Smoking in the Boys Room…
Wednesday, the Speaker of the House, Nancy “take Your Guns” Pelosi (D-California) earned a new moniker, Nancy “Steal Your Smokes” Pelosi as she took away one of the most holy of all elected officials God-given “rights”, the right to smoke in a federal Building--the Speaker’s Lobby off the House floor, where Congressmen mingle and show Big Tobacco’s lobbyist that they stand by (and with) the Winston-Salem product—despite the prohibition of smoking in most federal buildings and the District’s ban on smoking in public areas. (Congressmen can still smoke in their own offices).
The ordinance banning smoking in indoor workplaces -- including bars and restaurants –in Beaufort, County (South Carolina) took effect today. Beaufort County Sheriff Tanner will have his men out in full-effect 30-days from now to bust violators and slap those “Puffins” with a healthy $500-fee and/or 30-days in jail for smoking within 15-feet of any indoor area (except for private residences).
And now the City of Charleston plans to adopt the same anti-smoking laws, passing the ban on smoking 9-4 last night. Granted the proposal still needs to have 3-votes at one more meeting, but folks I think this is it for smoking in Chuck-Town. Sullivan’s Island already quit the habit, now it appears that the City of Charleston finally received the memo from the Surgeon General-“Several council members who were previously cool to efforts to restrict smoking joined Riley. They said last year's report by the U.S. Surgeon General on the dangers of secondhand smoke changed their opinion.” (Post & Courier, 1/10/07) Obviously, we don’t have the brightest group on City Council if they are using this sudden enlightenment as their barometer for reasoning. The Surgeon General’s Warning has been on the side of cigarette packs for 41-years now (RF) and the dangers of 2nd hand smoke have been medically substantiated for almost 15-years, but hey-City Council just read about it in a 1992 issue of The New England Journal of Science they found stashed in the attic of City Hall during remodeling.
Look, I am not a smoker, but I have been known to fire up a Camel Light, doobie or even an illegal Cuban Cigar, so this new rule doesn’t directly affect me, but I still don’t think that it is the City Government’s job to make businesses change their smoking policies. I think we all know which places make your clothes stink like a stale-cig (i.e. Gene’s) and we should have the choice to avoid those places if we want. Secondly, every time I read an article in the Post & Courier regarding the people of the Holy-City wanting to ban smoking due to a new opinion poll, every time in very small, “Go-F-Yourself-impartial journalism” print at the bottom of the page, the article read: "Poll conducted by Smoke Free Lowcountry". (Editor’s Note: There is one exception, David Slade’s Feb. 21, 2006 article, “Poll: Charlestonians want ban on indoor smoking”)*. So Dick Hernandez and his non-smokers lobbied the City Council for 7-f’in years to get them to pass this.
My advice to the Council pen-heads just say you don’t like the way smoke makes your clothes smell and since you can’t fix the roads, side-walks, or Wi-Fi the City to make us more competitive and user friendly in the information age, you decided to pass something socially acceptable in the growing non-smoking climate (SIN-taxes on cigarettes and anti-smoking, smoking-cessating campaigns) in America.
I'll post tomorrow morning on the Bushido's suggestions for the smoking issue.
* In the first paragraph of the article, Slade wrote, “Anti-smoking groups that commissioned the poll said the results should convince Charleston City Council to approve smoking restrictions in restaurants, bars and other workplaces.”
(RF) Random Fact: The Surgeon General's Warning on the side of each pack of cigarettes makes the Surgeon General the most quoted person(s) in history.
Wednesday, the Speaker of the House, Nancy “take Your Guns” Pelosi (D-California) earned a new moniker, Nancy “Steal Your Smokes” Pelosi as she took away one of the most holy of all elected officials God-given “rights”, the right to smoke in a federal Building--the Speaker’s Lobby off the House floor, where Congressmen mingle and show Big Tobacco’s lobbyist that they stand by (and with) the Winston-Salem product—despite the prohibition of smoking in most federal buildings and the District’s ban on smoking in public areas. (Congressmen can still smoke in their own offices).
The ordinance banning smoking in indoor workplaces -- including bars and restaurants –in Beaufort, County (South Carolina) took effect today. Beaufort County Sheriff Tanner will have his men out in full-effect 30-days from now to bust violators and slap those “Puffins” with a healthy $500-fee and/or 30-days in jail for smoking within 15-feet of any indoor area (except for private residences).
And now the City of Charleston plans to adopt the same anti-smoking laws, passing the ban on smoking 9-4 last night. Granted the proposal still needs to have 3-votes at one more meeting, but folks I think this is it for smoking in Chuck-Town. Sullivan’s Island already quit the habit, now it appears that the City of Charleston finally received the memo from the Surgeon General-“Several council members who were previously cool to efforts to restrict smoking joined Riley. They said last year's report by the U.S. Surgeon General on the dangers of secondhand smoke changed their opinion.” (Post & Courier, 1/10/07) Obviously, we don’t have the brightest group on City Council if they are using this sudden enlightenment as their barometer for reasoning. The Surgeon General’s Warning has been on the side of cigarette packs for 41-years now (RF) and the dangers of 2nd hand smoke have been medically substantiated for almost 15-years, but hey-City Council just read about it in a 1992 issue of The New England Journal of Science they found stashed in the attic of City Hall during remodeling.
Look, I am not a smoker, but I have been known to fire up a Camel Light, doobie or even an illegal Cuban Cigar, so this new rule doesn’t directly affect me, but I still don’t think that it is the City Government’s job to make businesses change their smoking policies. I think we all know which places make your clothes stink like a stale-cig (i.e. Gene’s) and we should have the choice to avoid those places if we want. Secondly, every time I read an article in the Post & Courier regarding the people of the Holy-City wanting to ban smoking due to a new opinion poll, every time in very small, “Go-F-Yourself-impartial journalism” print at the bottom of the page, the article read: "Poll conducted by Smoke Free Lowcountry". (Editor’s Note: There is one exception, David Slade’s Feb. 21, 2006 article, “Poll: Charlestonians want ban on indoor smoking”)*. So Dick Hernandez and his non-smokers lobbied the City Council for 7-f’in years to get them to pass this.
My advice to the Council pen-heads just say you don’t like the way smoke makes your clothes smell and since you can’t fix the roads, side-walks, or Wi-Fi the City to make us more competitive and user friendly in the information age, you decided to pass something socially acceptable in the growing non-smoking climate (SIN-taxes on cigarettes and anti-smoking, smoking-cessating campaigns) in America.
I'll post tomorrow morning on the Bushido's suggestions for the smoking issue.
* In the first paragraph of the article, Slade wrote, “Anti-smoking groups that commissioned the poll said the results should convince Charleston City Council to approve smoking restrictions in restaurants, bars and other workplaces.”
(RF) Random Fact: The Surgeon General's Warning on the side of each pack of cigarettes makes the Surgeon General the most quoted person(s) in history.
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