JOIN US: PROTEST RALLY! "A TRUE REVOLUTION"/NEW YORK CITY

Mayor Bloomberg has decided to supercede the city council's proposals to ban smoking in NYC with a totalitarian one of his own, backed up by his own hand-picked gestapo, Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden and his agents.

THE ANTI-SMOKER OPERATIVES ARE NOW REPORTING THAT
BEACHES AND PARKS
WILL BE NEXT!
WHO'S RUNNING THIS CITY?!?

"We must put aside anything that divides us. This is NY and it's going to be for all New Yorkers."...

(By the way, someone has started a lawsuit campaign over those remarks. See Sue Bloomberg for details.)

MAYOR BLOOMBERG WAS ELECTED TO REPRESENT ALL THE PEOPLE IN NYC. THE CITY DOES NOT REPRESENT MAYOR BLOOMBERG.

Smokers have been the only ones burdened in this city to sustain it financially with an exorbitant tax increase meant to fill the coffers and punish us at the same time. Only sadists kick people some more once they've already been knocked down.

If we can't smoke in public why should we pay the public's taxes?! It is smokers' money that nows pays for the upkeep of public places and continuing services. Where else do you pay for something and are denied access at the same time?

And don't hand us that line about how the smokers wouldn't be banned. In relation, in 1969 when gays were told they couldn't assemble in places where the owners were happy to serve them, gays weren't banned either. What was forbidden was acting gay, so this is really the same abuse.

Who owns the restaurants and bars anyway?? It is certainly not city-owned or public property. It is PRIVATE PROPERTY where the owner ALLOWS the public to enter.

Whether you smoke or not, we call on all defenders of democracy to join us in denouncing such government infringement on private property rights. It is NOT a health issue, it's a freedom of choice issue.

Allow them to discriminate against one segment of society and they will come for you next.

When the health-Nazis came for the smokers,
I was not a smoker,
therefore, I was not concerned.

And when the health-Nazis attacked the obese,
I was not obese,
therefore, I was not concerned.

And when the health-Nazis attacked the drinkers and the alcohol industry,
I was not a drinker,
therefore I was not concerned.

Then, the health-Nazis attacked me and the freedom loving Americans who remained,
and there was nobody left to be concerned.

You are a WONDERFUL person.

It is obvious you realize this is not just about smoking.

Thank you.

I can not and will not speak for Audrey, but I don't believe she is a FReeper only because she really doesn't have the time. She has been appearing frquently on all the major networks and cable channels. But there is a major difference between her and the readily known anti-smoker names (Cherner, Glantz, Banzhaf) in that she is not paid to do what she is doing, her opposition is paid, and paid very well.

Audrey is just a regular everyday working class woman - well actually, she's not so ordinary.

You see, the founder of NYCCLASH is a member of New York's Finest. Yup, that's right, she's a cop.

As a member of a family of 3 generations of NYPD, I am very proud to call her a friend.

Smoking is legal. It's a choice we make.

There are plenty of places smoking is not legal. Public transportation,schools, office buildings, sports stadiums in addition to restaurants and bars in certain locations.

It seems reasonable to me that a bar and restaurant is a place of work. Why is smoking illegal in all places of work except bars and restaurants? Is there a special need for smoking in bar or restaurants that causes undue burden on the owner by not allowing it? Why should it hurt any particular bar or restaurant if it is banned equally. I could not see even the most conservative judge finding a restaurant smoking ban unconstitutional. If smoking should be allowed in a workplace and is unconstitutional as this thread assumes, where are the challenges before the Supreme Court?

Then you are even going against the wishes of our President, Mr. Conservative:

Ummmm. not exactly. You might want to take that Bush Cheney2004 bumpersticker off your Free Republic homepage as President Bush is definitely not in favor of smoking.

From the pages of Whitehouse.gov.."The President’s Recommendations for Avoiding Risky Behaviors"

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/fitness/chapt6.html

here a few excerpts from President bush's whitehouse website

"Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, causing more than 440,000 premature deaths annually during 1995-1999. Smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Smoking has also been linked to cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and bladder. In addition, smoking contributes to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidneys. Smokeless tobacco and cigars also have deadly consequences, including lung, larynx, esophageal, and mouth cancer. Aggressive and sustained anti-smoking programs prevent and reduce smoking and many states have successful efforts underway."

"The President’s Challenge:"

"Healthy choices are about making smart decisions in your everyday life—from avoiding tobacco and illegal drugs, to moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages if you drink, to using safety belts and bike helmets. Every little bit of effort counts: "

"If you smoke, quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. After just one day without cigarettes, the risk for heart attack decreases. Over the next several months, coughing, sinus congestion, and fatigue decrease. One year after quitting, excess risk for heart disease is reduced by half; risk for stroke is reduced after five years of not smoking. Ten years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker; 15 years after quitting, an ex-smoker’s risk for heart disease is about the same as that of a nonsmoker."

"If you are a parent, set a good example and quit smoking before your children start. If you continue to smoke, avoid smoking inside or around your children. Each year an estimated 3,000 nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer and up to 300,000 children suffer from respiratory tract infections because of exposure to secondhand smoke. Evidence also indicates that exposure to secondhand smoke causes heart disease."

"Promoting Healthy Choices: Administration Actions

"CDC Tobacco Control Toolkit--CDC is starting to develop a toolkit to accompany the 2003 annual Tobacco Control State Highlights report. This toolkit will include information and resources to assist states in developing, implementing, and evaluating programs to limit tobacco use. The toolkit will enable CDC to guide states in investing in proven programs and strategies to reduce tobacco use that have been successful in the states."

I am on a ping list for Tri-State Freepers because I attend some meetings and have taken part in many rallies. I don't wish to be removed from the ping list. Actually, it's none of your business. I made a simple statement (one sentence)at the beginning of this thread that I was not interested in joining the rally. For that statement, I received nothing but rude and insulting comments from people who are not even from the Tri-state area. I don't need to justify anything I do or don't do or say here to you or anybody else. If you go on the rally, have fun. If you don't, that's fine with me, too. Let me make my own decisions without some snide remark or innuendo. Have I made myself clear or are you going to come back with another sarcasm? If you do, it will go unanswered because I've really had enough of this crap.

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