Poll: Do You Smoke

[Freightman]

So you are allergic to tobacco sin or smoking sinner! Thou shalt hate the sinner and not the sin?



Why wouldn't Americans ban all kinds of fire producing arms? So inconsiderate of innocent lives.

Vicious cycle, again?

Well stated

[BoSox]

Midwest Player, you sure as hell know how to start shit don't you. Now we are on to guns and religion.

[21frogman]

My father was a heavy smoker for 75 years. After having read about the bad effects of smoking, he decided to give up reading. He was very smart, both intellectually and street wise. He knew what I thought, but he couldn't help himself.

He passed at 83 - no doubt he had lots of years had he not smoked.

The damage that smoking can do is not necessarily immediate, rather cumulative over a period of years. Forget the emphysema, smoking weakened his arterial system - he had a ruptured abdominal aortic anayeurism at 74. It was a miracle that he survived. He lost all of the blood in his body, obviously replaced - his kidneys shut down and he was on dialysis for the rest of his life - never the same physically.

His choices at 83 because if smoking) were as follows. Die, whatever gets him first, from more anayeurisms developed and about to burst (confirmed), which would have been virtually instant, let the liver cancer (spread) eat him alive and cause an excruciating death, or go to a hospice, stop his dialysis and be kept comfortable.

He chose the latter, a decision as difficult as it was, which I supported.
Maybe off topic, but an issue resulting from death. I was Executor for my parents, held Enduring Power of Attorney's for both, as well their Personal Directives. These are Canadian legal terms which may or may not match up to the readers, but I think you get the point. My father also made sure that the legal documents were taken care regarding my mother, who was no longer able to take care of her own affairs.

In the US the general terms are "end of life care" and "advance care planning"; the official means of delineating the plans are "durable power of attorney for health care" and "living will". Each state has its own laws concerning their use. (It isn't necessary to have one of these documents, but it frequently does make your desires clearer than they otherwise would be. Remember to review your decisions periodically as you change.

It's important to broach the topic with your designated decision maker and your physician before a situation arises that requires the decision. Don't put off the discussion. Anyone can be in a catastrophic automobile accident. Make sure that all concerned know that person X will make decisions based on what you want for you if you can't. (It's surprising how often another relative from afar will attempt to override the decision.)

[Freightman]

In the US the general terms are "end of life care" and "advance care planning"; the official means of delineating the plans are "durable power of attorney for health care" and "living will". Each state has its own laws concerning their use. (It isn't necessary to have one of these documents, but it frequently does make your desires clearer than they otherwise would be. Remember to review your decisions periodically as you change.

It's important to broach the topic with your designated decision maker and your physician before a situation arises that requires the decision. Don't put off the discussion. Anyone can be in a catastrophic automobile accident. Make sure that all concerned know that person X will make decisions based on what you want for you if you can't. (It's surprising how often another relative from afar will attempt to override the decision.)

I recall specifically, that when my father entrusted me with the authority of his personal directive - the anayeurism and subsequent surgery at 74 were so horrific, that he did not want to go through that a second time. He knew my mother would never allow him to die on his own terms, should that situation arise. When dad made the decision to go into hospice, I was just prior to that, made my mothers guardian. Her situation at that time was, as such that, she would not have been able to make a legally enforceable decision in any event.

[Tassie]

Now we are on to guns and religion.

When the perfect God, Jesus Christ, created a seemingly evil world, someone else had to take the blame. So the devil, an advocate of free will, took the blame for the mistakes of our beloved God.

So while lord suffered for our sins, the devil suffers for lord's screwups, that now include cigars and guns along with their manufacturers and consumers.

No one, other than the president, care about making America great again!

[Three]

Why wouldn't Americans ban all kinds of fire producing arms? So inconsiderate of innocent lives.

The people that kill people already have laws that make them banned from buying firearms. Laws banning lawful use of firearms wouldn't disarm criminals. It would embolden them to use firearms all the time because nobody could defend themselves. It is inconsiderate of the government not to enforce the laws that are on the books that would curb the use of a firearm in a crime and put away those that still use a firearm in the commission of a crime for a long long long time. The vicious cycle is slapping the violent armed criminal on the wrist and letting him back out. Then he illegally purchases another black market gun and goes to using it in the commission of violent crimes, again. Since his access to firearms is already getting it illegally from an unlicensed source, no further laws will affect his ability to get access to firearms. Laws disarming the public will just embolden the armed thugs with a feeling of increased power.

[Tassie]

Three,

The question regarding guns was rhetorical. I understand your point about gun laws. But I was trying to bring out the underlying philosophy of suffering and related issues. (Hence, a reference to religion.)

[BoSox]

Now we are on to guns and religion.

No one, other than the president, care about making America great again!

Now politics. All are out of bounds on this site.

[Three]

Stupid is as stupid does. I have done plenty of things unskilled people view as stupid. Like riding monster waves, hunting in extreme weather, or repelling/mountain climbing. I have to admit when I road 25 to 30 foot waves 3 miles offshore by myself, I decided it was stupid after two beautiful rides followed by being eaten by a 30+ foot wave. I didn't come that close to drowning but it took so long to go on loop being pulled along by the wave I wasn't sure I would have survived a third time around the waves cycle. I could hold my breath for over 4 minutes at the time and figured 2 circuits got me close to 3 minutes. Another circuit around the wave would have had me pushing my ability to hold my breath. I have never held my breath until I passed out.

[Norm]

Politics, religion, closed.