Posted on 11/19/2004 5:35:36 AM PST by SheLion
Today is the day we set aside each year to badger, harass and pester that marginalized subculture of Americans, the Doorway People.
You know the Doorway People. They stand in doorways at work or at the mall smoking cigarettes because lighting up in mixed company has become as distasteful as nose-picking.
Yes, today marks the 27th anniversary of the Great American Smokeout, sponsored by the American Cancer Society, where modern incarnates of pinch-mouthed prohibitionists attempt to further ghettoize smokers.
Now, it's not that I think smoking is good. I have friends who smoke. I wish they didn't. On average, they will trade 10 years of their lives to enjoy their habit. But we're all grownups. Smoking is their demon and I have enough of my own demons to wrestle with.
But, unlike anti-smoking zealots, I sympathize with smokers.
That's because I was a smoker. When I quit for good in 1996, I was burning through 2 1/2 packs a day. I ditched the habit because each time I coughed, my lungs rattled as if someone had backed into metal trash cans.
Still, I loved every puff. I still miss it. In fact, I still have nicotine cravings.
So I'm sympathetic to smokers and believe they should be free to enjoy their addiction, which, last I checked, remains legal. Which is why I dislike the anti-smoking scolds. They are trying to criminalize smoking.
From New York City to Dallas, from Toledo, Ohio, to Eugene, Ore., anti-smoking zealots have racked up successful campaigns to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, the last bastion of peace and acceptance for smokers.
Eventually, the anti-smoking "movement" will have won enough smoking bans in enough cities in enough states to introduce national no-smoking legislation, said Zoe Mitchell, co-founder of Ban the Ban, which recently defeated efforts to enact similar no-smoking legislation in Washington, D.C.
"Ultimately, their goal is to make it a national issue based on their success at the local level," she said.
Anti-smokers say they're acting in the best interest of public health.
They say all those smokers burden the healthcare system with their cigarette-related maladies. It costs all of us more in healthcare premiums, they say.
Nonsense. Smokers die sooner than most of us nonsmokers, never collecting a cent from Social Security, which they've paid for decades.
Also, smokers pay outrageous cigarette taxes on each pack of smokes, which pours billions of dollars annually into government coffers.
At best, the money argument is a wash.
When an anti-smoking nut steps into a place like the Puss N' Boots Tavern in Fairless Hills, all they see is the blue-gray cloud of smoke hovering over the patrons crowded around the bar.
When I walk into the Boot, I see it differently.
I see a local cop who's seen more than his fair share of tragedy.
Or an emergency room nurse who was up to her elbows in blood just a few hours before.
Or a construction guy who's sacrificed years of Saturdays to work overtime so he could save for his kid's college tuition.
Or a middle-aged father worried about his son, who's fighting the war.
These are the good people the anti-smoking zealots want to stigmatize as public health leeches.
And if they accomplish their goal, they won't go away.
They will persecute the overweight, stigmatize SUV drivers and haul into court those who don't recycle.
They've got the money and the time and the lawyers.
That's my nag.
What happens when the states pass laws banning smoking in public. It then becomes illegal.
In other words, when you leave your house, you expect the world to be as you want it. You are intolerant of anyone that does something that is not in your favor?
You are insane.
I LOVE that! I bet it really gets the fur standing up when the anti-smoking zealots see that. LOL!
When I was younger I tended bar at a place where people smoked but I never left smelling like it because we had one of those smoke eater things above the bar. It was awesome.
And I'll say it again, I am not against people smoking.
I think everyone should be required to wear helmets, gloves, goggles, a mouth piece, knee pads, elbow pads, and a gas mask because you never know....
Help stop the horrors of public life!!!
Please send me your donations and I will get back to you.
LOL
People don't understand the freedom to associate.
There could have been other common causes or just a coincidence of life.
Btw, you ARE aware that several leukemias are spread via blood? Surely, you give blood once in a while and know that they check for those? They are viruses from what I understand and can lay dormant in a persons body for 20-30 years.
And that some cancers are thought to be caused by viruses?
Actually, we hate being treated like lepers by self righteous antis. It is enough to make one reach for a cigarette. Try going outside for a smoke when it is -30F and the wind is puffing along at 20 knots. Real social.
Spelling is a beyotch. If someone gets accidentally burned by me they are in la la land. Your situational awareness must be very low. Be careful driving.
I think that Alcohol and Tobacco are bad for you but I will defend your right to use them because they're legal products in America, well at least in the red states.
No, the commodity is still legal. Go to California. You can still buy cigarettes, tobacco, rolling papers (Haaaaaa), cigars, etc.
And it should STILL be up to the business owner/manager as to allow, or disallow, smoking in their business but the anti-smoking cabal has, once again, used junk science, scare tactics, and in this case, the California health nuts to get laws passed that shouldn't even be on the books.
Maybe they should form a lobby to get Congress to change the laws?
You have to understand that Non-smokers are just as pissed. As a smoker you might not realize just how awful the smell is if you are't used to it. You don't mind if you're clothes smell, well I do. I don't want to smell like an ashtray everytime I come home.
And don't give me the "junk science" bit. You can't honestly say that smoking is healthy? You can't sit there and tell me that you think second hand smoke is good for people.
And let me ask you this, do you think that the majority of society should change how we feel about smoking to accomodate your feelings? I know you are outside and I know it's not cool that there aren't better shelters for you to use when it's raining. But does that mean that 3 or 4 smokers should be allowed to sit in a restaurant and smoke while the people around them, some with children, are miserable?
I'm sorry to hear that. Just how old was your grandfather when he fell ill?
Thanks for the compassionate response. I'm sure if he was your dad, you'd feel the same way.
He tried to quit many, many times. He quit again 3 weeks before his diagnosis. I guess in your mind, he was a weak person. I understand that kind of mentality. I used to feel the same way about smokers. I don't feel that way any more.
Not what I said. I said that I shouldn't be forced to deal with cigarette smoke as I go about my day to day routine.
And what about you? Should society change just so smokers are happy?
The states that passed laws to restrict smoking didn't do pass those laws because 3 or 4 percent of the population wanted it that way. You are in the minority and that is a fact.
And.... you're point is?
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