Clearing The Air

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

A classic never goes out of style...

...Freedom Dogs and the Taxpayers League, bring you this controversial yet factual visual ....I thought I would republish it here, mainly since it was on display at the MN. State Fair and I was reminded of what an educational piece it is.

Friday, August 26, 2005

God bless the South.........

It seems there is another mayor who not only believes in private property rights, but is willing to stand up against the pharmaceutical nicotine lobbyists...I am of course referring to the American Lung, American Cancer Society, Non-Smokers Rights, and all the other non-profits which do the bidding of the Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Company; and were defeated in Cave City Kentucky. This story of course is a couple weeks old, but you have to admire the common sense and clear thinking that breeds a classic line such as this:

Trampling on the rights of private-property owners has never been a part of American “mainstream” thinking

“I voted not to pass a ban because I don’t feel like government should tell private business owners who help support the city with their taxes what to do about smoking,” (Mayor) Hunt told the Bluegrass Institute. “I respect those people who see this as strictly a health issue, but I also respect the man who has invested in his business and is trying to make a living.”

Word of advice to the non-profits... it would have been more credible for you to lobby for smoking bans, had you not accepted nearly $500,000,000.00 in Nicoderm money. We might have been convinced you were looking out for our health; now, you're simply paid spokespersons towing the company line.

Do you provide advertising for any other companies?

How about this one? www.clean-air-quality.com

Now here's a smoking blog.........

.....that even Dr. Jonz would love.

The Dr. you see fancies himself as having asbestos taste buds. Well let's see how he compares to this masochist http://smokingtongue.blogspot.com/

drink up.....and pass the fire extinguisher.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Johnson & Johnson lobbying money...RWJF (Nicoderm CQ) isn't enough....

....the anti-smoking lobbyists, funded by the largest pharmaceutical nicotine interest RWJF, now need MN. taxpayer money, in the form of MPAAT, to coerce Hennepin County Commissioners to see things their way.

Let's review:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Nicotrol, Nicoderm, Nicoderm CQ) funding to non-profit organizations (partial list) to coerce smoking ban legislation:

Numerous special interest groups and universities $1,900,000.00
2001 American Non-Smokers Rights Foundation $3,000,000.00
2001 American Cancer Society $99,000,000.00
2002 American Medical Association $10,896,463.00
2002 American Lung Association $99,000,000.00
$2,416,662.00 from RWJF (Nicoderm) funding to lobby lawmakers

of which we know the American Cancer Society in 2004 spent $600,000.00 here in MN. lobbying local officials including Hennepin County to spread their "facts". (the other non-profits of course spent more)

Here's one fact they didn't include in their lobbying...St. Louis Park Environmental Health Department tests proved secondhand smoke in bars and restaurants is 150 times lower (safer than) OSHA regulations for secondhand smoke.

Update: Here is a RWJF grant the National Tobacco Control Technical Assistance Consortium in the amount of $9,000,000.00 which appears to be an emergency clearinghouse for local anti-smoking activists who need pharmaceutical nicotine money to affect smoking ban action. Perhaps our local chapters of the American Lung & American Cancer etc. can tell us if they've dipped into this well to influence local politicians. And yet another grant to Activities of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center for $9,871,538.00 no description given for the purpose of this grant except anti-smoking activist leadership.

I am curious if funding by a 501.3C foundation to lobby lawmakers violates the IRS code?

Why would anybody believe that pharmaceutical nicotine (Nicoderm) special interest money isn't going to manipulate the findings presented to our lawmakers by the anti-smoking activists?

Friday, August 19, 2005

The economic impact game...

.....when city councils & county commissions, who recently passed smoking bans, attempt to provide lip service to the multitudes of businesses and people harmed by the smoking ban; they make a half-hearted effort saying....we'll conduct an economic impact study.

The reality of the matter is that they've already made the back room deal with the devil ( er....non profits) and simply return with the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical (er.... non-profits) talking points.......sure there maybe individual "corrections", but the overall tax impact is a net no change. Westover puts it in easy to understand Lunger terms:

Bob (Moffit of the American Lung Ass. of MN.) 's argument has always been an aggregate argument that hides the fact that individual small bars and restaurants are hurt by the ban. But as long as overall tax revenues stay the same or go up, which could be for any number of reasons not related to the ban, we can conveniently ignore those people government put out of business.

To use an analogy -- if everyone stopped contributing to the American Lung Association of Minnesota and instead gave to other charities, overall charitable giving in Minnesota would remain the same. That the ALA of Minnesota had to shut its doors and Bob was out of a job would be irrelevant -- charitable giving remained stable......Somehow, I don't think Bob (Moffit) would agree.

RWJF actual local smoking ban grants.......

.... I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried....

1) Project: Partners with Tobacco-Use Research Centers: Advancing Transdisciplinary Science and Policy Studies -- Communications

Grant Detail: $401,182, (awarded on Jun 25, 2001, starting Jul 1, 2001 ending Jun 30, 2005) ID# 042782

Grantee: University of Minnesota240 Williamson Hall231 Pillsbury Drive, S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455-0115

....by taking advantage of communication opportunities outside of the tobacco control community, to broader scientific, lay, professional, and policy making constituencies. Once the infrastructure and communications liaisons are in place, this project will focus on the delivery of information, activities to impact tobacco control, and also target national audiences....

2) Project: Does telephone counseling enhance the effects of pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation in a real-world setting?

Grant Detail: $461,402, (awarded on Nov 12, 2001, starting Dec 1, 2001 ending Jun 30, 2005) ID# 044163

Grantee: Health Partners Research Foundation8100 34th Avenue, SouthP.O. Box 1524 Minneapolis, MN 55440-1524(952) 967-5001

3) Project: Increasing the involvement of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities in clean air campaigns in Cleveland, Ohio, and Saint Paul, Minnesota

Grant Detail: $50,000, (awarded on Nov 30, 2004, starting Dec 1, 2004 ending Nov 30, 2005) ID# 052399

Grantee: Whitman-Walker Clinic Inc.1407 S Street, N.W.Washington, DC 20009-3819(202) 797-3516

This one explains a lot...right Mr. Rybak.....Bryant Lake Bowl.....& maybe Glockenspiel?

4) Project: Tracking the media and political impact of state-level tobacco control: Smokeless States evaluation

Grant Detail: $2,320,914, (awarded on Oct 29, 2001, starting Nov 1, 2001 ending Apr 30, 2006) ID# 041037

Grantee: University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health2121 West Taylor Street (M/C 922)Chicago, IL 60612-7260

The purpose of this project is to integrate and analyze data from existing surveillance efforts and add three new data collection efforts--legislative tracking, *an expanded system to track newspaper coverage of tobacco control issues, and a state Strength of Tobacco Control survey. These efforts are designed to help inform and assess the work of the Foundation's newly expanded SmokeLess States (SLS) program by focusing on the program's important interim goals (by tracking proposed legislation and media coverage of tobacco control) and developing a new measure of the strengths and weaknesses of SLS coalitions for the purposes of guiding SLS technical assistance efforts and identifying the core elements required for program success....

*ie. Influence the media to see our (anti-smoking activists) side of the issue, ONLY. ....Brad Sattin from channel 5 KSTP will know what I am talking about.

5) Project: Medicinal nicotine for harm reduction: Evaluation effects and assessing policy*

Grant Detail: $373,968, (awarded on May 22, 2002, starting Jul 1, 2002 ending Jun 30, 2006) ID# 045567

Grantee: The Pennsylvania State University College of Health and Human Development100 Technology Center BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-7000

* The reason we here at RWJF provide funding for smoking bans.....it sells our proprietary nicotine patches at J & J (Nicoderm CQ) regular readers will remember RWJF owns $5.4 billion of J & J stock.

RWJF financial holdings include but not limited to 80,499,208 and 86,853,208 shares of Johnson & Johnson Common Stock in 2003 and 2002, respectively. This information is found on page 8 of 2004 financials for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. At today's Johnson & Johnson price per share 67.36, that's just a shade over $5.4 billion dollars, pretty good justification for exaggerating about the health risks regarding secondhand smoke to local lawmakers.

6) Project: Advocacy and information dissemination for the enactment of policies and procedures to reduce commercial tobacco use at cultural events

Grant Detail: $47,960, (awarded on Dec 1, 2004, starting Dec 1, 2004 ending Nov 30, 2005) ID# 052390

Grantee: Mille Lacs Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe43500 Migizi DriveOnamia, MN 56359-2241 (320) 384-0149

I can't even believe this one....huge cojones.....trying to influence the casinos to ban smoking.

7) Project: Technical assistance, training, and informational resources to assist communities of color to build capacity for tobacco policy change

Grant Detail: $2,268,864, (awarded on Apr 18, 2002, starting May 1, 2002 ending Jul 31, 2005) ID# 041039

Grantee: The Praxis Project Inc.2nd Floor1750 Columbia Road, N.W.Washington, DC 20009-2814(202) 234-5921

8) Project: Organizing communities of color and others to advocate for clean indoor air policies

Grant Detail: $50,000, (awarded on Nov 30, 2004, starting Dec 1, 2004 ending Nov 30, 2005) ID# 052395

Grantee: Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin 2nd Floor2801 West Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53208-4008

7 & 8 would explain the reason my good friend Jesse Jackson from the Rainbow / Push Coalition refused to join me in my boycott of Johnson & Johnson.

As you can tell by clicking on some of the above links, RWJF has moved or deleted some of the financial grants above, perhaps in an effort to thwart further investigations.

Like KAR fisking the star & sickle, I could fisk these funding grants for smoking ban legislation for hours but I won't.......if you'd like to read more here they are.

PS Here's the way my grant will read:

9) Project: Helping spread the politically correct advertising message of the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical nicotine company.

"Nicoderm CQ isn't it about time you see things our way?"

Grant Detail: $2,000,000.00 (awarded on 8/19/05)

Grantee: marcus aurelius 100 easy street mpls, mn.

I can't seem to find a link for the last grant though.....I'm sure it's in the mail.

Perhaps Moffit, the American Lung, and American Cancer Society can tell me how I can get those grant funds wired direct to my bank.

Where's my grant?

Hey Robert Wood Johnson, I noticed in your 2003-2004 total grant & recipients list that you provide all sorts of money to decrease tobacco sales, while furthering nicotine patch sales. But I think you overlooked a grant, specifically the marcus aurelius grant designed to lobby Clearing the Air from further informing our politicians and general public of your undue and unfair influence on local government.

As mentioned in an earlier post we at Clearing the Air are faithful followers of the great capitalist movement, in fact marcus himself used to sell Smokeeter aircleaners to bars & restaurants before the great raid on private property rights due primarily to your multi-million dollar grants, meant to wield undue influence on local politicians.

So consider this my grant application to help lobby those insidious editors at Clearing the Air in an effort to eliminate any further obstacles to the Robert Wood Johnson and the Johnson & Johnson (Nicoderm CQ) world domination tour......

Recruiting new funding partners to sustain the state and national tobacco policy change infrastructure and maintain policy gains and momentum through targeted grantmaking.... ....no matter how many false claims we have to make.....how many study results we have to buy.....no matter how many political campaigns we have to promise to fund.....and no matter how many non-profits we have to influence.......for a favorable outcome............increased Nicoderm CQ sales (manufactured by ALZA)........ALZA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.

I anxiously await your answer to my grant request to provide politically correct media influence, in the blogoshpere anyway.

PS. here's a recent grant which should anger the Taxpayers League and small business wholesale / retail tobacco companies, among others:

Educational campaign to increase tobacco taxes........

The rest of the story...

In gearing up to attempt to spread more smoking bans, the media of course in tow like an obedient puppy dog, comes today's Yahoo headline:

Secondhand smoke costs nearly $10 bln in U.S.-study

The non-profits are feverishly spreading their propaganda and "studies" as quickly as they can "buy" them with a little help from their friends the Nicoderm nicotine people.

It could be they're getting desperate in the face of recent defeats. A colleague from Missouri emailed:

You may be interested to know that the smoking ban attempt in St. Louis County was defeated last night on a 4-3 vote after months of debate. ........Thanks for your help on this Mark.

Always glad to be the roadblock to Robert Wood Johnson and the Johnson & Johnson (Nicoderm CQ) world domination tour......

On RWJF website you'll find this subtle, yet clear ideology:

Recruiting new funding partners to sustain the state and national tobacco policy change infrastructure and maintain policy gains and momentum through targeted grantmaking.... ....no matter how many false claims we have to make.....how many study results we have to buy.....no matter how many political campaigns we have to promise to fund.....for a favorable outcome.....increased Nicoderm sales.

PS. it pleased me to no end emailing all the New York Legislators about the antics of Robert Wood Johnson's underhanded tactics, a few months back, to help ensure the defeat the Robert Wood Johnson taxpayer funded football stadium.

The Yahoo story brought to us thru the courtesy of The Society of Actuaries, what a contrived name, goes on to report its sources:

The group measured the costs by examining more than 200 studies that have been published since 1964...

Why would anyone doubt a "study" about "studies" which almost always begin.....it is estimated.....we believe.......we feel...........studies suggest? Classic opening lines to inconclusive & incoherent "studies" paid for by Robert Wood Johnson and his merry manufacturing nicotine elves at ALZA.

....Now you know the rest of the story........sorry Paul Harvey came on just as I was finishing.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Can you say szechuan surprise?

Susie Lockheed holds Sam, a pedigreed Chinese crested, and a three-time champion in the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest

No wonder the Chinese eat their dogs!

Sunday, August 14, 2005

From an MPR archive I found this story:

Smoking Bans purchased with public funds
July 23, 2004

The Minnesota Smoke free Coalition and the American Lung Assn MN were recipients of part of the 3.4 million dollars of public money handed out to activists by the Minnesota Department of Health by appointed commissioner Dianne Mandernach to embedded anti-smoking and health activists.

A spokesperson for ALMN always counters my posts about how much money Robert Wood Johnson Foundation distributes to the non-smoking activists to buy a smoking ban. This spokesperson apparently knows how bad it looks to have accepted pharmaceutical nicotine "special interest money". I wonder if the same spokesperson had the same problem knowing MN. taxpayer money was used to finance anti-smoking activists' activity.

And even if he isn't concerned, how about Attorney General Mike Hatch who in 2002 reprimanded MPAAT for doing the very same.

Friday, August 12, 2005

We all live in a yellow submarine........

.....yellow submarine......yellow submarine.

I am referring to the newest and final Seawolf class of attack submarines, which the entire world of course is quaking in its boots at the thought of........ The USS Jimmy Carter.

Iranian officials were quoted as laughing their asses off.

The fierce USS Jimmy Carter is well euipped with one of the largest white flags ever provided aboard a U.S. Naval vessel.

Instead of torpedos equipped with an explosive warhead, the USS Jimmy Carter's torpedos deploy U.N. leflets requesting that the enemy behave in a humanitarian manner.

Initial reports claim that Michael Moore will be given honorary Captain's rank in this new kumbiyah department of the navy.

When asked what the USS Jimmy Carter's first mission would be, Captain Moore & former appeasement President Jimmy Carter proclaimed "we are headed to Somalia to build Habitat for Humanity thatched huts for recently released Islamic terrorist suspects.......er, I mean Islamic minutemen. We will then head-off to Afghanistan to ensure that tribal gang raping of women is carried out fairly in accordance with Islamic sharia law."

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Everyone's favorite communications director......

.....is still pissing on your head and claiming it's just rain.

Bob Moffitt, communications director for the American Lung Association of Minnesota, said self-reported monthly sales figures can be inflated to make a case for the bars, but "you won't lie to the tax man."
Once a year has gone by, Moffitt claims tax data will show no impact.

Update 2012 over 550 Minneapolis / St. Paul area bars & restaurants have closed since smoking bans were enacted in Minnesota.

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/01/100-bars-and-restaurants-put-out-of.html

That's not money you're losing.....it is compensatory revenue shortfalls. Give it a year if you're still in business (and we hope you're not) then you're probably one of the few who didn't lose business due to the smoking ban. If you are losing money now...wait til more of your competitors go out of business, once the (supply) number of establishments goes down then the smaller pool of patrons (demand) will even out your revenues. Either way "we", the non-profits who received $200,000,000.00 in Nicotrol, Nicoderm marketing money to ensure smoking ban passage, will make sure that fast food restaurant sales; which were already non-smoking; are also included to skew the numbers and show that there was no tax impact.

Mike Jennings is president of the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association, a member of the city task force that studied the ban before its inception and owner of Rosen's, The District and The Refuge on the 400 block of 1st Avenue North. Jennings said that many cities compare annual data from all restaurants, including new establishments and places such as McDonald's. The true story will only come from comparing numbers of individual businesses, which Jennings said the city's study comes close to.
Anselmo, Miller and Jennings all said that the increased minimum wage - instituted this month - will force bar owners to raise prices to offset increased labor costs, and artificially raise annual sales and sales tax figures.

Ah, the increased minimum wage what a shrewd move, the bars & restaurants affected will have to increase their prices, which will give the anti-smoking activists the numbers they desire. Even though the increase won't add the the bottom line profits.
...If an exceptions vote does come to the board, Hennepin County Commissioner - and Minneapolis mayoral candidate - Peter McLaughlin may be the swing vote.
At the meeting, McLaughlin asked that Hennepin County staff get data sooner than later - even if it means casting a tough vote before the mayoral election.
"People are losing their jobs, bars are losing money, I believe that," said McLaughlin afterwards in an interview. Still, he added, "a study is a responsible thing to do.....
full story here: http://www.skywaynews.net/articles/2005/08/09/news/news03.txt
Additional reason for smoking bans is the societal costs to healthcare.
Proponents of the ban quote numbers, too. Speaking before commissioners at an open forum on July 12, Dr. Brian Rank, medical director for HealthPartners Medical Group & Clinics, stated that in 2002 smoking added $1.98 billion per year - $393 per person - to Minnesotans' health care premiums.
Then again there is this fact overlooked by the anti-smoking activists (Nicotrol, Nicoderm bribed officials)
Smokers pay their way. Proponents of a cigarette tax increase claim that it will help to offset the additional health care costs imposed by smokers. However, research by the Rand Foundation and Harvard economist Kip Viscusi shows that smokers more than pay their way already. In his book, Smoke-Filled Rooms: A Postmortem on the Tobacco Deal (excerpt here), Viscusi shows that Minnesota smokers actually generate a financial gain to the state of 10.5 cents per pack - include state revenues from the cigarette tax and the state receives a financial gain of 58.5 cents per pack from smokers (see also Viscusi's article "Smoke & Mirrors")
58.5 cents per pack positive cash flow to the state after healthcare costs are paid, and that was before our 75 cent per pack tobacco "fee" increase recently. Hmmm......I guess Dr. Brian Rank's numbers are just "blowing smoke", then again that was 2002.

It used to be that big tobacco was considered the sleaziest industry around, now that award goes to big pharmaceutical nicotine interests such as Johnson & Johnson, RWJF, and the greedy whores feeding at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation "all you can spend buffet"........I of course am talking about American Lung, American Cancer, American Medical Assoc., Non-Smoker's Rights, etc. who are less concerned about your health than with the next multi-million dollar grant coming from RWJF (Nicotrol, Nicoderm) .

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

It' nearly a laugh......

....but it's really a cry.

Given the fact that for weeks now, Bloomington, MN. and Hennepin County and perhaps eventually Minneapolis are re-thinking their smoking bans, a person might feel justified in gloating to the anti-smoking activists at how wrong they were in their testimony to local government officials prior to the smoking bans.

A person might, if it weren't so financially devastating to those of us living the nightmarish consequences of those smoke and mirror lies by the anti-smoking activists. The fact of the matter is that a majority of establishments are experiencing 30-50% revenue losses, or vendors such as myself who've experienced 100% revenue losses. In testimony to public officials a year ago by the anti-smoking activists, these losses would never occur. MPAAT puts out radio & TV ads telling us 38,000 people every year die of secondhand smoke.....they can't prove it, but since they can afford the airtime what else matters? The other non-profits spread similar lies backed up with "we estimate", "we believe", "speculation is"; of course what they're really backed with is, over $200,000,000.00 of Nicotrol, Nicoderm marketing money from RWJF.

The solution to buying into the testimony of these pharmaceutical nicotine marketing hacks, is that every one of the organizations which spent money lying...er, lobbying for smoking bans needs to respond by paying restitution, with the pharmaceutical pay-off money they accepted, to those of us which have suffered financial harm as a result of their egregious actions.

Make no mistake it's not revenge we're after.......it's the reckoning.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Editorial content now available at 10 pm KSTP channel 5...

In case you are delusional enough to believe local TV news is unbiased and fair in its reporting. You need to get a transcript of Tuesday's 8/9/05 10 pm report, as facelift Brucato provided editorial content fit enough for the Star & Sickle.

In reporting that the widow of Christopher Reeves has lung cancer, Brucato reports with all the theorizing, could be, speculative, outright lying confidence of an MPAAT and American Lung spokesperson, that Mrs. Reeves cancer leaves no doubt that secondhand smoke from her years of lounge singing is the cause.

Then at the end she points out that lung cancer in women who don't smoke is different than the lung cancer smokers get. There's a reason for that facelift........lung cancer is not simply caused by smoking.

Ask if the death of a victim of asbestos exposure was caused by secondhand smoke and today's media will tell you unequivocally absolutely yes. Of course MPAAT and American Lung and the other non-profits would say the same, but then they've accepted hundreds of millions of dollars from the tobacco settlement & RWJF and Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical so their opinion is tainted to say the least.

Next came the continuing story on Nightline, and despite ABC News' attempt to pin non-smoking women's' lung cancer on secondhand smoke; a doctor from Ann Arbor said that medical experts do not know what causes it...."most likely hormones -estrogen and how it reacts to environmental exposure of common airborne substances"................hmm slightly a different diagnosis than facelift provided us with.

So tune in tomorrow night kids, let's find out what new editorial bedtime story Cindy has in store for us.

What's this? ....

From Los Angeles channel 6:

.....some tourists and nearby businesses say White has gone too far with his latest pitch for the Century Lounge: a freshly posted sign proclaiming "Vaginas R' Us."

Toys R Us spokeswoman Susan McLaughlin .........knows about White's sign and will be "looking into it immediately."

That sure conjures up imagery.

Even though smoking has been banned in California for years...there are still strip clubs there? Don't they realize the public health hazard of having strip clubs?

A nipple in the eye could certainly cause some damage. (go with me on this one)

And female nudity at an all you can eat buffet is certainly a recipe for disaster.

It's absurd to think that a highly evolved and enlightened state which saw fit to ban smoking (CA) still allows such savagely, third world entertainment.

Oh wait........banning naked women is not on the agenda of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation......yet.

Monday, August 08, 2005

Tuesdays with Mr. Repace......

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Repace, he is the go to guy when the pharmaceutical nicotine interests need to baffle the media or lawmakers with ventilation "expertise". Mr. Repace's funding from the Nicoderm affiliated Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found here:

http://www.rwjf.org/en/grants/grant-records/2001/12/educational-campaign-for-restaurant-owners-on-smoke-free-restaur.html

insure's he will be a team player.....helping with "research" and "studies" that will advance the marketing of parmaceutical nicotine products, while eliminating the use of tobacco nicotine products by proclaiming the false need for smoking bans.

Here's an exceprt from his grant:

In 2002, Repace received a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Innovators Combating Substance Abuse award for his ground-breaking work on the effects of secondhand smoke. Funds from the award helped make this study possible...... Innovators Combating Substance Abuse is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that recognizes and rewards those who have made substantial, innovative contributions of national significance in the field of substance abuse. Each award includes a grant of $300,000.00...

Anyway, I recently had the opportunity to discuss with Mr. Repace via email a few of my concerns. So let's join our in depth interview already in progress:

On 8/6/06, Mark Wernimont wrote:
James,
I stumbled upon your website, http://repace.com/ and thought I'd ask a few questions.
Perhaps you could tell me what you know about this air qaulity testing by the American Cancer Society, which proves secondhand smoke is up to 25,000 times safer than OSHA air quality regulations?

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2004/04/american-cancer-society-test-results.html
And perhaps you could tell me how this municipal environmental health department's air quality testing of secondhand smoke which contradicts your "windtunnel" claim, proved smoke levels were up to 500 times safer than OSHA air quality regulations.
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2005/12/ventilation-not-legislation.html
And finally, perhaps you could explain why your "research" should be given any credibility since you are financed by pharmaceutical nicotine interests which benefit when tobacco nicotine use is banned?
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2008/01/stanton-glantzs-400000-funding-from.html

http://www.rwjf.org/portfolios/grant.jsp?id=52810&iaid=143&gsa=1

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2006/01/will-there-be-investigation-into-this.html

Mark Wernimont
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/

I had no sooner sent that email when I realized I had to send a retraction:
Mr. Repace,
I must apologize for my earlier email when I suggested that you received RWJF (pharmaceutical nicotine) funding but then produced a RWJF link for Stanton Glantz's conflict of interest funding:

http://www.rwjf.org/en/about-rwjf/newsroom/newsroom-content/2009/07/undercover-work-leads-to-smoke-free-restaurants-and-bars.html

(it is a conflict of interest when pharmaceutical nicotine interests fund researchers and activists to lobby against tobacco nicotine use. Exaggerations, lies and flawed research about secondhand smoke are the result)

What I meant to do was provide the link to your under the table funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:

In 2002, Repace received a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Innovators Combating Substance Abuse award for his ground-breaking work on the effects of secondhand smoke. Funds from the award helped make this study possible...... Innovators Combating Substance Abuse is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that recognizes and rewards those who have made substantial, innovative contributions of national significance in the field of substance abuse. Each award includes a grant of $300,000.00

http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/resources/product.jsp?id=21651&pid=1135&gsa=1

However, as RWJF is the single largest shareholder (80 million shares) of Nicoderm manufacturer Johnson & Johnson Company stock.....whose desire to eliminate tobacco nicotine use, in order to sell more pharmaceutical nicotine products; makes their motives and anyone who accepts their funding highly suspect......to say the least.
Thank for letting me set the record straight.

Mark Wernimont

To which On 8/7/06, Mr. Repace wrote:
Mark, see the attached ASHRAE paper and do the math. The OSHA nicotine standard applies to nicotine vapor in cigarette factories, not nicotine in tobacco smoke. As far as my sources of funding, I'm content to be judged on my science, which has been repeated by other workers funded by other sources. See the second attached. Since you feel my "research" is questionable, have you performed any which contradicts it?

Nicotine vapors in cigarette factories indeed, he thinks I'm an idiot......or a politician.
Nice try Mr Repace....but I am not one of those confused smoking ban activists you are used to dealing with, nor do I work for the pharmaceutical nicotine interests which provide you a pass and contradictory funding. For 15 years I have dealt with OSHA permissible exposure limits which apply to ALL workplaces .....industrial and commercial, and regarding OSHA regulations:

OSHA itself has stated regarding secondhand smoke:
"Field studies of environmental tobacco smoke indicate that under normal conditions, the components in tobacco smoke are diluted below existing Permissible Exposure Levels (PELS.) as referenced in the Air Contaminant Standard (29 CFR 1910.1000 )...It would be very rare to find a workplace with so much smoking that any individual PEL would be exceeded."
-Letter From Greg Watchman, Acting Ass't Sec'y, OSHA, To Leroy J Pletten, PHD
Mark Wernimonthttp://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/

Dear Mr. Wernimont:
Everybody gets funded by some organization or out of his own pocket. Until 2002, I funded all of my research out of my own pocket, and published over 60 papers that way. The ultimate test of a work of science is whether it gets published in a peer-reviewed journal, first of all, and secondly, and more importantly, whether other researchers can replicate the science. Finally, is the research trivial or does it make a contribution? I suggest you check out the 2006 Surgeon General's report on Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke. My work is cited 16 times. And I am constrained to say, your understanding of OSHA standards and ventilation leaves much to be desired.
James Repace

Somewhat condescending I thought, but not unexpected ......Undeterred, I replied:

Mr. Repace,
My understanding and respect for OSHA regulations apparently far exceeds yours; for you, like the other smoking ban activists simply disregard the permissible exposure limits (pel) because it contradicts your special interest funded agenda, but that is proving to be a serious mistake.

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2004/04/american-cancer-society-test-results.html

Furthermore, your peer reviewed journals hold no credibility now that it has been discovered that Nicoderm interests at Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have funded even the American Medical Association to the tune of $88 million:

http://www.rwjf.org/reports/npreports/smokeless.htm

Additionally the Surgeon General's 2006 report was more about attempting to revitalize the secondhand smoke debate in the media than producing any new or relevant studies.
And finally, since you bring up the CDC link, it may dishearten you to know that not only did the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provide funding to the CDC, but so did the Nicoderm manufacturer itself ....Johnson & Johnson Company.

http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/041244.htm

In closing Mr. Repace and RWJF officials, I feel the need to inform you I am a non smoker. I do not fight your agenda by producing the facts you would rather ignore, simply because I desire to be a thorn in you side. I fight your agenda first and foremost, because your agenda has eliminated tens of thousands of jobs....mine included. I was content to engineer and sell air filtration equipment to the hospitality and industrial workplaces, which allowed me to pay for my family home, cars, and all the simple basic rights you and yours take for granted. Your disregard for livelihoods, businesses, and jobs is a clear indication that "welfare" and "health" of the general public is the furthest consideration from your agenda. Secondly, and most gratifying, I will admit, I fight your agenda because the science of secondhand smoke proves "health hazard" is a claim that has been thoroughly debunked.

The American Cancer Society AQ tesing finds secondhand smoke is up to 25,000 times safer than OSHA regulations.
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2004/04/american-cancer-society-test-results.html

The Environmetal Health Department of St. Louis Park , MN. AQ testing proved secondhand smoke is up to 500 times safer than OSHA regulations

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2006/02/air-quality-testing-and-secondhand.html

The California EPA (CARB) AQ test results showed secondhand smoke is up to 50,000 times safer than OSHA regulations.
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2005/10/secondhand-smoke-air-quality-study-by.html

And just as important to note is the hypocrisy of the smoking ban movement which condemns and demends government action regarding secondhand smoke in the workplace......while ignoring the greater hazard of welding smoke in the worplace. The only expalnation of course is the pharmaceutical nicotine funding eminating from RWJF.
Rest assured Mr. Repace, RWJF, and J & J executives, it's not revenge I'm after.....it's the reckoning.
Mark Wernimont
Watertown, MN.

Upon reading this next exchange I fear may never hear from Mr. Repace again:
I'm sorry to hear that you lost your job, Mr. Wernimont, although I rather doubt that any of the persons or organizations you name had much to do with it. Perhaps you should seek employment with OSHA, or hire yourself out as an expert on OSHA PELs with an industrial hygiene firm.
Goodbye, Mr. Wernimont

So I could not resist imparting one final message upon my new found friend:
Thank you for you heart felt (I'm sure) condolences Mr. Repace:
"I'm sorry to hear that you lost your job, Mr. Wernimont, although I rather doubt that any of the persons or organizations you name had much to do with it." -James Repace

The fact is Mr. Repace that the RWJF, American Lung Association, Non-smoker's Rights of Minnesota.....etc...etc. And all the other organizations which funded and provided exaggerated and false testimony which led to lawmakers implementing smoking bans, directly led to the former company I worked for to permanently eliminate my job......citing there is no market for your area of sales....that being Smokeeter air filtration sales to the hospitality industry.
It would be convenient for those of you on the pharmaceutical nicotine payroll to falsely believe that your exaggerations and lies only produce good and not harm.......it might ease your collective conscience, but it is not fact. Here are the business and job losses to prove my point:

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2005/11/updated-hennepin-ramsey-hospitality.html

http://www.smokersclubinc.com/banloss3.htm

Finally, I would like to leave you with a paper by Dr. Mark Taylor written sometime in the mid to late 90's. This paper was the catalyst to incite the pharmaceutical nicotine companies to "compete" with and "decimate" the tobacco nicotine industry.
http://www.smoke-free.ca/pdf_1/ands.pdf

It would have been nice if that's where it ended.
So while those of us in the hospitality trades are pushed out of our jobs and our homes, so you can accept multi-million dollar grants from the pharmaceutical nicotine executives.....try not to concern yourelves too much.....please don't let your conscience get to you. What's another little exaggeration or lie in furthering your career? As I wrote regarding Carmona's departure:

I hope it wasn't something I said......
I did call the Surgeon General a "liar", and a "little Napoleon" and then I backed up that claim with test results from the American Cancer Society; which proved secondhand smoke is up to 25,000 times safer than OSHA regulations.

But I had no idea he would take the news so hard..........he just tendered his resignation.
I almost feel bad, I know what it feels like to be unemployed......except that mine came at the hands of the pro-smoking ban activists, who felt the need to deceive lawmakers about the facts regarding secondhand smoke......and my job loss came with no unemployment benefits or severance package.

So while I'm packing all my belongings as the sheriff evicts us from our home, I'll briefly reflect on the former Surgeon General Carmona and quietly whisper a little prayer that starts something like this............................paybacks are a bitch.

Remember the saying Mr. Repace, what goes around......I only hope I get to read about yours as well.

Mark Wernimont (I know a great house on the foreclosure market here if you're interested)
Watertown, MN.
http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/

Thus the above exchange extinguished a budding young relationship......I feel disappointment that I may never hear from him again..........Or will I?
.....Stay tuned.

Update: This response from Repace just in:
Unfortunately, Mr. Wernimont, you have selectively appealed to authority. I repeat: if you find an error in the papers I sent you that's one thing. Appealing to the Bush OSHA, which is in bed with Big Tobacco, is another. in 1994, OSHA estimated that there were as many as 13,000 workers dying every year from SHS [U.S. Dept. of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration. 29 CFR Parts 1910, 1915, 1926, and 1928; Indoor air quality, proposed rule Fed Reg 59 # 65, Tues April 5, 1994, 15968-16039. ]. OSHA has never set a PEL for SHS. And taking individual PELs one at a time is impermissible. You have to calculate a weighted PEL for all of the compounds, which you should know before you go shooting off your mouth. The 2006 Surgeon General's report states there is "no safe level of exposure to SHS."

Well at least it's good to know that there have been no advancements by the smoking ban activists.....attempting to fight against OSHA. In other words I've heard these lame arguments before. So here we go:

Oh, contrare my well funded Nicoderm schill. Mr. Repace with all due respect I am beginning to doubt either your knowledge of OSHA permissble exposure limits.....or your sincerity.
As to your first assertion: OSHA has never set a (PEL) for secondhand smoke (as a whole), no it hasn't ...OSHA is much more precise than that; it sets a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for each individual component of secondhand smoke that might be listed as hazardous. Otherwise, to buy into your assertion, OSHA then doesn't have the authority to regulate welding smoke because there is no (PEL) for welding smoke.....there is however a (PEL) for each individual component of welding smoke that may be hazardous; examples: chromium, nickel, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead. So when OSHA comes out to inspect your local welding factory they don't measure the total smoke level, rather they measure for the individual components chromium, nickel, lead, etc. If the individual (PEL) are lower (safer) than the OSHA permissible exposure limit......then you are within regulations and allowed to continue to safely operate. The same criteria needs to apply to secondhand smoke.

I love the activist "no safe level" argument most of all, it never gets old, and it makes me wonder how mankind has survived this long with such a defeatist attitude. With that mentality Mr. Repace you had better go stick your head in the ground, to be safe. No wait, I guess you can't do that, the arsenic naturally present in the soil would be a "no safe level". In fact Mr. Repace with that line of reasoning you would have to stop breathing this instant, the CO2 levels in every breath are a health hazard. CO2 causes death in humans at a concentration of 20%.......yet there you go inhaling a potentially dangerous substance, ignoring your selective rule......"no safe level"......It's tired, it's old.....and it is quite possibly the most insincere argument you could make.
I'm sorry Mr. Repace, I perhaps overestimated your genius.....I thought for sure that anyone in your position who could garner a $300,000.00 payday from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation must be a truly remarkable man.......now however I see that the only requirement to getting a $300,000.00 or multi-million dollar grant from RWJF or the Johnson & Johnson Company directly, is to tell them what they want to hear.....even if it is pure b.s......as long as the politicians buy it.
Goodbye Mr. Repace feel free to contact me anytime, but please try to come up with some semblance of credibility for your arguments the same tired, false lies are becoming boorish.

It's impressive....they are willing to come back time and time again to tell you bold faced lies.....with not a hint of shame.

Yet again Mr. Repace retorts:
Obviously, Mr. Wernimont, you are unfamiliar with 4-aminobiphenyl and beta napthylamine. You appear to have zero expertise in your subject matter.

To which I respond:
Mr. Repace I am also unfamiliar with performing open heart surgery, but I assure you that after 15 years of designing and implementing air filtration equipment in commercial and industrial buildings, while paying particular attention to meeting or exceeding OSHA regulations, I am knowledgeable enough about indoor air quality and safe guarding the health and safety of employees and occupants.

And further to note Mr. Repace, OSHA permissible exposure limits requires neither input from you or I, thus the fact that I haven't split a chromium or any other OSHA listed molecule; does not preclude me from analyzing air quality sampling data such as that which was measured by the American Cancer Society recently, and compare the results to the OSHA regulations.
Observe:
So to determine what the American Cancer Society air quality testing really tells us, we compare the test results to the OSHA permissble exposure limits.
The OSHA safe level (of nicotine) is 0.5 mg divided by ACS (test) result 20 nanograms, which is also 0.000020 of a mg. Thus, 0.5 /0.00002 = 25,000 times safer than OSHA regulations. (found at the link below)

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2004/04/american-cancer-society-test-results.html

And if you'll note Mr. Repace I was able to demonstrate that even without jumping into quantum physics.
I realize you have been paid an exorbitant sum of money to ensure that politicians don't question the RWJF talking points.......but the facts are now clear, you can no longer use the "health hazard" argument.
Indoors, OSHA dictates and regulates at what level any airborne substance is considered a health hazard.....and it is now apparent from the various air quality tests that have been conducted on specific secondhand smoke components there is NO "health hazard" unless you contend that levels which are up to 25,000 safer than OSHA regulations is a health hazard. I and rational people not influenced by RWJF funding, contend they are not.

Here's an idea whose time has come.....

Boycott Johnson & Johnson products for their participation in smoking ban legislation.

New Hennepin county smoking ban facts....

RT Rybak wants a state wide smoking ban to cover his costly mistake.

His new communications directory is Jeremy Hanson, ex-lobbyist for the Cancer society, proves he is tied at the hip to this well funded special interest group.

Lost revenues of over a million dollars a month compared to last year.

Charitable gambling revenues down 40%.

1200 lost jobs.

20 closed businesses, more barely hanging on.

The city is now targeting bars in other areas including new sidewalk cafe licenses. If they had their way, 75% would be gone. Noise will be coming soon.

Write RT Rybak and the Minneapolis City Council too, demand the ban be examined again. Not just the bar owners suffer from stupid decisions that have been made.

Thanks to Sue Jeffers former owner of Stub & Herbs for the above information.

Update 4/20/09: Local Minnesota smoking bans closed 320+ bars and restaurants, eliminating more than 10,000+ jobs.

Friday, August 05, 2005

In the quest to always bring readers the most important news of the day

The Air brings you this potentially life threatening story from Sky News:

FLIP FLOPS CAN BE KILLERS

...The fashionable footwear - ideal for the beach in hot weather - are putting the lives of road users at risk..........Researchers claim a flip flop, worn by millions, can easily get stuck under the pedals and cause a fatal accident....

In a related story, former presidential candidate John F-ing Kerry admitted flip flops had put his political life in danger, causing a fatal ....er, failed presidential bid.

Monday, August 01, 2005

Smoking bans......

.....otherwise known as pharmaceutical nicotine marketing plans.

Brought to you by Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Also by American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Non-Smokers Rights Foundation, American Medical Association, MN. Smokefree Coalition, University of Minnesota, Tobacco Control Resource Center Inc., and numerous other organizations which have accepted over $200,000,000.00 from the pharmaceutical nicotine industry to lobby our politicians in favor of smoking bans; not for health reasons, rather for their own financial interests.

Update: More coverage on the subject in these recent posts

http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1123028185.shtml

http://koolaidreport.blogspot.com/2005/08/oh-now-i-get-it.html

This story is one of the reasons I was so happy to pass out Star Tribune Bias stickers this weekend at the Patriot picnic

I normally don't "fisk" star & sickle editorials or news stories (I guess that is redundant), because I don't read the socialist rag; but somebody pointed out this editorial to me today.

Editorial: Don't retreat/Push for statewide smoking ban

Hennepin County Board members say they're feeling pressure to modify the county's smoking ban......... They ought to slow down and consider the big picture.

The big picture, would that be that Hennepin county commissioners' actions haven't put enough bars & restaurants out of business yet? I have heard that only 13 establishments have gone out of business in those 4 months, and several hundred jobs lost. The editorial board would apparently demand more "evil" bars & restaurant owners file bankruptcy, firing thousands more employees I guess.

.. the reason they passed the ban in the first place: the board's responsibility for protecting public health

The editorial board and crack investigative reporting team at the star & sickle has neglected to follow up with the local environmental health department which conducted air quality testing regarding public health, opting instead to believe the pharmaceutical nicotine marketing plan (ie. smoking ban). St. Louis Park health department test results prove secondhand smoke is 150 times safer than OSHA guidelines....yes the very same OSHA which safeguards employee health.

The socialist rag goes on to say:

...recent survey results showing that 73 percent of Hennepin County respondents favor indoor smoke-free policies....

..hmmm that sort of conflicts with the star & sickle's own online poll this week 7/25/05- 8/1/05.

Instant Poll: What should Hennepin County do about its smoking ban?

Keep it just as it is-----------------------------4393-----------------36%
Give bars a break - like in Ramsey County-----1648-----------------13%
Don't know/don't care----------------------------75------------------1%
Exempt all restaurants that serve alcohol-------493------------------4%
End the ban now------------------------------ 5655------------------46%
Total----------------------------------------12265

....looming in the background: the statewide bill to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, which has yet to pass -- and which will no doubt be reintroduced in the next legislative session....

One problem with statewide action ever passing is the fact that the "tax and spend" state politicians just passed the tobacco "fee" to balance the budget....a statewide smoking ban would cut money for education & heathcare.....maybe RWJF, American Lung, American Cancer and the other beneficiaries of pharmaceutical nicotine legislation will pony up and pay for the state programs that a smoking ban would cut.

still further "grasping at straws" ideas are put out by the editorial board below

..Perhaps means other than retreating could be devised to help formerly smoke-filled bars through the transition -- something like small grants for advertising, or building patios.

You missed a few vendors like myself who have been put out of business, but since you're asking a large briefcase filled with non-sequential hundred dollar bills would do fine thank you.

And yet the blathering continues:

Public officials owe their constituents a long view of the public good. The long view is that indoor protection from secondhand smoke is important because it will protect health. And whatever the county's quick and early impact study shows, the long view -- as shown from experiences elsewhere -- is that both people and economies will thrive.

The long view is that everyone of the establishments in question are "private". The editorial board nor any government body has the authority, nor right to mandate their method of operation regarding a legal product -tobacco. The general public is not forced to enter a smoking establishment, there are already enough non-smoking establishments for the "sensitive" Brie eating, Volvo driving, tree hugging Druids to frequent.

Besides the lack of business from the dour, rage-impaired, Volvo-driving, free-range-alpaca clad matrons and their mousy, vegetarian, government-employed, ideologically-neutered mates- (underlings), or the patchouli-reeking, tie-dyed upper-middle-class poverty impersonators, eating overcooked pork and electoral crow crowd, establishes the fact that they do not frequent establishments whether they are smoking or non-smoking.

Heir America.......

......the lefts' answer to talk radio, feels it is the heir apparent to government funds.

Government funds earmarked for the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club, a nonprofit organization that runs mentoring programs for children and day care for Alzheimer's patients, somehow ended up in heir America's coffers....I wonder if that was about the time of Franken re-upping his contract?

Heir America is living up to the leftist ideology of "entitlement". They have deemed themselves as entitled.....so you the taxpayer should pay.

See how that works? Happy to demand larger government programs to profit the leftist propaganda machine.

Thanks to Michelle Malkin, Brian Maloney, and Swiftee.

Update: for more fun at heir America's expense, see what Sisyphus has to say.