Today is a rather strange day. The Scots are voting to decide if they want to remain part of the United Kingdom, the month of September feels more like mid-July with the heat, and I am open-mouthed watching Twitter updates on the AshWales conference which is taking place just a 50 miles down the road in Cardiff.
As I count down the days to the 51st Anniversary of my birth, I find myself thinking back over my life. About what I have done/achieved, about what I have not done/achieved and about what I failed to do due to apathy. This has only made me more determined to see through possibly the biggest challenge I have had in recent years. That is, to defeat the lies and misinformation coming from certain quarters of Public Health.
I have never really been a political animal. For much of my life I just went with the flow. I did what I wanted to do, I did it when I wanted to do it and I concentrated of trying to enjoy myself whatever or wherever I found myself doing it. I didn't ask for much. I just wanted to be left alone to get on with my life. I wasn't bothering or annoying anyone else.
The problem is that there are some people in this world who would like nothing better than to be able to tell me what to do. They want to control and dictate how I should be living my life. The problem I have with that is that I am supposed to be living in a free society. We fought two world wars to protect what are supposed to be the values of a free society. But here we are, in 2014, and we have a multitude of busybodies telling us that we can't do this, we shouldn't do that or 'that is bad for you'.
This should not be happening in a free society. So how did it get to this state of affairs ?
I'll tell you how it got here. LIES, LIES, LIES and yet more LIES.
For years I used to go out and enjoy having a few beers with my mates. Inevitably, those few beers would be accompanied by a smoke - whether on a cigarette or (on some special occasions) a nice fat cigar. I bloody enjoyed that I have to admit. I knew that smoking was a questionable activity that may well cause me problems further down the line. I know that abusing alcohol could also cause me a few problems. But the point is that I still enagaged in those activities in the full knowledge of what I was doing. I didn't need some nosy busybody standing on my shoulder preaching to me about the dangers of what I was doing (I would have probably told them to f*** off and mind their own business anyway !!).
The problem is that today's society has produced a parasite otherwise known as the Public Health lobby. Since the 60's, these people have gradually increased in number without us knowing. In 2014, we now have what can clearly be seen as an incestuous multitude of different groups all parading under different banners, but all of them invariably linked (sharing trustees, directors, board members etc). At first, they kept to themselves, merely advising and pointing out what we should be careful of in regard to our health. But as time has gone on, they have slowly become more and more vociferous to the extent that they now openly lobby elected politicians to try and sway them to the 'dark side'. Now the politicians are little more than the public mouthpiece of these unelected bureaucrats.
To be perfectly honest, I have little problem with people taking on jobs to advise us of how we should be protecting our health. It used to be the job of Doctors and Medical people to do that, but the Public Health lobby seem to have taken on that role (despite the vast majority of them possessing little, if any, qualifications in this area).
However, what really pisses me off about these people is why they so blatantly LIE about everything just so they can get their way. Despite all of the scientific evidence showing that vaping is a SAFER way of enjoying nicotine, these Public Health people weave an intricate web of lies and half-truths to try and twist everything to fit their agendas.
Around 28 months ago, I finally did something I had thought I would never do. I took responsibility for my health. I discoevered vaping. I finally freed myself of my habit of smoking. I am now 28 months tobacco-free. You would think Public Health would be delighted, but No. They still conisder me some form of subhuman leper. They accuse all vapers (including me) of being 'Tobacco-Industry Stooges' and try to tell anyone who will listen of this 'fact', despite it being a complete figment of their imagination. I know vapers up and down the country. NOT ONE of them is linked to the tobacco industry in any way whatsoever to the best of my knowledge. In fact, I would say that the majority of them hold the tobacco industry in the same contempt as do Public Health. Vapers are not paid by anyone to do their advocacy, they simply passionately believe in the solution that they have found.
Public Health on the other hand ARE paid to produce their opinion. They are paid from the taxes that we all pay, and they also receive money and funding from the Pharmaceutical Industry - which makes them Pharma-stooges in case you hadn't yet realised.Furthermore, Public Health don't like it when they are openly questioned and challanged about their assertions - especially when they know that the challenge is valid and correct. Indeed, when this happens, Public Health invariably accuse us of being 'offensive', 'trolls' or 'bullies'.
I have no issue with Public Health having opposing views to mine or anyone else. That is what a free society is supposed to be all about. A view can be challenged and won if the evidence stacks up. What I don't like is the blatant LIES that are peddled by Public Health.
By all means Public Health, have an opposing view if you wish. Challenge my view of the world if you wish. Engage in meaningful debate with me if you wish. But for fuck's sake BE HONEST ABOUT IT AND YOURSELF.
Be honest about where your funding is coming from. Be honest that what you are saying is merely an opinion, not fact. Be honest about what motivates you to hold the opinion/belief that you have. Be honest about the 'evidence' you cherry-pick from studies to suit your agendas and where you got it from. Be honest if you simply hold people like me in utter contempt. BE FUCKING HONEST ABOUT WHO YOU ARE !!
Seriously, I would have much more respect for you people in Public Health if you were actually honest and straight up. Even if I don't agree with you, I will respect you and your point of view if you are honest about it.
I am being honest with you. I have no affiliation whatsoever with Big Tobacco, Big Pharma or Big anyone else. I am an ordinary citizen that has taken responsibility for my own health. I quote evidence to support my case in FULL. I do NOT cherry-pick the evidence like you do. What you see is what you get.
MAN-UP PUBLIC HEALTH. Your lies, deceit and dishonesty to achieve your aims WILL be your downfall. If you cannot win a straight scientific, evidence-based argument with me, then bloody admit it. In return, I will give you the same courtesy. But you will never get either my respect, courtesy or trust while you continue to blatantly lie, obfuscate and conspire behind paywalls or in private.
BE HONEST ABOUT YOURSELVES. STOP LYING !!
