Recalling a prior autograph collecting acquisition of a health official we were all supposed to trust

After reading about the new World Health Organization study that claims second-hand smoke kills 600,000 people a year across the globe - 46,000 deaths in the U.S. - I recall the following. Back on March 9, 2005, I got the autograph of then U.S. Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS, after he spoke at the first Teaching Preparedness: A Seminar For Healthcare Educators, Emergency Management webcast in New York City. It was sponsored by the National Center For Disaster Preparedness Center at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

Less than two years later Carmona testified to members of Congress that he was told by George W. Bush administration officials what to say and write when addressing sex education, stem cells, emergency contraception and other important issues to Americans. And second-hand smoke! Sad, right?

Both the Carmona signed flier marking his visit to New York City to address National emergency preparedness and a copy of an article about his later Congressional testimony (see below) are part of my seven year 9/11 aftermath paper ephemera and autograph collection - something I hope to do many talks about next year as the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 and the opening of the National September 11 Memorial in NYC approach. Let me know if your group is interested.