Free Republic

The first scene in NBC's new fall sitcom "Whoopi" begins with the star, Whoopi Goldberg, puffing on a cigarette, ignoring a nearby "No Smoking" sign. "You know, secondhand smoke kills," says an irritated guest of the hotel Goldberg's character owns. "So do I," she shoots back, glaring at the guest. Scheduled to premiere Sept. 23, the show is designed to be a Norman Lear-like commentary on American society, in the same vein as the groundbreaking "All in the Family." That show was built around bigoted jokes that boomeranged on Archie Bunker, while "Whoopi," featuring a relationship in which her brother...

Anti-smoking advocates sure know how to hurl insults at those who defend smokers’ rights. In response to an opinion piece of mine that ran recently in a daily newspaper, I received an email from “Harry” in Milwaukee saying if “Bast promises not to smoke within ten feet of me, I promise not to poop on his salad bowl while he’s eating.” Only he didn’t say “poop.”Thanks, Harry. I hope the guys you have lunch with know about your curious habit.Defending smokers isn’t popular, but if you care about jobs, property rights, the rise of the Nanny State, and the use...

** PROTEST ANNOUNCEMENT ** CHARGE OF THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER BRIGADE WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18TH AT 12 NOON CITY HALL (East Gate) (Time subject to change.  Please check back for confirmation ) The NYC Council will be voting on Mayor Bloomberg's sweeping smoking ban this date. Some council members can still be swayed NOT to vote for this bill (see latest news ) It's up to you to convince them once and for all that it's wrong, and not in their best political career interests, to support one man's personal war on smokers. Thousands of businesses and two million New Yorkers...