Liz Greenbaum has thankfully had some fun with the exercise regarding smoking and fascism. Suggestions that fascism is creeping in on us or whatever dramatic license has been used really aren't what most smokers are thinking. At least I hope not. Rather it is an extreme reaction to the extreme language used on this list serve (read any Andy Driscoll post), extreme arguments in the local press (Kerry Ashmore suggested that in the future children will be taken from the homes of non-smokers), and the ordinance that passed, which essentially bans smoking outside the home, marginalizing smokers. Just about everyone that I know smokes something, sometimes. Filthy or not, its an age old tradition, method of bonding, addiction, suicide, whatever you want to call it. Its here, people enjoy it, they're not going to stop it, all we've done is attempt to hide it.
The kicker is that just about every smoker supports more restrictions. No one wants to have the $75 steak at Murry's trashed by a cheap cigarette. But that same person also desires a place on the town to go after that steak to fire up a pipe, or that $15 cigar, or a cancer stick. No provision was made for such a place. It was instead an extreme reaction by the city leaving smokers without a single hide-away. Not one swinging door in this entire city. I don't think RT is going to start wearing jack boots because we started a smoking ban. But I do know that every smoker I know is less considerate than they were before the ban (for what that's worth, I know), and people are still going to smoke. Whether that means breaking the law by launching smoke speakeasies, or hanging out in front of the Pantages with the dope smokers, folks are going to smoke. The difference is that before the ban, folks played nice together. When that ban kicks in, I don't think they will. Jeremy Wieland Polluting Northeast with La Gloria Cubanas > REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
