Posted on 01/08/2005 9:20:21 AM PST by SheLion
I am surprised Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson didnt refer to the smokers as swine in a pig sty. Isnt 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 ones 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 Andersons 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.
Its already been tried throughout this "tolerant" country of yours. Its been done by the bars/restaurants who have installed sophisticated air filtration systems and designated smoking sections so as not to offend non-smokers. Not good enough for the anti's who have successfully convinced communities to issue "anti-private-property" laws banning privately owned businesses from allowing smoking in their establishments. So much for compromise!
Its been tried by the airline industry when they first decided to put smokers at the back of the plane. Not good enough for the anti's who successfully coerced the industry into banning smoking on all airlines. So much for compromise!
It was tried by most of the airline terminals when they set up smoking sections so as not to offend the anti's. Not good enough for the anti's who successfully coerced the communities running the terminals into banning smoking entirely within such terminals. So much for compromise!
It was tried by many companies to allow smoking in only the individual offices and not in common areas. But that was not good enough for the anti's who successfully coerced such businesses into providing 100% smoke free environments. So much for compromise!After approximately 25 years of compromising, you will have to forgive us smokers if we seem to have lost all our tolerance for further negotiation. Keep that in mind the next time you walk past a smoker standing outside of an office building and be very careful in what you might say to them regarding cigarettes. That person might be me and I don't compromise anymore..........
Thanks a bunch. You are saving me a bundle of money.
It's unbelieveable, becky! Now you know just how MUCH money the state is reaping from taxes. Cigarettes were cheap until the state government got ahold of them. :(
You've got that right.None of the compromises worked. They want us to buy them,pay the taxes on them,but not smoke them,
I was sitting in my own car having a cigarette when a young man about 15 years old starting laughing and making fun of me for smoking. I am probably his grandmother's age.
I got out of my car and confronted him----his mother then came along and I told her she had a very rude,ill mannered son. To her credit she just walked away towards their car.The younger brother(about 10)thought my tirade about his older brother was quite humorous.
You are so right....what a great post. You can only be pushed so far. When it's coming down to banning smoking in bars, and OUTSIDE....grrr. On Thanksgiving (at my smoking friends house), I was having a cigarette OUTSIDE. Her 9yo nephew opened the door, and lectured me not to smoke because of his asthma. My husband has asthma-and he survives me smoking inside. hmmm (of course I make sure not to blow in his face)
most welcome!
Thank you!!!
It's funny, but looking back on my career in politics, the vast majority of advocacy work I did was for small business people not being represented by unbrella groups..........and it was always the big, rich guys looking to squish the little guys.
Whether it was the Insurance industry trying to forbid funeral homes from setting up pre-paid funerals, to the Medical Society trying to restrict chiropractors, to the rich sports fishermen trying to get the independent commercial netters out of the Bay, to the Ruby Tuesday's and Applebee types chains seeking to shut down the corner taverns..........I always seemed to be on the side of the little guys.
Every single time it was a case of money talks and truth be danged.
I didn't make that claim. If you go back to my post you will see the "?". I was commenting on the authors claim that rage was not a problem till they banned smoking.
You got it exactly right!
My experience with nico-nazis tells me they are usually middle to upper income whiners who take out their personal frustrations on a now stigmatized segment of society.
As the laws of propaganda state: Identify, stigmatize, ostracize, ban then imprison. We have already gone thru 4 of the 5 and the fifth is in the works. All the while the product in question is a legally purchased item.
What the tobacco industry went thru the firearms industry is now going thru. Fortunately, there are sufficient numbers of firearms enthusiasts who have the capacity to influence elections but could care less about the personal freedoms of those who wish to use tobacco products.
To them I say what goes around comes around and there is going to come a day when they are going to need the support of every freedom loving American, not the American who simply picks and chooses what he or she decides is right for them.
For those of you who enjoy your beer, wine or harddrink and if you think the attack on tobacco is a noble cause then you had better start keeping a close watch on the supposedly noble group MADD...........They are soon to be the alcohol industry's worse nightmare! HeHeHe.......
That so-called noble group MADD has been taken over by the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation...........the king of the anti-smoker jihad.
Here's whats in store for them:
Lowered legal levels of intoxication allowing easier and more frequent arrests for DUI allowing increased state revenue.
Increased taxation on alcohol as has happened with tobacco products thereby generating increased state revenues.
An open window policy on suing the seller of any alcohol product when the consumer has been involved in any injury related accident.
More Lawsuits targeting the alcohol industry for allegedly targeting non-drinking age minors (ZIMA IMMEDIATELY COMES TO MIND).
An ongoing assault by MADD to ban alcohol which will never be accomplished following our previous experience with prohibition but nevertheless a tool to be used by our crooked politicians in order to milk every single nickle and dime that is to be had from the consumption of alcohol...........
You see, it is much easier for our government and its associated legal whores to profit from a "stigmatized" product than a banned one........
Oh great - they were already obnoxious. :P
"I was sitting in my own car having a cigarette when a young man about 15 years old starting laughing and making fun of me for smoking. I am probably his grandmother's age."
They get indoctrinated in school and often by their parents. It also reflects the breakdown of civility, respect and courtesy in this society. From recent developments, I predict pointing and laughing at people eating "unhealthy" food will be socially acceptable and encouraged.
I'm going to try it. I think we have a tobacco shop here in town where I can buy the supplies. Thanks for the info. I read your thread along with the posts. Notice you asked people not to make the usual comments about quitting but they just couldn't resist it.
No manners at all----I can't imagine making fun of an older person when I was 15,it just wouldn't have occurred to me.
When my daughter was pregnant they went to Florida and she decided to have a beer on the patio. One lousy beer. A woman came over and confronted her about drinking the beer while pregnant.Unbelievable.
You're right---food is next.
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