Posted on 01/11/2006 5:10:12 PM PST by elkfersupper
More than 100 strippers are expected to descend on the New Jersey State House Thursday to agitate and undulate for the instant repeal of the ban on smoking in bars that’s on track to become law by this evening.
Organized by two radio rabble-rousers and the owner of the Illusions go-go bar in Florence, the entertainers are aiming their protest at the incoming class of state lawmakers, not the legislators poised to pass the extended smoking ban today.
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Acting Gov. Richard Codey last week said he’ll sign the new law right away, saving Gov.-Elect Jon Corzine a political headache and meaning Thursday’s protest of dancers and barmaids will occur after the law is already on the books.
But Craig Carton and Ray Rossi, the radio hosts cued by a report in The Trentonian on the concerns of dancers at Illusions, think they can convince the new legislature to quickly repeal of the new ban.
The idea, said Carton, is "let them see as soon as it becomes law just how offensive it is to everyone in New Jersey.’’ He said the protest "is about small business rights being taken away’’ and cried hypocrisy like those quoted in The Trentonian article.
Growing and smoking tobacco is legal, Carton noted, "and bar owners know their clientele enjoys smoking. But now they’re not going to be able to let people do something that’s legal in their business.’’
Illusions proprietor Eleanore Travia, whose testimony before as Assembly public health committee last week got polite nods from the lawmakers, has been arguing that the new ban incorporates a double standard into state law.
It applies to all restaurants, bars and entertainment forums, except those in the casinos of Atlantic City.
"This is ridiculous! For you to enjoy a cocktail and a cigarette together in a public place, you’ll have to go to Atlantic City and put a quarter in a slot machine,’’ Travia complained.
She said the casinos "paid big money to be eliminated from that bill. They paid off, to get casinos off of that bill."
Travia and her dancers told The Trentonian their entertainment business should have the same rights as the casinos.
After their story came out in The Trentonian, the afternoon drive-time commentators of radio station 101.5 brought the fray to the Jersey airwaves.
By Friday, with help from Travia, as many as 400 strippers and dancers had called the station to express interest in the march on Trenton, Carton said.
One of the first members of the legislature the dancers will get a chance to convince to repeal will be Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg, a sponsor of the extended smoking ban. Carton said she promised to face the protesters from the State House steps.
Ok. Thanks!! If you find out, please let me know.
I read hte bill yesterday, and IIRC a hotel can reserve up to 20% of the rooms as smoking rooms.
As an interesting side note, about a year ago, one church changed their bingo hall to be smoke free and their revenue decreased somewhere between 15% and 20%. If I read the bill correctly, bingo halls will not be exempt.
I turned it on for about an hour and I didn't hear any politicians speak.
Oh dear. :(
It seems hotels are exempt from the ban also as long as no more than 20% of the rooms are set aside for smoking.
Better then nothing, I guess.
Now this is a protest that I could sink my teeth into.
20% - 25% of hotel rooms being able to be set aside as smoking rooms is pretty standard under these bans.
The private clubs, like the Kingihts, Legions, VFWs, etc rally have me .........they are even MORE private than the private bars and restaurants this covers.
The private clubs and churches really bother me too.
sounds like a cunning stunt ...
Don't get me started on the Churches...........talk about seperation of church and state stuff........
In Delaware the Volunteer Fire Companies are exempt, just like the fraternal and veterans' organizations but the Churches are not. There is a provision for applying for an exemption, and one local Catholic Church applied for an exemption for it's Bingo.....it was denied.
bump
Our firehouses aren't exempt either.
Even though my MIL was a lifelong smoker she hated the smell of cigarette smoke and dirty ashtrays so she would put wet paper towels on the bottoms of her giant ashtrays that looked more like candy dishes so the cigarettes would immediately self-extinguish; this story brings forth a picture of a more natural alternative.
Good grief.
Apparently the VFD lobby is stronger than even the racetracks in Delaware.
The exemption for the fire companies was in part an appeasement because originally the bars and tracks were to be exempt..............but it was also appeasement because they had fought against the slots at the tracks for so long because of what it would do to their bingo. Of course no one came to the defense of the Senior Centers and Churches about their bingo. Many of them have shut down because the fire companies were attracting all the smokers.
Actually it was quite stunning.
I was thinking today that strippers may actually be the purest capitalists - natural allies.
Thanks for the link to the smoking ban act
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2004/Bills/S2000/1926_R2.HTM
4. a. Smoking is prohibited in an indoor public place or workplace, except as otherwise provided in this act.
b. Smoking is prohibited in any area of any building of, or on the grounds of, any public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school, regardless of whether the area is an indoor public place or is outdoors.
Given 4.b it would appear that if a bingo hall is within a catholic school auditorium, then patrons are not permitted to smoke outside.
Follow up thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1557319/posts
N.J. strippers protest indoor smoking ban
Thanks for the ping.
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