June 12, 2007
Rocky Anderson, Mayor
Salt Lake City, Utah,

Dear Rocky,

I can't help but believe you were just too busy or distracted to read Chapter 15.30, the Salt Lake City war on tobacco. I want to spell out two important issues for your consideration.

1. The Constitution:

The 14th Amendment says, in part, "nor shall any State ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

The City Ordinance 15.30.030 says:

"Exceptions.

A). American Indian/Alaska Native Ceremonies."

You have correctly accused the National government of waging an unconstitutional war in Iraq. Although it is thousands of times less severe, I accuse the Salt Lake City government of waging an unconstitutional war on tobacco. I could add a thousand words, but the point is clear. You are violating the constitutional rights of us white boys.

2. The evidence:

I agree with you that our National government lied about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, his efforts to build a nuclear arsenal and his connection to 9-11. You are right and you said it so well. Second-hand smoke: I have a Ph.D. When I left the University of Utah in '04, my official title was "Associate Professor of Medicine." I read the three most relevant articles on the hazards of second-hand smoke.

Number one was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, June 8, 1994 - Vol 271, No 22, pages 1752 - 1759). Anyone can find and read this article. Dr. Fontham and her 10 associate authors examined the records of female lung cancer patients from 5 major US metropolitan areas. They analyzed data from 17,447 cases. My analysis of their data can be summarized as follows: Assume three groups of 100,000 persons. The first group is all smokers. Their chance of getting lung cancer is about 1 in 250, so about 400 people in the first group have lung cancer.

The second group is non-smokers not exposed to second-hand smoke. Their risk of getting lung cancer is about 1 in 10,000, so ten of them have lung cancer.

The third group of 100,000 is non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke. Their risk of getting cancer is 30% higher than the regular smokers, meaning the number with cancer goes up from 10 to 13.

That's the risk this is all about. It's negligible. In fact, the 95% confidence interval for that number is from 10 to 16. In other words, no effect at all is included in the confidence interval. That means they have no statistical right to claim that second-hand smoke is a risk factor at all. The evidence for heart problems is even less.

I'm saying that I have sufficient credentials to make the claim that all the propaganda about the risks of second-hand smoke is false. It's a lie. It's the same kind of lies that Bush used to get us entangled in Iraq. Salt Lake City's war on tobacco is just as phony and unconstitutional as Bush's war on Iraq. Although the consequences are infinitely less, you are doing in Liberty Park the same thing. You are waging an unconstitutional war, based on false propaganda. I have included the reference to the article. Ask a medical professional friend to check my claims. Then have Chapter 15.30 repealed so you can continue calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney without being a hypocrite.

I have faith that you will look into these details and do the right thing. Your name is still on the back of my car and I will continue to support you because of all you have done for me as a citizen of our fair city. Now, take one more step in the name of honesty and right principles.

Still your friend, I hope,

Ken Larsen
801-533-8658
856 East 100 South, #2
Salt Lake City, Utah 84102