Posted on 08/26/2009 11:49:42 AM PDT by nickcarraway
San Diego Chargers fans who smoke say they are fuming over a new smoking ban sprung on them without notice. Fans can no longer light up in formerly designated smoking areas inside Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers' home, which is owned by the city, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Tuesday.
The only public notice of the new rule came at the end of a long news release posted on the team's Web site before its first pre-season game, the newspaper said.
Chargers officials will provide more information about the ban at a news conference before the Chargers' next home pre-season game Sept. 4, said Mike McSweeney, the stadium operations manager.
McSweeney said the team, the city's police department, stadium management and the mayor's office had jointly decided to impose the ban.
Each smoking ban violation may result in a fine of up to $136 and ejection from the stadium.
Tailgaters can still smoke in the parking lot outside the stadium.
Why Man invented big screen TV...
We have this at the Browns/Indians stadiums, which is ironic since cigarette taxes were raised to pay for them.
Get used to bans on other things also, because they are coming, whether you like them or not.
Yep, you got that right. I last went to an NFL game 5 years ago. Not only was there no smoking-- the nosebleed section was so steep and high that I could have used oxygen and a defibrillator; the beer was $6+ per cup and some fools were getting blasted on it; the commercial timeouts were boring; and the players were so far away that you had to watch the big screen to find out what happened.
After that, I opted for the at home $.50 beer and popcorn, restroom 15 paces away on level ground and a DVR that could skip the commercial timeouts.
So why don’t several thousand smokers get together and IGNORE the ban??!! The left will continue to trample rights until people actually take a stand.
I suspect this smoking issue is really a metaphor to represent the successful encroachment of government into every person's life from cradle to grave.
I quit smoking earlier this year......4 months now.....as a result of the confiscatory taxes enacted by the fed and the state at the same time. I swore that I was not going to participate and after 44 years of smoking and many attempts to quit, I think I finally beat the monster.....but it's still a "one day at a time battle"....
Today I am having to watch a media celebration of a leftist traitor's life, so smoking is the least of my irritations, but the government has used the issue to gain a great deal of power, and they won't be giving it up without a fight.
To be fair it isn’t the left who is pushing the smoking ban across this country. There are some on the right who are doing the same thing..
There is a large contingent of Republicans who don't understand the principles of freedom or espouse them.
There is generally a little libertine in most Repubs, but this has changed over time as they are replaced with Greens, Closet Socialists, and faker liberals in the South and East.
All this do-gooder crap ticks me off. Politicians like Mike Huckabee got a lot of votes by voicing opposition to the helmet law, and then engineered laws against smoking and fat.
I can't tell you how disapointed I was in Huckabee because of this sort of politics.
Overheard in Philly on the way out of Veteran’s Stadium after an Eagle’s playoff game many years ago: “Man, I bought a hundred dollars’ worth of beer and I didn’t even get a buzz!”
“I quit smoking earlier this year......4 months now”
...atta boy!...I got the Camel off my back 5 years ago...it was quite a struggle because I was a two pack a day man since 1962...it’s a shame they’re so bad for my health because I really liked ‘em.
My lungs are still purging all the dirt. It's driving me crazy. My throat is irritated, voice hoarse and stomach sour from the swallowed crud.
I really miss my smokes in spite of it. I have no idea how long I will be experiencing this self cleaning....I suspect for another couple months or so.
I didn’t like Huckabee for two reasons.. One cause he is a nanny stater.. Two he is into “class warfare” by going after Mitt mainly for his wealth...
Note to the NFL: Way to go!
LOL Mitt's commie policies don't mean a thing then? You people are a joke with your accusations when the facts are overwhelming...Mitt is not even close to any type of conservative....To h@ll with the money.
This is just one of Hucks social programs. He was no different then the dems or Romney in this respect. But he was never honest about it, and Romney was.
The only conservative thing about Huckabee is his social viewpoint. Frankly, that does not cause me to sing his praises.
As for Romney, I have no clue why he ran for office in Massachusetts. To win there, you have to run as a left leaning centrist. He did, and it is hurting him. It will continue to hurt him.
Huckabee, on the other hand, ran as a conservative and governed as a left leaning centrist. By the time he was done, there was no Republican party left in my state. He had them fighting each other over social issues on one side and fiscal issues on the other. As a result the democrats took it all. 100% of the primary political seats.
The lesson learned is that there can be no political benefit to being centrist or moderate. That social conservatism is not a real platform. It's just a opinion and everyone has opinions. Social conservatism has to be well connected to fiscal conservatism in order to have a base of support and you can't rely on just social conservatives. If you do, your base falls apart.
Huckabee spent like a democrat. That is his legacy here in Arkansas. The Democrat who replaced him is more conservative than he was!
I did the same in March and I don’t miss it one bit! All the more money in my pocket and now I’m not subsidizing the insurance costs for others.
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.