…And the beautiful site is ours – you bet it is! And we are beautiful, and smokers are beautiful because smoking is beautiful.
We are also beautiful because we speak the truth, and we don’t just “say” that it is true, we let you see the evidence directly. All that beauty, however, cannot compare with that of Niki and Shelly, pictured below.
Fighting a battle like ours is an ugly thing – faced as we are by forces that have virtually unlimited means at their disposal to spread disinformation, prohibition and rotten ideology; and it is depressing, at times, to see crafty confidence racketeers being treated like heroes and their victims treated like trash by fascist laws. That is why these pictures are so important for all of us – and even more meaningful because they come from the most antismoking place of Earth, California.
Thank you, Niky and Shelly. It is comforting to know that there is some shred of beauty and intelligence left on Earth – even in California!
Here is their letter to us:
“I am a huge fan of your website and what your organization stands for. It seems that we are all being told lies by the nameless/faceless people who run the media and the government. It makes me so angry and frustrated because there seems to be so little I can do about any of it. Your website is the voice of clear thinking and rational thought and I think that is great. I have a few friends who I have told about your site and they have also come to be FORCES fans.
I am 19 years old and a full time student at GoldenwestCollege in Huntington BeachCalifornia. Our campus just became "smoke-free" in September. That means no one can smoke anywhere on the campus, including the parking lot. It’s a totally ridiculous rule and completely unenforceable. All of us who smoke (and there are a lot of us) ignore it and smoke on campus anyway. So far, there have only been a few idle warnings but nothing else. I know a few people who say they are going to quit smoking because they are tired of the inconvenience and constant hassle. I think that is the worst thing to do. If someone is tired of smoking, then quit. If someone likes to smoke but is pressured into quitting because of some stupid rules, that’s exactly what the anti-smoking rule makers want. There is no way I’m going to do that. I’ve only been smoking for 7 years but I was underage when I started so I couldn’t wait until I didn’t have to sneak or hide to smoke. Now I am an adult but I still feel like I have to sneak and hide to smoke in public. I’m so tired of that.
My friend Shelly is also a smoker and feels the same about the anti-smoking problems we all face. We decided to get together and make a sign showing our support for FORCES. Unfortunately, we are both truly starving students. Right now neither of us have very much money so we can’t afford to make a donation but I really wish we could. We also hope you like the photos I have enclosed. I’m sending a few so take your pick and feel free to use them to promote and advertise FORCES. It is our way of saying thanks for keeping up all the good work.”
Don’t worry abut the money; your friendship and your support is worth a mint. Differently than tobacco control, we believe that there are things in this world that not even a pharmaceutical grant can buy.
— FORCES
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