Victimhood Poker

The bansturbators over in the USA have decided, for reasons best known to themselves, that menthol cigarettes are worse than normal cigarettes and should be banned first. It turns out that Afro-Americans tend to smoke menthol cigarettes more than white people and/or that most menthol cigarettes are smoked by Afro-Americans.

The co-founder of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, in an article titled Hysteria can Lead to Bad Policy*, said:

Another fine example is that of tobacco. This industry is as old as Columbus. However, they want to eliminate it by a “death of 1000 cuts”. They attack snuff, cigarettes, and cigars in various fashions. They have taxed cigarettes so much that they have actually created a very lucrative counterfeiting industry that is worldwide.

Like illegal drugs, our law enforcement agencies cannot keep up with the pace of the counterfeiting. Thus, bullying the tobacco industry actually promotes crime. If they eliminate snuff, they will soon come after cigarettes. Then, after doing that they will come after my cigars and I will fight that with every breath I take. Ice cream is not healthy so will that be next?

They are even becoming racial about this. The latest rage being kicked around in Congress and at the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is to eliminate menthol from cigarettes. Menthol flavor is the favorite of African Americans who smoke cigarettes. Nearly 80% of all cigarettes in that are bought by African Americans are menthol. The brand Newport is the king of sales. Yes, they want to strike a big blow directed at us Black folks. How brazen can they get?

But the race card can be played by either side, how about this for logic:

Lorillard [the main manufacturer of menthol cigarettes] has courted African American groups to help make its case. It has even enlisted a consultant to get prominent African Americans to speak out against the ban. How crazy is that?

So basically, Lorillard is saying that it is racist to take a product off the market that can kill black smokers. Does that sound right to you? Honestly, it sounds racist to keep a product on the market that is targeted toward African Americans and can ultimately kill them. Now that's racist.

* The article is well worth a read. On malaria, he has this to say:

It is 2010 and malaria is the number cause of death in Africa. The chances of a village child making it to adulthood are very low. There is a big initiative going on about funding mosquito nets. Oh yes, let the children sleep under these mosquito nets and the mosquitoes, number one source of malaria, will not be able to infect them. They are spending millions of dollars on these nets and you see countless ads on television pleading for you to donate towards the purchase of them. I guess the manufacturer of these nets is spurring this hoopla.

Has anyone ever wondered what happens when these children wake up and leave the nets? That’s simple. The mosquitoes will be there waiting to bite them. It does no good! What we need to do is eradicate the mosquitoes like we did in this nation about 100 years ago. Malaria has not returned to the US and that is a model to emulate in Africa as well as other places. It is just too simple! Kill the mosquitoes.