Project:1200

Game On! HB245 Update

2012-02-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

Alright folks,
HB245, the bill that includes eCigarettes and hookahs in the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA) has moved to the next stop. And it needs help moving forward!

Lets blitz the House with educational emails! Follow these simple steps:

1. Copy and paste THESE EMAIL ADDRESSES to the BCC line of your email.
2. Pick a couple talking points from the list below to share. (Feel free to add THIS IMAGE to your email to urge them to not repeat history. We have the evidence that nicotine is harmful.)
3. Share a personal story! Why is clean air important to you, your family, or community.
4. Ask them where they stand on the issue (if you hear back about this, please let us know!)
5. Send!

Easy, right? So lets do this!

(Oh, one last thing... Please send out a one lined email to THESE EMAILS [at bottom] thanking the legislators for voting yes on HB245 and passing it out of committee. Thanks!)

TALKING POINTS:

• HB245 is about protecting Utahns from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke and other toxins in indoor public places.

• Data show that hookah and e-cigarettes have a harmful impact on health. The World Health Organization, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others all delineate the risks of use and exposure to hookah and e-cigarettes.

• HB245 does not ban hookah or e-cigarettes or any class of product. It deals only with the use of emerging products in indoor public places. People can still buy, use, and smoke products, just not where their use will expose others.

• HB245 clarifies language in line with the intent of the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA) to prevent secondhand exposure to toxins in the indoor public places that Utahns patronize every day. Without this bill, hookah and e-cigarette use will be allowed in all indoor public places from restaurants to libraries to healthcare facilities.

• The UICAA prohibits tobacco smoke in indoor public places. It has since 1995. Further UICAA amendments passed by the legislature phased out smoking in bars and clubs in 2006 and 2007.

• The science is clear. Decades of research corroborate the fact that secondhand smoke is toxic.

• Utahns support these protections. Preliminary data show an overwhelming majority of Utah adults support the Utah law that bans tobacco smoke in indoor public places, including restaurants and bars. More than three fourth of Utahns are in favor of banning tobacco smoke from hookah in the same locations.

• Cities, states, and countries all over the world are restricting exposure to hookah and e-cigarettes to protect health. Even India, the birthplace of hookah, has banned use in indoor public places, including use in so-called hookah bars.

• The Indoor Clean Air Act must continue to protect Utahns from emerging products in the same way the Act has always protected the health of Utahns.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Lung Association recommend that tobacco smoke from hookahs be treated the same as smoke from other tobacco products and be prohibited in the same places.

To learn more about these issues, read:

• http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/pdfs/shs_hookah-e-cigarette.pdf

• http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/pdfs/Hookah.pdf

• http://www.tobaccofreeutah.org/pdfs/E-Cigarette1.pdf

House Email Addresses

2012-02-15T07:58:00.000-08:00

Here are the emails to the entire House of Representatives. Use them liberally! ;)

I will refer to this post when our bills reach the House floor. Just copy and paste the list to the BCC line (so they don't get a huge list of emails showing up at the top of the message). Make sure to write a special email to YOUR Representative specifying that you are their constituent. With the rest, that you are part of an organization - Project: 1200 - that represents people in their district.

Have fun!

rmenlove@le.utah.gov, leeperry@le.utah.gov, jdraxler@le.utah.gov,

dbutterfield@le.utah.gov, curtwebb@le.utah.gov, bgalvez@le.utah.gov,

ryanwilcox@le.utah.gov, gfroerer@le.utah.gov, jeremyapeterson@le.utah.gov,

dpitcher@le.utah.gov, bdee@le.utah.gov, rgreenwood@le.utah.gov,

pray@le.utah.gov, coda@le.utah.gov, bradwilson@le.utah.gov,

stevehandy@le.utah.gov, sbarlow@le.le.utah.gov, rogerbarrus@le.utah.gov,

jimnielson@le.le.utah.gov, beckyedwards@le.utah.gov, dougsagers@le.utah.gov,

sduckworth@le.utah.gov, jseelig@le.utah.gov, rchouck@le.utah.gov,

jbriscoe@le.utah.gov, dlitvack@le.utah.gov, briansking@le.utah.gov,

janicefisher@le.utah.gov, bdoughty@le.le.utah.gov, lwiley@le.utah.gov,

fredcox@le.utah.gov, nhendrickson@le.utah.gov, janderson34@le.utah.gov,

markwheatley@le.utah.gov, parent@le.utah.gov, csmoss@le.utah.gov,

ehutchings@le.utah.gov, jdunnigan@le.utah.gov, lhemingway@le.utah.gov,

toddkiser@le.utah.gov, jbird@le.utah.gov, wharper@le.utah.gov,

tcosgrove@le.utah.gov, seliason@le.utah.gov, mariepoulson@le.utah.gov,

kivory@le.utah.gov, lavarchristensen@le.utah.gov, derekbrown@le.utah.gov,

merlynnnewbold@le.utah.gov, greghughes@le.utah.gov, melbrown@le.utah.gov,

kraigpowell@le.utah.gov, jmathis@le.utah.gov, ksumsion@le.utah.gov,

ssandstrom@le.utah.gov, jeremyapeterson@le.utah.gov, bdaw@le.utah.gov,

keithgrover@le.utah.gov, cherrod@le.utah.gov, dsanpei@le.utah.gov,

blockhart@le.utah.gov, fgibson@le.utah.gov, mikemorley@le.utah.gov,

ppainter@le.utah.gov, billwright@le.utah.gov, cwatkins@le.utah.gov,

kaymciff@le.utah.gov, blast@le.utah.gov, evickers@le.utah.gov,

mnoel@kanab.net, vlsnow@le.le.utah.gov, dipson@le.utah.gov,

dmccay@le.le.utah.gov, cfrank@le.utah.gov

Planning Party

2012-01-25T21:21:00.000-08:00

Project: 1200 is going global, and we want your help making it possible! We will be getting together for a couple hours on Feb. 4th [11:00-1:00] to brainstorm the future of Project: 1200, including the branding, mission, gear, goals, events, et. al.

Bring your friends, creativity, and brilliant ideas for an evening never to be forgot.

Oh yeah, the location: Utah Department of Health, 288 N. 1460 W., SLC, UT

See you there!

Welcome to the New Year

2012-01-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2012 is the year of the Dragon, which means a year of good fortune and a sign of intense power. With that being said, it is time to rev up your activist engines and get ready for a stellar legislative session! To kick off the session, a handful of activists showed up at the capitol yesterday in solidarity to support a bill that would make the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA) more comprehensive. Let me explain:

Hookahs are harmful to your health. To inhale hookah smoke means to inhale toxins that can affect the user and those around them. In fact, "secondhand smoke from hookahs pose a serious risk for nonsmokers, particularly because it contains smoke not only from the tobacco, but also from the heat source (e.g., charcoal) used in the hookah." (CDC website).

Next we have eCigarettes. These are devices are made for getting a nicotine hit without the nasty tobacco. As of right now, if you were in an airplane and someone starts smoking an eCigarette next to you, there is nothing you can do about it (other than breathe in the nicotine vapor). Just a reminder, nicotine is the most addictive substance in the world, and a single drop of pure nicotine injected into the blood stream will kill you in 7 seconds. Needless to say, its not the best stuff to be inhaling.

Now that we have that information, it makes sense that people have voiced their concern for allowing these products in public places, free from restriction. A legislative bill was created with a hope for safer, cleaner air for all. This is HB 245, Amendment to Definition of Smoking in Utah Indoor Clean Air Act. Lets just call it HB 245 though. It is an extremely basic amendment that simply includes hookahs and eCigarettes to the UICAA. That means you won't need to worry about someone smoking their eCigarette next to you while in line at a grocery store. That means you won't need to worry about going out with friends one evening and ending up in a room full of toxin filled air. Less worries all around!

Yesterday at the capitol, the committee put this bill on hold because they didn't feel like they had enough information to make a vote on it. This means we have an opportunity to educate them! This is what we call a CALL TO ACTION:

Email the committee and explain why you feel this bill is important to you and your community. Share a personal story if you have one, share some facts (feel free to use the ones above, or find some new ones), and urge them to send the bill to the floor (which is political jargon for allowing all of the House of Representatives to vote on it).

Here are the emails of the House Government Operations Committee members:

kraigpowell@le.utah.gov

bgalvez@le.utah.gov

rchouck@le.utah.gov

janicefisher@le.utah.gov

cfrank@le.utah.gov

rgreenwood@le.utah.gov

coda@le.utah.gov

leeperry@le.utah.gov

dougsagers@le.utah.gov

evickers@le.utah.gov

Stay tuned for up to date information on all things tobacco this legislative session right here on the Project: 1200 blog. Oh, and if you haven't already, make sure to like us on facebook! Strength in numbers!

Yours in the fight,

Peter.Moosman.

Hookahs!

2011-09-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

Did you know:

A 45 - 60 minute hookah session exposes the smoker to approximately the same amount of tar and nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes.

So the question comes down to this: Why are we JUST NOW having the conversation of whether they should be included in the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA)?

We have the opportunity to tell our legislators that health is more important than profit. The Administrative Rules Review Committee is going to be discussing this very topic tomorrow afternoon, and we need to let them see where the support lies. Here's the plan:

Today:
- Email the committee members (contact info below - if you wanna be hardcore, get their numbers and call them) and let them know how important it is to include Hookahs in the UICAA (fact sheet HERE).
- Tell your friends to email as well! This can save lives and money in the state of Utah, and the more people to help out, the more likely to have a positive affect on our state.

Tomorrow:
Show up to the Utah State Capitol no later than 12:30 for the meeting at 1. It will be in room C445. If you let me know TODAY that you will be attending, we will have a pin made for you to show your support! The most important thing is to be visible support, but if you want to be ultra prepared, you can try to speak to the legislators before or after the meeting and share personal stories and testimonies.

Let me be the first to thank you for your efforts in Tobacco Prevention, and your willingness to respond to this call to action. THANK YOU!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know at ProjectTwelveHundred@gmail.com

Thanks again!

Administrative Rules Review Committee
Member	E-Mail
Rep. Curtis Oda, Chair	coda@utah.gov
Sen. Howard A. Stephenson, Chair	hstephenson@utahsenate.org
Sen. Gene Davis	gdavis@utahsenate.org
Rep. Neal B. Hendrickson	nhendrickson@utah.gov
Rep. Rebecca D. Lockhart Speaker of the House	blockhart@utah.gov
Sen. Mark B. Madsen	mmadsen@utahsenate.org
Sen. Benjamin M. McAdams	bmcadams@utahsenate.org
Rep. Carol Spackman Moss	csmoss@utah.gov
Rep. Merlynn T. Newbold	merlynnnewbold@utah.gov
Sen. Michael G. Waddoups, Senate President	waddoups@utahsenate.org

HB 89 Update

2011-02-28T22:27:00.000-08:00

Update: HB 89, the Smoking in Cars with Children bill, was lifted from committee (resurrected from the dead) and sent to the Health and Human Services (HHS) committee! This is an excellent move in the right direction. Now its your turn to take action.

It will be voted on tomorrow (Tues, March 1) in committee at around 8:00 a.m.
I know this is EXTREMELY SHORT NOTICE, but if you can write an email between now and 8, you deserve the Amazing Advocate Award. Here's what to do:
1. Copy and paste the email addresses into the BCC line. Email addresses found HERE.
2. In Subject line, put VOTE YES ON HB89 TODAY
3. In the body of the email, urge the representatives to take a stand to protect Utah's children from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. See talking points below.
4. Urge them to vote yes!
5. Send BEFORE 8am!

Talking Points:
- Please protect children from a hotbox of toxic air the EPA considers 10x above the hazardous level of toxicity.
- This is not a personal property issue, nor is it a parent's right issue - this is a human rights issue - no individual should be forced to breathe in concentrated tobacco smoke.
- PERSONAL STORY
- You (the legislator) have the opportunity to protect children from the dangers of secondhand, thus saving Utahn's lives and money.

Sorry this is so condensed and on such short notice! I am trying to do better!

HHS Committee Emails

2011-02-28T22:18:00.000-08:00

pray@utah.gov, evickers@utah.gov, rchouck@utah.gov, dclark@utah.gov, tcosgrove@utah.gov, bdaw@utah.gov, rmenlove@utah.gov, dsanpei@utah.gov, cwatkins@utah.gov

CALL TO ACTION! HB 170

2011-02-24T23:34:00.000-08:00

Urgent!!

HB 170, the flavored tobacco bill is up for discussion in the Business and Labor Committee at 4p.m. today (Fri, 25 Feb, 2011), and we need to urge the committee to pass it with a favorable recommendation! So, follow the steps:

1. Copy and paste the email addresses into the BCC line. Email addresses found HERE.
2. In Subject line, put VOTE YES ON HB170 TODAY
3. In the body of the email, urge the representatives to take a stand to protect Utah's children from the harmful effects of Big Tobacco. See talking points below.
4. Urge them to vote yes again!
5. Send BEFORE 4pm!

Talking Points:
- Big Tobacco markets tobacco products to attract kids, including flavored tobacco and candy-like shapes and packaging.
- Nicotine levels in many new tobacco products are so high, that if enough is consumed by a child, can cause nicotine poisoning and/or death.
- PERSONAL STORY
- You (the legislator) has the opportunity to protect children from the manipulation from Big Tobacco, thus saving Utahn's lives and money.

GO, FIGHT, WIN!

House Business and Labor Committee Members

2011-02-24T23:25:00.000-08:00

jdunnigan@utah.gov, dpitcher@utah.gov, jbird@utah.gov, jbiskupski@utah.gov, derekbrown@utah.gov, sduckworth@utah.gov, gfroerer@utah.gov, fgibson@utah.gov, dipson@utah.gov, toddkiser@utah.gov, blast@utah.gov, mikemorley@utah.gov, curtwebb@utah.gov, lwiley@utah.gov

It's Official!

2011-02-11T13:24:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the mailbox. In it was a letter from the IRS. This is what they had to say:

"Dear Applicant:

We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your application for tax-exempt status we have determined that you are exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code."

In layman's terms, that means that Project: 1200 is officially a Non-Profit! Congratulations to everyone who have helped us get this far! This is YOUR success just as much as it is mine. You are awesome, and I look forward to a future of great success!

Yours in the fight,

Peter.Moosman.

Surveys and Town Hall Meetings!

2011-02-09T17:29:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!

The Democrat Party has a survey online to learn about the important issues of their constituents. One of the questions deal with the bill regarding smoking in cars with children. Please take the survey and vote in favor! At the end it asks for any comments, so reiterate the importance of this bill there! You can find the survey HERE!

Next, there are some town hall meetings coming up, in which you can talk with legislators! Please attend one (or many!) to let them know how you feel about tobacco, i.e., smoking in cars with children, flavored tobacco, and funding for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. Here are the dates:

Saturday, Feb 12:
- Sen. Davis & Reps. Cosgrove, Wiley, Wheatley, and Hemingway
   9am, Desert Star Theater, Murray, UT 84107
- Sen. Mayne & Rep Hendrickson
   12pm, Eddie P. Mayne Kearns Senior Center, Kearns, UT 84118

Tuesday, February 15:
- Sen. Pat Jones & Rep. Cosgrove
   7pm, Murray High School Choral Room, Murray, UT 84107

Thursday, February 17:
- Sen. Ben McAdams & Rep. Joel Briscoe
   7pm, Tenth East Senior Center, SLC, UT 84102

Cigarette Branding

2011-02-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

Not much to say today, other than a little story:

Once upon a time, I visited my favorite website, fastcodesign.com. While there, I found an interesting article on cigarette branding. It was a great approach to a constant discussion in tobacco prevention. At the end of the article, it had a link to another interesting article about a tactic to discourage smoking. Take a look.

Gotta love designers.

Smoking in Cars with Children (HB 89)

2011-01-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

The first bill up for discussion this legislative session is one dealing with smoking in cars with children 15 years old and younger. Representative Patrice Arent is the sponsor of the bill, and its official title is Protection of Children Riding in Motor Vehicles. The text can be found HERE.

There has been some controversy over this bill, mainly dealing with property rights. What we need to realize is that the rights of the child strapped into the backseat are being taken away, and it is for them that we need to make our voices heard.

Calls to action will be coming soon. While we wait, take a look at some information pertaining to the issue:

The Bill:

Last year, this bill passed in the House, 40 yeas / 31 nays.
Though passing in the Senate committee, it died the last night of the session without a vote. (cowards...)
Last year, the age was 8 years and younger, but has been increased to a more comprehensive age of 15 and younger.

The Issue:

There is NO SAFE LEVEL of tobacco smoke exposure
The level of toxic air in a vehicle when smoking is up to 10 TIMES GREATER than what the US Environmental Protection Agency considers hazardous.
In 1997, the National Cancer Institute concluded that secondhand smoke (SHS) is the cause of:

2,000 cases of SIDS a year
8,000 new cases of asthma in children a year
1 MIL cases of exacerbated asthma in children a year

As quoted from the Surgeon General, 2007:

"Because their bodies are developing, infants and young children are especially vulnerable to the poisons in secondhand smoke."
"...Babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from sudden death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who are not exposed to cigarette smoke."
"Secondhand smoke exposure causes acute lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and young children."
"Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for ear infections and are more likely to need an operation to insert ear tubes for drainage."

For more information on secondhand smoke, visit tobaccofreekids.org, ctfu.org, heart.org, cancer.org

Resistance is FUTILE

2011-01-23T22:16:00.000-08:00

To kick off the legislative session, I have a little story:

Once upon a time, there was a country. Yes, thats right, a country. This country decided to take a stand for the health of its people. As this country took that stand, it put a little damper on a company by the name of Philip Morris. The country, Uruguay, pursued more comprehensive Tobacco Prevention laws, including more prominent warning labels. Philip Morris sent a simple message to the COUNTRY of Uruguay: We have more money than you. Resistance is futile. So, a single company has more money than a country. Big deal. Scare tactics didn't work on those Uruguayans and they continued to fight for the health and safety of their people. All in all, they showed Philip Morris whats up.

They overcame the Big Tobacco monsters.

Now its our turn to take a stand. Click HERE to learn more and to cast your vote for Philip Morris as the Worst Company in 2011!

Seriously, what would be a better way to start off this session? Exactly.

Time Flies

2011-01-23T02:53:00.000-08:00

Hey friends!

It has already been a whole year since our last legislative session. A lot has kept me busy, which is my excuse for not updating the blog since... lets see... June. I know, its ridiculous. Hopefully this upcoming year will be more productive for the blog. I haven't written on the blog, but things HAVE been happening. And things WILL BE happening! The session starts in approximately 30 hours! That is when all the fun begins.

I wish I had more to tell you about what we will be working on this session, but I cannot. I have met with some representatives regarding a few issues, and I have reviewed the legislative website. Other than that, information will be coming in soon! Until then, I can tell you about a few of the issues we will pursue this session:

- Smoking in cars with children
- Flavored tobacco
- Saving tobacco prevention funding

There may be more, but we shall start with those. All three were issues that didn't get resolved last year, so feel free to take a gander through the blog posts of last session to become semi-familiar with what is happening, and I will be on soon enough with more information to catch us all up to speed! Until then, get some rest because it is going to be a tiresome 1.5 months!

Cheers!

June is gay. June is PRIDE month.

2010-06-24T16:43:00.000-07:00

FROM THE LEGACY E-NEWS:

LGBT Americans Smoke at Up to Twice the Rate of the General Population
In June, LGBT Pride events across the country bring about a sense of affirmation and empowerment to the LGBT community as a whole, making it an ideal time for LGBT smokers to quit this tough addiction.Tobacco-related deaths are the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S., and smoking rates are disproportionately high in the LGBT community. Whether social stress or the tobacco industry targeting influences the population to smoke, it takes a deadly toll. More LGBT Americans smoke than their heterosexual counterparts, and research indicates a wide range of smoking prevalence for LGBT adults, ranging from 25 percent to 44 percent among the different subgroups. The prevalence of smoking among bisexual men is almost two times that among heterosexual men, and the smoking rate of lesbian women is 1.7 to 2.4 times higher than women in the general population. To learn more about helpful ways to quit, BecomeAnEX.org provides direct support to LGBT quitters with specific LGBT groups within the EX community including:

The Gay/Lesbian Quitters of Steel

Rainbow EXSmokers

Project:1200 has a little info about Big Tobacco and the LGBT community as well! check that out HERE. (sorry if it is not updated!)

Let me know what you THINK!!!

Give Me ONE GOOD REASON.

2010-06-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

'ello!

I wanted to let everyone know about an organization that Project:1200 is partnered with that is on the rise. One Good Reason. 1GR is a clothing company based out of SLC, UT that promotes a tobacco free lifestyle. Not only is it a clothing company, but a source of art, music, and independence. They just launched their new website, so PLEASE check it out HERE (and hey, feel free to purchase some swag!). Every month, they have featured artist, and this month is a brudda from Germany. Definitely worth every penny!

One Good Reason at OneGoodReason.net - Get involved. get motivated. get informed.

xoxoxo,

Peter.Moosman.

Response to my anonymous friend

2010-05-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

I am happy to hear that the interview on artduh.com brought some publicity! We had some people stop by the blog to take a look. THANKS FOR VISITING, PLEASE COME AGAIN!

The main purpose of this blog entry is to respond to my new friend, Anonymous. Anonymous wrote a comment on the last blog post, which reads:

"Pretty sure everyone knows that smoking is bad for them. I am also pretty sure you have to be an adult to buy them. Are you saying that what you believe to be right should be forced upon all adults? It is the smokers choice to smoke just like its the your choice not to. I am a fan of attacking organizations who lie but I am pretty sure that every pack of cigarettes has a warning that tells people of their harmful effects. Your movement speaks of big government control. Where do we draw the line? Are you religious person? Christianity has caused the deaths of millions, should the government ban that too? How about you focus on helping people quit who want to rather than giving the power to decide if an adult can partake in something that they are clearly warned about to the government.
Good luck with your cause; I hope you succeed and that the government gets all the control."

Anonymous brings some valid, legitimate points to the table, and I want to address them now (and hopefully make sense)!

"Pretty sure everyone knows that smoking is bad for them. I am also pretty sure you have to be an adult to buy them." - Yes and No... Most people know that its just as you mentioned. That its bad. But thats it. They aren't aware that if you start using tobacco before the 19, you have a 10% chance of quitting. And over 90% of smokers started before 19 (and the average age that people start smoking is 13). So even though it is illegal to sell to minors, it falls into the hands of minors more often than not. In fact, Big Tobacco subsidizes stores for stolen cigarettes, so often times stores will purposefully keep their cases unlocked or unattended. It's all part of the plan.
When one thinks about those facts, it's easier to understand why I say "yes and no" on people knowing its bad for you. KIDS realize that its not good, but I know that when I was a teenager, I wasn't THAT concerned about something that MIGHT happen to me, and besides... Kids are invincible, right? They are always an exception to the rules. At the age that people start smoking, they are more concerned about rebelling, fitting in, making a statement, etc. and not to worried about the possibilities of getting cancer 50 years down the road. By the time they realize what is happening, they are too addicted to quit. In fact, 70% of teenagers that smoke wish they could go back and never start.

"Are you saying that what you believe to be right should be forced upon all adults? It is the smokers choice to smoke just like its your choice not to." - The Surgeon General has warned that there is NO SAFE LEVEL of exposure to cigarette smoke. Tobacco is the #1 cause of preventable death in America. More importantly, secondhand smoke kills over 50,000 Americans every year. Where is the choice of those addicted that cant quit? Where is the choice of the person walking down the street or trying to enter a building that has to breathe in smoke? To take it even farther, many of those 50,000 mentioned above are infants and children. Strapped into the back seat of the car while the parent smokes away in the front seat. If the secondhand smoke doesnt kill them, hundreds of thousands of children develop many chronic illnesses and diseases due to exposure to secondhand smoke. Where is their choice? I recently lost a close friend to tobacco. She was a single mother of four kids (all under the age of 15). I am sure those kids would choose to keep their mom, but their choice doesn't matter too much does it? I hope that makes sense...

"I am pretty sure that every pack of cigarettes has a warning that tells people of their harmful effects." - True... ish. If all of the harmful effects of smoking can be summed up in "Cigarettes contain carbon monoxide," then yes, it does. Or even, "quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health." The point is, a short, vague statement will rarely deter someone from smoking.

"Are you a religious person? Christianity has caused the deaths of millions, should the government ban that too?" - I don't think this is a valid question/argument. Christianity (or religion for that matter), does not teach murder, harassment, discrimination, genocide, etc. but people often use religion to push a political agenda. So religion is blameless. It is the corrupt and heartless people that are to be blamed. And the government does take action to prevent and stop those individuals who pursue those avenues.

"How about you focus on helping people quit who want to rather than giving the power to decide if an adult can partake in something that they are clearly warned about to the government." - Project: 1200 does help with cessation as well as prevention. I (Peter) am a certified facilitator for cessation programs, and am always willing to help someone quit. Project:1200 is always available to help. In fact, you have brought up a good point that I will look into further. I will work on adding a page and link on the blog to offer tips and tricks to quit smoking. Thanks for bringing that up!

Anyway, I think this post is LONG ENOUGH! I hope that helped clear up any questions and concerns. If you have unanswered questions, responses, etc., please bring them to the table. I like using the blog as the main form of communication, so others with the same questions or responses can see the answers/comments. If you would like a more private discussion, feel free to contact Project:1200 at ProjectTwelveHundred@gmail.com

It's art, duh!

2010-04-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

This one will be short today. I just wanted to encourage you to take time out of your web surfing to stop by a schweet new art blog that is on the rise: Artduh! I (Peter Moosman) was interviewed by Artduh about my craftivist work for Project:1200. Take a look at www.artduh.com and join the facebook group HERE.

As far as activism goes, may i suggest stopping by the Apple store at the mall and typing in infecttruth.com in ALL the computers... let the Apple store provide a plethora of tobacco facts to all their visitors and customers! (p.s. - this works at ANY public place that has computers with internet access... not just our good friends at Apple)

Until next time...

peter.moosman.

Memories...

2010-04-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!

So I am sitting on the steps of the capitol waiting for a friend... He asked for a tour. I guess I am now a tour guide! Woot. anyway... Being up here, along with a Coalition for Tobacco-Free Utah (CTFU) meeting this morning, is filling my mind with memories of the session that just took place. GOOD TIMES! With that said, I figured I would give an update on the bills, and local tobacco "stuff."

Last Wednesday marked the last day for the governor to sign all of the bills that were passed during the legislative session. He signed the E-cig bill! He didn't sign the tobacco tax... But he didn't veto it either! So beginning July 1st, Taxes will rise on many different tobacco products! Give yourself a big pat on the back! This is a HUGE SUCCESS for the health and well-being of Utah... a much needed success as well!

Another thing is my ONGOING battle with Smith's to get them to obey the law. Who would have thought that a company would be so OPPOSED to following the law. Hang tight, because we might be doing a flash mob or something to spread the word and make them realize this is a bigger issue than they may think! Also, in the tobacco prevention world, it is getting some attention. Health Departments, Cancer Societies, etc. are getting upset, so we are totally making a difference! Stay tuned for details!

I suppose this small epistle will suffice for today! Please continue to spread the word about Project:1200, and take action in your neighborhoods by doing small advocacy activities!

Until next time, PEACE!

New Pages

2010-03-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

So the great thing about life is that I am ALWAYS learning new things! Today, I discovered this here "pages" feature that the wonderful blogger.com provides. As you can see above this post (and beneath the Project:1200 sign), there are a bunch of links. Check 'em out! Let me know what you think about them.

And, as always: if there are any suggestions, comments, concerns or questions that you have for Project:1200, PLEASE don't hesitate to ask!

Yours Truly,

peter.moosman.
project:1200

Finally Catching Up!

2010-03-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Hey Hey!

I just wanna say thank you SO MUCH for all you did during the 2010 legislative session. It was an INTENSE 45 days, and as much fun as I had, I am SO glad it's over!

We succeeded on many levels this session!

- Tobacco Tax passed!

- Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (TPCP) funding was saved!

- E-Cig restrictions bill passed!

- Smoking in Cars W/Children bill made it farther than it ever has before!

- Project:1200 is now better known among legislators and constituents!

- WE FOUGHT UNTIL THE BITTER END!

So... take a quick breather. Once you have regained your energy, lets get back out there and kick Big Tobacco to the curb!

ONE MORE DAY!

2010-03-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

You have no idea how good that sounds... one more day...

ONE MORE DAY! TWO MORE BILLS! We need to make them regret they held these bills off for so long! Here is the game plan:

EMAIL: We want our message heard, even if they cant open the email, so keep it short and sweet in the subject - "vote YES on HB 82 (smoking in cars with children)" and "vote YES on HB 71 (nicotine product restrictions)"

The body of the email can be short as well. One or two lines urging for support!

email addresses HERE.

TEXT: Some senators are backed up on emails, so lets TEXT them! Since this is a new medium for advocacy, we only have 5 cell phone numbers, but the more they get, the more likely they will be vocal about it with their fellow senators, so our message will get to more than those 5!

Once again, keep it short and sweet: "Save lives. vote YES on HB 82 (smoking in cars with children)" or "Don't let Big Tobacco have more influence than Utah's health. vote YES on HB 71 (nicotine product restrictions)"

Here are the numbers:

801.556.4871 801.361.5802 801.710.0315

435.979.7077 435.559.8143

PHONE CALLS: When the senators aren't in their meeting, they are in their office. When they aren't in their office, their interns are. LET THEM HEAR IT!

Really, all you need to say is whats mentioned above. simply "Please support HB 82 and HB 71"

find your senator number HERE. find all the other senator's numbers HERE.

in case you want to add some facts: talking points for HB 82 HERE. HB 71 HERE. other talking points HERE.

Don't slow down until this is over! Tell your friends and family! write/text/call on the hour, every hour.

LASTLY, You need to know that YOU ARE AMAZING! This session has been incredible, and I applaud YOU for it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

EMERGENCY!!!

2010-03-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

Leave it to senate to throw a curve ball the last few days of the session! AH!

So, the senate basically cleared the agenda of all the bills, and pushed them back into the Rules committee (you know, the place where bills go to die!). So its up to us to write to the committee and URGE them to pass HB 82 and HB 71 back onto the senate floor to be voted on! It can be an email as simple as the last sentence.

Anyway, here's the emails (copy and paste to BCC):

rromero@utahsenate.org, dcbuttars@utahsenate.org, mmadsen@utahsenate.org, mdayton@utahsenate.org, cbramble@utahsenate.org, pknudson@utahsenate.org,

gdavis@utahsenate.org

SHORT EXAMPLE:

Subject: pass HB 82 and HB 71 to floor

Body:

Senator,

Please pass HB 82 (smoking in cars with children) and HB 71 (nicotine product restrictions) onto the senate floor to be voted on! These bills will prevent youth from exposure to the deadly and addictive tobacco products. This is vital for the health and well being of Utah citizens to progress.

Ready, Set, GO!

what a week!

2010-03-06T21:45:00.000-08:00

Friends and family. Strangers and acquaintances. Talk about an intense week! I owe you all a huge thank you for your efforts. So far, we are winning in the battle against Big Tobacco.

The Tobacco tax is a done deal as far as the House and the Senate goes. All that is left is the governor's autograph. Lets make sure he feels the heat... i mean... support! Email him HERE... daily if you want!

Also, the Nicotine Product Restriction bill has been on the back-burner for a bit, and just on friday I found out why. Big Tobacco is threatening to sue! Too bad they don't stand a chance! Everything is completely legal! Big Tobacco is just trying to flex its muscles and intimidate... too bad Utah isn't afraid of them! Check out some articles on the issue HERE and HERE.

All I gotta say is that this has been an intense session! 2010 is going down in the record books! We only have two bills and four days left! Lets hit our dear senate HARD! (senate emails HERE. Copy and paste them into the BCC line)

In the subject lines, put "vote YES on HB 71 (Nicotine Product Restrictions)" on one email and "vote YES on HB 82 (Smoking in Cars with Children)" on the other email. The body of the email can be short and sweet. "Support Utah health, vote YES on HB____." Feel free to share a personal story on tobacco and why tobacco needs more restrictions for the health and safety of our children, community, etc.

4 days left! Lets fight till the very end! Y'all rock! Thanks again for all of your hard work!

A BIG THANK YOU!

2010-03-03T12:31:00.000-08:00

--- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! ---

Big Tobacco got it handed to them when all of YOU wrote, called, visited, and CONVINCED the House of Reps. to vote YES on the tobacco tax. Believe me, a party will soon commence! Thanks again!

Lets now take a minute and thank those who voted yes. It was a tough decision for many, and they need to know how much their vote is appreciated.

I don't have a special link for those who voted YES, so just copy and paste whats below:

rmenlove@utah.gov, jdraxler@utah.gov, fhunsaker@utah.gov, gfroerer@utah.gov, bwallis@utah.gov, bdee@utah.gov, rgreenwood@utah.gov, pray@utah.gov, daagard@utah.gov, kgarn@utah.gov, rogerbarrus@utah.gov, sherylallen@utah.gov, beckyedwards@utah.gov, jseelig@utah.gov, rchouck@utah.gov, christinejohnson@utah.gov, dlitvack@utah.gov, briansking@utah.gov, janderson34@utah.gov, priesen@utah.gov, csmoss@utah.gov, jdunnigan@utah.gov, lhemingway@utah.gov, jbird@utah.gov, wharper@utah.gov, tcosgrove@utah.gov, mariepoulson@utah.gov, steven_mascaro@comcast.net, tbeck@utah.gov, jseegmiller@utah.gov, melbrown@utah.gov, kraigpowell@utah.gov, lfowlke@utah.gov, sclark@utah.gov, kaymciff@utah.gov, blast@utah.gov, evickers@utah.gov, dclark@utah.gov, dipson@utah.gov

Once again, thank you!

...it turned into the capitol blitz!

2010-03-02T10:16:00.000-08:00

The governor blitz was great, but we cant take a stop now! There is roughly a week left of the session, and we gotta give 'em all we got!

Your amazing work got the tobacco tax out of the house today! CONGRATULATIONS! THIS IS MONUMENTAL! I am sooo excited! I hope you are too! IT WAS CLOSE!

--BUT--

We gotta keep attacking until the last minute! All the information has already been given, but I will give everything real quickly for easy access. sound good?!

sample letter HERE.

TOBACCO TAX:

email addresses for senate found HERE.

email the governor HERE.

talking points HERE.

HB 82 (SMOKING IN CARS WITH CHILDREN):

email addresses for senate found HERE.

talking points HERE.

If you want to go above and beyond, you can make PHONE CALLS! If you want that contact information, I will have to send you the list via email, because I haven't put the phone numbers online. Email me at projecttwelvehundred@gmail.com and i will get that to you.

We are on the home stretch everyone! Lets kick Big Tobacco to the curb and take control of our state! Lives are on the line, and WE have the power to stop the deaths! LETS DO THIS!

HB 82 is on fire! and hey, so are you!

2010-03-01T18:16:00.000-08:00

Good news!

HB 82 (smoking in cars with children) passed out of the senate committee today with 3 yea, 2 nay, 1 absent! Thank you for emailing the committee to let them know of the importance of this bill!

LAST STOP: senate floor! feel free to write the senate and urge them to support HB 82 by voting YES!

(email addresses found HERE. talking points found HERE, half way down the post)

As far as the Governor Blitz goes, details will come soon. I will say that his voicemail inbox was full for a large portion of the day, which means that he received a LOT of contacts! I was in the governors office today, and actually witnessed the tally sheet. Unfortunately, when I spotted it, I was on my way out, and the moment to examine it had passed, so I didn't see the details... shucks.

BUT! the battle is still on! please keep writing the governor and the house to urge them to support the tax, and start writing the senate to urge them to support HB 82. LETS SHOW BIG TOBACCO WHO IS IN CHARGE!

Dear Governor, LISTEN UP!

2010-02-28T19:30:00.000-08:00

Alright everyone!

Monday, March 1st is gonna be an important day in history! It is the day that Governor Herbert's phone lines and email inbox will be FLOODED!

The governor is taking a tally on who is for/against the tobacco tax, and we need to make it VERY CLEAR who is in charge! Big Tobacco is gonna be workin' hard, so we gotta work even harder!

So,

--Call him between 7:30 am - 6 pm at 801.538.1000

--Email him anytime before 6 pm HERE.

ONE LINE is all thats needed! "Please support a life-saving increase to the tobacco tax."

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE YOU CAN!

Too much money and too many lives are at risk for this to pass by another year.

What A Day! (HB 82 update)

2010-02-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

4 project:1200 activists

6 hours

35 legislators contacted face-to-face

I'll tell you what: all that work is exhausting! But it will pay off. Oh yes, it will pay off. Before we know it, Big Tobacco will be suffering worse than the millions that they are killing! Let's keep on keepin' on!

Please continue to write legislators about the tobacco tax! For guidance, check out the last half of yesterday's post "Big Tobacco Kills People... and Bills."

Also, with all this excitement following the tobacco tax, I forgot about HB 82 (smoking in cars with children)! This is going to be discussed in the Health and Human Service (HHS) committee meeting on monday, so write the members of this committee to urge them to support this bill! Here are their email addresses:

(copy and paste into the BCC line)

dcbuttars@utahsenate.org, sadams@utahsenate.org, achristensen@utahsenate.org, dhinkins@utahsenate.org, pjones@utahsenate.org, lrobles@utahsenate.org

Here are some talking points for this bill:

- there is NO SAFE LEVEL of tobacco smoke exposure

- the level of toxic air in a vehicle when smoking is 10 TIMES greater than what the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers hazardous.

-in 1997, the National Cancer Institute concluded that secondhand smoke is the cause of:

- 2,000 cases of SIDS a year

- 8,000 new cases of asthma in children

- 1 MIL cases of exacerbated asthma in children

put "vote YES on HB 82 (smoking in cars with children)" in the subject line.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT! Together, we will make Utah a more safe and healthy place to live in!

p.s. : less than two weeks left in the session! ah!

Big Tobacco Kills People… and Bills

2010-02-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

Alright folks, we are kind of in between a rock and a hard place right now… let me explain:

Big Tobacco must be throwin’ their money around again, because they are swaying the votes that we need! Along with that, Mr. Governor is convinced that the Tobacco Tax is not the answer… hmmm…

This means that we need to put Big Tobacco in their place! They are working hard to kill these life and money saving bills, and its up to US to kill their efforts!

LETS TAKE CONTROL!

We need to FLOOD the inboxes of our representatives with emails urging them to support tobacco prevention and this tobacco tax! A simple poll saying that 80% of Utahns support this isn’t enough. They need to hear it from the Utahns themselves! Please tell all of your family, friends, and neighbors!

For email addresses for Representatives, click HERE. For Senate, click HERE. For the Governor, click HERE. (top priority right now is the House of Reps., but the House, Senate, and Governor NEED YOUR EMAILS ASAP!)

(If you aren’t comfortable emailing ALL representatives, click HERE to find your rep. & senator)

For a sample letter, click HERE.

For talking points, click HERE.

Like I mentioned before, we need to flood the inboxes. Feel free to send your family, friends, and anyone else you can think of to this post for information. This is a crucial time for this bill. Lets show them that we care!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

2010-02-25T09:58:00.000-08:00

The Good:

Project:1200 got its word out a little bit today! I was able to testify about a personal story in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee concerning the Senator Christensen's tobacco tax bill. Afterward, two radio stations came up and asked to interview me. So now, hopefully, Project:1200 will be known by a larger group of people! And, hopefully, it will help us in our cause! Go team!

The Bad:

Despite the efforts and various testimonies of Senator Christensen and the public (students, professors, directors, etc.), the committee defeated the bill with a vote of 3 for, 4 against, 1 absent. One tobacco tax bill defeated... One left. Representative Ray still has a bill, which we really need to push for! Lets make it happen!

The Ugly:

Big Tobacco and their lobbyists.

Utah needs you!

2010-02-19T10:37:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen!

We have hit an important part in the legislation. It is just about time for the House to vote on the Tobacco Tax Increase and we need to let them know to vote YES!

For a list of emails, click here.

For a sample letter, click here.

For talking points, see the post right after this one (Truth for Today).

The bill will be discussed for a little bit longer, so we have till AT LEAST Monday. So, please write soon!

Also, Representative Menlove's bill that puts limitations on the E-Cigarette passed! She had mentioned to me about having a ceremonial bill signing with the governor, so stay tuned for more details! This is gonna be great! Pat yourselves on the back for your efforts to get it passed! One down, Three more to go!

Truth for Today.

2010-02-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

Howdy, Y'all!

Being an extra long holiday weekend, I thought I would step back from the legislative process and share some information with you that will increase your knowledge on the issue of TOBACCO. Here goes...

IN THE US:

- There are 46 million adults who smoke in the US. 3.5 million US High School students.

- Over 50,000 people in America die every year from secondhand smoke.

- There are over 400,000 smoking related deaths in America every year.

- Every Year, secondhand smoke is estimated to cause:

- 2,000 deaths due to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)

- 8,000 new cases of asthma in youth

- 1 million cases of exacerbated asthma

- Annual smoking-caused Medicaid spending in the US: $30.9 Billion

- (remember: EVERYONE pays for Medicaid. Tobacco user and non-tobacco user)

- Smoking-caused productivity losses in the US: $97 Billion

- By raising the national tobacco tax $1:

- 2,337,300 youth would never start smoking

- 1,256,600 adults would quit smoking

- lives saved from pre-mature smoking-caused death: 1,078,500

IN UTAH:

- 173,500 Adults who smoke in Utah. 13,400 US High School students.

- 1,100 deaths in Utah caused by smoking.

- 170 Adult nonsmokers who die each year from exposure to secondhand smoke.

- Annual smoking-caused state Medicaid spending: $104 million.

- Smoking-caused productivity costs in Utah: $294 million.

- Every household pays roughly $527 in taxes due to smoking-caused expenditures.

- By raising Utah's tobacco tax $1:

- 10,500 kids would never start smoking.

- 5,500 adults would quit.

- lives saved: 4,800

QUOTES:

- "A high cigarette price, more than any other cigarette attribute, has the most dramatic impact on the share of the quitting population... Price, not tar level, is the main driving force for quitting." - Philip Morris International, 1993

- "We did not look at the underage market even though I am holding a document in my hand that says we did." - James Morgan, Former President & CEO of Philip Morris

- "There is little doubt that if it were not for the nicotine in tobacco smoke, people would be little more inclined to smoke than they are to blow bubbles or to light sparklers." - M.A.H. Russell, "The Smoking Habit and Its Classification."

- "[T]he base of our business are the high school students." - Lorillard Tobacco

- "They got lips? We want them." - RJ Reynolds Rep when asked their target audience.

- "We don't smoke it, we just sell it. We reserve that right for the young, the black, the poor, and the stupid." - David Goerlitz, former Winston Man, quoting tobacco executive.

- "Cigarettes are no more addictive than gummy bears." - James Morgan, CEO Philip Morris, '97

- "Cherry Skoal is for somebody who likes the taste of candy, if you know what I'm saying." - US Tobacco

- "We really need something for people to die of." - British American Tobacco, 1978

- "If our company is to survive and prosper, over the long term we must get our share of the youth market." - RJR, 1973

yesterday was LONG and SUCCESSFUL!

2010-02-13T11:15:00.000-08:00

Holla!

Alright folks, things are going well! I am listening to the audio of the meetings again right now, and they were intense! The first bill that was discussed was HB 196 (Tobacco Tax Revisions). All I gotta say is that Paul Ray and the "public comment" speakers were great! I don't think that any of the arguments and objections stood strong. They were all "debunked" and destroyed. One lady that spoke against the bill was... interesting. Lets just say that her most profound comment was, "we are all going to die of something." Yeah... I'm pretty sure she was counter productive for her cause. Feel free to listen to it! It's the "Agenda Item 2" found HERE. Her comment is at 24:06 minutes in. And if you have time, please listen to the WHOLE sound clip. It is VERY informative and worthwhile.

NEVERTHELESS, it passed! Way to go Rep. Ray.

Secondly, HB 82 (Smoking in cars with children) also passed! I was really worried because of the comments by some of the committee members (none of which sounded reasonable), since they hold a vote. Luckily, they were outnumbered! It passed! Congrats Rep. Seegmiller.

Now these two bills go to the floor to be discussed and voted on. Stay tuned for when to email the legislators!

Thanks for your continued support everyone! Through your efforts, we will get these things passed for a safer and healthier Utah!

BUSY day tomorrow!

2010-02-11T21:28:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, February 11th, is gonna be BUSY! Let me tell you whats goin down:

8:00-10:00 a.m. -- House Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee meeting. During this meeting, the Tobacco Tax Revision bill (HB 196) will be discussed and (hopefully!) voted on! I would ask you to email the committee members before the meeting tomorrow morning, but I am getting to this post so late that I don't think it would be plausible. Stay tuned though! Your opportunity to take action is coming up! Like... right now! If you can, come to the meeting (or listen to it online here)! It will be a good one for sure, especially because this is such a controversial bill.

10:00-12:00 p.m. -- LOBBYING! YOU would be perfect for the job! Come on up! We have plenty of things to cover with our legislators! Contact me if you plan on coming up (contact info at the bottom of this page).

2:00-4:00 p.m. -- House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee meeting. In this one, HB 82 (Protection of Children Riding in Motor Vehicles) will be discussed. This one is later in the day and could use an email before 2 p.m.! Please email the following addresses to urge them to pass this bill favorably to the floor:

bcferry@utah.gov

rgreenwood@utah.gov

coda@utah.gov

daagard@utah.gov

jseelig@utah.gov

dlitvack@utah.gov

lwiley@utah.gov

tbeck@utah.gov

cwimmer@utah.gov

blockhart@utah.gov

3:00-5:00 p.m. -- Lastly, we have some amazing youth that are going to be handing out some valentines to the legislators and could use some of your help (of course!). updates on this one to come later! All I can say, is that its gonna be GOOD!

I hope that will be good for now! Definitely email that second committee ASAP! And pretty much you can come on over to the capitol any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and help out! Lets stick it to the man!

HB 88 update

2010-02-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

So here I sit. My feet soaking wet and cold from marching through snow up to my knees. Ok, so not up to my knees... but wet and cold nonetheless!

I just left a Senate committee meeting after a discussion on Representative Menlove's bill (HB 88), which would restrict the sales of E-cigarettes to minors. It passed unanimously (favorably of course!) out of the committee. It will now be brought to the senate floor to be voted on!

If you are willing (and not sick of writing emails!), please email your senator and urge them to vote in favor of this lifesaving bill. Here is some information that you might want to add in your email (and to your memory!):

- E-cigarettes have no on/off button. So if a baby were to get his/her hands on one, you can GUARANTEE it is going straight into the mouth. Likewise, curious toddlers and youth can easily be exposed to it.

- E-cigarettes are being heavily marketed to youth. FLAVORS like cherry and chocolate grace the kiosks AT THE MALL where they are sold most regularly. It is only younger generations that see advertisements for them on FACEBOOK and MYSPACE. (note: I never see ads for E-cigarettes on facebook. Neither do any of the adults that I talk to... oddly enough, most teenagers recollect seeing ads for E-cigs. Anyone curious as to WHY?!)

- There are no current age restrictions on purchasing E-cigarettes. Thats right: my 5 year old neighbor can go out and buy the MOST ADDICTIVE DRUG IN THE WORLD.

- Feel free to throw any comments in your email to encourage them to amend the bill to add heavier restrictions. It cant hurt, right?!

please email your senators to let them know that you support this bill (copy and paste the list found at: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=50614233703&topic=13837)

---MORE TO COME!---

CALL TO ACTION! (HB 82)

2010-02-09T20:34:00.001-08:00

Brothers and Sisters!

Representative Seegmiller and the children in Utah need your help!

There is a bill that, if passed into law, would allow children to ride in a car free from cigarette smoke. HB 82 would impose a fine on a person who smokes while a child is in the car. Just so you know, HUNDREDS of children die every year because of secondhand smoke. THOUSANDS of others develop asthma, chronic infections, and other complications. This bill would help lower those numbers drastically.

In order for this to happen, we need to email members of a specific committee to urge them to support this bill and send it with a favorable mention to the House floor to be voted on. The emails of the legislators that need your email are found below:

Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Standing Committee:

Rep. Douglas C. Aagard, Chair : daagard@utah.gov
Rep. Curtis Oda, Vice Chair : coda@utah.gov
Rep. Trisha S. Beck : tbeck@utah.gov
Rep. Ben C. Ferry : bcferry@utah.gov
Rep. Richard A. Greenwood : rgreenwood@utah.gov
Rep. David Litvack : dlitvack@utah.gov
Rep. Rebecca D. Lockhart : blockhart@utah.gov
Rep. Paul Ray : pray@utah.gov
Rep. Jennifer M. Seelig : jseelig@utah.gov
Rep. Larry B. Wiley : lwiley@utah.gov
Rep. Carl Wimmer : cwimmer@utah.gov

for more information on this bill, check out the facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=316609276214&ref=ts

HB71 goes from the House to the Senate!

2010-02-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

one step closer!

HB 71 passed through the house with a 54 "yeas" and 17 "nays." Can I get a "whoop whoop?!"

The next challenge is to get it passed in the senate. This is where you come in! We need to let our senators know that this is important enough to be passed into law. Email them, call them, visit them at their houses!

check it: below are the email addresses of the senators. if you need them for future needs, they will be found on the facebook groups discussion board (http://www.facebook.com/board.php?uid=50614233703) lets flood their inboxes!

lrobles@utahsenate.org

bmcadams@utahsenate.org

gdavis@utahsenate.org

pjones@utahsenate.org

kmayne@utahsenate.org

waddoups@utahsenate.org

rromero@utahsenate.org

kmorgan@utahsenate.org

wniederhauser@utahsenate.org

dcbuttars@utahsenate.org

hstephenson@utahsenate.org

bgoodfellow@utahsenate.org

mmadsen@utahsenate.org

jvalentine@utahsenate.org

mdayton@utahsenate.org

cbramble@utahsenate.org

pknudson@utahsenate.org

jgreiner@utahsenate.org

achristensen@utahsenate.org

sjenkins@utahsenate.org

skillpack@utahsenate.org

sadams@utahsenate.org

dliljinquist@utahsenate.org

rokerlund@utahsenate.org

lhillyard@utahsenate.org

kvantassell@utahsenate.org

dhinkins@utahsenate.org

dstowell@utahsenate.org

surquhart@utahsenate.org

nicotine: Big Tobacco's pride and joy.

2010-02-02T07:50:00.001-08:00

One drop of nicotine injected directly into the blood stream will kill you in SEVEN SECONDS.

Nicotine has been proven to be as addictive as heroine and cocaine.

"Of course its addictive, thats why you smoke the stuff." - Ross Johnson, RJR Tobacco Co.

----------------------------------------------------------

Alrighty friends, here is the deal. I am sitting in the Health and Human Services (HHS) Standing Committee meeting, where the debate was heated! the topic of discussion: E-Cigarettes. HB71 is a bill that would ban the sales of various nicotine products in Utah, with E-Cigarettes in the center of the cross-hairs. it just passed in the committee meeting with a favorable recommendation, which means that it will hopefully hit the floor to be passed in the House soon! this is where you come in! please write your Representative to urge them to support this bill. lets get this thing passed!

a little somethin' somethin' i found!

2010-01-25T19:39:00.002-08:00

Knowing that much of the membership is out of the state of Utah, i felt like i would be doing an injustice not to provide you with the following website. what you will find upon clicking the link, is a list of states and a list of different "areas" (i.e. "bills" , "legislators" , etc.). what i hope you will do with this website is find issues in YOUR STATE that you can get involved in. that you can lobby for. that you can fight for! so here it is, my non-utah friends! the link...

www.ncsl.org/?tabid=17173

Day #1 of the session.

2010-01-25T16:05:00.000-08:00

check it:

i show up to the capitol today to do some legitimately intense lobbying only to find out that the legislators have lunch. yeah... no bueno. i WAS able to run into some of the coolest representatives on the hill though! needless to say, i had to return to the school with no business taken care of. luckily, the school is close enough to the capitol that i was able to make a second trip! i met with Representative Ray and discussed a few of the bills that are in the running this session. and hey, its lookin GOOD!

we will need to have some representation at a meeting or two coming up, so i will keep you posted, but if you want to get more involved in any way, shape, or form, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! i will come lobby with you. i will give you contacts. i will give you information. but please get involved! thanks for all you have already done! and i look forward to all you will do!

until next time...

peter.moosman.

a little update on the past year.

2010-01-23T22:09:00.001-08:00

hey everyone!

i hope you like the new look of the website! im just excited for the session to start, and trying to get ready for all thats about to take place! its been quite a while since i have posted on here, but i think its time to start things up again! with that said, how 'bout a run down of the past year? eh?

so. the last day of the 2009 session, Representative Bigelow struck down his bill that would cut funds for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (TPCP). When this happened, he mentioned that he is striking the bill because of the efforts of the community... he wanted to tell the public that they CAN have an influence. SUCCESS!

on May 30th, we, along with the Truth, blanketed the steps of the capitol with 1,330 candles (which represented the Utahns that die every year from tobacco). We heard from 3 speakers, including Representative Paul Ray. we had two "walls" to post names, pictures, and stories of those who have died from tobacco and those who have quit. it was an excellent event!

Project:1200 has also gained some attention outside the Salt Lake Valley! A professor from BYU interviewed me for a story she was writing for a national magazine. A woman from the Las Vegas Health Department also contacted Project:1200 for an interview. In Idaho, a story was written on Project:1200 and the efforts of its members and the impact it has had on Utah.

We also started working with Salt Lake Community College to push for a tobacco-free campus. we have made some progress on that, but we still have a LONG WAY TO GO!

Lets not forget the number of members has increased quite a bit! Membership is not only in Utah anymore! they are spanning the globe! the last time i checked, we have members from coast to coast in the U.S. and some members in Canada and Europe! way to spread the word! keep spreading the word and together we will take down an industry that kills over 5 MILLION people every year around the world.

Lastly, the best part of a grassroots movement: our underground guerilla activities! whether it was handing out flyers, putting up signs, flash mobs, working with local authorities, getting signatures for petitions, or whatever it may be... Project:1200 rocked 2009! lets make it an even BETTER 2010! see you at Capitol Hill and on the streets!

peter.moosman.

project:1200

projecttwelvehundred@gmail.com

im sorry!

2009-04-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

to our dear Project:1200 followers.

for the time being, this website will be temporarily unattended and not updated. please check the links to facebook below for updated information, events, studies, etc. by project:1200. sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your help and support!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project1200/50280176793

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=50614233703

if you have any questions, please let me know!

faith.hope.charity.

peter.moosman.

KBD rocked!

2009-03-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

hey hey!

so pretty much, Kick Butts Day was a great success! we are in the process of gathering footage and media of the event, but if you would like to find out a little more about what happened and get more details, check out the facebook page (the link is found just to the right of this blog!)

and hey! we are actually working on getting a new website! yeah, a legit website... no more of this blogging stuff (even though we greatly appreciate blogspot for the free page!). like i said, its in the works, and it might not happen for a few months, or maybe even a year (dont you like how i get your hopes up and then dash them to pieces?!).

stay tuned!

faith.hope.charity.

peter.moosman.

its been a while!

2009-03-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

yo yo yo!

sorry its been a while since i have posted on this site! we have been putting stuff up on facebook quite often (its easier to access and work with than this... lazy me...)

a few updates:

the legislative session in Utah is OVER! though they didnt vote on the tobacco tax increase, we saved our $4MIL due to the "many, many, many, may, many" emails we, and others sent! so that was a success! also, they passed the internet tobacco sales prohibition bill. thanks to everyone that was willing to write an email or call or rally (or participate in any way at all!). it has been proven that an email can make a difference, so thank you!

success, success, and more success!

a few of the Reps that i have talked to said that they will have a special legislative session in a couple months that the tobacco tax increase will be introduced and voted on. so the fight isnt over! bring it on Big Tobacco!

and remember that this week is Kick Butts Day (march 25th). its going to be killer! so make sure to make an appearance. it will be at the salt lake public library (and across the nation!). for more details, check out:

www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=59033605727

2009-03-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

hey everyone!
so here is a run-down of the latest events up on capitol hill:

1. for no logical reason, House Majority Leadership wont let HB219 (Tobacco Tax Increase) be voted on... but "hopefully" in a special session in may-aug. so hold tight for further updates on that.

2. HB444 (Tobacco Settlement Money) has become even more confusing than ever before, and pretty much nobody on the hill understands it, so it may not be voted on.

3. HB284 (smoking in cars with children ban) is also being swept under the rug for unknown, illogical reasons.

4. SB228 (prohibition on internet tobacco sales) still stands a chance!!!

a little info on SB228:
WHAT IT IS:
SB228 prohibits the purchase of tobacco products via the internet or through mail-order by individuals or businesses not licensed by the state to receive untaxed tobacco products.

WHAT IT DOES:
it will curtail or eliminate the illegal purchase of cigarettes and other tobacco products by minors.
it will make tobacco products less affordable and therefore less attractive, and will curtail consumption, particularly by youth.
it will deter the evasion of state and federal tobacco taxes.
it will save the state money and increase revenue collections.
it will assure that tobacco products comply with federal and state regulations (such as labeling and fire-safe regulations) related to those products.
it will SAVE LIVES!!!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
email all the members of the House and urge them to vote YES on SB228. share personal stories, as well as the above mentioned benefits.

their email addresses to copy and paste in BCC window of email:
dipson@utah.gov, dclark@utah.gov, mnoel@kanab.net, evickers@utah.gov, blast@utah.gov, kaymciff@utah.gov, cwatkins@utah.gov, bwinn@utah.gov, ppainter@utah.gov, mikemorley@utah.gov, fgibson@utah.gov, blockhart@utah.gov, sclark@utah.gov, cherrod@utah.gov, keithgrover@utah.gov, bdaw@utah.gov, lfowlke@utah.gov, ssandstrom@utah.gov, cfrank@utah.gov, ksumsion@utah.gov, jmathis@utah.gov, kraigpowell@utah.gov, melbrown@utah.gov, cwimmer@utah.gov, greghughes@utah.gov, merlynnnewbold@utah.gov, jseegmiller@utah.gov, tbeck@utah.gov, steven_mascaro@comcast.net, mariepoulson@utah.gov, lblack@utah.gov, tcosgrove@utah.gov, wharper@utah.gov, jbird@utah.gov, toddkiser@utah.gov, lhemingway@utah.gov, jdunnigan@utah.gov, ehutchings@utah.gov, csmoss@utah.gov, priesen@utah.gov, markwheatley@utah.gov, koryholdaway@utah.gov, nhendrickson@utah.gov, ronbigelow@utah.gov, lwiley@utah.gov, jbiskupski@utah.gov, janicefisher@utah.gov, briansking@utah.gov, jdougall@utah.gov, dlitvack@utah.gov, christinejohnson@utah.gov, rchouck@utah.gov, jseelig@utah.gov, sduckworth@utah.gov, jgowans@utah.gov, beckyedwards@utah.gov, sherylallen@utah.gov, rogerbarrus@utah.gov, jfisher@utah.gov, kgarn@utah.gov, daagard@utah.gov, coda@utah.gov, pray@utah.gov, rgreenwood@utah.gov, bdee@utah.gov, bwallis@utah.gov, neilhansen@utah.gov, gfroerer@utah.gov, ryanwilcox@utah.gov, kwgibson@utah.gov, curtwebb@utah.gov, fhunsaker@utah.gov, jdraxler@utah.gov, bcferry@utah.gov, rmenlove@utah.gov

THIS IS ONE OF OUR LAST CHANCES TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION! LETS CLOSE WITH A BANG!

thanks sooo much for taking your time out to do this! you rock!

faith.hope.charity.
peter.moosman.

eh.

2009-03-06T17:46:00.000-08:00

so im sorta upset, people. and that is the understatement of the century.

we had some Project:1200 reps up at the capitol today, me included. the sight was NOT pretty. so let me tell you about some events that took place today:

i met a lobbyist that works for R.J. Reynolds. big fat jerk, fyi. he ran away from me and talked to his tobacco lobbyist friends. yes, he literally ran away from me.

later on, when standing outside the door of the House Chamber, our dear friend Bigelow came waltzing out like he owned the world, took a glance at me and QUICKLY looked away and continued on towards our dear tobacco lobbyists... laughing, smiling, having a good time. jerk.

i talked to a few of the leaders of the House. the democrats seemed more supportive than the republicans... in fact, the republicans were TOTALLY AGAINST the tax. every single republican leader said that there was no way it would pass. a few responses i got were:

"there is no way it will go through. we will only do one tax increase, and this year its not going to be the tobacco tax." and i asked why the car registration tax (which nobody supports) and not the tobacco tax (which has 80% constituent support). he didnt say anything...

"we dont want it to look like we are pointing the finger at the bad guy and singling people out. and the car registration tax will have more of a revenue." i respond "but what about morals? this saves lives! its been proven in other states that increase their tobacco tax that less youth start and more people quit." she responds: "thats what tobacco prevention and cessation programs are for." HA! i let her know that they are cutting those and she just walked away....

so pretty much i think they all hate me now.

conclusion: the tobacco tax increase bill is not looking so good (even though it passed the committee vote, 6 to 1 and has over 3/4 of utah is supporting it). so what do we do about that? well, tomorrow is their day off, so we are going to blitz them! this is where you come in! we need you to call, email, text, and visit the republican leaders of the House. do what it takes. show no mercy!

Speaker of the House:
David Clark
staying at the Grand America Hotel
Home Phone: 435-628-5108
Work Phone: 435-634-5123

Majority Leader:
Kevin Garn
2206 E SUMMERWOOD DR, LAYTON, UT 84040
Home Phone: 801-544-3533
Work Phone: 801-776-0232

Majority Whip:
Brad Dee
111 W 5600 S, OGDEN, UT 84405
Home Phone: 801-479-5495
Work Phone: 801-399-8623

Majority Assistant Whip:
Rebecca Lockhart
1754 S NEVADA AVE, PROVO, UT 84606
Home Phone: 801-377-7428
Cell Phone: 801-369-6784

Appropriations Co-Chair:
Ron Bigelow
4658 WATER WOOD DR, WEST VALLEY CITY, UT 84120
Home Phone: 801-968-4188

Appropriations Vice-Chair:
Brad Last
staying at Grand America Hotel
Home Phone: 435-635-7334
Work Phone: 435-673-8666

Rules Committee Chair:
Ben Ferry
staying at Grand America Hotel
Home Phone: 435-744-2997
Work Phone: 435-744-2997

let passion flow from your fingertips, from your lips, from your FISTS! (hehe just kidding on the fists thing... but seriously.)

and keep contacting your senators about HB444

yours in the fight,
peter.moosman.

p.s.remember to EMAIL Gov. Huntsman
http://governor.utah.gov/goca/form_governor.html

your flyers and phone calls should include:
-I won’t /don’t stand for HB444 which cripples needed tobacco prevention and quitting services in Utah ($4M cut), and siphons off every single penny of tobacco settlement funds to go to everything BUT helping people to quit.
-Raise the tobacco excise tax (HB219) AND appropriate tax funds to tobacco prevention and cessation so that as many people as possible who use tobacco can be helped to quit.
-Big tobacco addicts kids, and Utah legislators. Call Rep. Bigelow to push back against Big Tobacco’s manipulation: 801-968-4188.

See www.stopthechop.com for resources:
-March 2nd Post: Talking points on why robbing the MSA is amoral and detrimental.
-February 28th Post: Talking points on the excise tax.
-February 7th Post: Talking points on the effectiveness and need for tobacco prevention programs in Utah.

Anything can happen in these last days of the legislative session. Let’s sock it to Rep. Bigelow so that Big Tobacco doesn’t sock it to Utah.

we still have a chance! ACT NOW!!!

2009-03-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

this message is long, but PLEASE PLEASE read it all!

so bad news... Rep. Bigelow's bill, HB444, which strips Tobacco Prevention Programs of the Tobacco Settlement money (yeah, pretty much destroys the programs) passed in the House. Bigelow was sneaky in every move to get this thing passed. now we need to stop it before it passes in Senate. here is the game plan:

ACT TODAY!!! it passed in the house in two days. we cant let it pass in the senate!

1. EMAIL, CALL, AND TEXT the Senators (especially yours!) and let them know that HB444 is a deadly bill that needs to be stopped. it will cripple Utah's success and the health of its people. tell them that you support them voting AGAINST it.
(see http://www.healthpolicyproject.org/AdvocacyToolkit.html and then to “Legislator Contact Info–Perfect for Mail Merge!” to copy and paste ALL Senate addresses into the BCC line of your email).

2. EMAIL and CALL Rep. Bigelow. we are going to flood every line he has till he has no choice but to do what he knows he should. his numbers:
home: 801.968.4188
office: 801.538.1029
email: ronbigelow@utah.gov

3. get a group together (if you need someone, call me!) to knock doors in Bigelow's District to spread the word to his constituents. he represents House District 32 (west valley area)

4. EMAIL Gov. Huntsman
http://governor.utah.gov/goca/form_governor.html

your flyers and phone calls should include:
-I won’t /don’t stand for HB444 which cripples needed tobacco prevention and quitting services in Utah ($4M cut), and siphons off every single penny of tobacco settlement funds to go to everything BUT helping people to quit.
-Raise the tobacco excise tax (HB219) AND appropriate tax funds to tobacco prevention and cessation so that as many people as possible who use tobacco can be helped to quit.
-Big tobacco addicts kids, and Utah legislators. Call Rep. Bigelow to push back against Big Tobacco’s manipulation: 801-968-4188.

See www.stopthechop.com for resources:
-March 2nd Post: Talking points on why robbing the MSA is amoral and detrimental.
-February 28th Post: Talking points on the excise tax.
-February 7th Post: Talking points on the effectiveness and need for tobacco prevention programs in Utah.

Anything can happen in these last days of the legislative session. Lots on our side. Let’s sock it to Rep. Bigelow so that Big Tobacco doesn’t sock it to Utah.

yours in the fight,
.peter.moosman.

new site!

2009-03-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

hey everyone!

i just added a "MEDIA" site to the whole shin-dig for pictures, videos, etc., so feel free to check it out and tell me what you think. its nothing big and amazing, but it will do for now!

www.project1200media.blogspot.com

faith.hope.charity.

peter.moosman.

under attack again!

2009-03-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!

Rep. Bigelow just introduced HB 444 that would gut TPCP programs. Because this bill is coming out so late, it won’t get the same attention, so we need to contact everyone up on Capitol Hill to let them know the serious harm this bill would cause.

If HB444 passes, Utah’s TPCP will have NO tobacco settlement (MSA) money dedicated to the programs (the programs that the money was initially supposed to go to!).

Contact ALL House and Senate legislators to tell them to vote against the bill (your House rep. especially) using this web site: http://www.healthpolicyproject.org/AdvocacyToolkit.html
go to “Legislator Contact Info—Perfect for Mail Merge!” and copy and paste the email addresses into the BCC line in your email.

When emailing your specific House legislator, include your home address so they know you're their constituent. Tell them your tobacco story.

Also be sure to contact Governor Huntsman via: http://governor.utah.gov/goca/form_governor.html

Even if you’ve already contacted these persons on the tax or TPCP funding, do it again. This time, reference this specific bill.

friday's event? awesome!

2009-03-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

i just want to give a big shout out to those of you that came to the rally on friday! YOU ROCK MY SOCKS!
i feel bad for everyone else that didnt make it, because it was so coolio! and for those of you that didnt make it, i thought i would give the DL of what happened.

here goes...
we all met in the parking lot of West High and decorated cars... and... well... two U-HAULS! yeah! we got butcher paper and spray paint and covered those suckers! since the decorating took longer than expected, we had to split up! the two u-hauls, along with most of the drivers, followed a route through the city so that everyone could see our message!!! the rest of us went to the rally site and got the petition going and had signs for people to see, via channel 2 news, trax, driving by, and walking by. i havent counted how many signatures we got, but we did get a few pages full! we even got the kutv security guard to sign (and lets not forget the uta man who kicked us off their property!)

overall, it was a great success! we got lots of attention with the rally, and even more with the caravan! pictures and video will be added shortly, for the full effect of the whole shin-dig. and when they get posted, PLEASE send them to your representative up on capitol hill. let them know that work is being done by the people... and they should do whats right to follow.

and fyi: stories are STILL being collected.
tell about a success story of how you quit, how you got involved in tobacco prevention, or how you lost a loved one due to tobacco (or how they are still alive, but how the suffering hasn't stopped).

thanks, crew!
.peter.moosman.

surprise in the mailbox!

2009-02-22T08:46:00.000-08:00

hows everyone doing today?! good i hope! i have some exciting stuff to share!

so, this morning, i was awoken by my father coming into my room with a small little package for me. he said, "i found this in the mailbox..."

it was wrapped very nicely in green paper... it said "2: Peter M."

upon opening this nice little gift, to my surprise, i found a

pack of Camel No. 9's!

i dont know whether to be thankful or threatened!!! just kidding. i now plan on using them in my presentations as an example (with the story i just shared with you of course! "no kids, i dont buy cigarettes!")

but now my curiosity has the best of me... who dunnit? what was their intent? was it out of good humor? or was it a malicious attack?! aaah!

to say the least, after inspection of the package and cigarettes (side note: tobacco stinks just as bad when it isnt lit, than when it is... AND! it is HARD to fit 20 cigarettes back into those little boxes.) i found no clues as to who or why.

if anyone has any leads, please let me know! thanks!

ITS HERE!!!

2009-02-21T16:56:00.000-08:00

advocates across the salt lake valley (and everywhere else, as far as im concerned!!!) will be joining forces to show Big Tobacco and our Legislature who has the power! whether it be flyers, or signs as big as cars... whispers, phone calls, or megaphones... our voices will be heard! oh yes... they will be heard!

WHO: You and anyone you know who cares about this issue, or just wants to have a good time.

WHAT: Telling the public and legislators that Utah cares about tobacco prevention and that we wont sit back and let Big Tobacco rob us of our health and economy.
Conduct YOUR OWN advocacy event. See www.stopthechop.com and www.project1200advocacy.blogspot.com for details and ideas.

WHEN: 4-6p.m. Friday, February 27, 2009 is the main event (but activities should start NOW, and go through March 11. any time, anywhere).

we will be meeting at 3:30 in the West High parking lot to begin a car caravan with signs and things on our cars... traveling around the city to get the word out.
at five we are going to have a rally outside the KUTV news station (just as the news starts) and shortly thereafter walk around the city with our signs and flyers to hand out!

WHERE: Anywhere and everywhere across Utah (and hey, why not the nation?!).
Main event: salt lake city.

WHY: Because Big Tobacco is a greedy, evil empire and it’s high time we told them who is in charge. Lives are at stake! do it for those who have died, do it for you, and do it for the future generations!

WHAT TO BRING: bring signs to carry and signs to put on your car. feel free to decorate your car as well! see the links (noted above) for ideas on what to put on the signs.
also, if you can, make a shirt that says, " 'Thanks Utah Legislature!' yours truly, Big Tobacco" (or something more creative... that was just on the spot)
or wear a shirt that you already have that supports the tobacco-free message!

if you have ANY questions, please call or email me!

this is going to be epic.
peter.moosman.

ADVOCACY ACTIVITY OF THE CENTURY!!!

2009-02-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

hey everyone!!!

so just a little heads up, we are doing an advocacy activity next week (specifics to be announced soon!) in which we are definitely going to be holding our politicians accountable, and that will make big tobacco tremble... yeah, tremble!

the main event will be in salt lake city, but just because you dont live here doesnt mean you cant get involved. shortly i will be adding a list of things that ANYONE, ANYWHERE can do ANYTIME (but just for the special occasion, we hope you will do something with us!)

so hang tight for a little while, and i will keep you posted!

(p.s. - if anyone has a big ol' spotlight, please let me know! think... bat signal...)

truly yours truly,

peter.moosman.

stories?

2009-02-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

my sister, Heather Moosman Hamilton, took her first drag in junior high, but didnt actually start smoking until she was sixteen.

cause? peer pressure.

she smoked until she was 23. around that time, she got married and let her family be her motivation. she wanted to be able to raise a healthy family and be a positive example for those around her (especially future children!).
whether she knows it or not, she has been a huge motivation to me. not only her desire to quit and making that desire a success, but for me to never start, and to become involved in helping others as well.
thanks to her, i am going on my 6th year of tobacco prevention involvement and starting Project:1200. thanks Heather!

please feel free to share your stories!
please share your motivations to get involved, stories of family and friends who either quit or lost their lives due to tobacco related illnesses. let the stories be encouragement to everyone!

yours in the fight,
.peter.moosman.

Friday the 13th at Castle of Chaos

2009-02-14T08:18:00.001-08:00

sooo... WHATS UP?!

Project:1200 showed up for Castle of Chaos' friday the thirteenth event: Night of 10,000 Corpses! just to let you all know - the line was around the block!!! it was a huge success! and lucky for us, we brought some flyers to hand out (400 to be exact) and handed them ALL out! we didnt have enough for everyone!!! oh dang!

for those of you that heard of Project:1200 from the Castle of Chaos event, WELCOME TO THE CREW! take a look around and hop on board to fight against Big Tobacco!

and for everyone - some advocacy event ideas have been floating through my noggin, so expect to hear some exciting stuff happening with Project:1200 soon!

keep talking to you legislature about the tobacco tax increase and keeping tobacco prevention funded. we can make a huge impact!!!

.faith.hope.charity.
.peter.moosman.

pictures from rally!

2009-02-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

hey everyone!!! we got the pictures from the rally up! if anyone else has some that they want posted. send them to openyoureyes87@hotmail.com. thanks to andrea passey for taking these ones!!!

DAY 2 ON CAPITAL HILL

2009-02-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

success!
a few of us were up on capital hill today lobbying for the cause.
we talked to all of the leaders of the House of Representatives (minus the House Speaker, but we sent a fact sheet in to him), and we were able to speak with many committee members who will be voting on the budget. we even made a few contacts with other lobbyists that were up there, so hopefully we will be able to join forces to take down Big Tobacco.

the fight is still on!
if anyone has any suggestions, ideas, or tools to make this movement move forward, please let me know!

thanks for your help and support!
faith.hope.charity.
peter.moosman.

P.S. - there were lots of pictures taken, so expect to see pics up here from our activities shortly. thanks for your patience!

Are We Worth Nothing to You?

2009-02-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

this is a video that was put together to send to the committee members that are discussing the Tobacco Prevention Program budgets for FY10.

there is still time to email it to them! their meeting is tomorrow afternoon! attach the following link to your email:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ9pKIec3wo

now send it to these people:

achristensen@utahsenate.org, mdayton@utahsenate.org, pjones@utahsenate.org, dliljenquist@utahsenate.org, lhillyard@utahsenate.org, pknudson@utahsenate.org, gbell@utahsenate.org, sjenkins@utahsenate.org, skillpack@utahsenate.org, kmayne@utahsenate.org, lrobles@utahsenate.org, rromero@utahsenate.org, waddoups@utahsenate.org, ronbigelow@utah.gov, blast@utah.gov, dclark@utah.gov, bdee@utah.gov, kgarn@utah.gov, jgowans@utah.gov, dlitvack@utah.gov, blockhart@utah.gov, csmoss@utah.gov, jseelig@utah.gov, jdougall@utah.gov, rchouck@utah.gov, bcferry@utah.gov, keithgrover@utah.gov, kraigpowell@utah.gov, pray@utah.gov, rfrandsen@utah.gov, sjardine@utah.gov, Smallred@utah.gov, Jball@utah.gov

copy and paste it onto the BCC line of your email... then write a short message, urging them to keep tobacco prevention funded! thank you so much!!!

faith.hope.charity.
peter.moosman.

Project:1200's first event!

2009-02-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

so heres the story:

the plan was to rally at the capital as the committee meetings were adjourned and talk to the politicians as they left the meeting.

Bad news: they adjourned early...
so when we got there, the capital was nearly free of those politicians. BUT when we got there, so did Fox 13 news, the SL Trib, Channel 4 news, and some journalists! so i got to do some interviews in behalf of the group (which will hopefully be on air. check it out!!!). we did get to talk to some other lobbyists, journalists, and politicians, but mostly just a bunch of random people.

when we met back in the main building, we noticed that there was another rally (much larger than ours, mind you) up in the rotunda. it was a rally to allow gay couples to adopt.
we decided to use this to our advantage.
one of our rally-ers had a stack of paper, so i began to make signs and little business cards to hand out.

it said something along the lines of:

Big Tobacco thinks the LGBT community is SCUM! thats why they named their LGBT campaign, Project SCUM (Sub Culture Urban Marketing). pissed off? do something. brought to you by Project 1200
or
Project SCUM. Big tobacco's campaign to target the LGBT community.

anyways... we changed our focus of the rally at the end, and i think we got our point across! and we got the Project 1200 name out!

and you can expect to see many of us back up there tomorrow before they make the final votes! please join us!