Research Paper.

[Psojka RP,601]

Okay so for my English 201 class we are starting an argument paper. We have to pick a narrow topic of argument and take a side and convince people to take our side. Im doing mine on the tobacco rights that American's should always be allowed to enjoy and all the misconceptions behind the leaf. :eyequiver

Wish me luck brothers!

Maybe ill post my final draft up here for ya'll to read haha

 

[SergeantStogie]

Post it up!!! But run spell check first.

 

[dpricenator]

Lots of guys here, have a lot of information. Pick some brains.

 

[GoingPostal]

Good Luck, hope you can convice people to see past the government propoganda would love to read it when your done.

 

[Psojka RP,601]

Lots of guys here, have a lot of information. Pick some brains.

exactly what i was thinking!

okay guys, other than CRA, what are some other good websites or even books? or anything else you guys might think of!

 

[jjon90]

Google is your friend Paul!! Start HERE

 

[Dave]

NYC CLASH has some great links, too.

 

[stogies&hoagies]

Good luck. sounds like a fun topic.

 

[Burning Man]

Awesome and good luck! I hope you have an objective professor.

 

[Psojka RP,601]

Google is your friend Paul!! Start HERE

thanks jon, that will help a TON!

Awesome and good luck! I hope you have an objective professor.

Thanks!!! She's a 31 year old conservative whose husband smokes the occasional cigar on the back porch she told me. haha, i think this might actually turn out good.

 

[jjon90]

thanks jon, that will help a TON!



Thanks!!! She's a 31 year old conservative whose husband smokes the occasional cigar on the back porch she told me. haha, i think this might actually turn out good.

Especially if you send the Hubby:inlove: a fiver!!:yes:

 

[Clint]

Post it up!!! But run spell check first.

^What he said!

 

[AlohaStyle]

Nice!

You should PM Ericdriscoll (sp?) on here as he is an ambassador for the CRA... he might have some easy to use facts for ya.

 

[Halon]

"Yet, the Committee found pipe and cigar smoke to be pretty much innocent of causing lung cancer, and even concluded that pipe smokers live longer than non-smokers"

http://www.lcolby.com/b-chap7.htm

 

[danthebugman]

Cool. Post it up, I'd be interested to read it :thumbsup:.

Dan

 

[violin33]

hey paul good luck on the paper tell your mom and dad we said hello ... and good luck

 

[iCraig]

Good luck dude. Definitely interested in reading it when you're done.

 

[Psojka RP,601]

Thanks guys, will post it when finished!

 

[Burning Man]

What's the status on the paper man? I'm looking forward to checking it out when you are done. Send your profs husband a little BOTL style care package to ensure the A!:ccowboy:

 

[Psojka RP,601]

haha I was actually just getting ready to post it up. I literally just finished it and chose a title! Here is the finished product (different formatting, of course)

Guilty By Association: How Cigar Smokers Get the Short End of the Stick
Paul Sojka
Mrs. McDaniel
English 201.050







Should a person be punished for doing what they do to relax and blow off steam? Should the government be allowed to single out a minority to tax higher than the rest of the people? Are we as citizens allowed to be told what we can and cannot do for enjoyment and entertainment? These are questions that the people who have been given the negative label of “cigar smokers” find themselves asking in the wake of a dispute that has been going on for more than fifty years. A dispute between men who love their cigars and the rights they deserve and the federal government who sees the tobacco industry as another pocket to get their hand into. The taxes and programs aimed to regulate and downsize the cigar and tobacco industry by the federal government is not only borderline unconstitutional, but unfair and unjust as well.

Dave is a twenty-nine year old college professor and avid cigar smoker and enthusiast. He smokes a cigar a day minimum. After a long day’s work at his university, it is how he relaxes, blows off steam, and prepares himself for the next day. Much like some people come home, pour a soda and sit on the couch with the television remote, Dave chooses to enjoy a cigar; That is the best way he can think of to relax. Is that any better or any worse than junk food and television?
There are many misconceptions behind cigars and their not-so-close relatives: cigarettes. Cigars in fact have the lowest nicotine content of any and all tobacco products out there. Yes, your high school health teacher was wrong when they told you that one cigar has as much nicotine and chemicals in it as an entire pack of cigarettes. You do not inhale cigars; ergo no smoke gets into your lungs. Yes there is the slight chance of throat cancer, however very hard to obtain unless you are a three cigar-a-day person. And finally: Yes, there is a huge difference between those awful Swisher Sweets and a nice premium cigar. Swisher, and Black and Mild uses the same type of tobacco as many cigarette makers and even inject their own nicotine and chemicals into them; they are more or less a big cigarette wrapped in brown paper. A real cigar consists of tobacco and nothing else.

The tobacco can come from a variety of places, but mainly from South American countries. The big four are Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. The industry has come a long way since the early 1900’s. Locals in the countries of the origin of the particular cigar company produce the cigars by hand, using very little machinery to this day. They work all day every day, for just a few dollars a day. South American countries rely on their tobacco exports to keep their economy afloat. The more the American government taxes the tobacco, the more the countries producing it will hurt from the decrease in sales. While our government thinks they are protecting us and keeping us safe, they are really hurting our economy and the economy of other countries that rely on the American purchases of tobacco.
In the early 1900’s, cigars were a much bigger part of life than they are now. The first law about the production of tobacco was actually a law ordering farmers to grow it to keep up with its rising popularity. Cigars were a tool used to bring people together for conversation and family gatherings. Baseball games were over-crowded with cigar smokers, as were many other sporting events. Many government officials smoked them, and it was welcomed. Cigars brought great people together, regardless of their political views; they were a means by which things got accomplished and by which people socialized. It was not uncommon for a person to walk down the street, cigar in hand, and be greeted by everyone around him; the cigar carried a sense of friendliness and wisdom in a person. In today’s world, if someone were to walk down the street with a lit ‘stogie’, people would most likely have a much more belligerent attitude towards the person. Thanks to the government’s propaganda and anti-smoking campaigns, cigar smokers now have the same negative connotation as cigarette smokers and even drug and alcohol abusers. (Nielson, Thor. "Editor's Note." Cigar Press Nov.-Dec. 2010: 9-10. Print.)

Given that cigars have the lowest nicotine content of any other tobacco product, should they be lumped into the same category as cigarettes and smokeless tobacco? Since 2009, President Obama has signed many pieces of legislation determining where a person can and cannot smoke. As of 2011, there are still eleven states that do not have a uniform state-wide smoking ban; Indiana is one of them. Next in the eleven closest to Indiana is Kentucky; no surprise there, they used to be the leading state in tobacco exports just a few years ago. Other states include Texas, Wyoming, Mississippi, Missouri, Alabama, Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia. Many cigar enthusiasts believe that the longer they allow themselves to be placed in the same category as cigarette smokers, the more hostility they will receive. Many cigar smokers feel that they should be kept under a separate category, and there are many ways they are raising their voice. Whether it be through the newly formed non-profit organization Cigar Rights of America, or through websites and monthly gatherings, cigar smokers everywhere are coming together to bring to light the negative stereotype. ("State-by-State Smoking Bans and The Cigar Rights of America." Social Cigar. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.socialcigar.com/profiles/blogs/statebystate-smoking-bans-and>.)

Although the government thinks that it is using deterrence effectively and keeping us safe through the use of more bans and laws that restrict smoking, they are in turn hurting the economy that they promise to promote when they take office. In 2010, a whopping two billion dollars was spent on premium cigars alone from retailers. While this number doesn&#8217;t come anywhere close to what is spent on cigarettes each year, most people would say that is a good thing. That money was spent both at cigar shops and lounges, as well as online retailers. The tax collected on all those sales is in the 1.4 billion dollar range. The government then puts that money back into whatever they feel as necessary expenditures; roads and highways, the education system, and the most recent: the healthcare reform system. It is now understandable why cigar smokers think they should not be punished for something that is seemingly harmless. More and more cigar enthusiasts are writing to their legislators, bringing to light these statistics and facts. While it has made somewhat of a difference, there is still much work to be done to reverse the mindset of the majority. You are more likely to be killed on a golf course by a stray ball than you are from smoking cigars. ("2010 U.s. Tobacco Product Manufacturing Industry Report-Aarkstore Enterprise | Best-cigar-online-store.com." Best Cigar Online Store - Cigar Reviews. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://best-cigar-online-store.com/index.php/2010/04/2010-u-s-tobacco-product-manufacturing-industry-report-aarkstore-enterprise/>.)

Should our government place harsh bans and restrictions on something that is nearly harmless if done responsibly? Why are cigarettes and cigars in the same category when clearly cigars contain none of the things that the government doesn&#8217;t want you to be exposed to? Cigars used to be a way of life, community, and recreation. Now, they are looked down upon. Where will our &#8216;protectors&#8217; draw the line? Are they going to start placing bans and restrictions on golf because there is a risk of getting hit by a ball or getting a sunburn? There is a fine line between enjoying a cigar and smoking a cigarette. Cigarette smokers have to smoke, while cigar smokers get to smoke. It is a privilege of enjoyment that has been a part of the lives of many Americans for years, and now that life-long hobby is threatened by a governing body who thinks they know what is best for its constituents. When I have a good cigar lit, I am on vacation; nothing can interrupt me and I am relaxed. Future president George Washington, leader of the Revolutionary army, said during the war, &#8220;If you can&#8217;t send money, send tobacco!&#8221; "Tobacco...Working for America." The World's Leader in Cigar Website Design and Hosting. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://fujipub.com/fot/working.html>.
















Works Cited
"2010 U.s. Tobacco Product Manufacturing Industry Report-Aarkstore Enterprise | Best-cigar-online-store.com." Best Cigar Online Store - Cigar Reviews. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://best-cigar-online-store.com/index.php/2010/04/2010-u-s-tobacco-product-manufacturing-industry-report-aarkstore-enterprise/>.

Nielson, Thor. "Editor's Note." Cigar Press Nov.-Dec. 2010: 9-10. Print.

"State-by-State Smoking Bans and The Cigar Rights of America." Social Cigar. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.socialcigar.com/profiles/blogs/statebystate-smoking-bans-and>.

"Tobacco...Working for America." The World's Leader in Cigar Website Design and Hosting. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. <http://fujipub.com/fot/working.html>.




I know that it probably looks weird but dont worry, it is all correct in Microsoft Word!


Thanks to TheGreekOne for the title and everyone else for all their great suggestions!!!