And then, after the Gov't becomes our health care provider, we can require ALL AMERICANS to cease smoking. That will certainly contain health care costs.

Of course, since the Gov't needs the taxes that are received from cigarette purchase, it seems only reasonable that we (Americans) be required to continue to purchase the cigarettes. We must buy them; we just can't smoke them.

Really?? Since when??

Sounds like a crime against the Corps to me...

See, Donovan Campbell, Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood (2009), pp.32-33:

Any offense involving the use of alcohol is considered a deadly and often unforgivable sin in the American military--the peacetime, zero-defects leaders of the 1990s entirely eliminated the drinking culture that has been a proud part of military heritage worldwide since the days of Herodotus....[B]y the rules of the Corps, which prohibited [Pvt. _______'s] very presence in a barracks room containing alcohol [the private was underage], he was guilty as charged.

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted when I read that and checked with my brother. He affirmed the policy.

Let me assure you that I only speak for myself...I am curious, though...if someone complained about the use of words like "nigger" or "kike" or "dago", would that person also be considered a "Speech Nazi"? I'm so sorry to interrupt your bigotry, er, humor...do continue...

On drinking, I believe federal statute prohibits military bases from ignoring state drinking laws, unless the base is within 50 miles from the U.S. border, which I believe Camp Pendleton is.

Actually, the law is that the drinking age on base is:

1) That of the state.

2) If the base is within 50 miles from another state or Canada or Mexico, it's the lowest age in any of those jurisdictions unless otherwise specified by SECDEF

3) 18 for overseas bases unless otherwise specified by SECDEF

Ft. Bliss, which is a few miles from Juarez, Mexico had a drinking age of 18 for years by recently raised it to 21 after many drunk driving incidents.

Well, the Marines (the Marines!!!) have a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol

Really?? Since when??

Sounds like a crime against the Corps to me...

Awww...aren't you just so coy...if you are going to present bigoted views, you could at least be upfront about it, dare I say, even be a man about it...I do wonder if you would feel that way with other epithets, say, racial or ethnic...I'm especially curious if you would be so glib if one of those was applied to you...

In the land of the free, what happened to freedom?

I thought you'd been in the service, Zels.

Tobacco is a stress reliever, tobacco smoke is a bug repellent, tobacco covers rising bile and the odors that form such strong memories, tobacco is a starting link in many friendships and parleys. So while they may be able to ban smoking in barracks, I doubt they'll be able to ban smoking in the field.

Also I assume this include smokeless tobacco products. How many liberals defend the woman’s freedom to kill an baby but not a individual’s right to smoke or not wear a seatbelt.