A MEASLY $10 BILLION

Well, it looks like the big tobacco companies are getting pretty much off the hook after all. Instead of the $130 billion originally sought, a measly $10 billion will be sufficient, the Justice Department says. Never mind the millions of smokers who have died from the effects of tobacco. Hell, how much did they ever contribute to any Republican's re-election?

Truth is, no amount of money can compensate for lives lost, but it would be nice to see some indication of awareness of the magnitude of the crime, at least on the part of the government. And, I'm only referring to those who died, or suffered serious health effects from smoking, AFTER it became apparent to the government and tobacco companies that tobacco was a killer. Still, after all the medical evidence against their products, companies deny any wrongdoing and continue manufacturing and promoting tobacco products they know are injuring and killing millions of people all over the world just to enrich themselveds. For this they need to be held accountable.

I don't have figures on the number of persons who have suffered serious health problems or have died as a result of smoking since the manufacturers learned how harmful tobacco is. The numbers have to be in the millions, however, perhaps in the tens of millions, and growing, as the manufacturers move operations overseas and addict unsuspecting populations in undeveloped countries. Which, I think, makes tobacco companies the greatest mass murderers the world has ever seen. And they're getting off virtually scot-free.