What
Is I-890 And Who Is Behind It? By
Norman E. Kjono, May 3, 2004 April
1, 2004 the title and description language for Washington’s I-890 –
the smoking ban that isn’t, where tribal facilities are concerned –
was completed by Mr. Jeffrey Even on the Solicitor General’s Team in
Washington Attorney General Gregoire’s office. The wording crafted by
Mr. Even for I-890, as reported in my April 2, 2004 commentary “April
Fool’s Day: Choked Up In Washington,” was as follows: “Ballot
Title Ballot
Measure Summary A
lawsuit to challenge to the above wording was filed by Tim Iszley, owner
of the Silver Dollar Casinos, which include a casino in “Ballot
Title Ballot
Measure Summary Readers
can confirm the Ballot Title and Ballot Summary wording for I-890 by
going to the Web site for the Washington
Secretary of State and scrolling down to that
initiative number. I-890 is directly modeled after the December 3, 2003
smoking ban enacted by the Tacoma-Pierce county Board of Health.
Considering the source of the Model Ordinance applied to the smoking ban
in The
first answer to the question “What is I-890?” is that the initiative
is a proposed law for which the public description has changed.
A ruling by the courts has required that the public be informed I-890
does not effect Native American tribal establishments, which discloses a
fatal flaw in its content: rather than “protecting all
workers” as claimed I-890 actually crafts a virtually exclusive
franchise – a monopoly -- for tribal establishments to accommodate the
market segment of patrons who smoke. With the predictable migration from
nontribal to tribal establishments by patrons who choose to smoke as an
integral part of their hospitality experience I-890 assures that more
hospitality employees will work in facilities not subject to a smoking
ban. I-890 is an initiative that assures tribal casinos, restaurants,
taverns, and bars will prosper while similar nontribal establishments
are damaged and may ultimately go out of business. Along
with that change in Washington hospitality industry’s competitive
business environment comes a change in the tax base and regulatory
environment for city and county government: tribal facilities are not
required to pay property taxes that nontribal establishments must, nor
are they subject to building permit and inspection requirements that
nontribal business are. In addition, tribal businesses are not required
to pay workman’s compensation to the state or to contribute to
unemployment funds. Finally, tribal establishments are subject to pay
federal minimum wage with a tip offset, they do not pay Given
those realities it is important to note that our state legislature
refused to adopt a statewide smoking ban during the 2004 legislative
session, as it has refused to do during two preceding sessions. Members
of our state legislature who have stood firm against tobacco control
advocacy’s statewide smoking ban agenda should be commended for their
resolve, rather than castigated for standing firm against a statewide
ban. Do we really expect our elected legislators, who represent the
interests of all citizens, to roll over to the demands of a
special-interest advocacy group and thereby diminish the legitimate
interests of small business owners and their employees, city and county
tax districts, state worker funds, and our regulatory environment? More
to the point, are the legitimate interests of all state citizens –
smokers and nonsmokers alike – subordinate to the self-serving demands
of a political insider special-interest clique? Considering the foregoing issues it is appropriate that the original wording of I-890 was completed and filed with the Washington Secretary of State by the Office of the Attorney General on April Fool’s Day: I-890 is the statewide smoking ban that really isn’t, and along with comes a host of negative consequences that can severely damage the competitive environment for Washington small businesses and their employees, as well as diminishing revenues to many city, county, and state funding requirements. An analysis of 10 principal points and 6 questions about I-890 is provided in my April 2004 commentary “April Fools Day: Choked Up In Washington,” published by Forces.org. What
Is I-890 Not? The
changes to title and description of I-890 and their implications
establish that I-890 is not a true statewide smoking ban at all,
it is not a law that supports city and county tax bases or local and
state regulatory schemes, nor it is a proposed law that protects
all hospitality workers as represented. Changes to I-890’s
description and source documents related to that initiative merit
careful review. All citizens, including those who could be asked to sign
petitions to place I-890 on the ballot or to vote for I-890 should it
gather sufficient signatures to be placed on the ballot, as well as city
and county elected representatives and state legislators or agency
managers should review the details of that initiative. Additional facts
about what I-890 is not
are revealed by documents received through Public Disclosure Requests
and/or from other sources. Review
of documents filed with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission,
Resolution 2003-3527 passed by the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health
in December 2003, copies of expert presentations about secondhand smoke
to the health board, E-Mail exchanges with attorney general’s office
staff, and E-Mail exchanges between Pierce County health officials and
Mr. James Repace show the story about I-890 goes much deeper than mere
changes to a ballot title and description. Selected documents from those
sources are presented in I890FACT.PDF
included with this commentary. All page numbers referenced in the below
are for that attached .PDF document unless another source is identified.
When reviewing Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department documents readers
should remember that Mr. John Britt was the Tacoma-Pierce County Health
Department official responsible for preparing information for the Board
of Health to rely on in adopting Resolution 2003-3527 on December 3,
2003. Mr. James Repace is a secondhand smoke consultant hired by the
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department at a cost of more than $7,800 to
provide testimony in support of the Board of Health adopting Resolution
2003-3527. Four
additional facts about what I-890 is
not
are presented in E-Mails between the Tacoma-Pierce County Health
Department and its secondhand smoke consultant Mr. James Repace: First:
Smoking bans that have been imposed by the Second:
Neither the smoking ban in Third:
The Fourth:
The We
therefore proceed with this analysis of what are I-890 and the
Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health’s December 3, 2004 smoking ban
after which it is modeled with a broader understanding of several clear
facts about what I-890 and its
Given
the above list of what the smoking ban in What
Is I-890? April
16, 2004 the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department mailed its response
to a Public Disclosure Request (PDR) for documents associated with the
December 3, 2004 testimony of Mr. James Repace before the The
contents of those documents reveal that Mr. Britt withheld information
from the Board of Health’s public briefing, culled – cherry picked
-- study results to include those deemed to be appropriate, and that the
county invited Mr. Repace to assist in drafting the final Board of
Health resolution. Mr. Repace did edit and change draft text for the
“Findings” of the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health about
secondhand smoke (see PAGE 4., which contains Repace’s strike-throughs
and additions.) The
Minutes
of the December 3, 2004 Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health meeting
and the content of the board’s Resolution
2003-3527 can be accessed by clicking on the
preceding bold text for each. A
directly related “Model
Ordinance”
published by Americans For Non-Smokers Rights (ANR) is very important:
many of the sections in the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health’s
smoking ban Resolution 2003-3527 are identical to that of the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation’s Model Ordinance as published by Americans
for Nonsmoker’s rights (see, for example, section headers of the
ordinance are similar and address the same subjects, many definitions
are verbatim, prescribed distances of no smoking within 25 feet from
entries is the same, etc.) Americans For Nonsmoker’s Rights is the
beneficiary of two grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which
total more than $1.1 million (see a $971,114 grant for “Establishment
of the Institute for Advocacy on Environmental Tobacco Smoke”
and a $142,654 grant for “Educating
the public and policy makers about clean indoor air issues”
.) A
checklist titled “MODEL
ORDINANCE ELIMINATING SMOKING IN ALL WORKPLACES AND PUBLIC PLACES
INCLUDING RESTAURANTS AND BARS(100% SMOKEFREE)”
for communities to prepare for enacting the Model Ordinance
is also provided by ANR. ANR’s checklist and model smoking ban
ordinance are accessed from its Smokefree
Advocacy page. And ANR’s Web site is accessed
through a link from www.rwjf.org,
which currently says on its front page: Smoking
in the Workplace By
clicking on the above “Smoking In The Workplace” icon readers are
routed to a page that provides the following link: Taking
Action Against Second-hand Smoke (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. That link provides clear guidance on
processes, and refers people to resources available, to successfully
promote smoking bans. The
Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health’s December 3, 2004 “Findings”
about Environmental Tobacco Smoke include several references to
studies by University of California at San Francisco professor Stanton
Glantz, including those regarding the economic effects of smoke-free
policies in the hospitality industry. See, for example, PAGE 5., item
2.42. Prof. Glantz is the Contact Person for a $678,819 grant from the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for which the title is
“Educational
campaign for restaurant owners on smoke-free restaurants.”
By clicking on the “List All RWJF Grants To this Grantee” icon
readers will find total current grants to the In
addition to the above references, it must be noted that smoking bans –
as used to limit the opportunities to smoke -- are an integral
part of a written strategy to replace cigarettes with what are described
as deeply inhaled, fast acting, and highly addictive
pharmaceutical nicotine inhalers. That strategy is presented in a
research paper by Walton Sumner II, MD with Section
11, “Consultation With the Puyallup Tribe” on Page 17 of the
Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health’s smoking ban Resolution
2003-3527 says: “The
Department shall consult with the Puyallup Tribe and take other actions
it deems appropriate under the terms and conditions of that Gaming
Compact and the Land Settlement Agreement, to encourage or cause
the Puyallup Tribe to adopt policies protecting casino patrons from the
harmful effects of secondhand smoke in Native American owned or operated
casino indoor places.” (Underline added.) Section
3, “Regulation of Smoking in Public Places,” includes on Page 15,
item 10 which defines what casinos the smoking ban in “Casinos,
when the establishment is under the jurisdiction of Section
3 and Section 11 are extremely important for at least three reasons: First:
They establish that a March 15, 2004 statement published by the Tacoma
News Tribune and attributed to Tacoma City Council member and
Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health Chairman Kevin Phelps – the
county official who presided over adopting smoking ban Resolution
2003-3527 – was known to be
patently false at the time it was made to the public
about the smoking ban in Pierce County and Initiative 890. The statement
to which I refer was published in The
"Board
of health chairman Kevin Phelps said that, unlike the coalition's
initiative, I
do not believe it is possible that Mr. Phelps was unaware the March 15,
2004 statement attributed to him by The Tribune was false when a mere
three months previously he had personally presided over a Tacoma-Pierce
County Board of Health meeting as Chairman where a resolution that
contained Section 3 and Section 11 as quoted above was passed. Readers
can and should draw their own conclusions about that information. I
believe that they establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Phleps
had to be aware his statements that the Second:
The reference to the Land Settlement Agreement in Section 11
presents important information when considering who is behind I-890. The
biography for Pierce
County Executive John Ladenburg says in part: “In
turn, John has been a trial attorney, a Tacoma City Councilman, the
Pierce County Prosecutor, and now, Pierce County Executive. As a
practicing lawyer, John was involved in several high-profile cases
ranging from the federal Salmonscam to the Pierce County Racketeering
Trials. As a Councilman, John was a leader in protecting the environment
and in establishing clean drinking water standards. He also served as
a lead negotiator in the In
an April 15, 2004 article published by the Seattle Post Intelligencer, “Drive
Opens To Ban Smoking In Bars Statewide,” by
Chris McGann, Pierce County Executive Ladenburg was quoted. Referring to
a workers choice to not work in a hospitality establishment that allows
smoking, The PI said: “Pierce
County Executive John Ladenburg called the argument that bartenders and
waitresses always have the choice to work in some other field
ridiculous. In I
conclude from the above quote that Pierce County Executive John
Ladenburg actively supports the private initiative to the people
890 and that he uses his public office to do so. Of equal or greater
importance is the obvious contradiction that Mr. Ladenburg fails to
disclose: since tribal facilities are exempt from the smoking ban in Mr.
Ladenburg’s wife Connie, a Readers
can and should draw their own conclusions about that information. I
believe that questions regarding a possible quid pro quo with the tribe
that owns major casino interests in Pierce County, and that is presently
benefiting from the smoking ban in Pierce County, do present themselves,
however. Third:
Sections 3 and 11 also relate to a $205,419 March 29, 2004 Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation Northwest Native American tribe grant titled “SmokeLess
States: National Tobacco Policy Initiative - Special Opportunities grant
– Washington.”
the American Cancer Society, Great Northwest Division, is the
recipient of that grant, and Mr. Kevin Knox – Project Manager for
Washington Breathe – is the grant Project Manager. The Grant
Summary says in part: “The
mission of the collaborative is to serve as a resource to promote
healthy Native communities and to address the impact of tobacco
addiction, disease, and death through policy advocacy. This grant
will also support grassroots activities to build support for tobacco
control work in AI/AN communities and promote policy changes in
these communities.” (Underline added.) In
an April 7, 2004 E-Mail to me Mr. Knox described that grant as follows: -----Original
Message----- Mr
Kjono, The nature of this grant is somewhat complex. Washington BREATHE is a partner with a group of American Indian/Alaska Native advocates working in several states (including; Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Arizona and Nevada) to develop a network to share knowledge in native communities about tobacco issues. Washington BREATHE is the administrator of the grant in that I, as Project Director, coordinate the dissemination of funds and maintain reporting requirements to the funding source. The American Cancer Society, Great West Division will fiscally manage funds and make payments as needed. I
hope this helps. Kevin
Knox It
is interesting to note that the dates of that grant are from March 29,
2004 to November 30, 2004. Those dates span the period from two days
before the initial language for I-890 was filed by the Washington
Attorney General’s office with the Washington Secretary of State to
the end of the month (November 2004) in which voters will cast their
ballot on I-890 (presuming I-890 is placed on the next general election
ballot.) Readers can and should draw their own conclusions from the fact
of that Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant and the timing of its
payments. A question about a possible quid pro quo between tribal
authorities and tobacco control advocates and/or I
conclude this section with three personal views of what I-890 is:
View
No. 1:
I-890 is a special-interest policy advocacy agenda that does not and
cannot accomplish its much-touted purpose to “protect all hospitality
workers form secondhand smoke” while granting a monopoly to
accommodate the hospitality market segment of person who smoke to tribal
interests, at the direct and intended expense of or detriment to
nontribal hospitality business owners and their employees. View
No. 2:
I-890
is a special-interest
agenda that is modeled after the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of
Health’s December 3, 2003 smoking ban Resolution 2003-3527, which is
based on “cherry picked” data, suppressed survey information that
show two-thirds of public respondents do not support such or similar
smoking bans, and affirmative misrepresentations about the true hazards
of Environmental Tobacco Smoke. View
No. 3:
I-890 is a special-interest agenda based on a Model Ordinance being
pushed by an out-of-state $7 billion private pharmaceutical foundation
that seeks to impose its will on the people of the State of Who
Is Behind I-890? We
begin review of who is behind I-890 with what documents filed by Breathe
Easy Washington with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission say.
The first document is a March 2, 2004 “Political Committee
Registration” (see PAGE
5. of the attached .PDF.) That document (underlined titles
and names below are in the source document, descriptions of the persons
are added by me) discloses: Name
or description of ballot measure:
“Ballot measure to limit tobacco smoking in public places.” Officers:
Kevin
Phelps
(sponsor), Tacoma City Council Member and Chairman of the Tacoma-Pierce
County Board of Health who presided over passing Resolution 2003-3527,
the smoking ban in Connie
Ladenburg,
Tacoma City Council member and apparently the wife of Pierce County
Executive John Ladenburg. Dr.
Patrick Hogan. Treasurer:
Sue Asher, Executive Director, Campaign
Manager:
David Vance, Administrator, Tacoma-Pierce
County Health Department. An
April 8, 2004 “Political Committee Registration” (See PAGE
6. of attached .PDF) shows campaign manager as “staff”
and officers as “see attached.” That document also changes the
“Name or description of ballot measure” to read as: “To amend the
Clean Indoor Act to limit smoking in the workplace to protect workers
from secondhand smoke.” It
appears that “to protect workers from secondhand smoke” was an
afterthought. The original purpose for I-890 was stated “to limit
smoking in public places,” as Dr. Sumner’s strategy to replace
cigarettes with nicotine inhalers says. According
to a Schedule L document “Loans” filed with the Public Disclosure
Commission (see Page 7. of attached .PDF), both Mr. Vance and Ms. Asher
have loaned $5,000 to Breathe Easy Washington. On that Schedule L David
Vance is identified as an employee of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health
Department. Considering that city, state and county employees are
prohibited from making public statements that endorse or support any
initiative to the people it is alarming that an employee of the
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has been identified as both the
campaign manager for, and a lender to, Breathe Easy Washington. Mr.
Vance’s participation as Campaign Manager for I-890 may be hidden in
later attached lists, however his direct support for I-890 through a
$5,000 loan to Breathe Easy Washington is not. There can hardly be a
greater public statement of support for an initiative to the people by a
county employee that Mr. Vance’s interest-free loan to Breathe Easy It
is also important that in the March 15, 2004 Tacoma
News Tribune article that quotes Mr. Phelps identifies him as
both the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health Chairman and a Tacoma City
Council member. Such press statements put the imprimatur of support from
both the Tacoma City Council and the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of
Health behind a private initiative to the people. In addition Mr.
Phelps, has used the City of The
first answer to the question “Who is behind I-890?” appears to be
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department employees (such as Mr. Vance, as
well as Mr. Britt who assisted with passing the Pierce County smoking
ban), the Chairman of the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health (Mr.
Phelps), two Tacoma city Council members (Ladenburg and Phelps),
probably the Pierce County Executive John, possibly powerful Washington
tribal interests, a $7 billion private foundation in Princeton, New
Jersey, and a host of that foundation’s grant recipients or
beneficiaries. The preceding illustrate a strong series of interlinking
directories and relationships that begins in Considering
the political and economic force behind the Tacoma-Pierce County Board
of Health’s Resolution 2003-3527, and now behind I-890, it should be
no surprise at all that the Tacoma City Council passed a “Vote Of
Support” for the smoking ban in Pierce County, as reported to me in an
E-Mail from Tacoma City Council member Julie Anderson: From:
Anderson, Julie [mailto:Julie.Anderson@ci.tacoma.wa.us] Mr.
Kjono - Begin
Excerpt Mr.
Phelps didn't caucus with the Tacoma City Council prior to making the
alleged statements about the smoking ban, Breathe Easy Initiative, etc.
And, if he did have such a discussion with us, it would have occurred in
an open, public meeting. Therefore, anything that Mr. Phelps says
on the matter is a reflection of his personal, independent convictions
and values. I have the highest regard for Mr. Phelps and I find it
difficult to believe that he would knowingly present false facts. The
only standing that the Tacoma City Council has in this matter is the
unanimous "vote of support" taken in 2003, in response to the
Health Department's initial smoking ban. End
Excerpt Julie
Anderson [Telephone
and E-Mail addresses deleted] Consider
what we now know about the “cherry-picked” basis for passing the
smoking ban in The
next answer to who is behind the smoking ban in “The
Washington BREATHE That
is an interesting statement from an organization for which Kevin Knox is
an officer, and by which a $205,419 Robert Wood Johnson foundation
“Special Opportunities” tribal grant is administered. Somehow it
still seems to escape Washington Breathe that no statewide smoking ban,
including its affiliate Breathe Easy Washington’s I-890, can or will
“protect all workers” from secondhand smoke due to tribal
exemptions. In light of its own statement Washington Breathe defines the
statewide smoking ban that it aggressively promoted through
advertisements featuring Dr. Koop as UNACCEPTABLE! Yet presumably we
citizens of Related
to Washington Breathe’s member the American Lung Association of
Washington is the last statewide initiative (I-773) that it sponsored,
under the same circumstances were the Washington Legislators did not
give tobacco control advocates what they demanded in 2001. We will let
the past president of the Tobacco Free Washington Coalition and the
Co-Chair of Attorney General Christine O. Gregoire’s tobacco control
task force, Dr. Robert Jaffe, speak to that issue through his own June
13, 2001 interview as published by the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation’s Tobacco.org. Referring to the American Lung Association
of Washington’s I-773 (the same organization now behind I-890), which
imposed a 60 cents-per-pack new tax on cigarettes in 2001, Dr. Jaffe
said in response to Question 3. of his interview: “After
fighting for tobacco settlement funds and not being satisfied by the
amount of money dedicated long-term for reducing tobacco addiction rates,
we decided to start another tax initiative t (sic) dedicate tobacco
taxes toward the state’s program. . . . Sometimes, the only
solution is to by-pass the
legislators, and allow voters to directly fund public
programs that our elected officials ignore. I
would prefer to see a non-profit, non-governmental organization make
budgetary and programmatic decisions on tobacco control, but
it hasn’t been politically feasible. The Secretary of our
Department of Health and our Attorney General are strong supporters of
tobacco control, and our state program is moving in the right direction.
” (Underline, italic added.)” The
facts say that one reason for such extreme measures could be allow the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and other non-government
organizations to make budget and program decisions for the
people of the State of Attorney
General Christine O. Gregoire has placed herself conspicuously behind
the Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health’s December 2003 smoking ban,
and therefore behind its statewide knock-off I-890. Regarding
Attorney General Gregoire’s personal and unsolicited support for the
Tacoma-Pierce County Board of Health’s smoking ban on December 29,
2003 Tacoma News Tribune
published Mr. Vogel’s article State
Might OK Smoking Ban: "Though
Moreover,
Attorney General Gregoire’s tobacco control task force (at the time
Co-Chaired by Dr. Jaffe) recommended in its November 1998 report that
state tobacco policy in Maxine
Hayes, “Support.
Dr. Maxine Hayes, State Health Officer with the Washington State
Department of Health (WSDOH), said WSDOH considers these exposures as
well as tobacco as one of its top priorities in protecting public
health. The scientific community has produced overwhelming
evidence proving that second hand smoke does pose serious health risks
making smoking a public health issue for everyone. While the
tobacco industry has long worked to confuse this very clear science,
tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, 50 of which are known
to cause Cancer in humans. The Surgeon General Expert Committee on
Passive Smoking concluded that second hand smoke causes Lung Cancer in
healthy, non-smoking adults. The Environmental Protection Agency
estimates that the exposure to second hand smoke causes 3,000
non-smokers to die from Lung Cancer yearly. The exposure to second
hand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the Dr.
Maxine Hayes was the Project Manager for a $1.3 million Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation grant to the State of Washington, Department of
Health titled “Improving
Child Health Services: Removing Categorical Barriers to Care.”
the Minutes of the December 3, 2003 meeting do not disclose Dr. Hayes’
personal previous personal management of a $1 million Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation grant. How can Dr. Hayes’ testimony possibly be
construed as objective or unbiased? Some
of the most interesting information about who is behind I-890 is found
through researching who owns and operates the Breathe Easy Washington
Web site URL. Information provided by a search through “Who Is”
(below excerpt redacts some data) includes the following information: Domain
Name:BREATHEEASYWA.ORG A
March 27, 2002 Press release from Grassroots Enterprise, “Campaign
For Tobacco-Free Kids Signs New Contract For Advocacy Communications,”
says: “The
flagship product, Grassroots
Multiplier®, enables an organization to effectively grow, manage,
and mobilize its database of key stakeholders. Through sophisticated
technology, the system targets stakeholders with highly personalized
multimedia communications that forge powerful one-to-one relationships.
When needed, the system quickly facilitates supporters to take direct
action on the organization's behalf through email, fax, web, letter and
phone. Grassroots
The
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids has received grants from the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation in excess of $70 million, including its original
founding grant of $19.5 million in 1996 (see, for example, a $50 million
grant for “National
Center For Tobacco-Free Kids”
A
July 28, 2003 press release, “Grassroots
Enterprise, Meetup.com And Grassroots Enterprise form Alliance,”
says: Grassroots
Enterprise, Inc. helps its corporate and association clients identify,
inform and mobilize their most powerful resources-their members,
supporters, customers, business partners, employees and other
stakeholders-to influence legislative and regulatory debates, shape
public opinion and elevate their commitment levels. Under
its “Our
Offering”
icon Grassroots enterprise says about its Grassroots Multiplier ®
computer program: The
more you use Grassroots Multiplier®, the more you'll learn about your
stakeholders, your outreach efforts and how to increase your impact on
public policy. Designed to be flexible enough to conduct any size public
affairs campaign, Grassroots Multiplier® will grow along with your
organization and its successes. A
search through www.disinfopedia.org
reveals George
H. W. Bush to be an advisor . to Grassroots Enterprise,
Inc. Readers may find biography information about that advisor http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=George_Herbert_Walker_Bush
to be of interest, particularly an October 17, 2003 article under
“External Links” in that biography about his father Prescott Sheldon
Bush. The $135 million anti-tobacco Project ASSIST was launched by the
George H. W. Bush administration October 4, 1991. For a graphic
presentation of the results of Project ASSIST see SMOKERATE.PDF.
Summing
Up I-890 Considering
the above information about Grassroots Enterprise, Inc. I conclude that
I-890 is an initiative to the people that has available to it some of
the most sophisticated technology and influential people in that nation
to achieve its purpose. That the technology and advisors provided for
I-890 are dedicated to the purpose of influencing legislative and
regulatory debates and shaping public opinion is a naked admission by
Breathe Easy Washington that they know Pierce County survey results
showing a two-thirds of the people surveyed oppose smoking bans such as
those I-890 would mandate statewide. To what purpose other than
“shaping public opinion” to conform to I-890 mandates would such
resources be applied? That
should be of great concern to citizens in the State of And
a final question presents itself: do we, the people of the State of
Washington accept public health mandates that cannot and do accomplish
the results promoted, and are we content to watch our neighbors
businesses and jobs disappear, to accommodate a close knit group of
politicians in Tacoma and Olympia imposing the will of out-of-state
special-interests? We
the people need to find both a better way and better political
leadership. Norman
E. Kjono |