Posted on 10/30/2002 7:25:06 PM PST by SheLion
HARTWELL — The Hart County Clean Air Coalition, formed last month to battle the effects of second-hand tobacco smoke in the county, is launching a program to discourage parents from smoking in their cars while children are present.
Speaking to the group for the second time on Friday, public health educator Dr. Amrit Lal Swami of Gainesville said smoking in cars creates a death trap for other passengers in the car.
"This should be made an offense like driving without seat belts," he said.
He said 85 percent of the smoke from a single cigarette is released into the atmosphere and that inside a car, toxins in cigarette smoke remain dense, creating more of a danger than a lit cigarette in a room.
The clean air coalition is seeking state money to pay for a nine-month campaign to show county residents the dangers of smoking while driving.
Coalition member Alice Worthan said the key to the campaign is education, and that good parents will quickly stop smoking in their cars when they realize how dangerous it is to their children.
Donald A. Slakie, tobacco prevention specialist for the Department of Human Resources' Gainesville-based second district, encouraged coalition members to launch a campaign to fight smoking in Hart County's 61 eating establishments. He said Gwinnett and Newton counties have started such campaigns.
"This is all voluntary," he said, warning coalition members against vilifying smokers. "But it's proven that no-smoking restaurants do better business."
He said the county may one day choose to pass an ordinance banning smoking in public places.
Hart Partners, a community-service collaborative serving Hart County, has spearheaded efforts to form the clean air coalition, which officially includes about 20 members. About five coalition members attended Friday's meeting.
On its quest to homogenize the country, anti-tobacco has set up shop in Hart County, South Carolina. On its agenda, according to Dr. Amrit Lal Swami is the urgent need to cease smoking in automobiles. According to the stooges smoking while driving creates a veritable death trap for nonsmoking passengers. Why the smoker himself is immune from such a toxic brew is not stated.
It's first job, however, is to extract state money to pay for a nine-month campaign to "educate" the rubes of Hart County about the death toll caused by smoking in cars, a death toll that no one noticed until right this minute. From car smoking the Clean Air Coalition plans to fight smoking in the county's 61 eating establishments. Although it emphasizes that going non-smoking will be voluntary, one operative ominously notes that the county may one day choose to pass an ordinance banning smoking in private property.
The article mentions that only 5 of the 20 members of the Clean Air Coalition bothered to show up at the most recent meeting.
The deep south has not been conducive to smoking bans. As the only part of the country that was under military occupation, memories of government oppression may cause the inhabitants to value freedom a bit more than in other parts of the United States. The south also doesn't have the history of Puritanism that is such a part of the "progressives" areas of the country. Still, it is worrisome that a tiny band of fanatics can snap its fingers and get their press release transformed into a "news" story. The normal residents of Hart County would be wise to run these people out of the county on a rail, a fine old southern custom, tar and feathering optional.
You will treat gays with respect, you will not sin (and we will define sin), you will not speak negatively of others (unless they are white and christian) - you will bow down before the new gods and worship and obey. All hail Hitlery!
Must have one of those new fangled cars with no windows now what do they call that ? OH YEA a FISHBOWL !
Your tax dollars at work.
I like it better that way.
Yep, get your priorities straight. They sure aren't about to use THEIR money to fight for their own cause.
. . .puff
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Look for the Department of Human Services Swat Teams in your neighborhood soon.
Roadblocks, dynamic entries, Elian-style "rescues."
Foster care - America's growth industry.
(Sorry! Free Republic just froze up on me last night when I was trying to post an answer. I gave up and went to bed)
Well, have you noticed that there is always one group that wants to tell another group how to live their lives? Personally, I am SICK of it!
And if the lawmakers (BloomingIdiot and his ilk), succeed in banning smoking in public places, so be it. If they succeed in taxing cigarettes to high heaven, to which BloomingIdiot and a lot have, so be it.
But don't expect the smoker to be going out spending the money in bars and restaurants that will not accomodate us! We will just set up wet bars and party at home.
As for very expensive cigarettes: we are buying from the Reservations, the Internet and rolling our owns to avoid paying into the state coffers. The lawmakers can do what they want, but they can NOT expect the smoker to be a sheep and go along with it!
Well, I am a female red headed Leo! And people wonder why I am so obstinate. Heh!
But I am very stubborn and vocal when my rights are being trampled on. And in this age where the economy is hurting, and all the links we post about the hospitality business being in trouble, it makes no difference to the anti’s. They want no smoking ANY where and that’s it! To hell with the business owner. To hell with their revenue!
They want to succeed in banning smoking so bad they can’t see straight. And their lies to the general public about second hand smoke is outrageous, when we all KNOW the truth.
Did he ever hear of opening the car windows? How about turning on the AIR to circulate inside the car? It wouldn't pay me to have a kid today. Not with all the Government Intervention. I blame Bill and Hitlery for this. It did NOT take a VILLAGE to raise MY kid! ~gag!
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