Dear FORCES,

Last weekend I was at a park here in Phoenix watching my 7-yr. old son and some of his friends playing at the playground. My wife and I were sitting under a tree enjoying the afternoon. There were a few people around us as well but we were not all that close. I lit up and within 1 minute the man sitting in front of me got up and walked over to say with such a concerned voice: "My wife is pregnant, could you please not smoke up wind of us?" I politely said OK and moved away to finish my smoke.

Dear Steven,

Thank you for writing.

I understand that when one is in the park trying to relax, he/she does not want to engage others in discussions or arguments. However, to send a clear message to the other person, your answer should have been a polite, but firm: "I am sorry, no. Second hand smoke is not harmful so, if you and your wife do not like the smell, you are free to move elsewhere."

While you, as a tolerant and civilised person think that by catering to their ignorance and intolerance is a gesture of civilised behaviour, those people interpret that as a sign of weakness, and they'll keep doing it to everybody as long as they obtain the same results.

What I'm wondering is, would it have been different if his wife hadn't been pregnant?

No, it certainly would not have been different. The excuse would have been something else, i.e.: "My wife has a headache", or "I have asthma". These people tend to be cowards by nature and don't have the guts to say: "I hate smoking, please move" -- they have to dignify their hatred with some "reasonable" excuse. This behaviour is very common in totalitarian mentality.

Do they think that the "smell" of tobacco smoke is harmful or are they just using this issue as some kind of power trip?

Both. Their general education is so poor, many of them really believe that tobacco smell can hurt them. This belief is also amplified by hysteria, and by the continuous, unrelenting propaganda of lies on smoking, and second hand smoke. Those who have doubts, or don't believe at all the lies about danger, still act as if the danger was real because, perhaps for the first time in their lives, they feel the rush of power in their veins. And as petty and menial that power may be, it is better than nothing, so they don't miss the opportunity for a taste of it.

What's worse, now I'm the bad guy in the park branded an awful smoker, even though smoking is not banned there.

You are as bad (or as good) as you perceive yourself to be. If you become a victim of this psychological war -- if you let yourself be conditioned by the circumspection and contempt that others want you to feel, then - remember - you will deserve that contempt, and it will be used against you over and over again. If instead you give the middle finger (either physically or figuratively) to these people, you'll be surprised to see that most probably they'll respect you, or at least they'll leave you alone. Remember that those who believe in force as a means of imposing their pettiness on others are inherently weak, and they'll RESPECT and UNDERSTAND only your force. By giving them the middle finger, you speak a language they can understand.

You are the good guy in the park, and they are the evil ones. That's all there is to it.

I'm sick of misinformed people thinking they have the right to interfere with my lifestyle, and the propagandists supporting them saying, "Well even if tobacco wasn't that bad, it's still good health practice to not smoke."

That last sentence is a lie, by the way. Aren't we all tired of that interference, induced by a bunch of unscrupulous people at the top? Why do you think we are fighting? Unfortunately, being sick is not enough, and people like the ones you met in the park do not care if you are sick of that -- in fact, they are counting on it in the hope that, if you get sick enough, you'll simply quit smoking, and/or behave in the way they want you to behave. Allow yourself to be sick (that's your indicator that you are still sane) but USE that feeling as a motivator to FIGHT BACK.

I wonder if these people will be as anxious to ban their cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles when we complain about their NOx, CO, SO2, etc. driving by the park or my house. What does the pregnant lady do when she smells diesel exhaust on the freeway?

Nothing. She has not been programmed by the health cartel to feel sick while she is inhaling diesel fumes. The automotive industry is not yet a target for extortion.

You have to appreciate that most people, nowadays, are incapable of independent thinking, though they like to believe that they think independently. Independent thought takes too much work! It is much easier to surrender all freedom and education to those who are using people for their purposes. Besides, the art of sophisticated mind control is to condition behaviour while leading the targets to believe that they have chosen that behaviour.

Tired of junk science and the social conformity crowd.

Steven

As I said, the crowd needs leaders -- and right now the crowd has the wrong ones. It is up to you whether you want to be part of that crowd, or lead it. In the former case, there is no work to do but to conform, and pay the price of greyness and oppression. In the latter case, there is a lot of work to do, and perils to face as price; personal liberty and self-respect are the prize. If you choose the latter, FORCES will welcome you as an active member.

It is up to you.

Take care.

Gian Turci
FORCES INTERNATIONAL