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.
Well, when the health department and the anti's starting this tobacco war, they tried to put a guilt trip on smokers. Even I was guilty of being ashamed to admit I smoked. I tried to hide it, etc. And if I did admit that I smoked, then I would quickly add "Oh! But I am going to quit."
I finally got a grip on the issue and started seeing both sides of this issue, and then I thought "Well, fork it. It's legal. I smoke. I enjoy it. I pay for it. It's no one's business what I do. No one pays my way but me, so the anti's can kiss off."
Mornin', lady.
They ARE obsessive about their bigotry, aren't they? SHEESH! I'd have expected this from the left, but FReepers??
Kind of an eye-opener. I'll do my best to follow the forum's rules, but they do seem to like pushing and pushing.
I'll do my best. I need some practice in debate, anyway. It's been a while.
Good morning (er afternoon)
I just finished catching up from where I left off yesterday........yikes.
I had my husband in stitches laughing last night telling him about the 2 different "flame" war threads I was involved in yesterday....that had absolutely nothig to do with each other, except the level of vitriol from the holier-than-thous.
I am still struggling with that personally. I know that I want to quit one day...I'm just not there yet. Being called stupid, violent and anti-social certainly doesn't help me, that's certain.
You are doing great. Just stick to your guns. When they see they can't shame us, that will tick them off even more.
No disrespect to the male population, but I have seen and heard a lot of nasty stuff coming out of some men in my life (whom did not smoke), that was TOTALLY disgusting. hehe!
Sorry, couldn't resist.
They try to make smokers sound like the dirtiest creatures on earth. Well, I'd much rather spend my time in the company of a smoker then someone with bad hygiene and/or a very nasty, gross habit.
Oh! But they think their chit don't stink. Excuuuuse me. LOL!
All of this 'in your face' TV ads, and the anti's in FR just make me more determined to smoke then ever before. It's like thumbing my nose at them.
They will NOT tell me what I am to do and what I can't do. If it's legal, and I enjoy it, I do it. I would never have the nerve to get into someone's face without solicitation and tell them that "I" think what they are doing is wrong. Who the heck am I??!!
Takes a lot of gall from these anti's. And they call themselves Conservative. Yea, when the issue is what THEY like. Heaven help those when they disagree with an issue. Look-out.
I used to go to the Metallica forums and raise hell with the left over there. I finally had to stop because nuking the opposition with their own words just got too addicting (ACK! "Addicting?" They should make a LAW!!) and took too much time away from other things.
I come to FR every day and have for the last five years. I have made it a point to not start in arguments with another FReeper, EVER.
Looks like that may have to change.
You know, I remember reading somewhere here on FR just yesterday some guy stating that a lot of women on here were -I believe actually said-stupid. Nice. I wish I could remember who it was, so I can avoid them like the plague.
You are going to find smoker haters come in all colors and all walks of life.
I hear more outrage in here over smoking then what I do about people getting their heads chopped off. Sad, isn't it.
I liken the anti-smokers as our own personal terrorists. They would kill us if they could.
Oh! What's his boyfriends name? Sounds familiar. heh!
I seem to recall an interview on 60 Minutes (Back in the day when I used to watch broadcast television) with the head of the BATF. He said he would love to see tobacco be made an illegal narcotic. The same as cocaine and meth. I wonder how they would feel knowing that they agreed with a Clintonista; being FReepers and all.
**I also notice a lot of them are somewhat new 'round here**
They also seem to forget that humans have been smoking for thousands of years.
I wonder if there's enough of US to convince one of these Roll Your Own operators to start a lobbying effort. They KNOW that they're next in the crosshairs. They should start acting NOW.
I think my response was fairly tame compared to the post I was responding to. And the Madame came at me from the blue. I had never posted to her.
I was questioning the relevance of the author's statement. As you can see from a later post, I even questioned the accuracy of the author's statement.
Note: Rage is akin to violence. Sorry if the nuance bothers you.
I'm really not sure what the guidelines are for loose tobacco. I know the Smoke Shop in town stocks bags of tobacco from India. I looked at the label: made in India, packaged in New Jersey.
So, India ships over the tobacco leaves, a place in New Jersey chops it up and bags it and sends it out for distribution. There is no tax on the bag. Just a 25 cent surcharge.
AHHH! You're up!
Shall we continue?
As I said before, I believe you provoked it with your first post on here. Now, you can say all you want that you were quoting the author, but it seems like I'm not the only one who found your opening salvo insulting, demeaning and rude.
Will you at least admit to that point?
I sometimes keep an unlit cig in my mouth. Drives 'em up the wall!
And you call ME an instigator. I think y'all have serious problems.
The problem with this idea, as logical as it is, is the immediate and swift reaction of the antis and their cohorts in the MSM will label it a Big Tobacco front group which will get them zero exposure.
I kid you not.
Any and all efforts by smokers, or business owners wishing to cater to them, is immediately painted with the same broadbrush. Been there, done that, and it is not pretty.
That is exactly how you come across. You might not have posted TO her, but she reads every post and she is telling you just how you look to the rest of us.
That carry plastic cigarettes around.
It's people like you and the anti's that brought us to this point.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.