sample="supplemental" bates="TNWL0032462" isource="ti" decade="1980" class="ne" date="19860411" File - WD Counsel - Fritz 2600 Fairview Ave. - East, Dock 11 Seattle, Washington 98102 April 11, 1986 RECEIVED APR 14 1986 Mr. Frank Fahrenkopf, Chairman Republican National Committee 310 First Street, Southeast Washington, D.C. 20003 Dear Chairman Fahrenkopf: I have been an active Republican Party worker and supporter since 1958--a precinct committeeman for eight years--a delegate to the 1964 Republican Convention--a Sustaining Member of the Republican National Committee since 1978--a staunch supporter of President Reagan, etc... My support of the Republican Party and its candidates has always been motivated by my believe that the GOP has embraced as its basic principles the importance of the dignity, worth, and freedom of the individual and the individual's right to make his own free choices without "Big Brother" government telling him what's best for him and how he should live his life. Indeed, I have heard President Reagan state his personal believe in these same principles in many of his speeches. However, it has become clearly evident that one member of the Reagan administration, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop, does not subscribe to the individual's right and freedom to choose to smoke or not to smoke. It is my view that Dr. Koop has an image of himself as the Czar of the American public's health with the right (if not the authority) to attempt to impose his own personal biases and prejudicial thoughts and erroneous conclusions on all of us because he knows what's best for us. In my estimation, Surgeon General Koop epitomizes the "Big Brother" syndrome in our government! He is also abusing his office by going beyond the bounds of providing advice on public health and actually lobbying against smoking at the expense of the taxpayers. This is to advise you that I am a Republican who smokes by choice and enjoys the pleasure of smoking. Further, I am sick and tired of being cajoled and picked on because some over-zealous federal bureaucrat with a neo-prohibitionist mentality has decided that smoking is not good for my health based upon inconclusive scientific evidence and other erroneous information which he has compiled to justify his crusade. Since it appears that the Republican Party is willing to tolerate Dr. Koop's intolerance regarding us smokers, I can only, conclude that there is no room in my Republican Party for smokers. Therefore, I am returning my 1986 Sustaining Member card to you with regret. I may be willing to reconsider my support of the Republican Party in the future if and when I am able to determine that the National GOP has brought their "Health Czar" under control and is once again embracing their traditional principles of individual rights and freedom of choice. Sincerely yours, William J. Fritz Encls.