Posted on 01/08/2005 9:20:21 AM PST by SheLion
I am surprised Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson didn’t refer to the smokers as swine in a pig sty. Isn’t that, after all one of the one of the first images that comes to mind when think of a pen? Before I am offended by “da mayor” I would have to be offended by the reference to the term smoking pens. In a city and state that was founded by a group of people so seriously reviled for their own beliefs in years past, you would think they would be among the first to take a “live and let live” attitude about the behavior and choices of others. Clearly the past lessons learned about intolerance by the Mormons must now have been forgotten.
Only 88 airports nationwide is hardly a mandate to make one’s own airport smoke free. Furthermore if these “smoking kiosks” are eliminated it will only cause people to find other places to smoke. Delta Airlines is correct in standing behind the rights of the smokers. Perhaps they have taken note that incidence of “air rage” only became prevalent AFTER smoking was banned on aircraft. It should also be noted that since the ban, they no longer use fresh air to ventilate the planes; instead, they just run the air through a filtrations system which in an enclosed environment further exacerbates the problem.
Mayor Anderson’s pompous arrogance in stating that the ban will help smokers to “break the habit” is outrageous. It is not his job to be neither a social engineer nor the arbiter of personal choices. I do know however, that as long as Salt Lake City and Utah continue down this Draconian path of heavy handed intolerance, I will avoid their state in very way possible. I will not travel to it, I will not travel thru it, and I will not support my company scheduling a convention there.
BANS ARE BAD! Read it again, BANS ARE BAD! Banning blacks from white facilities---BAD! Banning books---BAD! Banning Beer---Bad! If the people of Utah agree that these bans are bad, then they must also agree that banning smoking is also BAD! I would certainly hope at this juncture they are starting to realize that any action, that would favor a smoking ban of any type, will only create far more harm than good. IN all fairness I should note their may be one kind of good ban. That of course would be banning Mayor Anderson from further political office at the next election.
Actually, it's when smokers suddenly become non-smokers that they turn.
Depends on how drunk you are.
lol
yeah its real hard to tell the difference, tastes like Tequilla.
If I were forced by some politician to smoke, I'd become violent. I guess it works both ways.
says shelion: Oh you are so sweet. Thanks for such wonderful tolerance. /sarcasm off
However, you know the ad on TV the town of PERFECT? Well, we don't LIVE in Perfect, now do we?
Typical scolding, unempathetic, nicotine addict response to the unwillingness of nonsmokers to be forced to breath your tobacco.
Smokers! Keep it to yourselves and there won't be a problem.
Well, guess what, FreeRepublic is an advocacy forum read worldwide and, as a first time passerby to a smoking thread, SheLion has come across extremely poorly as a political advocate of her smoking rights position.
I summarized my position in earlier posts:
As long as a smoker's smoke stays out of my nose and off of my clothes so that I don't go around all day smelling like smoke, I could care less where smokers smoke.
I posted earlier that such a position means that smoking should not be banned at airports, as it was in Salt Lake City, as segregated smoking sections accomplish that purpose.
I posted earlier that such a position means that smoking should not be banned by law at privately owned restaurants and bars as customers are free to vote with their feet as to whether to go to a smoking or non-smoking establishment. Owners are likewise free to choose to make their establishments either smoking or non-smoking and take their chances with what the free market wants.
That might not be the ideal situation for some smokers but, in this day and age, it is the best political compromise smokers can hope for and it is much more than they have now in many areas of the country.
In response, SheLion and her supporters have reacted in a shrill and hysterical manner that will ensure defeat in any political venue and will ensure the alienation of those who are willing to compromise with smokers.
If SheLion again takes this as a "threat", do me the favor of tryng to explain to her the difference between a "threat" and a statement of political reality, TOUGH STOUGH. I'm not wasting any more time on this subject.
That's my political advice. SheLion can take it or leave it. Good bye.
Where is that? Austinberg?
>>Why should I quit? Just because it's the politically correct thing to do?
As far as I'm concerned you should only quit because you want to quit. Trying to quit when you don't really want to quit is a recipie for being completely miserable.
Ouch! I hate that. The lips are dry and when you go to take it out from between the lips, the fingers slide right down to the tip. Ouch! Those little burns hurt worse then the big ones.
Link to what, beckysueb? I got side tracked.
>>>I get that way when I see a cute guy.
That leaves me out. :)
>>>But I really enjoy smoking. I quit once for 5 days. Most miserable 5 days of my life. Every day seemed to be 24 hours long, and I'm not kidding.
I believe you there. All of the years I smoked I loathed to let my mind go there. It took a heck of a long time for me to arrive at that particular day when I was ready. The only thing that made it doable was somehow arriving at a place where I knew it was done and finished if I made the decision. The worst part of trying to quit, in fact the only BAD part about trying to quit, is the *trying* part. :) Trying to quit smoking sucks!
Well, you can't beat the savings, and still enjoy a little pleasure in this life.
I smoked More Menthols for a long time. I tried other brands, but nothing could compare with my More's. Well, when Maine hiked the taxes one more time, I had had it.
That first cigarette I rolled.....well I was scared. I thought "What if I don't like this?" But I did, thank God and to this day, I roll my own and I never looked back. There is a 25 cent surcharge on the bag of tobacco, but compared to the taxes they charge on a carton, this is a little tiny drop in the bucket.
Someone once said that once the state catches on, they will raise the tax or put on a tax to the loose tobacco. I said "Well, it will take quite awhile to get the taxes up high on a bag of tobacco like they did to a carton."
It sounds like a staffer is being a troll.
That's great! That is the differences in the states we live in.
Do you realize that the generic Doral carton's run about $40 dollars in this state?
My daughter pays about $27 for Winston's in CO. Still a heck of a lot cheaper then in Maine. Maine is ridiculous.
>>>I don't suffer that kind of anxiety about quitting.
You will if you try to quit and you're not ready to quit.
>>>I've got far greater things to worry about. If the day comes that I ever decide to quit, I will do so, and that will be THAT.
Exactly! That day arrived for me, and when people asked me how I did it the best analogy I could think up was the spaceship thing. Somehow I KNEW I was ready. *Trying* to quit smoking sucks about as bad as anything I can think of. It's like *trying* to not swallow.
Well, tell Maine that. They forced a complete smoking ban on restaurants, bars, sports inns and taverns a year ago this month.
I have watched as beautiful bars and taverns go down the tubes. And they had gone out of their way to accommodate all the people. Big smoke eaters and separate smoking and non-smoking rooms. But did that make it ok for the state? Heck no.
I really think the state should reimburse these business's for all the expense they went to, and still lost out.
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