Believe me, I am in no way stating that I don't believe smoking is bad for you. Or even that being around smokers is bad for you. I was just saying that there are SOOO many things to worry about, second hand smoke is generally a lame excuse for telling someone what they can and can not do. I mean, based on that, we should not drive cars, for several reasons, they crash into things when not driven properly, they expel WAAAAAAY more noxious smoke than my cigarette does, they produce carbon monoxide, they add to noise pollution, air pollution, and water pollution, they drain the natural resources of our earth, ad nauseum. But there are very few people complaining about driving cars. I mean, for heavens sake, saccharin is known to cause cancer, but am I going to stop using it because of that?

Basically, there is nothing in this world that is totally risk free, and if there was, it probably wouldn't be enjoyable anyway.

Basically what I'm saying is this: I know smoking is bad for me, but I choose to do it anyway. If you don't like my smoke, don't stand near me, but don't expect me to stop simply because you say to. For the record, I don't intend to stop drinking, driving (not at the same time, don't get nervous) , walking across the street, talking on my cell, skydiving, scuba diving, swimming, surfing, drinking artificially flavored drinks, eating my twinkies with no expiration dates, listening to my music loud, or consuming polyunsaturated fats for fear of dying from it. Life is too short as it is to live in that kind of fear. I'll just do as I damn well please and let God handle the incidentals.

For the record, the number of people I know that have died from alcohol related disease outnumbers the smokers 6-1. Liver disease can be a very bad thing indeed.