Response to my anonymous friend

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!

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...

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

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!

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!

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!!!

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!

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!

--- 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!

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!

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!

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)

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

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.

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.