Even as Patrick Murphy embarks with zealous glee on his quest to get the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy banning open homosexuality in the military repealed, there’s still one thing that Democrats don’t want sucked by America’s soldiers: Cigarettes.The administration is floating this through “Pentagon health experts” who are said to be urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to ban troops from using tobacco and ban its sale on military bases. Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the department supports a smoke-free military “and believes it is achievable.” She declined to elaborate on any possible ban. One in three service members use tobacco, the report says, compared with one in five adult Americans. The heaviest smokers are soldiers and Marines, who have done most of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the study says. About 37% of soldiers use tobacco and 36% of Marines. Combat veterans are 50% more likely to use tobacco than troops who haven’t seen combat.Barack Obama, who has only ever seen a battlefield on television, continues to smoke occasionally. I wonder if, as Commander-in-Chief, the ban will effect him.I don't know where I got this particular article from but it was the front page of the paper today.I think this is fucking stupid.
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Obama Administration Seeks To Ban Military Smoking
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it's kind of a non-story really.
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Originally Posted By: OldFolks
there's still one thing that Democrats don't want sucked by America's soldiers: Cigarettes.
Brilliant!!
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Chea, you and me both, Scotty.First all of America, but they think "Oh no, that's stupid. We'll just tell the people that we just put through hell, 5 times over, they can't, while everyone else, can."Sometimes, I REALLY do wonder about our government. I think there's plenty of other things to deal with at the moment, yeah?
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It would surely impact on the military's ability to get new recruits, which you would think would kill the idea.
It might not be a particularly good idea for soldiers on active service, carrying live weapons while in constant danger from snipers and roadside bombs, to be also trying to cope with giving up smoking. -
also not a great time to be lighting a smoke either
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Originally Posted By: unsupervisedit's kind of a non-story really. How so? It prohibition of a legal substance to a select class of people.
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Quote:Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said the department supports a smoke-free military “and believes it is achievable.” She declined to elaborate on any possible ban. they won't ban it. It's just talk