Don't Give Up Smoking

The US Surgeon General warned, in 1966, that

Cigarette Smoking May be Hazardous to Your Health"

In 1970 the US Surgeon General escalated and said

The Surgeon General Has Determined that Cigarette Smoking is Dangerous to Your Health

But, long before that we, as a community, knew that smoking was not good for you.  The On-Line Dictionary gives an origin date of 1885-90 for the term "coffin nails" for cigarettes.

When I first joined the Air Force, in the early 1960s (as a cadet), the definition of an optimist was an F-105 pilot who had given up smoking for fear of dying of cancer.

So, with that background, I recommend that we save money by not conducting any anti-smoking campaigns or smoking cessation efforts at our locals schools.

The reason is that the students are much more likely to be killed jay-walking, to include walking against the light, than to live long enough to die of cancer or some other smoking related disease.  In particular, during periods of arrival at or departure from the High School, students act as though the streets of downtown Lowell are one big walking plaza.  And, the truth is, the teachers and administrators do not offer a good example for the students.  They are violating the law in fact and in spirit just as much as the students, or so it appears to a driver having to navigate the streets during those hours.

Regards  —  Cliff