La Venganza de Los Sith

I saw the third episode of Star Wars this evening. I think I enjoyed this one the most and those who know me well might guess why: I saw it in Castellano!!! Seeing Yoda speak in Spanish was my favorite part, though at times it was challenging to keep up with his turned around phrasing in my second language.

Fire, Tobacco and Nicotine
Several thousand years ago, mankind learned how to make a fire, and I’m sure that shortly after that he figured out how to smoke various substances with that same fire. The majority of mankind has been enlightened since then, armed with the knowledge of the residue in the lungs and veins of the smoker and the short-term and long-term health defects caused by this smoke. (Not to mention the damaged sense of taste and smell!)

Mankind in España has not got this message.

It’s not so much that I mind that others smoke. Truly, as a libertarian, I believe that each person owns their own self, and should be free to do as he pleases so long as he does not harm another’s self. And that’s my beef: second-hand smoke does harm another, actually several others.

So, since I certainly won’t complain about this at the Madrid office, where I estimate that I have inhaled the equivalent of three cigarettes in three days, I vent here in the Palacio Pages. It’s official, my number one complaint about España is that they allow smoking nearly everywhere, including the office. It’s vulgar, it’s disgusting, and it decreases the happiness and health of many while satisfying the urges of a few (okay, in España, more than a “few” smoke). God Bless California, New York City, Ireland and Ohio for banning smoking in public!

The two duties I expect of smokers are:
1) Avoid smoking into other people’s lungs.
2) Pay for the cost of the lifestyle choice either through appropriate
taxes on the purchase of the harmful substances or through modified
health/life insurance premiums to reflect modified health expectancy.

I think the same two duties, if applied to every other substance under the sun, would suffice, at least from the Law’s point of view. And then we could all be a little bit happier.

That’s my rant for the night. Besides this small complaint, I am quite happy to be back under the Spanish sun. And I will savor my smokeless night's sleep, as I look forward to another day of smelling the smoke at the office.