SHS Facts vs. Statistics Part I

A few weeks after I moved here, I listened to some commentary by Ken Schram on KOMO-4 News. My perception of Schram is that he's the local version of Andy Rooney, a curmudgeonly commentator who provides a somewhat oppositional balance to the mostly P.C. views one expects from Seattle's liberal media. Indoor Smoking Bans Are A Real Drag was really just a mild protest by Schram, a smoker, against the government and what he calls their "Don't Run With Scissors Laws". It did inform those of us who were paying attention, however, that the ballot in November will include a vote on "Initiative 901".

Section I - INTENT AND FINDINGS, states:

The people of the state of Washington recognize that exposure to second-hand smoke is known to cause cancer in humans. Second-hand smoke is a known cause of other diseases including pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, and heart disease. Citizens are often exposed to second-hand smoke in the workplace, and are likely to develop chronic, potentially fatal diseases as a result of such exposure. In order to protect the health and welfare of all citizens, including workers in their places of employment, it is necessary to prohibit smoking in public places and workplaces.

Note the phrases I highlighted. They are pure hyperbole, based on years of harangue by nannies of both the left and right side of the fence. There is independent, credible research with verifiable documentation that explains how numbers and statistics were rigged to bolster the ridiculous claim that "second-hand smoke" (SHS) or "Environmental Tobacco Smoke" (ETS) causes disease and death among non-smokers.

In future posts, I will provide links to research material and try to make it as "reader-friendly" as possible. For now, I will reiterate the words of Dave Hitt and say in response to those who claim "63,000 (or 40,000, or 1906, or whatever number pops into their heads) people die from second hand smoke every year"; "Name Three."