Shock…Horror…Disgust…Amazement…and, no doubt, plenty of other adjectives used by the puritanical brigade after reading in today’s Daily Mail that Michael Douglas has been ‘snapped’ enjoying a cigarette on a luxury yacht with his good lady Catherine Zeta-Jones. Well ‘whoopy bloody do!’ They are both confirmed smokers so why the uproar? They are both doing something they both enjoy doing-and just how many people can relax with a fag on a luxury yacht these days?
Well, as the world already knows, ‘MD’ had a touch of the cancers in his throat which, after considerable diagnosis, needed a right good blasting with chemo/radiotherapy. This, happily seemed to do the trick quite nicely as he was declared cancer free, much to his relief. The pathetic part of this report is the reporters wording: – “But as these photos show, it seems the 66-year-old is struggling to keep his nicotine addiction under control.”
Excuse me, but did ‘MD’ say that or has the reporter decided this for himself? I’ll back the latter. Has it even occurred to this numpty pen pusher that ‘MD’ still enjoys having a drag? Has it occurred to this pen pushing glory monger that it is not an addiction and that MD really enjoys that wonderful warm feeling as smoke goes down into the lungs, causing that feeling of being ‘at one with the world’? I doubt it and I can already see the crows gathering on the day of the funeral service, whether that be this year, next or in 30 years’ time! “Smokin’ killed him right enough, I mean, fancy smokin’ again after curing that cancer!’ Now poor old ‘MD’ could get struck by lightning, hit by a train, drowned, whatever, but he will always be determined as a ‘walking death certificate’ because he had a fag – after cancer.
We are further enlightened as the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (America) found that up to 18% of lung cancer patients continue to smoke after discovering they have the illness and around 25% of family members also kept up the habit. Amazingly, that is their right. Having met quite a few cancer patients on my travels the general opinion seems to be ‘ke sera, sera!’ Basically, those that have the killer disease don’t really see the point of giving up smoking just ‘to prolong the agony for a few weeks longer’. That is their right. Who the hell wants to die a long lingering death due to lung cancer just to appease the consciences of those left behind? Not many I would imagine.
Perhaps, when some of the ‘righteous brothers & sisters’ succumb to a form of cancer they will take up smoking in an attempt to hasten their demise. Perhaps they will see the futility of their abstemious lifestyle. Perhaps they will blame Michael Douglas for smoking on that boat in the Italian Riviera because they feel a wisp of that smoke reached them-from the Italian Riviera! Who knows how some peoples warped & twisted minds work?
Researcher Kathryn E. Weaver informs us: “It just speaks to the incredible addictive power of nicotine.” So, it’s quite OK to put nicotine in patches & gums but not something cylindrical and smokeable-how can there be good nicotine and bad nicotine? Nicotine is nicotine-end of! Another well paid ‘nutcracker’ on the side of good nicotine-you have to laugh at them, you really do.
As for MD, well, he’s had a privileged life and nothing goes on forever so he might as well enjoy whatever time he has left with his good lady – and – with or without his beloved cigarettes: it’s HIS freedom of choice!