VV’s Friedman on smoking
Brandon “Beaker” Friedman of Vote Vets is unhappy that soldiers will retain their choice whether to use tobacco or not after the Department of Defense rejected recommendations to curtail tobacco use in the military. Somehow he blames some nebulous “pro-tobacco opposition”;
Even though no one suggested the government’s Morale Suppression Squad would immediately deploy agents to the front lines to confiscate Joe’s smokes, that’s exactly how the pro-tobacco opposition framed it. And you guys were successful. So well played, my tobacco-loving friends, well played.
I don’t remember anyone except real soldiers who like to dip tobacco to fend off stress and fire up a stogy to celebrate when it’s over expressing their opinions. Somehow we did irreparable damage to future soldiers. But see, that’s not the end. How can anyone write a post at Vote Vets without pulling statistics out of their ass? Well they can’t. In defense of his post, Beaker wrote this;
Notice the first line; Military service is not more dangerous than smoking and drinking. I don’t have the data, but I guarantee you more veterans died of smoking- and drinking-related causes last year than died in combat. In fact, that’s a statistic I’d love to get my hands on.
He had to say “veterans” because no one on active duty dies of tobacco use – it takes decades of use to die from tobacco usage. No one dies when they’re 19 from a year of a pinch between teeth and gums. But ya know, when you say “veterans” that means people who don’t go to combat – because they’re not in the military. They’re veterans. And they get to choose whether they use tobacco or not – irrespective of military policy.
So, and I’m just guessin’ here, I think that 100% more veterans die of tobacco use than die in combat.
Below the jump, Freidman sings “Ode to Joy” to repent for his anally-retrieved statistics;
Category: Bloggers, Military issues
How could an infantry combat vet of Iraq and Afghanistan from the 101st work for Jon Soltz? Who would take orders from Jon Soltz? Non the less associate themselves with and go public with Soltz’partisan hack agenda … come on Friedman … this is a joke. Soltz — spent 4 months in Iraq (after the invasion and before Rahmadan in 2003) yet claims to be the authority on the Iraq conflict with absolutely no situation awareness. Isn’t something that Soltz is the only officer in the US Army who was never sent back to Iraq — yet still actively drills in the Reserve?
Just one more small, very small, liberal who thinks that people aren’t smart enough to make their own decisions. Being stupid is a right, but he seems to be abusing the privilege.
nuf sed
Hmmmm…I don’t seem to recall a big line at sick call after we left Thailand because someone smoked a bad Marlboro. Just sayin.
I’m about as sick of the Nicotine Nazi’s as I can be-ENOUGH all ready!
Friedman is an idiot. This isn’t about “PRO” tobacco as it is about freedom of choice. I’m deployed here in Kuwait and for our guys, not being able to drink a real alcoholic beverage isn’t going to kill us. What irks the guys is that they don’t have the choice. Similarly, Friedman and his anti-tobacco fascists just don’t get it. Turning the Pentagon into the latest Nanny is not going to work.
Oh, and I’m not a smoker. I just think those who want to smoke should have the choice, Mr. F.
Nicotine and Caffine is the only thing that keeps me going… that and a desire to kill as many of America’s enemies as is humanly possiable.
just sayin.