Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/414840
GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@red bluffdailynews.com Phone: 530-527- 2151ext. 112 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Iadmitit:Ifeelsorryforcig- arette and cigar smokers these days. But changing fashions and the results of the recent election may offer them hope. Cigarette smok- ing used to be fashionable. Ac- tors like Steve Mc- Queen and Sean Connery made it look manly and cool in their many movies. Women who smoked used to be considered sexy, too. No sooner did they pull a Virginia Slim out of their cigarette case than men everywhere would rush toward them with lighters. But somewhere along the way, smoking became vile and ugly. Americans began hating it the way they once hated commu- nism and polio. The government sued cigarette makers for mis- leading the public about the ad- dictive nature of nicotine and bil- lions in punitive tax revenues are now pouring into public treasur- ies. Smoking has been banned in public places in many states. And so it is that cigarette smokers are shunned at family gatherings and sent to the garage or the street, so as not to stink up the house. Even executives at the highest level of corporate Amer- ica are sent down the elevator to the basement or courtyard, where they mingle with other smokers like some kind of pigeons while passersby snarl at them in dis- gust. It's not much better for cigar smokers. I smoke 15 or 20 stogies in a good year. Why? I don't know. Maybe it's the manly feeling I get when I see my breath bil- low out of me like a chimney. Or maybe I want to be in the com- pany of legendary cigar smokers like Mark Twain and Winston Churchill. And there's some- thing calming about taking a slow, deep drag on a stogie. It's like male yoga — for males who would never do yoga. Sure, there are health risks to those who smoke cigars on a daily basis. Such smokers are more prone to cancer of the mouth and other maladies — and fully aware of the risk. All I know is that it is dang relaxing and it promotes some very enjoyable conversations with friends and strangers at my favorite cigar bar, the Leaf & Bean in Pittsburgh's Strip Dis- trict. But the federal government is going after cigars now, too. President Obama's Food and Drug Administration proposed sweeping regulations last spring that would affect the availabil- ity, accessibility and cost of my favorite cigars. As stated in the Federal Reg- ister, the FDA believes that "as- serting our authority over these tobacco products will enable us to take further regulatory ac- tion in the future as appropri- ate." Like they did with cigarettes and cigarette smokers? Well, if the recent elections are any indication, I think the future suddenly is looking good for smok- ers — marijuana smokers. You see, many of the same totalitarian do-gooders who loathe cigarettes and cigars, and who have been doing all they can to limit their use, have been doing everything they can to allow people to smoke weed freely. Referendum initiatives legal- izing recreational marijuana just passed in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia — even though inhaling weed is much harder on one's lungs than inhaling cigarettes and far riskier than puffing on a cigar without inhaling at all. In any event, the trends are looking good for marijuana le- galization. Whether you agree or disagree with the trends, le- gal weed smoking is the hot fashion of the day. So if you like to sit back and enjoy smoking dried leaves without the government butting in and telling you what you can and cannot do, maybe it's time to give up unfashionable vices — cigarettes and cigars — and prepare to make the switch to a vice that is highly fashionable, marijuana. And if you don't like such government hypocrisy, too bad. You're just going to have to put it in your pipe and smoke it. TomPurcell,authorof"Misad- ventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Comical Sense: A Lone Hu- morist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" is a Pittsburgh Tribune- Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom at Purcell@ caglecartoons.com. Tom Purcell Cigarette,cigar smoking goes up in smoke You see, many of the same totalitarian do-gooders who loathe cigarettes and cigars...have been doing everything they can to allow people to smoke weed freely. Cartoonist's take By Ron Paul Did the election last week re- ally mean that much? I took to my Twitter account on Tues- day to point out that the change in control of the Sen- ate from Democrat to Republi- can actually means very little, despite efforts by politicians and the mainstream media to convince us otherwise. Yes, power shifted, I wrote. But the philosophy on Capitol Hill changed very little. The war- fare/welfare state is still alive and well in Washington. Some were critical of my comment that, "Republican control of the Senate equals ex- panded neo-con wars in Syria and Iraq. Boots on the ground are coming!" But unfortunately my fears were confirmed even sooner than I thought. Shortly after the vote, Pres- ident Obama announced that he would double the number of US troops on the ground in Iraq and request another $5.6 bil- lion to fight his war in the Mid- dle East. The President also said on Wednesday that he would seek a new authorization for the use of force in Iraq and Syria. He said that a new authoriza- tion was needed to reflect, "not just our strategy over the next two or three months, but our strategy going forward." That sounds like boots on the ground in an endless war. Senate Democrats had been competing with Republicans over who would push a more aggressive foreign policy. This may explain their mis- erable showing on Tuesday: it is likely the honest, antiwar progressives just stayed home on election night. But with the Republican victory bringing to leadership the most hawkish of the neo- conservatives like John Mc- Cain, the only fight over the President's request to re-in- vade Iraq will be Republican demands that he send in even more soldiers and weapons! Likewise, the incoming Re- publicans in the Senate have expressed a foolhardy desire to continue resurrecting the Cold War. They demand that Russia be further sanctioned even as the original reason for the sanc- tions — claims that Russia was behind the downing of Malay- sian Airlines flight MH-17 — has been shown to be false. They want to send weapons to the US-backed government in Ukraine even through it will result in more civilians killed in east Ukraine. Their dan- gerous Russia policy may even turn the new Cold War into a hot war, which would be cata- strophic. On the domestic front, I do not hold out much hope that the next Congress will give more than lip service to reduc- ing spending. What is more likely is Republicans will sup- port dramatic increases in wel- fare spending as long warfare spending is increased by an equivalent, or greater, amount. That is what is called "compro- mise" in Washington. One positive development from Tuesday is the slightly improved chance for a roll-call vote on "Audit the Fed." Most of the Senators who are likely to assume leadership roles next year are co-sponsors of the bill. However, special interests that benefit from Fed secrecy are very influential in both par- ties, so it will be up to the peo- ple to continue to pressure Con- gress for a Senate vote. Elsewhere, there may also be some rollbacks and reforms of some of the worst parts of Obamacare, but a full repeal of the bill is unlikely. This is not just because there are still not the votes to over- ride an inevitable veto. The insurance and phar- maceutical lobbies that bene- fit from Obamacare are equally influential in both parties and have very deep pockets. I ended my comments on election night by pointing out that while it may have been an important election, it was not most important ever. Ideas are what really count. And that is where we are win- ning! Ron Paul is a former Con- gressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at VoicesofLiberty.com. Ron Paul Did the mid-terms really mean that much? Another view By Joe Gandelman Canada gave us now-for- mer Mayor Rob Ford, who led comedy writers to get down on their knees, look to the heav- ens and shout "Thank You" due to his alcohol and drug-induced antics, coupled with his un- canny resemblance to Saturday Live's late Chris Farley. Cana- da's biggest scandal now swirls around CBC's mega-radio-talk show star Jian Ghomeshi — who seems to be doing a Bob Filner imitation. In case you forgot, the San Diego mayor became a big na- tional story and editorial car- toonists' favorite during his time in office, which started December 2012 and ended in his August 2013 resignation amid a lawsuit and multiple women alleging sexual harass- ment. So many stories surfaced al- leging inappropriate behavior by Filner that you almost ex- pected Macy's to suggest that his accusers walk down the streets of New York on Thanks- giving day. It got to the point where you got the feeling that the worst answer a female employee could give Filner if he asked her "What do you want for Christ- mas?" would be: "A Christmas goose." Canada's newspapers are brimming with reports about how the now-fired Ghomeshi liked to hit on women. Literally. Like in BDSM. Women are coming forward in the media claiming he slapped or choked them without permission — and that he'd turn his teddy bear's head away from them be- fore he started his Marquis de Sade act. It's at the point where, if you believe the allegations, you have the feeling the worst thing a woman could ask Ghomeshi would be: "Baby, how about a smack?" Some, like the Toronto Sun columnist Mike Strobel, think Ghomeshi is Rob Ford deja vu. "Shocking revelations, one af- ter another, the alleged abuses, a police probe, the sudden re- moval of power, talk of a trou- bling video, it's all so ... Ford- ian," Strobel wrote. "In fact, Jian Ghomeshi, hero of the lib- eratti, is making Rob Ford, champion of the right, look like a choirboy...Jeepers Creep- ers Ghomeshi has dragged the world's most lovable stuffed toy into the gutter with Chucky, Annabelle, and Stephen King's cymbal-banging monkey." Canada's press is having a field day. Each day there's a new tidbit. The Toronto Star: "Jour- nalism students at the Univer- sity of Western Ontario were cautioned against pursuing in- ternships at Jian Ghomeshi's popular radio show Q due to concerns about 'inappropriate' behavior towards young women by the now-fired host, accord- ing to a former student at the school and a journalism pro- fessor." It's a real mess. Police are in- vestigating his behavior with CBC employees, and the CBC has hired its own investigator to probe allegations of violence and groping. Ghomeshi is suing CBC for $55 million, arguing he wasn't fired for good cause — and the CBC wants his lawsuit dropped. The scandal started Oct. 24, when Ghomeshi announced on the air that he was taking a leave of absence without spec- ifying why. Two days later the CBC announced it was drop- ping him after receiving in- formation about him that me- dia reports said purportedly showed a woman's injuries. He argued he was fired only due to information he gave the CBC to prove his rough stuff was con- sensual after an ex-girlfriend claimed she hadn't consented. Next came a story with alle- gations from three women who had not filed complaints with police. In that story, his attor- ney insisted his client "does not engage in non-consensual role play or sex and any suggestion of the contrary is defamatory." According to one account, nine people have now complained to the media. This media gift that keeps on giving centers on someone who seemingly had it all. Perhaps for that reason, those around him are alleged to have looked the other way or downplayed longtime rumblings about him. Haven't we heard that else- where before? The popular host had inter- viewed the internationally fa- mous such as Woody Allen, and his show's quality was as ex- cellent as his music had been when he was a musician. By all accounts, his view of life at the top with all the money, power, and appeal to women that goes with it wasn't slapdash. Or at least not "dash." Joe Gandelman is a veteran jour- nalist who wrote for newspa- pers overseas and in the United States. He has appeared on cable news show political panels and is Editor-in-Chief of The Moder- ate Voice, an Internet hub for in- dependents, centrists and mod- erates. He can be reached at jgan- delman@themoderatevoice.com. American sex scandal in Canada Tom Purcell OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, November 12, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6