As a rule I do not purchase Cuban cigars as it is illegal to do so, and to many “aficionados” that makes me (and all other NC smokers) nothing more than “drugstore” cigar smokers. Of course I disagree with that assessment as will anyone with half a pallet that has tasted a Swisher Sweet and any one of the many great domestic cigars. Still, if you want to find the “best” domestic cigars there are some rules that will help you find them.

1. Ignore Price–there are some really good domestic sticks out there for $5 and under. There are also some really nasty sticks out there for over $5!
2. Ignore Half-Naked Women–sex sells, but not good cigars.
3. Ignore “Cuban” Nomenclature–many domestic cigars are “rolled in the fine Cuban tradition” or have a distinct “Cuban” flavor. I am not saying some of the cigars marketed using this strategy are not good, but it is not because of anything “Cuban” about the cigar.
4. Ignore Ostentatious Packaging–sure those fancy boxes and bands are attractive, but they have no correlation to the quality of the cigar.
5. Ignore Most Cigars With Stolen Cuban Names–when America placed an embargo against Cuba many of the names used for Cuban cigars were stolen and placed on domestic cigars. As a general rule these cigars are manufactured by large companies pumping out tons of cigars that are just a notch above those drugstore smokes mentioned earlier. That is not to say you will not find a few good ones, but if you stick with boutique or family owned shops you will find better smokes.

The following is taken from the August 2008 issue of America’s 1st Freedom, and it is not particularly shocking. Actually, it is something that everyone willing to look at the situation honestly has seen coming for some time. It is so stupid that it is almost embarrassing to read.

 

 

 

 

As criminal use of firearms continues to rise in Britain despite the gun ban there, criminals with knives are also causing major problems for law-abiding British citizens.

In what a Christian Science Monitor report called a “growing knife-crime culture,” [Does that sound familiar?] British authorities are finding themselves in a losing battle to stop young people from carrying knives.

Along with stop-and-search operations on the street, the government is instituting a $6 million ad campaign to warn youths about the dangers of carrying a knife. [Yes, $6 million!]

According to the report, Britain sees 200 to 250 stabbing murders a year, a number that has some pushing for less-lethal knives.

Dr. Mike Beckett is pushing to do away with tips on all kitchen knives in Britain.

“What people want in a kitchen knife is the edge,” he told the BBC. “The point on the end of the knife actually serves little culinary purpose, but it is the point that kills people.”