I quit smoking 28 years ago. Most of you who read this blog regularly know this. I used to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day, and then I learned self-hypnosis and I quit on May 5th(Cinco de Mayo), 1982.

You know why I quit? Because I wanted to live longer. There were rumors back then that smoking cigarettes was bad for a person’s health. Along with that, my Dad, who was a heavy smoker also,had just sufferd a major heart attack at the age of 49.

So I quit.

I did so even though, according to some folks, there has never been a rock-solid, medical link tying smoking to heart disease, emphysema, or lung cancer. I know this because I have heard conservative radio talk show hosts point this out time and time again. (Why, you might ask, do I listen to such idiots? I don’t know. I guess I just like to hear from the other side periodically.)

Let me ask you this: even if there is no smoking gun - no conclusive scientific evidence - about the link between cigarettes and fatal diseases, wouldn’t you agree that it is a smart thing, health-wise, to quit smoking?

Even if you think the jury is still out on the topic, isn’t it more wise to err on the side of caution when dealing with such important issues? I mean, even if there is the slightest possibility that smoking will kill you, isn’t it a smart idea to quit?

If some time in the future medical science proves it is not harmful to you, then what harm was done by quitting? (If nothing else, it saved you a ton of money, and it made your clothes, hair and breath smell better!)

AND, as far as science is concerned…

Did you know that science has no clue what causes rubber to bounce? Since there is no conclusive theory existing today to prove that it does bounce, does that mean that it doesn’t?

Also, according to the laws of aerodynamics, it is impossible for a bumble bee to fly. (The size of the wings are far too small in proportion to the insect’s body mass for such a thing to be possible.) And yet, I see the fat, yellow and black bugs zipping through the air all around my farm in the spring and summer.

Chances are, if you stick your finger into a live electrical outlet, it will not kill you. But why the hell do it? Why take the chance?

Okay. So what’s all this have to do with global warming?

Well, just this past week, one of the originators of the global warming theory stated that some of his work was not based on actual scientific observations. Some of the conclusions were speculative, and they are not written in stone.

He also stated that he couldn’t find the data he used while formulating the theory because he was an incredibly disorganized human being. (He said that the information was somewhere in his office, but he couldn’t find it.)

Folks like the Rush Limbaugh and his wanna-bes and lemmings (level-headed, open-minded, civic-minded individuals all) have been doing cartwheels over this news story all week long.

Here in CT, there is a Rush wanna-be named Jim Vicevich on the radio who holds this information up as proof that global warming is nothing more than a democratic, “Leftie” plot against the energy and automotive industries. And, somehow, Barack Obama is to blame for the whole thing!

I don’t quite follow the logic here, but it may just be that there IS no logic here.

A large number of leading scientists, who are not fighting for commercial ratings on the air waves, have digested this new information and concluded that the jury is still out on global warming. In other words, more studies need to be launched and more data needs to be collected.

In the meantime, doesn’t it make sense to continue on our present path and attempt to reduce industrial and auto emissions, just in case these noxious fumes are killing us?

When all the data is collected, if the results show that global warming is a naturally occurring phenomenon not caused by human actions, then what harm was done by cutting back?

But, on the other hand, what is going to happen if, at some point in the future, we find that the theory, or at least PARTS of the theory, are correct, and we did nothing about it when we had a chance?

I’ll bet there are plenty of lung cancer patients lying in their hospital beds and hooked up to their oxygen tanks who wished the hell they had reduced their tar and nicotine intakes when they had the chance.

So, I’ll put this question to you: should we be pro-active and err on the side of caution, or should we just pretend that everything is fine and wonderful until there are no buffalo left to roam the fruited plain?