"A few deaths" seems like a pretty arbitrary measure against which you will begin to care. Regardless, it would seem that more than a few people have passed away with Scientology having some role in their demise: http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/suicide1.htm

[edit: I have to say, the website above seems fairly sketchy; not exactly an example of a rock solid reference, but it conveniently supported my angle...]

Bravo. Exquisitely balanced use of deadpan irony, satire and sarcasm to make these points in a much more thought provoking way than would otherwise have been possible. People seem to have completely missed this.

Satire is never quite as funny when it has to be explained, but what he did through this dialog was bring out in the open numerous ingrained (and many would agree, wrong) views on the subject of migrant labor (esp on farms). Food for thought, pardon the pun.

Also WTF is up with the lady checking her Blackberry when someone is speaking? I find it staggering that members of this House Judiciary sub-committee haven't been issued Droid Incredibles.

You'd have to be pretty close to certain that the smoking has lead to this cancer, surely?

From his Vanity Fair article:

"In one way, I suppose, I have been “in denial” for some time, knowingly burning the candle at both ends and finding that it often gives a lovely light. But for precisely that reason, I can’t see myself smiting my brow with shock or hear myself whining about how it’s all so unfair: I have been taunting the Reaper into taking a free scythe in my direction and have now succumbed to something so predictable and banal that it bores even me."

He doesn't expect any sympathy. In his CNN interview he does suggest to those watching that having "a few less cocktails" would be good advice...