Crossposted from MY LEFT WING and
CALITICS
Until they outlaw motherfucking CARS, this kind of bullshit law has no place in the United States of America.
Can I smoke in my house or apartment? Can I smoke on my balcony?
Yes. The only exception is if your apartment, backyard, or balcony is directly adjacent to a common area, such as a laundry room or pool.
I'm a smoker. I quit smoking on September 7th, 2005; I resumed smoking 5 months later. After a month, I quit again, for a grand total of 8 days. I've been smoking for the past 3 days, but will probably quit AGAIN tomorrow.
Suffice to say, I am in no way unaware of the evils of tobaccy. It runs my life, it ruins my life. I hate cigarettes. I loathe smoking. I am addicted to nicotine, to such an extent that it dominates my life; when I'm smoking, I want nothing more than to be rid of it. When I'm not smoking, I want nothing more than a cigarette. Cigarettes are an insidious, wretched, horrible thing, and I wish I had never picked up the first one, let alone the last one, which must be Number Nine Thousand...
But this is BULLSHIT. I was FINE with the indoor bans, truly. There are few experiences more distasteful than being a non-smoker in a room full of smoke. I can't believe people were smoking in airplanes as long as they were, let alone in hospital waiting rooms.
But OUTSIDE? On the motherfucking SIDEWALK? Dude, I'm SO tempted to head over to Calabasas and rack up as many fucking tickets as I can before I quit again, just so I can take it to fucking court.
From AP
Calif. City Bans Smoking in Public Places
CALABASAS, Calif. - . . .
One of the strictest tobacco bans in the nation went into effect in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas last week, making smoking off limits in public places where someone else might be exposed to secondhand smoke: indoor businesses, outdoor businesses, parks, outdoor cafes, even apartment building common areas.
"We just don't want anyone blowing smoke in someone's face. Unfortunately, what smokers do is harmful to everybody else. People should have the right to breathe clean air," said Mayor Pro Tem Dennis Washburn.
California air-quality regulators declared secondhand smoke a toxic air pollutant earlier this year.
The city took it a step farther, declaring secondhand smoke to be a public nuisance and approving an ordinance banning smoking in all public places -- indoors and out -- where people might congregate.
. . .
But if a nonsmoker asks a smoker to stop, the smoker must snuff it or face a possible fine in the hundreds of dollars or even a lawsuit.
"We salute Calabasas for raising the bar," said Jim Knox, a legislative advocate for the American Cancer Society in Sacramento. "Smoke regulations can play a very important role in reducing public exposure to harmful secondhand smoke."
Nationally, hundreds of U.S. cities and several states restrict smoking. In California, where communities have been at the forefront of smoking bans, San Francisco last year banned smoking in parks and stadiums, and oceanfront communities' smoking bans have inspired others in Florida and Delaware to designate smoke-free beaches.
. . .
I won't go to Calabasas. It's tempting, but there are way too many more important issues facing us for me to make a federal case of this. But I sure as hell hope SOMEONE does.
This is one of those cases where the motive is unimpeachable, I think. They're doing it "for our own good," that much we can all agree on, hopefully.
Doesn't make it any the less fascist. Under this law, I can be walking down a sidewalk and ORDERED TO PUT OUT A CIGARETTE by ANY PASSER-BY. And I am LEGALLY REQUIRED to do so, even though I'm WALKING PAST that person, even though that person will be long gone by the time the cigarette goes out.
Can ANYONE tell me this kind of law isn't a slippery motherfucking slope? How long before there are laws enacted with less sound motives, but dressed up to look reasonable, regulating behaviour that has nothing to do with public health in any reasonable way?
Everytime I see a Bush bumper sticker, I seethe. Sometimes I think I might have a stroke, it makes me so angry.
Shall we outlaw bumper stickers?
Prohibition pisses me off.
No, there is absolutely NO redeemable aspect to smoking. It's bad. It smells bad. It tastes bad. It is toxic and lethal and rude and gross.
Still shouldn't be illegal. No more than eating Twinkies should be illegal. There's a case to be made for that, too, you know. Transfats and all that shit make people unhealthy, thereby driving up haelthcare costs. Should they be able to deny you health insurance because you eat food that's bad for you? Should the government be allowed to outlaw anything that's bad for you? Should they be allowed to make it illegal to smoke in your car because the chances of an accident increase? How many accidents do you imagine have been caused by a lit cigarette dropping into someone's lap?
Slippery slope, my friends, slippery motherfucking slope.