Record numbers visit Forest Online
Tuesday, July 3, 2007 
Not surprisingly, perhaps, the Forest website has attracted record numbers of visitors in recent weeks. Last month we recorded 125,319 visits (28 million hits). The largest number of daily visits (9,194) occurred on June 28. This rose to 11,791 visits (4.3 million hits) on Sunday July 1 and numbers continue to rise with 14,619 people visiting the site yesterday.
Visitors can download a number of essays. Most popular downloads in June were The Smoking Issue by Joe Jackson (2,673), Prejudice & Propaganda: The Truth About Passive Smoking (1,833), Smoke, Lies and the Nanny State by Joe Jackson (1,811) and Smoking Out The Truth by Ralph Harris (1,651).
The site is updated every day. For example, we have a rolling newsfeed that links to all the major smoking-related stories around the world. We try to update other pages as often as possible. Unfortunately, the site has more than 300 pages which - in hindsight - is far too many because it simply isn't possible to update many of these pages as often as we would like. We've learned our lesson and the revised site - to be launched in the autumn alongside the new Free Society website - will be less ambitious but more focussed.
PS. Someone has complained (on this blog) that the newsfeed on the Forest website features too many anti-smoking stories. Sorry, but we're not about to stick our heads in the sand and pretend that these stories don't exist. The Forest newsfeed represents the world as it is, not how we would like it to be.
Reader Comments (29)
Long may the upward trend of visitors continue. I, myself, was introduced to the passive smoking issue through the FOREST site and found "Prejudice and Propaganda" and "The Smoking Issue" illuminating and useful. I hope that, eventually, sufficient numbers of people discover the truth to make collective action a possibility. In the meantime thank God for people like Tony Blows and Nick Hogan for sticking their necks out to generate massive publicity.
For people wanting to take a stance in their own lives, in addition to Joe Jackson's sensible advice in "Don't Stop the Party", there is a lively thread on the discussion forum of freedom2choose headed "Style Tips for the Resistance".
Joyce
I agree, but mainstream television is not reporting. Have not heard any mention of defiance on main networks.
Neither have I, but it has been reported in the press and has stimulated debate.
Andrew; Don't worry about the MSM. It isn't important which medium the message comes from. What is important is that the message gets through. We are pretty much barred from the MSM as they are not just messengers but are supporters of the ban.
Though there has been hardly anything in the media about the ban (and nothing about lack of support for it) my attention has been drawn to an article in a 'woman's' magazine. The article is the magazines health pages and is titled 'Smoke Signal'. The article is about how a young man went out dancing to a smoky night club one night and became ill shortly afterwards; he had to go to hospital where he was diagnosed with meningitis. I quote now from the article:
'I've been told that the smoky atmosphere in the club might've triggered the meningitis.'
Have you ever heard anything like it? And to think, I thought meningitis was a disease caused by a virus. Now I find that its caused by cigarette smoke (in the same sense that AIDS is caused by cheap perfume presumably).
How are magazines etc getting away with publishing such obvious lies? This is propoganda, no more no less.
Can anyone believe this, this is what happened to the jews.
www.smokinggrass.net
Thanks for that Andrew.
Dispicable snitches. Now it's becoming an honorable thing to be! They're all coming out of the woodwork, thinking they have won, and it's all over. Never! My anger seems to be growing by the day.Anyone else feeling like that?
This morning I saw a beautiful,historic building in my town plastered with 'the ghastly signs'and it triggered a feeling that I've not felt before. One hard to explain, but one that I think many people are experiencing in England. Let us be the first to overturn this insult and show the world the way.
Zitori, you are certainly not the only one to feel the anger; I seem to be able to feel nothing but anger at the moment.
I was sat outside at a pub in my city that has a canopy shelter the other day (when the weather was not so bad as to prohibit even this) and there were some Polish people there that were so rude to me about the fact I was smoking that I burst into tears.
Zitori, 'a feeling I'd not felt before' - I've been getting that too. Is yours like anger combined with sorrow, a touch of despair for the future, plus a good dose of disbelief, some deep affront, a large dash of horror and topped off with a liberal helping of fury and the irrational desire to rip someone's limbs off?
If so, we need a word for it!!!
RedCat
What did these Poles say?????????
As I see it the main problem is apathy, even amongst smokers themselves. Thay just feel that nothing can be done in the face of the constant propaganda from the government and its accolytes in the media.I suspect the only way to seek any redress is to make people realise just how much of a con trick the authorities have pulled off based on the lies and dsistortions created by their own junkscience. Then some people might start to get angry and we might get this thing off to another level.
As a first step what about a sticker saying something like:
"We've all been conned - the smoking ban was introduced on the basis of false statistics and blatant lies.
Go to (whichever website we choose to use)"
These would look particularly attractive placed next to the government's own no smoking signs - an ideal accessory!
Thought you guys might like to see this.
www.smokinggrass.net
Sorry,didn`t see Andrews post!!
Yes Scorpy, it's a combination of all those things you described, and it made me laugh out loud. Perhaps it's called madness! Then again, the lunatics have taken over the asylum so it couldn't be that.I think the word we're are looking for is SANITY>
I think The Forest website has attracted record numbers of visitors in recent weeks because of comments posted from Zitory, Peter Thurgood, Joyce, andrew, Poppy, Bernie, Blad Tolstoy, RedCat, Jonathan, and a few another people.
Sorry, I can’t mention everyone, but I am most thankful to all of you.
Simon
I would ask you to think about some form of marketing campaign. I fear there are millions of people unaware this site exists.
I see there are simmerings of discontent from a few members of parliament. Not so much about us poor smokers, but the erection of signs on their own houses, (some listed buildings) if more than one person works from home. Hopefully this might lead to a broadening of the issue.
Andrew -
The Poles said 'Dirty Brit with filthy habit'. The thing is that I am not dirty at all, I am actually quite glam!
To other commentators -
I have too noticed the apathy amongst other smokers because I have been trying to speak to as many people as possible about this issue. There seem to be a large number of smokers who, while they don't personally like the ban, have been brainwashed enough by the hype to think that its right because 'passive smoking kills'. If you bear in mind the vast amount of propoganda out there and the one sided reporting of the issues these things have got through to smokers as well as non smokers creating guilt (smokers) and hate (non smokers).The people that are arguing on the issues, that of political agenda and loss of civil liberty are split between smokers and non smokers and these people are generally better informed.
The key issue here is information - there is no debate when people are hearing only one side of an argument (so much for the tobacco cartels with their riches brainwashing everyone eh?) We are really only hearing what ASH wish to propogate.
Other smokers I have spoken to believe that this is a done deal so there is no point fighting it; we will just have to get used to it. What happened to the nation we were when they introduced the poll tax and people stood up to be counted? In those days there was no feeling that an unpopular law was a done deal and we had no right to fight back. Over a decade of Blairism seems to have eroded people's will to fight. Other smokers I have spoken to are scared - they don't want to draw attention to themselves, get a criminal record etc. they are afraid that smoking will now affect their job prospects etc. they feel forced to give up.
Some analoguous arguments I have been trying on people for the sake of satire.
A MUSIC BAN - I support a total ban on loud music in bars and nightclubs. This is because not only do I find loud music unpleasant, but it is noise pollution and has been proven to be dangerous to hearing (if not now in the future). Though at present there are venues I can choose to go into that do not have loud music where I can sit and have a quiet drink with friends, I feel that I and others like me should have the choice to go into any venue that I want to without being bothered by loud music, including night clubs. I am not interested in the fact that most patrons of night clubs go there for the loud music and dancing, I feel that I should be able to enter and sit quietly if I want to. BAN MUSIC.
BAN MOBILE PHONES - Ban mobile phone use in public. There has been some statistical evidence to suggest that mobile phones could be linked to brain tumours. Even another person using their phone near me could affect my health, there is no proof that it doesn't.
Try these arguments on people who support the smoking ban, but say them as though you mean them. The people will generally respond by saying that it would be stupid to ban these things for the reasons you have given. Tell them that they have just made your point re the smoking ban for you.
Redcat, alot of Poles seem to smoke, so that's a surprise, but don't take it to heart. The only thing that's dirty here is the filthy propaganda that creates this biggotry.
I think everyone is agreed that educating people with the fraud of passive smoking, is the most important thing now. Without spreading that knowledge around as fast as we can,many smokers will still feel guilt, and wont support a fight that they believe to be morally wrong.
Education Education,Education as the man said, is the way,but this time for the truth.
Various countries, Italy etc, show no downturn in people buying fags. A lot of smokers will be trying to quit at the moment, some will succeed, others will realise they want to smoke and are being forced to stop. I think there is a lot of tension coming from people trying to give up. "Well if I've got to go through this bloody withdrawal, why can't you. I DON'T HAVE TO.
Whilst researching what people have said about the ban on various comment booards I found this:
Obituary
The Very Sad Passing of Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old common sense was since the birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
Common sense will be remembered as having cultivated valuable lessons such as knowing when to come out of the rain, why the early bird catches the worm, that life isn't always fair and that just maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults not children are in charge).
Common Sense's health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place....Reports of a six year old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing his classmate, teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student , only worsened his condition.
Common sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer panadol, sun lotion or sticky plasters to a student, but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from an intruder in your own home and the burglar got the right to sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman working in her office failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled some in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust. His Wife; Discretion; His daughter; Responsibility; His Son Reason....
He is survived by three stepbrothers, I Know My Rights; Someone Else Is To Blame and I Am A Victim....
Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing!
I've just worked out why these stupid shelters only have a roof and two sides. The NHS refuses to treat us for strokes; heart attacks and God knows what else, Now they will be able to refuse treatment for hypothermia on the grounds that it is self inflicted.
Thanks for that RedCat
RedCat
I cannot believe what these ungrateful bastards said to you and how you managed to exercise such restraint by not hitting them or at least calling the Police and getting them arrested for racism!
They should be reminded that it was us so called "dirty Brits" who entered WW2 to help the Poles out of tyrany and that they owe their livelihood to us tollerant "dirty Brits" for allowing them to go about their business of undercutting our wages at the cost of putting thousands of us out of work by flooding the job market with cheap labour. I know because it has had a devastating effect on myself and my husband we are on the breadline at the moment and do not know where the next penny is going to come from. Where I live on the Kent coast there seems to be droves of them and people here are not tollerant of them they are sick of them and that is how extremists like the BNP will end up getting into office. I for one and sick to death of MPs putting words into our mouths saying we are tollerant - only up to a point - they are pushing this one too far.
How dare they say that to you. I am so sorry they upset you.
I feel shocked to read about this and Poles describing you as a 'Dirty Brit with filthy habit'. I teach a group of Polish students and they are lovely people and some of them smoke - I don't think they would know the phrase 'filthy habit' which leads me to think this horrible incident which Redcat has described shows just how government propaganda easily influences people. If phrases and words are repeated often enough, they become 'the norm'. In particular, those people who have not been resident in this country long, may feel insecure because they want to stay here and they misguidedly feel that the best way to become accepted is to adopt what they believe is the prevailing 'right' attitude. Such incidents fuel resentment amongst people and Sylvia (above) has described this as an act of ingratitude which is understandable. This shows how one issue (eg.the anti-smoking mentality) can lead directly to other issues (eg. immigration) and the more issues surface, the more resentment builds up.
We have to be very careful here not to confuse
this issue with others.Persecution of a minority is dispicable whether they are smokers or another nationalities. I'm sure there are some people, wherever they're from that will insult smokers, including the British.The resentment of immigrants has led to the most evil crimes in history and should not in any way be connected to the smoking ban, for all our sakes.
I agree with you, Zitori, but not everyone interprets things the same way. For example, when staff and students were banned from smoking on college premises earlier this year, I remember speaking to one long-standing member of staff and she was furious. She said that if other minority groups could be accommodated and have, for example, separate prayer rooms, why is it that smokers have had their outdoor areas taken away from them and are forced off site - she was given a disciplinary for being caught smoking outside next to a wall in the grounds. I am by no means saying that I agree with people of minority groups being persecuted, I am merely making the point that this is how some people interpret things. Besides - you rightly point out that there are people who will insult smokers regardless of where they are from - this is what our government is doing all the time through advertisements and propaganda and all the Antis I have come across have been white British. Knowing a lot of Polish people and people of other nationalities, I was shocked to read what Redcat wrote.
SMOKING SHOULD BE BANNED
I HATE ALL SMOKERS, AND THIS SITE DISGUSTES ME.
I WANNA KILL ALL SMOKERS
DIE SMOKERS DIE
To the last comment- I have seriously been thinking about giving up but now I'm not too sure, God forbid I should become a pathetic brainwashed zombie like you.