Sure, there unintelligible and somewhat incompetent conversations may not make them appear that much smarter, but their logic is there. Somewhere. We just have to translate it sometimes.

Hemmingway and Dickens smoked. I guess they are stupid while newbies that spell smoking "smokeing" are smart.

smokeing is stupid, it's ruining my grandads ands dads life, as well as lots of others. it's ridiculous. my ex, i dumped him b/c he smoked, when i foound out.if you smoke, you're stupid.

You must also call into question what exactly you are smoking. And this is not a reference to anything other than tobacco, but the form. I find Marlboros absolutely revolting in smell, but some of the milder cigars and pipe tobaccos have quite a pleasant odour.

I hate it when people just say smoking, referring to cigarette smoking, and the others who get lumped in don't have much of a say. I suppose I have never seen anyone smoking a cigar or pipe in the smoking section of a restaurant, but my friend and I frequent Denny's, and smoke pipes. We are given nasty looks because we smoke, even though the tobacco is much cleaner, healthier, and additive-free - not to mention a good smell.

Good post, FML. I completely agree. Do smokers march into smoke-free establishments and demand they be allowed to smoke? No. So it's not reasonable or fair to march into a restaurant that allows smoking and demand they stop.

I was at a small, family-owned Italian restaurant the other night. When asked smoking or non-smoking, a customer looked around the restaurant and apparently didn't notice there is NO SEPARATION from the non-smoking to smoking sections. Maybe 10 or 15 feet. She went, "Non-smoking" and the hostess left. She then turned to her friend and said, "I hate smelling that stuff." The place REEKED of it!

Stupid people make great dinner conversation.

quote:

People should be able to go to a restaurant with the gurantee that they won't have to breathe smoke during their meal.

There are lots of resaurants that are smoking free. You have the choice to go somewhere else. Your power is your money. Make sure you write a letter to the owner of the establishent telling him/her why you are not going to eat there anymore. If they don't pay attention to a dwindling market than they are bad business men and deserve to go out of business. If you go there anyways then you are a bad consumer and want to have your cake and eat it too.

quote:

There is no hard science behind any second hand smoke risks, and therefore any legislation banning smoking in private establisments (bars, restaraunts, etc.) is a case of the government severely overstepping it's bounds.

I'm not going to start a fight based on your disbelief of SHS risks, but instead I'd like to point out that the government may not be able or willing to ban smoking in private establishments but it can still intimidate through law. There are examples of similar initimidation through law being used, especially in the cases of abortion clinics.

You can't ban the sale of tobacco. It would fail in the US just like prohibition failed and like the ban on marijuana is failing now.

I do think that smoking should be banned in public places, though, for obvious reasons. Secondhand smoke, aside, smoking is just disgusting to put up with and to be around. People should be able to go to a restaurant with the gurantee that they won't have to breathe smoke during their meal.

smoking is gross.

I think in "closed" places I agree with it being banned. I smoke but that doesn't keep me from understanding that someone that doesn't shouldn't be forced to breathe my filthy smoke. Not because of the health issues but simply because if someone doesn't smoke they shouldn't have to be forced to breathe it.

I don't think they should ban smoking in open public spaces(park, street, etc.) though.

i disagree, the hallmark of a progressive society, is one with welfare and part of that is a national healthcare system, free healthcare for everybody. I am proud of our NHS.

Where's the "banned in public government buildings, up to property owner otherwise" option?

Personally I think bans anywhere outside government, publically owned buildings is crap. There is no hard science behind any second hand smoke risks, and therefore any legislation banning smoking in private establisments (bars, restaraunts, etc.) is a case of the government severely overstepping it's bounds.

There is no nationalized healthcare here, as there are in many places in Europe, so we don't have the "smokers put a greater stress on the medical system" argument. I think Europe's solution to that should be to trash thier inefficient healthcare programs.