Mail Order Cigar Purchases May be Banned!

Mikes Cigar Newsletter ^ | 1-21-04 | Mike's Cigars

[wardaddy]

As early as tomorrow, the House Judiciary committee will be considering House Bill HR2824. In fact, this bill is listed to be considered for online mark up on Wednesday, January 21, 2004 at 10:00am.

Why is this important? Because its sister bill, S1177, which has already passed in the Senate eliminates your right to order cigars by mail!

It is critical that all cigar smokers email, phone or fax these representatives and request that "cigars" and "all other tobacco products" NOT BE ADDED TO HR2824.

A lot of you had problems with the email addresses in our previous email. Here is a revised list along with some fax numbers that were kindly passed along to us.

House Judiciary Committee:

Spencer Bachus, Alabama fax 202-225-2082 http://www.house.gov/bachus

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee fax 202-225-3004 http://www.house.gov/blackburn

Rick Boucher, Virginia fax 202-225-0442 http://www.house.gov/boucher ninthnet@mail.house.gov

John Carter, Texas fax 202-225-5886 http://www.house.gov/carter

Steve Chabot, Ohio fax 202-225-3012 http://www.house.gov/chabot

Howard Coble, North Carolina http://www.house.gov/coble howard.coble@mail.house.gov

Tom Feeney, Florida http://www.house.gov/feeney tom.feeney@mail.house.gov

Jeff Flake, Arizona http://www.house.gov/flake jeff.flake@mail.house.gov

J. Randy Forbes, Virginia http://www.house.gov/forbes

Bob Goodlatte, Virginia http://www.house.gov/goodlatte talk2bob@mail.house.gov

Mark Green, Wisconsin http://www.house.gov/markgreen mark.green@mail.house.gov

Melissa Hart, Pennsylvania fax 202-226-2274 http://www.house.gov/hart

John Hostettler, Indiana http://www.house.gov/hostettler/ john.hostettler@mail.house.gov

Henry Hyde, Illinois fax 202-225-1166 http://www.house.gov/hyde

William L. Jenkins, Tennessee fax 202-225-5714 http://www.house.gov/jenkins

Ric Keller, Florida fax 202-225-0999 http://keller.house.gov

Steve King, Iowa fax 202-225-3193 http://www.house.gov/steveking

Mike Pence, Indiana http://mikepence.house.gov mike.pence@mail.house.gov

Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, Virginia http://www.house.gov/scott bobby.scott@mail.house.gov

F. James Sensenbrenner, Wisconsin http://www.house.gov/sensenbrenner sensenbrenner@mail.house.gov

Lamar Smith, Texas http://lamarsmith.house.gov lamar.smith@mail.house.gov

Melvin L. Watt, North Carolina http://www.house.gov/watt nc12.public@mail.house.gov

[wardaddy]

They just opened the LGC Miami store again due to popular demand. Mikes sells them for about 5% more than the DR made. The taste is similar though the Miami made are a hair better rolled and slightly thicker gauge per selection.

My old guillotine will cut a DR Charlemagne into two mini robustos nicely but not the Miami version.

[sinkspur]

Your wife lets you smoke in the house?

Me and the dogs are out on the deck, in the cold, when I smoke.

Frankly, I don't like the smell the next day either, so it's no big deal.

[wardaddy]

H Upmann is a very stable and consistent cigar. They always reminded me of Partagas's cousin. Similar wrapper.

[wardaddy]

I know...it sucks doesn't Joe.

They are not going to have to wait to renew the AWB to really piss me off if this gets thru.

Sadly, I cannot imagine W or any president short of a Churchill vetoing this bill to save cigar smoker;s money and ease of access.

[wardaddy]

My wife is great. (somebody is going to bitch at me for overpraising her again).

She even lets me smoke in bed....seriously. She smokes Gauloises though at times herself.

My main smoke is perusing news on this forum and answering posts in my office in the morning and then another in the evening watching a DVD after the kids are crashed. I may relight a stubbie on a late night like now.

If I have meetings all day or traveling, I don't smoke till evening. I only like to smoke when relaxing and I don't inhale of course...lord...the cigars I smoke would blow yer lungs out though I do a bit of the smoke curl nose blow for the sting. I love that. Pow!!

[Mr. Mojo]

I like Cameroon-wrapped DR cigars (like the Fuente Hemingways, 858, Don Carlos). Have you tried the Fuente DR-wrapped Opus X? The son (Carlos') brainchild, so I hear. Expensive, and hard to find.

Cubans? I've only had Montecristo #2's and Cohiba Robustos, both outstanding. The #2's are strong as hell, though.

[Mr. Mojo]

They are not going to have to wait to renew the AWB to really piss me off if this gets thru.

I think the damn thing is going to pass. ....They'll probably attach it to a new terrorism bill, and few congresscritters will want to risk being seen as both "pro-assault weapons" and "pro-terrorist" at the same time. That's how it's going to get done. ....but I hope I'm wrong.

One thing's certain, though: Dubya will sign it if it reaches his desk.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Big government keeps pushing and shoving American's around, taking their money, adding more punitive laws, fees, taxes and failing to represent the people, etc, etc. One day, this will change.

[Mr. Mojo]

Sadly, I cannot imagine W or any president short of a Churchill vetoing this bill to save cigar smoker;s money and ease of access

Too bad Mark Twain isn't around to write about it when it happens. His scathing commentary would've been one of the few things that could ease the pain. ....and then only temporarily.

[wardaddy]

Indeed...Cameroon is arguably the best strong wrapper to be found outside the Vuelto Abajo.

I like all good authentic Cubans and you can pick them out so easy if they are the real McCoy.

MC is wonderful but a hair light to me....I know that sounds odd.

The biggest Trinidad or Bolivar or Sancho Panza you can find will melt your ears. The old Davidoffs were probably the best made. The main things about Cubans is smoke density...that is very hard to copy. Even a light Cuban like an RJ is still dense as hell.

I think Churchill basically kept his Cubans lit the whole time he was awake....15 or so a day...he even had his oxygen mask fitted so he could smoke on flights with the RAF....what a character.

Like I said....I only smoke when I can relax....in my office, watching a DVD or in bed....that's about it....or like right now before bed on the forum in the living room which has been appropriated as a giant toy room by the little people.

[wardaddy]

I hate it.

It's hard being in power...lol

I thought DeLay said no way and he usually sticks to his guns and unlike W doesn't have to run for reelection the same way nor serve the entire nation like it or not fashion.

I love Dubya..truly but damned if he doesn't do things now and then that make me go what the hell. I don't know what we are to do. We have won...barely as POTUS and in the Senate...the House is ours....maybe that is problem. We'll see. Nobody like you or me or maybe 30% of FReepers could ever get elected so we just have to try to keep the eye on the long ball...but it ain't always easy. Not that I blame W for this cigar thing but I know he'll sign it.

[wardaddy]

I'm out of answers Joe. It could be better. It could be a lot worse and has been.

It's just a bit more sour when it comes from our own.

[Joe Hadenuf]

I'm out of answers too. I'm tired of all this political BS. It's getting so I can't tell the conservatives from the liberals...And the continued attacks on our wallets, increases in fees, taxes, etc seems endless....

What the hell ever happened to smaller government?

[Cosmo]

Not sure when they left exactly.I thought it was earlier than that, though. My local dealer has a ton of old cigars in his humidors. I discovered this Davidoff in a box underneath a box of early 80s Uppmann Columbos.
He's also got a couple boxes of Blair Maduros from the "screw you, Zino" era at Davidoff when some of his rollers decided to set up shop across the way. I'll be giving them a try as well.

Now, what exactly is meant by "petrus level smoke?" I'm rather new to cigars. I've smoked them for a few years, but have only been taking them seriously for about a year tops.

[wardaddy]

We can lay blame all the way back to my homeboy Andy Jackson for that.....maybe even beyond that.

I tend to think FDR set this nanny state syndrome in place and LBJ sealed the deal and that has permeated both parties to varying degrees.

My only real beef with W beyond the usual grumbling that knuckledraggers like myself are prone to is the occasional rainmaking he and Karl ascribe to that I feel is tomfoolery.

I should note, I'm not drinking the koolaid yet but I do wonder if we will ever have what you or I would consider a strong conservative government in our lifetimes. I have my doubts. The opposition is too large to ignore and our leaders are going to pander a bit to get reelected. Hell, Satan did the same thing...his "successes" were largely coopted from Newt and the 94 Pubbie mandate...he took them as his own and softened them. Bush has done the same thing more or less with CFR, Medicare and Education.

Immigration....damn I don't know what to do. Nobody has the balls to deal with it hard.

[wardaddy]

Petrus...arguably the world's best Bordeaux....an analogy.

Old Cuban Davidoffs are very sought after.

[Cosmo]

Gotcha. Thanks.

[chilepepper]

My panic... still am a bit worried!

[L_Von_Mises]

Correct, there is no reference to cigars. Neither the Senate bill nor the House bill has anything to do with cigars -- it is all about combating cigarette counterfeiting. But the Senate snuck in cigar-related references to the sister bill (S1177) at the very last moment .....and the sucker passed. And if it could happen in the Senate, it could happen again in the House.

I think I am still missing something - I read the entire final bill as passed, which should include the ammendments, and I still cannot find a reference to cigars. There was an ammendment that read - change the language to include all tobacco as stated in the Jenkins Act section 1. Section 1 of the Jenkins Act is the definitions section. The section dealing with tobacco is one part and reads as follows:

2) The term ''cigarette'' means any roll for smoking made wholly or in part of tobacco, irrespective of size or shape and whether or not such tobacco is flavored, adulterated, or mixed with any other ingredient, the wrapper or cover of which is made of paper or any other substance or material except tobacco.

All that did was change the wording in the final bill. Again, maybe I am missing something. Of course JR's ( I cannot comment on the other companies) is one of, if not the, largest retailer of cigarettes in the country. It would not be out of the realm of possibility for them to be drumming up support among cigar smokers to defeat a cigarette bill. As I read the bill, it would definitely hurt their cigarette sales as well as adding an additional burden of reporting all the sales to each state.

Again, if you can locate the language in the final bill that refers to cigars I would appreciate it. I just want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I make any calls.

[tarawa]

Internet Tobacco Sales Enforcement Act - Amends the Jenkins Act to require each person who engages in an interstate sale of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco or in an interstate distribution of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco to comply with all the excise, sales, and use tax laws applicable to the sale or other transfer of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco in the State and place in which the cigarettes or smokeless tobacco are delivered.

Prohibits the cigarettes or smokeless tobacco from being delivered to the buyer unless in advance of the delivery the excise tax has been paid and any required stamps or other indicia that such tax has been paid are properly affixed or applied, with an exception.

Authorizes a State Attorney General to bring a civil action to obtain any appropriate relief, including money damages where appropriate, against any person who violates such prohibition or who knowingly assists or participates in such a violation. Expresses the sense of Congress that any State Attorney General who commences such a civil action should inform the U.S. Attorney General who should make information about the case publicly available. Authorizes civil penalties for violations. Eliminates the $1,000 criminal penalty limitation.


Declares that the Act does not limit the remedies provided by State or Federal law with respect to alleged violations relating to a sale or distribution of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco in connection with an interstate sale or distribution of cigarettes or smokeless tobacco.

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