate crimes specifically directed toward a target group of tobacco consumers are
being perpetrated. Under these circumstances it seems that it is only a matter of time until some
mentally deficient person who reads material such as the ASH web site will follow the example of
the Sudafed and Tylenol product tamperers, or that one of the anti-tobacco coalition activists
adopts the behavior pattern so clearly established by anti-abortion activistsshoot to kill. After all,
persons who smoke kill others, according to the federally funded anti-tobacco enterprise,
Project ASSIST, and its federal grant supported activists.
I write to inform you that as a lawful consumer of legal tobacco products I now live in
a constant state of fear for my personal
safety. This constant and ongoing fear for my
personal safety is a direct and proximate result of learning that there is a federally subsidized
organization, Action On Smoking And Health, and an Executive Director of that organization, John
Banzhaf, Esq., who openly promote the availability of a tested and proven method to successfully
tamper with legal products that I lawfully consume, for the purpose of inserting lethal doses of
cyanide. This constant state of fear requires that I carefully inspect the packaging of tobacco products
that I purchase. This state of fear requires that I carefully inspect the individual items within
the package when I open it. This constant state of fear causes emotional trauma of doubt and
concern as to whether I will ingest a lethal dose of cyanide when I consume a product from
that package. This constant state of fear is amplified by the clear public knowledge that not only
have other products had cyanide inserted in them resulting in death of consumers (Sudafed
and Tylenol) but legal tobacco products have also been tampered with causing injury to
consumers (Virginia explosive device incidents).
The constant state of fear for my personal safety, security, and well being that I
experience constitutes an ongoing assault upon my person. This constant state of fear for my personal
safety is a violation of my civil rights. This assault upon me, and the violation of my civil rights, is
perpetrated by Action On Smoking And Health, its Executive Director, John Banzhaf, and the
federally funded Project ASSIST anti-tobacco enterprise, among others. I ask that Action On
Smoking And Health, and its Executive Director, as well as individual members of its Board of
Directors, immediately cease and desist from perpetrating this assault upon my person. To cease and
desist from perpetrating the ongoing assault upon my person, and violation of my civil rights, Action
On Smoking And Health, its Board of Directors, and its Executive Director John Banzhaf, must
immediately undertake the following remedial courses of action:
1. Permanently withdraw the public promotion and supporting commentary for "Gasp!
A Novel of Revenge" from the ASH Internet web site.
2. Publish on the ASH Internet web site, for an equal time as the promotion for
Mr. Fruedburg's book, a public statement that neither Action On Smoking And Health, nor its
Executive Director John Banzhaf, nor any member of its Board of Directors, support, condone,
or approve of physical assault upon, or violation of the civil rights of, persons who lawfully
consume legal tobacco products.
This promotion of illegal and unlawful lethal product tampering scheme by ASH, and
you as the Executive Director of ASH, is of sufficient concern to me that I have filed a complaint
with the FBI. The fact that those who promote such illegal product tampering schemes are also
honored at the White House by President Clinton adds to my concern and fear.
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John Banzhaf, Esq.
In view of my extreme alarm and concern over this issue it is necessary that the
enclosed PRODUCT SAFETY ALERT be widely distributed. I have taken steps to assure that this occurs.
I would prefer to avoid the time and expense of pursuing federal investigative
complaints, and I would prefer to avoid the time and expense required to cause wide distribution of
product safety alert. You can help me and others who choose to lawfully consume legal products in
this regard by immediately undertaking the two remedial measures set forth on page two. In
short, you could stop hurting those around you by one simple step: you could just quit.
Finally, I mention that this letter is not an attack on the first ammendment rights of
Mr. Freudberg to write what he chooses, nor is it an attack on the rights of publishers such as
Barricade Books to publish what it chooses. As the publisher of "The Anarchist's Cookbook"
Barricade Books has made a statement of the materials it chooses to publish. As an attorney, I am
certain that you are aware these issues are being addressed through due process by the 4th
Circuit decision in the matter involving "Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors."
As I am also a published author, you may be assured of my respect for, and commitment to,
the liberties guaranteed to all citizens under our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
What this issue is about is promotion of a tested and proven plan for cyanide
product tampering of tobacco products by an organization (ASH), and an individual (John Banzhaf,
Esq.), who are federally subsidized and who derive professional and/or economic benefits from
their anti-tobacco efforts. To my mind, the promotion of Mr. Freudberg's book by you and ASH
is nothing short of domestic terrorism in support of enrichment from anti-tobacco activities and
its related tobacco settlement. The fact that this terrorism is actively supported by President
Clinton adds immeasurably to the fear that it engenders.
Thank you for your attention to these matters. I look forward to your immediate
compliance with the above necessary and reasonable remedial actions. By sending via Certified Mail
this letter is deemed to have served notice upon you. By service upon you as Executive Director
of Action on Smoking and Health, each member of the Action On Smoking And Health Board
of Directors is deemed to have been individually served as well.
Sincerely,
Norman E. Kjono
Via US Mail, Certified Return Receipt.