Life’s great. Where else but here can you be totally free to make your own choices but if those choices are misguided or even stupid, you can reap big rewards? Take smoking cigarettes. Individuals sue tobacco companies. Families sue tobacco companies. Groups of people, associations and institutions storm the courthouse steps. And, get this, entire States are trying to huff and puff until they blow the big, bad smoke houses down (of course, not until they collect). You agree it’s about time these monsters were put out of business forever. You know people made the choice to smoke, and sure, they probably knew sucking fumes into their bodies wasn’t healthy; in fact, somebody probably advised them against it or they guessed it after they started coughing or were short of breath; but they couldn’t be sure it was bad, or God forbid, that smoking could actually kill. It’s not their fault. Not really. It’s the companies’ fault for making a product that gives pleasure and that you can use for 20 or 30 years before something bad happens. They should pay. And come to think of it, everyone connected with those companies should be forced to pay. Everyone. The workers, the stockholders, the farmers, ad agencies, sign companies. Everyone. They shouldn’t escape responsibility for their roles in preying on innocent consumers who wanted to do the right thing but couldn’t resist the hypnotic power of tobacco. And come to think of it, we should go after all the food conglomerates, red meat growers and dairies who peddle tons of fat that clog arteries and cause heart disease and untold misery. And come to think of it, distilleries are getting away with murder. We should drag them all to court to face the families and pay damages for broken homes, broken bodies, millions of cases of cirrhosis, and DUI fatalities. And come to think of it, the automobile and truck manufacturers are directly responsible for 50,000 deaths and millions of crippling injuries every single year. They deliberately make vehicles that can travel at excessive speeds. They design audio systems, moon roofs and other pleasure options that encourage people to spend excessive time behind the wheel, subject to disaster. These marketing schemes deserve nothing less than the most contentious litigation. It’s about time people struck back at companies that tempt them, coax them and sell them products that are hazardous to their health. We can only be so responsible for our own actions. That’s why you must hire an attorney tomorrow to seek a judgment against those jumping night spots you frequented in your 20’s and 30’s. That second-hand smoke was criminal.