Smoking is an issue that, lately, has recieved more attention everywhere. From banning smoking in Dallas public places to making outdoor designated smoking areas, people are becoming more concerned with the hazards of smoking and second-hand smoke.

While it is common knowledge that smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, not all of the smoking-caused diseases are so well-known. According to the American Heart Association, smoking causes more than 100,000 deaths each year.

A few of the problems that can emerge from smoking are: increased blood pressure, emphysema and bronchitis and a decrease in good cholesterol. It can also severely increase your chances of dying from heart disease.

Now, we all know smoking is bad and we definitely do not want to influence children to do it, but how far is too far in making sure kids aren’t subject to it?

In Britain all “Tom and Jerry” cartoons containing smoking scenes are now banned. This was initiated when a viewer complained to the government agency that polices the airwaves.

We can all understand the logic behind the idea, but tampering with such timeless masterpieces as “Tom and Jerry” is a little too far fetched. If you consider what the children of today are viewing, “Tom and Jerry’s” smoking scenes are the least of our worries.

Cartoons today now have fairly brutal fight scenes, kids planning and scheming to get money any way they can and a man whose sole existence is to chase women. Not to mention the vast array of video games that are constantly being played by children and teenagers such as Grand Theft Auto.

The reality is that the majority of kid’s television programs today are not produced to enhance the lives of our children; they are merely made to sell. The kids love the fight scenes and the random stupidity that turns to comedy, and so it is produced.

To give you a more specific example, watch the movie “Atlantis.” There is a scene toward the end of the movie that is very graphic. After betraying his crew for money and attempting to wipe out an entire nation, the character gets cut by a piece of glass with a gooey substance on it. He proceeds to turn to ice on the outside and fire on the inside, just shortly before he explodes. Not to mention the leading lady in the film is wearing nothing more than a strapless bikini top and a wraparound tie to cover her bikini bottoms. Now, if this movie were not animated it would have received at least a PG-13 rating, if not an R. Hoever, that is not the case, because it is a cartoon it is merely PG.

So, considering our options, “Tom and Jerry” is not the cartoon we need to be worried about. It is all of the other garbage that is fed to our children from day to day.