Iraq war veteran Dr. Jason Newsom returned home to Panama City, FL after his service. He took a job running the Bay County Health Department. He became a one man soldier against junk food.

All was okay when he posted attacks against hamburgers, french fries, and sweet tea on an electronic sign. It was even fine when he went after Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Alas, he unwisely decided to put doughnuts in the cross hairs. "America dies on Dunkin' " was his harsh remark. It turns out a county commissioner owns a doughnut shop. Even worse, two lawyers own a local Dunkin' Donuts.

The lawyers threatened to sue. Dr. Newsom lost his job.

The United States has the highest rate of obesity in the world. From 1980 to 2000 the rate of childhood obesity has doubled and it has tripled among adolescents. The cost of treating obesity related illness in children rose by a factor of 4 over the same time period.

Six of the ten most expensive diseases in the health care system (heart disease, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, degenerative joint disease, back problems) are related to obesity.

The way this country has battled tobacco over the years is to make it socially unacceptable. It is to the point where a business owner cannot allow someone to smoke inside their establishment throughout most of the country. The habit is costly as well with taxes sometimes driving nicotine addicts to the poor house.

The same cannot be said of obesity. Society jumps on people as cruel if they say anything unflattering about someone who carries extra weight. Patients completely understand when you tell them they need to stop smoking. If you ask them to lose weight though the excuses come pouring out and they are much more likely to get angry.

No fast food franchise makes people obese. People make bad diet choices. Obesity is not that much different than smoking or excess alcohol consumption. It is also no different than lifestyle choices that lead to an increased chance of being a trauma victim.

The only disease on the top 10 cost list that is mostly independent of lifestyle choice is mental disorders. Pre-existing conditions make a nice talking point but it is fair to ask why should anybody pay for somebody else's bad choices.

It is ironic that the same legal system that made lawyers rich suing tobacco companies stopped Dr. Newsom from pointing out the dangers of doughnuts.

We could tax doughnuts. We could build bike trails. Maybe we could even make lawyers rich and let them sue everybody in the food industry. It seems unlikely any of that will solve the problem. People still smoke.

Personal responsibility has become an alien concept in this country.

People should be allowed to do things that are legal like smoking or eating fried chicken. They should also have to live with the consequences of their decision. That may mean higher insurance premiums. It may mean they make themselves uninsurable.

Their rights should not include blaming everybody else, making lawyers rich with meritless suits, and getting the government to pick up the tab.

The government treats bad lifestyle choices like diseases. Some of them seem to matter and others do not. The degree of importance seems to have nothing to do with the true impact. It is more dependent on whether a special interest group has money and decides to make noise.

It turns out Dr. Newsom banned doughnuts at meetings. He was far more aggressive than just posting messages on an electric sign. It reminds me of a physician I knew who used to rip cigarettes out of mouths in front of the VA hospital.

Did Dr. Newsom cross a line?

He did in that he had the audacity to actually stand up and try to make a difference. He was honest. He wanted people to start taking responsibility.

He may not have had any impact in the end. No matter, it seems that should qualify him for a Nobel Prize.

(Reference link for the title. Old hockey fans may remember this one.)