I agree with letter-writer Corina Benavides: "Let's keep beer out of
Halloween" [Talk Show Oct. 16]. We have this juggernaut of public opinion
barreling down on the tobacco industry, ostensibly "for the children's
sake," as our president likes to say, but little is ever said about the
alcohol industry.

Smoking does in fact kill people but conversely alcohol destroys many more
lives in a much more insidious way. There's drunk driving, violence,
neglected families, lost work, health problems and a general loosening of
our moral fabric as people drink more and more beer because TV commercials
make it look like the cool, macho thing to do. The effects of second-hand
smoke are nothing compared to the effects of alcohol on children and
families.

J. Michael Sedills
Capistrano Beach