It's sad that people would even compare someone like Hitler and the associated horrible death and mayhem he symbolizes with a cause as pathetic as fighting for the right to poison themselves and others. Actually what is sad is that supposedly intelligent people can not see the correlation between the propaganda perpetuated by the Third Reich with that which is being perpetuated by the highly paid anti-smoker industry.
Hitler and his minions created one of the first great propaganda machines against smokers and the anti-smoker industry is using the identical tactics. That is where the Hitlerian comparison becomes legitimate.
When one has friends in and/or controls the media (money talks......) a lie repeated often enough becomes fact.
The anti-smoker industry has hitler and his Ministry of Propaganda beat by a long shot.
Another thing I find deeply saddening is that so many supposed conservatives, who should be in favor of less government intrusion in personal and business life, promoting private property rights, and personal responsibility are so insistent that the government control the smoking of tobacco by adults.
If you don't like the smoking policy of an establish, patronize one who has a policy you prefer - or else OPEN YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS with your own money.
You know as well as I do that Hitler's greatest goal was not to ban smoking.
But I do find a great deal of humor in the tin foil hat inference that once smoking is banned we will soon be all wearing swastikas, rounding up undesireables and living under occupation. Smell something?....Is that smell paranoia, possibly brought on by nicotine poisoning! Personally I don't need a propaganda machine to understand that inhaling smoke is bad for me. I love the libertarian tendencies. Let everything be legal. You know we are allowed to have cars and drive them but we cant always drive them anywhere we feel like such as on the sidewalk. Is that Nazi like control too?
I would also counter that the tobacco industry has an even more masterful propaganda/advertising machine than the government. Would you call their efforts also Hitler like in an effort to have the product reach as many people as possible even though they know it causes cancer?
As for being a 'supposed conservative', being in favor of smoking in public or in a bar does not make you a conservative. Favoring a city ordnance that might ban smoking in restaurants does not make me any less of a conservative than you. One issue does not define an ideology in muy opinion. Clearly smoking is your one issue.
I look forward for the smoking ban to be put into effect in NYC.