When putting into account the outrageous amount of people who die every day from cigarette smoking, it seems there would be a bit more emphasis put into the safety of our fellow Americans caused by smoking than there is put into the possibility of terrorist attacks involving our Air travel. Not only does smoking this poison harm the one doing it but it also puts all who are around them in danger as well. If the dangers of smoking can be overlooked why is there so much attention and action being taken for the possibility of terrorist attacks regarding the recent security changes taking place in our Airports?
I in no way intend to bash security for airline passengers. I love to travel and I fly at least a few times a year. I am only highlighting the irony involved in the recent extreme measures being taken for Airport security and the lack of anything to fight the threat of second-hand smoke. There are body scanners and pat downs in place to protect us from those who may wish to harm us at the Airports. All the while there are millions of people all over the place who are harming us every day with second-hand smoke. Since there is no way to do away with cigarettes all together, smoking has the ability to continue to in its path of destruction with no end in sight.
I say if we are going to spend such time, money, attention, etc. on Airport security for the protection of the people in our country then we should spend the same for one of the deadliest killers, one of our biggest threats…Cigarette Smoking.
While I agree that the dangers of cigarette smoking are very real, I do now see how this compares to airport security. Over the past several years, there has been a lot done to try to help reduce exposure to second hand smoke. There are very few establishments where smoking is permitted. Many employers have gone to completely smoke free campuses. My employer even charges an extra monthly surcharge on health insurance if you or your dependents smoke. Outside of completely banning cigarettes, which, as you stated, is not likely to happen anytime in the foreseeable future, I do not see much more that can be done. However, the threat to air travel is something we can try to control. After having watched one of the planes hit the twin towers on 9/11, I believe everything being done and all of the money being spent in airports now is justified. I don't believe anyone would have had a problem with the security in place in the days immediately following 9/11. Unfortunately, as that day becomes a more distant memory people become more intolerant of these measures.
ReplyDeleteIt’s true that smoking kills far more people yearly than do terrorist attacks, but compared to airport security it's apples and oranges. Yes second hand smoke is harmful to all of us. I can remember the days every restaurant had a smoking and non-smoking section separated by an invisible line where everyone got exposed to the smoke. Those days have changed though, and smokers are now segregated away from the main population almost everywhere you go. You won’t even find smokers in bars in Austin anymore. It’s much easier now to avoid places with smokers because they simply aren’t nearly as popular anymore. I am not a smoker, never have been, but I was exposed to plenty of second hand smoke as a child, with both parents smoking. But as times changed and the dangers were realized, my parents realized their smoking was the likely cause of my childhood allergies and breathing problems, they took it outside, and my mom eventually quit. The bottom line is smoking is dangerous to us all through second hand smoke, but is easily avoidable. Therefore the only people being harmed are the smokers, and I don’t think the majority of America wants to put our efforts into protecting them from their own foolish choices. Airline security affects us all and isn’t under our control, and although I’d like to see the government out of it, and see it under the airlines control, it does need our focus more so than protecting people from themselves.
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