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Mike Doherty's avatar

Being tolerant used to be a virtue. These days, if you're a (God-forbid) smoker, you might as well be a leper. Not that I've met any lepers, but the New Testament speaks to Jesus' curing 'em.

I confess; I'm a former smoker. I gave them up in 1976 after 13 or so delicious years of smoking. My father smoked (2 packs a day) and he probably died young at 70. He was a great guy. We drank beer together. He was an electrician and, of course in those days, a handyman like all of his friends. When he helped me out fixing stuff in my first house, the payment was splitting a six of kings of Bud and good conversation. When he and my mother went to the South to visit relatives, my father had to bring his toolbox to fix the relatives' stuff. Otherwise he had to rely on their crummy tools.

My mentor died at about 70. He was a heavy smoker who often bemoaned the lack of tolerance amongst the anti-smoking crowd. He was an articulate conservative, though likely more conservative than Matt Continetti or the estimable Mat Labash. He took pride in having voted for Taft over Eisenhower. He was one of the most generous people that I've known.

I gave up cigarettes after leaving service in The Army. Marlboros, my brand of

choice, in The Army while stationed in Europe was priced at $1.25 a carton...that's right, a carton. It was (almost) worth smoking at that price. When I visited with my uncle and aunt in Paris during my Army time, my aunt, who smoked, was shocked when I brought her to the PX to but a couple of cartons. My uncle was a bigwig executive with a tech company. He was fluent in French; and since I went to the family parochial school, I have a little fluency in French. My aunt and I, on my visits, would sit in her pantry, drink black coffee, smoke cigarettes and converse.

I fully understand that cigarettes as cancer sticks can kill. That's why I gave them up. It was tough. Back then it was cold turkey. Best decision that I ever made. But that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy smoking. Ahhh... but to get up in the morning, have a cup of black coffee and consider the day...consider life's possibilities.

Like Matt, I have a fond memories of my friends and relatives who smoked. They knew what they were doing. As smoking came to a close, they were considerate of smoking around those who didn't.

I decry the intolerant. I decry busy bodies.

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MarqueG68's avatar

I gave up smoking after 30 years a couple years ago. Even in low-cost West Virginia packs had drifted north of $5, too rich for me. Plus, I'm too poor to be putting what I assume by now is the third generation offspring of the original Tobacco Settlement lawyers through Ivy League graduate school. Although I'm admittedly not too stupid to have kept trying for over 20 years.

At any rate, before quitting and becoming an intolerant reformed smoker, I was a strong advocate for going to Washington and erecting a marker: the Tomb of the Unknown Smoker. That would have been a much better use of the Tobacco Settlement funds in my book. I've probably got the petition around here somewhere. Unless I rolled it up and smoked it in my roll-your-own phase of carcinogenic artistry.

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