“Gov. Phil Bredesen’s heart is in the right place. Inspired by recent numbers indicating that Tennessee is No. 3 in the country in obesity — a condition that contributes in large part to diabetes and heart disease — he’s urging ‘personal responsibility. … There’s no pill to make someone push their plate back or take a walk,’ he said recently in his State of the State address. Oh Phil, if only it were that easy. It would also be great if drunks would push back the bottle and if drug addicts would put down those silly syringes. If obesity could be cured — or even curbed — by doing a few laps around the neighborhood, wouldn’t we have done it by now? … Not everyone who is obese has an eating disorder, but it’s safe to say that they have an unhealthy relationship with food.”(02/27/06)