Have you ever had to leave

a restaurant without finishing your meal - the one that you paid your

hard earned money to buy - because you have an asthmatic child who cannot

breathe because of the smokers in the next booth?

Have you ever asked someone

while waiting in a line to put out their cigarette or at least hold it

up near his face and not down by his side where the smoke is going into

the eyes of a 5-year-old standing there - only to have him insult you?

Have you ever been a non-smoking

secretary who had to sit in a room full of smokers taking minutes of a

meeting only to have a sore throat, runny eyes, and discomfort for days

afterward?

Have you ever seen a non-smoking

waitress who has to inhale the smoke of customers all day long because

she has to support a family or earn college tuition?

Have you ever been unavoidably

exposed to cigarette smoke and blow blood clots out of your nose the next

morning?

Have you ever had a child burned

in an attorney's office by a careless smoker flicking their ashes on her

1-year-old arm?

Have you ever been sick to

your stomach because of an illness or treatment like chemo, but unable

to go out in public because the stench of cigarette and cigar smoke makes

you deathly ill?

Have you ever stood by the

bedside of a young father as he gave hugs to his wife and three daughters

before giving the thumbs up sign to disconnect his life support? Addicted

since elementary school, this wonderful father died from emphysema after

struggling to breathe for eight years with the last one spent on life

support? He left behind one daughter who has terrible allergies that costs

her discomfort and high medical bills?

Have you ever buried four family

members who died of cancer who had been addicted since their youth?

Have you ever come home from

a gathering only to have your sweater and hair reek of cigarette smoke?

Have you ever had an infant

in your family die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome while the parents

were playing cards only one room away - and smoking?

Have you ever paid for Ice

Capades tickets and waited with excitement with your children to attend

the gala only to have so many folks around you smoking that you had to

continually fan away the smoke with your program?

Have you ever known of children

who up in a household with a smoker who as an adult suffered from bronchitis

for the rest of their lives although they themselves never smoked a cigarette?

Have you ever stood at the

nursery window of a hospital looking at a premature baby living

on life support - born too

early - with underdeveloped lungs to a mother who smoked during her pregnancy?

I often wonder if these nurses smoke and/or wear loud smelling perfume

around them? Others do in other parts of the hospital.

Have you ever known of an elderly

grandmother who had to have a cornea transplant because the

caregiver who was supposed

to be attending her sat for years by her side smoking?

Have you ever known of a small

three or four year old child who was riding his tricycle on the sidewalk

only to have a cigar land down the back of his shirt thrown by a careless

smoker from a passing car which caused lifetime scarring?

Have you or someone you know

ever suffered from emphysema, heart trouble, asthma, bronchitis, or other

breathing disorders that caused them to become homebound because they

could not tolerate the smoked filled environment?

Have you ever been ill and

stepped into the elevator of a hospital with a cigar- smoking man;

only to heave your guts out

a no smoking zone?

Have you ever had to ask people

to leave your office or your business because they were smoking around

flammable conditions and in no smoking areas?

Have you ever seen a resource

officer in a high school bust kids for smoking on school grounds only

to bum a cigarette off of another?

Have you ever been concerned

about a teacher's lounge that emits a thick fog of cigarette smoke when

the door is opened? Doesn't this concern you about a fire hazard as well?

Have you ever sat down at a

table in a restaurant before the previous customer's plates were cleared

to see snuffed out cigarettes in their dinner plates? Mash potatoes seem

to be a likely spot. It is enough to spoil your appetite?

Have you ever asked people

to stop smoking around you only for them to insult you and make you feel

like you were the one who did something wrong?

Have you ever had someone continue

to smoke after you asked them not to only to have them tell you that it

is their right to smoke?

After speaking up about smoking

in public places have you ever had anyone call you fat?

Have you ever stayed away from

establishments because they allowed smoking in their facility?

Have you ever been in a hospital

bed and have a nurse lean over you with a fresh smell of cigarette smoke

on her person making you want to toss up your lunch?

Have you ever been sitting

under a hair dryer at the beauty shop and have someone else's smoke waft

across the room and up into your drier as if being drawn by a smoke magnet?

Mix that with perm solution and nail fixings and you would really get

sick?

Have you ever held a new born

infant whose blankets and clothing smelled like cigarette smoke?

Have you ever know of an elementary

school child completely humiliated because their parent

wore T-shirts to their school

with cigarette logos on them?

Well, I can say yes to all

the above.

And one more question, why

have a Board of Health, if you are not going to listen to their

recommendations. Are they just

wasting their time and spinning their wheels? Is it not their job to research

and recommend changes in things that are detrimental to public health?

Is this not becoming the trend

across America as other caring Board of Commissioners think of health

before wealth?

Are you going to pander to

those who wish to keep smoking in their establishments for the

fear that to prevent smoking

will affect their bottom line? Are they insecure about their products

and/or services that they believe they will fold up if they do not allow

smoking?

The health issues of the community

should far out weigh any and all rights and reasons why thoughtless and

inconsiderate smokers are allowed to cause serious harm to those around

them - both customers and non-smoking employees.

Another thing to consider -

the smokers themselves. When spending a lot of time in a room with multiple

smokers, this increases their chances of smoke related problems by the

shear volume of smoke taken into their lungs. Especially since people

don't all smoke the same brand. We all pay for increased health premiums,

decreased health care, and lost work days caused by complications of smoking.

And finally, I say to Mr. Gregg

Dunn I think you are right. I think this is still America - at least the

last time I checked with CNN. It would seem, Mr. Dunn, that it pays to

be in the minority these days. One person objects to prayer and Bible

reading in school and out the door it goes.

One atheist objects to the

phrase, "One Nation Under God" in our Pledge of Allegiance and

it heads to the Supreme Court.

We are living in an era where the few rule the many. I dare say, Mr. Dunn,

does this statement about America also apply to those who get drunk and

get behind the wheel of a car endangering the lives of our citizens as

well? What about drug dealers and porn peddlers - this is America for

them too.

And to the Board of Commissioners

in general, what don't you understand about the years and years of research

that explains that secondhand smoke is even more dangerous than firsthand?

You say that you do not plan

to vote on this issue until more information is gathered. Where have you

been? The results are in - the decision has been made by qualified medical

personnel

"SECOND HAND SMOKE KILLS

PEOPLE!" If you need more information, please let me know and I personally

will volunteer to gather up all this information from my computer and

send it to you.

When you were elected to office

you were supposed to serve and protect the citizens of this county - not

the tourist trade nor the bottom lines of individual businesses.

And to Dr. Michael Strain,

Mr. VanLandingham and others on the Board of Health, please keep on trying

to preserve the health of our citizens, young and old, God bless you.

Keep up the good work. Don't stop until the goal is reached.

You have my full support and

the support of many other voters.

Commissioners, I will be watching

carefully your decision on this matter and how you cast your vote. I hope

and pray that we have Commissioners who will put the health and welfare

of the citizens who voted them into office far above those of any other

consideration. This is an important issue and is not to be considered

with coolness. This is the opportunity for you to show the citizens of

this county that you mean what you say in your campaign pledges.

For A Smoke Free Public Environment!

Patricia McCullough Walston

Fayetteville, Ga.