(Same content on redirection page, plus more...)I do not like what the tobacco industry sells, and their billboards antagonized me every day when I drove to work. The billboards are gone, and they have been replaced by antitobacco ads. (Note to fellow Libertarians: when I was fighting the tobacco industry, I never advocated restrictions on tobacco advertising, but rather antitobacco forces' use of the First Amendment to counteract tobacco advertising.) I do not like the tobacco industry. However, in fighting against it, I have found myself in some very questionable and undesirable company.
- I found myself agreeing with the Clinton Administration about Big Tobacco. I should have known something was wrong with this; even if Bill Clinton seems to be doing something good and virtuous, there's something behind it that stinks-- like his whole term of office has stunk.
- "Don't go there, don't open that box." I liked the lawsuits against the tobacco industry when they started. Unfortunately, various states and municipalities, and the Federal government, have now turned this approach against the firearm industry. For anyone who doesn't understand the difference between guns and tobacco:
- One, when used in a responsible manner for its intended purpose, has almost zero chance of causing death or injury, and it can save innocent lives.
- The other, when used responsibly for its intended purpose, has an excellent chance of causing death or health problems for its user.
- Of course, there are people like Governor Pataki of New York, Mayor Rudolph Guliani of New York City, and Andrew Cuomo of HUD, who deliberately overlook this difference because they lack character, honesty, and integrity.
- Guliani is apparently no better than David Dinkins, who let rioters trash Crown Heights. Guliani's police stood by while criminals assaulted women in Central Park.
- SLAM! Records (Virginia SLAM), which began by refusing to make music for the tobacco industry-- a stand for which I admired it-- has turned into a shill for Handgun Control Incorporated and has launched an unjust attack on the Second Amendment. I really hope this is because HCI has misled and deceived a well-meaning but starry-eyed and idealistic young singer, and not because SLAM has discovered the value of hatemongering and demagoguery in selling concert tickets and music CDs.
In view of the first possibility, this leaflet for slamming SLAM's Philadelphia concert on July 30 has been targeted primarily at Handgun Control Incorporated and not SLAM.