Free Republic

For almost 20 years, Suffolk County has been slowly eroding people's rights to smoke in public. With one more measure, the butts could stop here. A group of bipartisan lawmakers today is expected to unveil a bill that bans smoking in virtually all workplaces - including bingo halls, bowling alleys, bars and restaurants. This effort is the product of talks with officials in Nassau, Westchester and New York City to provide a regional standard for workplace smoking. The Suffolk bill would allow smoking only in private homes and in private enclosed offices occupied exclusively by smokers. Smoking also would be...

KENTUCKY SMOKERS’ CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STATE ECONOMY - 2002 (Please keep in mind that the excise and sales tax amounts are latest estimates and are likely to change slightly late this year or early next year.  The plan is to issue a revised sheet at that time.) Kentucky smokers comprise only 30.9% (1) of the adult population in the state. Here is what they already pay because they choose to buy a legal product: Smokers Pay Excise Taxes (2) $ 17,114,768 Smokers Pay Sales Taxes (2) $ 97,156,530 Smokers Pay Tobacco Settlement Payments3 $126,020,729 $240,292,027 Smokers' Economic/Tax Profile Income...

Weary farmers ready for buyout -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Michael Collins Post Washington bureau WASHINGTON — Tobacco fed Mark Litzinger when he was a boy on his parents' farm. It feeds him now that he's grown and has a farm and family of his own. Litzinger knows as well as anyone the story of tobacco's rich past and its questionable future. But if the federal government is willing to buy him out, he's willing to accept the offer. "I think this is going to be a onetime offer for us to get some money,'' Litzinger said. "I think we should take...

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Oregon residents are voting this week on a cigarette tax increase and a boost in school aid in an effort to stem the state's budget problems. Votes will be tallied Tuesday for a measure that would raise the cigarette tax by 60 cents and another that would take $150 million from a Lottery-fed education endowment fund to shore up state school aid. Neither measure faces organized opposition. Under the cigarette-tax proposal, the levy on a pack of cigarettes would increase from 68 cents to $1.28 and generate about $70 million. Most of the money would go...

BANGOR — A new poll places Democrat John Baldacci a formidable 30 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor in the race to become Maine’s next governor. With less than eight weeks to go before Election Day, the poll, conducted for a media partnership including the Bangor Daily News, puts the outgoing 2nd District congressman at 57 percent to Republican Peter Cianchette’s 26 percent, if the election were held today. Green Independent Jonathan Carter came in at 5 percent, with independent state Rep. John Michael of Auburn at less than 1 percent. Ten percent were undecided. Baldacci aides on...

Judge orders estranged parents not to smoke around child By PAUL SINGER The Associated Press 9/12/02 5:28 PM CLEVELAND (AP) -- A judge has ordered estranged parents not to smoke around their 8-year-old daughter in a ruling family law experts say is the only known example of a court raising the issue of secondhand smoke without being asked. Judge William Chinnock's ruling says the child is healthy and makes no mention of any testimony about possible health threats posed by adults smoking in her presence. Instead, he cites in detail dozens of studies on the negative health effects of secondhand...

. . If you know a Veteran, someone in your family, friend of the family, neighbor, who served their country, take a brief moment of your day to thank them. Thank them for the sacrifice they made for the better good of their country. We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper Style, are thankful for every service member in our military, who has served our great nation. So, to the men and women who answered the call, in both times of war and peace, thank you. . Message from Snow Bunny to all those who visit the Canteen....

               September 11th -- A Day America Must Never Forget By JohnHuang2 It was early September 11, 2001 -- just another beautiful, sparkling summer morning in America. From Florida's comely, sandy beaches, across the Carolina Smoky Mountains, to sensual Mt. Rainer in Washington State, it was just another typical, uneventful workaday. The roads and highways bustling with rush-hour traffic, factories humming right along, tireless shopkeepers, vendors and farmers were busy as ever. The imperturbable, mundane serenity augured not a clue of the nightmare to come. The clock strikes 8:46 a.m. EST. Suddenly, seemingly from nowhere, a colossal, titanic explosion...

. . . A Tribute to the Human Spirit . . "JESUS HELP ME" The Faith of Todd Beamer "I don't think we're going to get out of this thing. I'm going to have to go out on faith." It was the voice of Todd Beamer, the passenger ... and Wheaton College graduate ... who said, "Let's roll" as he led the charge against the terrorists who had hijacked United Flight 93, the one, you will remember,that crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside. The whole world knows how brave Beamer and his fellow passengers were on September 11th. And what buttressed...

A wide-open move in preparation for war...

Governor's Political Appointees Acted Improperly in Attempt to Keep Tobacco Settlement Question off the Ballot LANSING, Mich., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens for a Healthy Michigan reports the Michigan Supreme Court today agreed that voters statewide should have the opportunity to save the lives of thousands of citizens, reduce smoking and health care costs, and tell the politicians in Lansing they were wrong for raiding the state's tobacco settlement. The high court upheld a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling to put the Healthy Michigan Amendment on the Nov. 5 ballot as Proposal 4. On Friday, an appeals panel had reversed...

It's now operation "noble eagle"

. . If you know a Veteran, someone in your family, friend of the family, neighbor, who served their country, take a brief moment of your day to thank them. Thank them for the sacrifice they made for the better good of their country. We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper Style, are thankful for every service member in our military, who has served our great nation. So, to the men and women who answered the call, in both times of war and peace, thank you. . Message from Snow Bunny to all those who visit the Canteen....

If you know a Veteran, someone in your family, friend of the family, neighbor, who served their country, take a brief moment of your day to thank them. Thank them for the sacrifice they made for the better good of their country. We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper Style, are thankful for every service member in our military, who has served our great nation. So, to the men and women who answered the call, in both times of war and peace, thank you. . . Message from Snow Bunny to all those who visit the Canteen....

HUMAN SERVICES. . . . . . . . . NEWS Maine Department of Human Services 11 State House Station Augusta, Maine 04333 Tel. (207) 287-2546 Fax (207) 287-3005 TDD (207) 287-4479 Department of Human Services Announces Smoke-Free Restaurant Bill Contact:   Dora A. Mills, MD, Director                     DHS Bureau of Health                     Tel. (207) 287-3270                     David S. Winslow, Director                     DHS Office of Public and Legislative Affairs                     Tel. (207) 287-2546   AUGUSTA: "The Department of Human Services is proud to announce that we have submitted to the state Legislature a statewide, smoke-free restaurant bill with broad, bi-partisan...

<p>AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Heralding a new tool in the state's anti-smoking campaign, Gov. Angus King on Friday unveiled a telephone help line designed to help smokers who want to quit.</p> <p>''Tobacco is an enormous health problem in Maine,'' King told reporters before testing the line at a State House news conference in his office.</p>

Join the FR smokers lounge bump list...click on the logo Welcome Friends, foes and associates to the completely remodeled Free Republic...Smoker's Lounge Here you will find a comfy place to smoke, drink, joke or whatever. We always have a great time, so sit back, relax and...Smoke 'em if you got 'em shsshshsshsshsshssh shsshsshsshsshsshshsshsshsshshsshshsshsshsshssh shsshsshsshsshsshshsshsshsshshsshshsshsshsshssh shsshsshsshsshsshshsshsshsshshssh aaaaa,:`___________________________||`,:'.",`.;'`,:'.',`: <--------Life is good! A very special thank you to Registered for providing us with this fine logo....we will bear it with pride.

. . If you know a Veteran, someone in your family, friend of the family, neighbor, who served their country, take a brief moment of your day to thank them. Thank them for the sacrifice they made for the better good of their country. We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper Style, are thankful for every service member in our military, who has served our great nation. So, to the men and women who answered the call, in both times of war and peace, thank you. . Message from Snow Bunny to all those who visit the Canteen....

Are You Ready for SomeFootball? The USO Canteen FReeper Style celebrates the kick off of NFL football season and honors some of the players who have served in the armed forces or are serving now in the Reserves. The NFL season begins tonight in primetime as the San Francisco 49ers play the New York Giants at Giants Stadium (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET). Throughout the upcoming season, American football fans will get a glimpse of the sacrifices the men and women of the armed forces make. The National Football League is sponsoring "American Postcards," a series of profiles to be...