It’s too bad the issue even came up, but at least for now, our troops won’t lose one of their freedoms, even as they fight for ours.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has indicated that he won’t be banning smoking in combat zones, citing the stress relieving properties of smoking. I could have told him that. But the fact that he specifically mentioned combat zones left the door open to banning smoking in other areas, outside combat zones.
What is not being addressed is why people smoke in the first place. It is well known that tobacco companies lace their tobacco with highly addictive additives, making quitting, in the words of former Surgeon general C. Everett Koop ‘more difficult than quitting heroin’. If that’s the case, then cutting off the troops would not only be a bad idea, it would be dangerous. Nothing like a soldier in the heat of battle dying for something that has a stronger grip than heroin. Maybe it would serve the Pentagon better if they explored the root cause of smoking, and addiction to it, instead of even thinking of punishing our troops in battle. At least Gates is showing a little common sense here.
It is good to see they are getting a little bit of a break here. It seems that if you are being shot at the least of your problems would be smoking.
Exactly. At least a little common sense prevailed here.
Even Obama should know how bad it is to want a smoke and not have one. He said in the campaign that he had quit, well did he lie or just fall off the wagon as they say! I think since the government don’t allow smoking in diners and government building then it should go for Obama in the Oval office. No smoking Barack! No Smoking! Same as with the Obamacare health insurance…I think all politicians including Obama and his family should have to use the Obamacare plan if it passes into law!
Obamacare for Obama? No, those laws are for YOU, not him. Did you ever notice that? The rules and laws are always for someone else, not the people making them.