News. June 7, 1981 wrote a . cohimn: knocking ell out. of cigarette'smokers. ~ Tsaid I would be happy if smoking was ‘banned in public places. I said I was shocked: by just how—rude smokers are. I said the smell of urning - nicotine’ makes — column. over, Tw was. ‘shocked and sickened. by. ‘Something’ else. I. was shocked ‘and sickened by- a streak of bigotry; hypocrisy and in- tolerance that I saw in . myself. My. _goodness, happened? At-heart, I'm an anar- chistic : Aiberal.” A --con-' - servative ‘anarchistic:liberal,. - to ‘be ‘sure. I'm the’ last person I would expect to see doing anything so dumb as putting down a whole class of people in society. . what ane It should be obvious that some of the finest people smoke: Just. because someone has a nicotine habit, you. can’t draw any conclusions. «about their intelligence, social worth, or even, ‘their level of spiritual ’ development. I've ‘met gurus--true-- ° gurus—who: smoked. “And -I mean people..who are . tinquestionably. ‘among the » of. “highest ‘humanity. ‘And 26 far as Ecan tell, ‘nobody’ s ability to be. compassionate, | sensitive or moral is com- promised i in the least respect by the fact that they smoke. ‘Or don’t smoke. . - Or that they're white or brown. or black or yellow or bright orange. Or whether ithey’re.from one-point on the -globe™ ‘or ~another. “Or whatever their sexual specimens — , preferences, or. the kind of car they drive or the religious themes they choose . to espouse. I “would never permit myself ‘to ‘ridicule anyone because of any of these things. Why, then, would I think for a moment it was — okay to put down smokers? een . Hey, I smoked from the time I was 14 to the time I the. flaw. . _ironic, ° was almost'37! F sAnd,°1 guess, therein lies. What's: happened. to me, since I quit smoking, i is that ‘Tve become ‘sanctimonious. 1 told aye Cen I quit | smoker,’ “who: -to listen. to him,: