Norwalk police enforce anti-smoking law in local bars

Stratford Adovocate ^ | Matt Breslow

[ClintonBeGone]

NORWALK -- Police this week conducted the city's first operation targeting smokers who flout the state ban on lighting up in bars, issuing tickets to five patrons and two bartenders. Members of the city's Special Services Division, a narcotics and vice squad, Thursday night visited four bars that were the subjects of citizen complaints about smoking, said Sgt. Ronald Pine. Under Connecticut's Clean Indoor Air Act, smoking was banned in restaurants effective Oct. 1, 2003, and in bars, cafes and off-track betting parlors effective April 1. Exemptions include private clubs, correctional facilities and tobacco bars. Norwalk police found no infractions at two bars Thursday but said they issued $99 tickets to three patrons at Tucker Cafe, 174 Main Ave., and two at VJ's Cafe, 20 Isaac St. A bartender also was ticketed at each establishment for allegedly allowing patrons to smoke, according to police. "Some people might question why the police department would even take the time to look into these kinds of things," Chief Harry Rilling said yesterday. "But to answer, we take this responsibility very seriously, and the law was passed for a reason -- that people can be negatively affected by second-hand smoke." Calling smoking in bars a "quality of life issue," Rilling said Norwalk police will check bars periodically to ensure compliance as long as the Clean Indoor Air Act remains on the books. He said businesses that allow smoking enjoy an "unfair advantage" over those that obey the law. Pine said police hope Thursday's operation sends a message and encourages bars to comply with the anti-smoking law voluntarily. "We don't want to spend the time to police . . . who's smoking in the bars," he said. "We do have a lot of other things we have to do." However, Pine said:

[ClintonBeGone]

Members of the city's Special Services Division, a narcotics and vice squad, Thursday night visited four bars that were the subjects of citizen complaints about smoking, said Sgt. Ronald Pine.

That's just how it used to work in the old country.

[TheBigB]

Finding and arresting illegal aliens? Nope, that's a "Federal responsibility."

Ticketing someone smoking peacefully in a bar? Yep, that's very important.

Idiots, one and all.

[ClintonBeGone]

More Smoking Nazi nonsense.

[ThomasMore]

Activist Judges = Big Brother

[Ronin]

Betcha none of the bars had names like "Hogs and Broads" or "Harley Haven" did they?

However, I am sure it would be a much more interesting story if they did.

[freeeee]

He said businesses that allow smoking enjoy an "unfair advantage" over those that obey the law.

Oh, the horror of one business seeking competetive advantage by offering a desired service that its competitors won't!

Next thing you know, it might offer an extensive menu, lower prices, or an atmosphere that its competetors can't or won't match, and low and behold it'll have yet another "unfair advantage"!

One has to wonder if the idiot quoted knows he's a communist.

[freeeee]

When most people think of communism they think of money. The most famous characteristic of classic communist countries is a nationalized economy: communist governments don't recognize an individuals right to assert private property rights over a business. This is chiefly done to deny a private business owner?s property right to his profits, hence the tendency to think of communism as a purely economic phenomenon. But when closely analyzed, the key component of communism isn't merely state control of money, it's the state's failure to respect private property rights of all sorts.

Money isn't the only property right a business owner has. He has the right to determine what occurs on his or her property. His right extends to the cash in his register, the music he plays, the food he serves, the products he offers, and yes, what behavior is tolerated on his property, including smoking.

Citing "the common good" as justification, the communist holds that the will of the people outweighs the rights of the individual, hence they will themselves to become owners of businesses by collectively assigning themselves its property rights by force. It is said communist governments assert this "ownership" on behalf of the people. But at least they're honest and upfront about it: they tell you right to your face that you can't own a business.

However a more insidious form of communism exists: government, always seeking power and therefore money may seek to take advantage of the prosperity of the free market. It operates under a false façade of ownership, alleging private property rights exist and doling them out in barely sufficient amounts as privileges in order to lure productive individuals to create wealth. This is properly called fascism.

So when any people vote to use the force of government to steal a man's property right to allow smoking on his premises, they are by definition behaving as communists. When they allege he still owns his business, they are behaving as fascists. Few will own up to this because most are ignorant of what constitutes communism and fascism. Those few who know better will never admit so because it would expose them for what they are, given communism and fascism's deservedly horrid reputations. They are defined by their communist actions, and now we know what they really are:

[Ol' Sox]

Well, bust my buttons, thats MY town they're talking about.

Isaac Street, huh? I see the cops decided to start at the bottom and work their way up.

[Teplukin]

calling smoking in bars a "quality of life issue," Rilling said Norwalk police will check bars periodically to ensure compliance as long as the Clean Indoor Air Act remains on the books

Prior to marriage, I'd meet at my buddy's at a local watering hole in Norwalk CT about once a month (usually a Saturday night). We'd have a pint, throw darts, chat, watch sports on TV, etc. All very relaxing.

Perhaps I am in a distinct minority among non-smokers, but I came to enjoy second-hand smoke found at bars. Is there any other non-smoker out there who feels the same way?

[Gabz]

He said businesses that allow smoking enjoy an "unfair advantage" over those that obey the law.

That's impossible, everyone loves smoking bans and they increase business everywhere. (/anti rant)

Did these bright bulbs ever consider that by imposing a blanket smoking ban they hurt the market niche creating by those establishments that had already banned smoking in their places????????

My husband is on business in Kentucky this week and after work yesterday he stopped at a bar near his hotel. He sat down, ordered a beer and looked around for an ashtray. He asked the bartender serving his beer if he had walked into the only non-smoking bar in town - the b'tender just shook his head and said it was the whole county and he was looking for new emloyment elsewhere, because he was no longer making enough money. And the bartender is a smoker.

They chatted, hubby finished his beer, tipped the tender and went in search of the local Moose Lodge.

[uvular]

But if you are a Norwalkian convicted felon, smoke 'em if you got 'em-yeah, this makes sense---not

[Koblenz]

quality of life issue

Thank goodness, now no one will be consuming anything in a bar that might be bad for their health.

[He Rides A White Horse]

Members of the city's Special Services Division, a narcotics and vice squad

...for people lighting up in a bar of all places?.......

[Gabz]

I commend your concise thesis. I particularly concur with your description of those that enact these onerous laws.

I was thinking about these things this morning while reading the online version of a Delaware paper. As you know, Delaware did the same thing with a smoking ban 2 years ago, now they are taking the idea od private property to the total opposite extreme:

---------------------------

Public or private fish?

An intriguing battle has developed in, of all places, Blades, the hamlet at the headwaters of the Nanticoke River. According to an article in the weekly Star, the Delaware Bass Federation has been told its fishermen can't enter the Blades Marina because it is private property.

The Blades Economic Development Corp., the organization that owns the marina, has posted "no fishing" signs. Interestingly, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife has said it will enforce the private property rights of the marina and arrest boating fisherman.

By the way, the 87-slip marina was constructed with $4.5 million in state tax money.

Roy Miller, state fisheries administrator, said that whether the public is free to fish in a private marina is a "gray area."

Miller and the Blades marina people need only look at the Chesapeake Bay, of which the Nanticoke is a tributary. State fisheries officials have ruled all tidal water is public and open to licensed fishermen -- marina or not.

----------------------

The state, in issuing the smoking ban has decreed private businesses to be public places, yet a truly public (state purchased with tax money) place is declared private property.

The disconnect is totally amazing to me.

[FreedomFarmer]

One wonders what qualities an employer seeks in hiring a butt cop.

[ClintonBeGone]

In Kentucky of all places! Don't they grow tobbacco there?

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

I guess Norwalk is so crime-free that it can deploy police resources for something like this.

At least they made an exemption for "tobacco bars." Earlier this year, Lexington, Kentucky (!) passed a law banning smoking in all public places, including tobacco bars. So the guy who owned the Cigar Bar closed up. I guess it was either that, or face an Orwellian situation reminiscent of the "war room" scene in "Dr. Strangelove" -- "Gentleman, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

"Sir, you can't smoke in here! This is the Cigar Bar!"

I travel through eastern Kentucky several times a year. It's definitely an arid zone for a weary traveller seeking some grown-up relaxation -- all the counties from the Tennessee line to Lexington are dry, and Lexington is wet, but you can't light up a smoke with your adult beverage. So from now on, I'm going to overnight in grown-up-friendly Tennessee, or push on to Covington.

Is this the same country that once had "The Whiskey Rebellion"?

[cajun-jack]

"quality of life issue"????????? hell, nimrod they're in a bar drinking and probably trying to go home with someone they just met to have unprotected sex, if they can make it home without crashing their car!!!

[Gabz]

In Kentucky of all places! Don't they grow tobbacco there?

Yes, they do, but apparently not in that county.

[Gabz]

Lexington, is where my husband discovered this little problem last night. But as we are former residents of Delaware and fought long and hard against it, he didn't take it out on the poor bartender. He finished his beer, tipped the guy and went in search of the Moose Lodge - you can smoke in there.


The Cigar bar type places in Delaware also covered by the ban - as are tobacco shops.