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arwings Offline
#1 Posted: Thu, Jun 12 2003, 6:10 PM EST
Joined: 02-09-2003
Posts: 950
Let me say at the outside, no intent to offend anyone from the great State of MA, but just returned after spending 10 days there. Folks, if you are a smoker you are a second class citizen there. Not only do they allow no smoking in restaurants and bars, public places (including motels/hotels), but in some cases, bar smoking OUTSIDE!!! What really brought it home to me was that I heard on radio news today that there is a movement in Huntsville, AL, to ban smoking in ALL public places.

I consider myself a very tolerant individual and absolutely respect the right of a non-smoking person not to be exposed to the smoke from my cigar. However, with the taxes levied on tobacco, I pay dearly for the privilege of excercising my right to indulge in a perfectly legal, harmless (other than possibly to myself) behavior that is pleasurable to me. I am not asking for inclusion/acceptance from non-smokers; just acknowledgement that I have the right to exercise my choice, and the opportunity to do so.

The "kicker" in all this is that the people who have zero tolerance (and very militantly so) for smoking are, generally speaking, the same people who espouse tolerance and inclusion for some of the most extreme, outer fringe, elements/groups in our society.

To me the apex of hippocracy is to verbally espouse one thing, and behaviorally engage in its antithesis. I am finally damn mad and will do everything I can to advocate for the right of choice, not at the expense of the rights of others, but to preserve my own rights.

Whew....Thanks for letting me vent. Think my blood pressure has just gone down 20 points, systolic and diastolic! My rant is just that; a rant, but it feels good to have a forum where I feel like I can express an opinion that, if not shared, is at least given a nod to. Thanks.

P.S. Visited two cigar bars in Boston (the only public place I could smoke a cigar and have a glass of Port) and people there were extremely friendly and connivial. Reported that in order to provide a smoking area they had to pay a surcharge from Hell and were not allowed to sell spirits as well (only wine and beer). Situation really "jacks my jaws." Consider this a warning and watch for efforts to sweep away your smoking rights in your area of the country.
xibbumbero Offline
#2 Posted: Thu, Jun 12 2003, 6:19 PM EST
Joined: 01-25-2002
Posts: 12,535
Thanx for the heads up. They'll not get my tourist dollar. X
tonester666 Offline
#3 Posted: Thu, Jun 12 2003, 6:23 PM EST
Joined: 05-07-2003
Posts: 1,324
I hear ya!!

I received some hard looks while smoking a La Perla habana outdoors at a carnival. Just mad me puff a little more.

limoric Offline
#4 Posted: Thu, Jun 12 2003, 6:53 PM EST
Joined: 03-08-2001
Posts: 623
Go on a holiday to Quebec Canada. Not only will you get a great lesson on French culture, great food and Hospitality, if you don't smoke, your a 2nd class citizen. Try to find someone in the front of the Chateau Frontenac or on the boardwalk along the St. Lawrance not smoking a cigar, there's always a few. Just a note, the American population in the downtown core of Quebec city in July and August out-numbers that of the residents that live there.
tonester666 Offline
#5 Posted: Thu, Jun 12 2003, 7:18 PM EST
Joined: 05-07-2003
Posts: 1,324
that should be "made me puff"

I noticed that while in Branson MO a over Memorial dy and noticed that at times non-smokers were a definite minority.

Probably did not help that I chose a weekend of an Elvis shindig. Those guys put donw some cigarrettes

If I would have known
rwestcot Offline
#6 Posted: Thu, Jun 12 2003, 11:41 PM EST
Joined: 02-02-2003
Posts: 133
Yeah that sux, no doubt about it. But it also sucks (And probably worse) to be annoyed by cigar(ette) smoke and be standing nearby. Right of way goes to the annoyee it seems. But sometimes there are wide open outdoor places when people are just being arrogant. Then, I'm with the puff harder crew.
Stickbow Offline
#7 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 12:31 AM EST
Joined: 01-16-2003
Posts: 870
I live in Mass and I agree. When it comes to smoking this state sucks. I don't buy smokes in Mass so I don't pay those taxes. There are no places to smoke here. I belong to a Sportsmans club and do most of my smoking there where they can't find me. Sucks real bad when it rains and I gotta smoke in the truck...Boy has it rained...


keep puffin
rayder1 Offline
#8 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 1:13 AM EST
Joined: 06-02-2002
Posts: 2,226
I think Califonia is right behind Massachusetts (geez..did I spell that right?) Getting kind of ridiculous. Many cities are enacting overall bans on public smoking. A couple of them have even tried to include within you own car. Fortunately there was someone with a few grams of sense left who overuled going that far.

When you realize that the penalties in some cities are higher for smoking in a forbidden place than it is to possess marijuana, you get a glimpse of exrtemists in power.

I was at a Styx/Journey/REO concert a couple weeks ago. I was amazed (as were numerous other people) to see security guards literally push past people openly smoking dope to get to a single person smoking a cigarette to kick that person out (or at least tell them to put it out).

One of the local charities was turned down by the same event center. They asked if they could hold a formal Cigar and Wine tasting event. They were told that the ventilation system could not purge the smoke. However they had a scheduled tractor pull. Seems the ventilation system could handle a couple thousend gallons of burned gasoline and nitomethane but not a few hundred cigars.

The point is, the war is on. And eventually all smokers will lose to a certain extent.
THL Offline
#9 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 5:15 AM EST
Joined: 10-22-2002
Posts: 3,044
It used to be that we would roll our joints to look like cigarettes so that from a distance, at least, you appeared to be just smoking a cigarette. Now I guess you'd be better off making your cigarettes look like joints.
TinMan51 Offline
#10 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 5:21 AM EST
Joined: 03-06-2003
Posts: 725
Yep your right Cali and Ma. You feel like a criminal because you got smokes with you BUT DON"T you light them up any where that you can bee seen. I use to drive Truck and those 2 place were the place's I hated to go the most.. Now South Dakota was trying to get the NO SMOKE'N stuff through but it got side tracked. If you sell booze then people can smoke in your business.. We sell alot of booze here now. hahahahaha. And the worst part of all this is that it doesn't matter one bit if you own the business or not the states is going to darn well tell you what you are going to do and if it chases away all your business and you go under "Oh Well"...I respect a persons right to NOT Smoke BUT I also Respect a Persons right to Smoke. Foot note .. I Smoked every thing for 40 years then One day I stopped for over 2 years not One thing was smoked with my two lips. Then I started back on the Gars and thats as far as it will go because they give me the taste i'm looking for and I have NO desire for any thing else.. We all have rights to persue what we whish to as long as it is legal but my 2 cants is we DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO PUSH A PERSON INTO SOME THING BECAUSE WE BELIVE IN THAT THING..This country is wonderful because of all the different people and things we like and do what is it going to be like the day we all Have to by LAW like the same things , do the same things, dress the same way , talk the same way,eat the same things , and do every thing alike.. I thing people just need to keep their nose on thier own face and not worry about what some one else is doing.. Well thats it stepping down off the soap box.. Sorry but I just get worked up when people try to dictate what others do because thats what they think..TinMan
BMW Offline
#11 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 2:12 PM EST
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 3,010
arwings, are you Huntsville, Al.? That's where I grew up. Sorry to hear that they're following suit with the smoke nazis, but it's not just there. Even in the Great state of Texas, Dallas and a few other areas are doing the same thing. In Houston we can breath the smog filled air, but smoke? Better ask first.

Barry
arwings Offline
#12 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 3:48 PM EST
Joined: 02-09-2003
Posts: 950
BMW,

Actually I currently live in Decatur, about 22 miles West of Huntsville. Grew up outside of Athens, about 15 miles North of Decatur. Maybe I'm over-reacting but I can see the day coming when smoking will be banned anywhere. Stayed in the Seaport Hotel in Boston (over $250 per night) and had to sign a statement that if I smoked in my room I agreed my credit card could be charged $150 additional for deoderizing. The Public Health signs banning smoking in bars, restaurants, etc., invited you to dial a local police number and inform on your neighbor if you caught him lighting up. To me that is characteristic of the "Big Brother" concept portrayed in Orwell's '92. And it seems to be happening in the States that tout themselves as the most liberal, progressive, tolerant, inclusive, etc., etc., etc., such as California, New York, Mass., et. al. Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Am reminded of the phrase, "...the only requirement for tyranny to florish is for good men to stand by and do nothing."
BMW Offline
#13 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 3:57 PM EST
Joined: 10-21-2000
Posts: 3,010
I grew up in sight of the Saturn V Test stands between the swamps and the Tenn. River. Good to hear from someone from my old stomping grounds. My Dad still lives in Huntsville and I have a bunch of friends there.

SMOKE NAZIS SUCK!!!!!!!!

Barry
Cigarick Offline
#14 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 4:08 PM EST
Joined: 07-28-2002
Posts: 3,078
I was at a concert at a small outdoor arena here in Calif, and had the great good luck to sit down behind three guys who a little later sparked up some cigars. I would never light up under those circumstances, but again, the security ignored even those smoking cigarettes to go after the cigar smokers.
billyjackson Offline
#15 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 5:38 PM EST
Joined: 08-19-2002
Posts: 2,860
Things are OK so far in most of Texas. There are smoking bans popping up, but mostly for restaurants...bars are pretty much ok. What pisses me off in some bars, however, is that they allow cigarettes but not cigars and pipes. Are cigarette smokers offended by cigars? Come the hell on? Just another item on the list of things that don't make a damn bit of sense to me.
redsquid Offline
#16 Posted: Fri, Jun 13 2003, 11:36 PM EST
Joined: 12-15-2002
Posts: 1,286
The justification used for all this crap is the alleged lethality of second hand smoke. After reading about all the flawed methodology and outright fraud used to generated statistics, I don't know whether to laugh or puke. Seen the billboards shouting about 53,000 people dead every year from secondhand smoke? Are they kidding? If anyone can convince me that ONE person ever died as a result of secondhand smoke, I'll eat every one of my frikkin' cigars! Apparantly , since the cigarette companies have a habit of lies and distortion, it's okay for the anti-smoking lobby to lie and distort. Of course the cigarette companies are just trying to diversify and bail out of tobacco leaving regular folks high and dry. Thanks to all the self riteous jerks out there, I hope we all get what we deserve in the end.
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