New smoking ban

[Brad White]

Re: New smoking ban

I was just passing it on... not my words.

I never smoked but my mother did. My father was very against smoking and would paste articles around the kitchen. This was in the 50's and 60's... both my sisters started and one stopped the other tried over and over again. Now the doctor has warned her that she is headed for big trouble and has to stop. I don't care if someone smokes but I would not want to be around them or in the same space... mainly because I just can't handle the smell. I remember having arguments with my sister in a restaurant when she would light up at the table... To me having smoking out of restaurants is like a dream come true. I never thought I would see the day... after all those years of having to endure it. The other day I went into a place that I stopped going to because of all the smoke... they have good food and also a bar. I have known the owner for 30 years and I would never say anything or complain... but I have to tell you, it was so nice to go in there and for the first time in all these years I didn't take out the food... I could eat there and to my surprise no one smoked.

So for my own selfish reasons I love not having the smoke. I am not going to call smokers names, I understand it must be very pleasureable for them??? Maybe you can tell me, because I have never experienced it. Because I am a musician and a woodwind player I need my ability to hold a breath way beyond what probably the average person has to... and for whatever reason smoking never was a temptation for me... I am not a prude and generally feel people should be free to do whatever they want as long as they don't hurt others.

My gut feeling is that the law will stay and not be repealed. It seems like there is too much momentum on the side of non-smoking.

I won't lecture anyone on smoking, you are adults and can make your decision. I personally can not be around smoke... I feel more free and less restricted with this new law.

So that is where I am on the law. .... brad

[Palolo Joe]

Re: New smoking ban

I was just passing it on... not my words.

Exactly. Your second post, where you actually shared your own feelings, means a lot more than cut-and-pasting a letter to the editor. You could have just linked to it instead.

I see where you're coming from, but still disagree. I don't smoke myself, but the law needs to be repealed.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: New smoking ban

I personally don't give a flying crap if someone smokes as long as they keep the goddamn smoke to themselves.

Rot your own lungs. Feel free.

My grandmother never smoked a cigarette in her life. My grandfather smoked incessantly and died of lung cancer, metastacized to the bladder and brain. Not pretty.

My grandmother died of complications of emphysema. Gee whiz, wonder how she got that?

Sit in your own damn room, club, basement, car or cardboard box and puff away to your heart's content. Bloviate on about your "rights," man. Piss and whine about how inconvenienced you are when you have to take your butt (pun intended) elsewhere to light up.

But don't impose your filthy habit on me and mine, thanks.

[AlohaKine]

Re: New smoking ban

I personally don't give a flying crap if someone smokes as long as they keep the goddamn smoke to themselves.

Rot your own lungs. Feel free.

My grandmother never smoked a cigarette in her life. My grandfather smoked incessantly and died of lung cancer, metastacized to the bladder and brain. Not pretty.

My grandmother died of complications of emphysema. Gee whiz, wonder how she got that?

Sit in your own damn room, club, basement, car or cardboard box and puff away to your heart's content. Bloviate on about your "rights," man. Piss and whine about how inconvenienced you are when you have to take your butt (pun intended) elsewhere to light up.

But don't impose your filthy habit on me and mine, thanks.

Everybody finds their end, it is just a question of when and how. Vermont, that state is heavy, their motto, LIVE FREE OR DIE! Consenting adults - dahhh.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: New smoking ban

Everybody finds their end, it is just a question of when and how. Vermont, that state is heavy, their motto, LIVE FREE OR DIE! Consenting adults - dahhh.

Totally deep, man. You are like, sooooo cosmic.

Smoke away. Just do it in your own little environment and leave me and mine out of it.

You provide major job security for me. See ya.

BTW---like your hair? Make a wig. You're gonna need it.

:::cough cough::::

[Deep Thought]

Re: New smoking ban

<yawn> this thread is so damned boring. Alohakine, do something about it already and stop trolling around looking righteously indignant. pathetic.

[Brad White]

Re: New smoking ban

I don't expect anything I say to change anyone's mind... but personally I always feel a little sad when I see a young person smoking. I think, they are so beautiful and they are smoking that deadly stuff everyday. I also feel angry at the tobacco companies for helping to addict these kids. These same companies that now try and spin a positive PR by putting a website about not smoking. Have you seen those warm and fuzzy ads where the parents are going to PhillipMorris.com for adivce on how to educate their children about the dangers of smoking. It almost makes me want to go out and buy some Marlboro cigarettes. Remember the Marlboro man... when he was dying from cancer he was real sorry about it all.

I am not here to argue or convince anyone... AlohaKine you are on your path, I do hope for your sake that you take up a different cause... one that will be better for you and your future. I am not writing this as a jab or a dig at you... but really out of a desire to see you do well. I am just sharing some of my feelings on this subject... don't want to preach...

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: New smoking ban

if this thread inspires one person to quit smoking, I am grateful.

[Pretender]

Re: New smoking ban

Interesting short article on no-smoking oridinances nationally in the November issue of Governing Magazine. Link to text version is here: http://66.23.131.98/archive/2006/nov/observer.txt

[dick]

Re: New smoking ban

Smoke away. Just do it in your own little environment and leave me and mine out of it.

Smokers did. They went to private businesses to smoke. This law didn't really change much aside from the 20 feet from entrances thing. It was already illegal to smoke in most publicly funded places (government buildings, etc.).

If you don't like smoke, don't go to bars. Bars aren't funded by tax money.

[AlohaKine]

Re: New smoking ban

I find it interesting the Coalition knew that bars would suffer from this, and justified this to themselves by claiming that there would be no long term business damage. So in a year, I won't spend a third of my time outside not spending money. So in a few months I won't mind going back in the club to find my drink gone and my seat taken. Maybe soon we will not mind spending good money to stand in the street and get rained on.

The fact of this matter is that where these bans didn't hurt bars that much is where there were comfortable alternates such as nice semi-enclosed patio areas, this cruel law will not even allow this. The antis also water down the damage to bars by adding resturant sales data to water down the damage they have done. Talk to the owners, most are hurting bad, some may not survive the winter.

This ban needs to be repealed. Smoking in reasonable amounts is not that bad for you. Second hand smoke is not a significant health risk, it's just a little diluted smoke from a natural plant. There are pesticides in your food, mercury in your fish, toxins in the city air, and the federal government sets standards for contamination in your drinking water. Why are these diluted pollutants tolerated? When I lived on the mainland the water company would include a list of toxic and carcinaganic substances found in my drinking water, so many ppb of mercury, of PCB's, of lead, benzene, ect. The numbers were NOT ZERO. The government has set a safe limit per chemical. If smoking is allowed in a bar, then each chemical of significance could be measured to see if it is within the government's standard per unit volume , if it is because of ventilation, ect then it can be PROVED under the law that the bar's smoking environment is not a serious risk to anyone.

The antis said they didn't want to do this, it would take away their whole justification of the law. They do not care about smoker's feelings or private property rights. They want my life to be miserable so I'll feel pushed quit. I'm never going to quit, instead I'll fight this worthless law.

[AlohaKine]

Re: New smoking ban

I personally don't give a flying crap if someone smokes as long as they keep the goddamn smoke to themselves.

Rot your own lungs. Feel free.

My grandmother never smoked a cigarette in her life. My grandfather smoked incessantly and died of lung cancer, metastacized to the bladder and brain. Not pretty.

My grandmother died of complications of emphysema. Gee whiz, wonder how she got that?

Sit in your own damn room, club, basement, car or cardboard box and puff away to your heart's content. Bloviate on about your "rights," man. Piss and whine about how inconvenienced you are when you have to take your butt (pun intended) elsewhere to light up.

But don't impose your filthy habit on me and mine, thanks.

I don't want disgusting smoke free air imposed on me. I'll sit in my own d*mn bar with the owners permission, because it is private property just like a car or home. It's not a public place, only consenting adults that "pass muster" are admitted. If you don't like it go to a non-smoking bar and I'll go to places that let me. Let the almighty dollar do its' thing.

[WindwardOahuRN]

Re: New smoking ban

I don't want disgusting smoke free air imposed on me. I'll sit in my own d*mn bar with the owners permission, because it is private property just like a car or home. It's not a public place, only consenting adults that "pass muster" are admitted. If you don't like it go to a non-smoking bar and I'll go to places that let me. Let the almighty dollar do its' thing.

Alrighty. Final verdict: you're a troll. Not a very clever one, either.

The thread allowed me to vent a bit, if nothing else.

How dismally boring.

Aloooha!

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: New smoking ban

As long as the cigarettes are legal, and the government is collecting taxes from sales, smoking still has a place here in Hawaii...

Smokers did. They went to private businesses to smoke. This law didn't really change much aside from the 20 feet from entrances thing. It was already illegal to smoke in most publicly funded places (government buildings, etc.).

If you don't like smoke, don't go to bars. Bars aren't funded by tax money.

Reading arguments like these, the inevitable conclusion is for the tax-paying smokers to fight for their tax-funded rights to smoke in tax-funded bldgs, like govt offices and hospitals. Bars, not recieving tax revenue, fall outside of the equation.

[dick]

Re: New smoking ban

Reading arguments like these, the inevitable conclusion is for the tax-paying smokers to fight for their tax-funded rights to smoke in tax-funded bldgs, like govt offices and hospitals. Bars, not recieving tax revenue, fall outside of the equation.

Huh?

I can see banning smoking in government buildings. These are theoretically "everyone's buildings." Smokers' and non-smokers'.

But banning smoking in a private bar is a completely different ball of wax. Nobody has a "right" to go into a private establishment. You are only allowed in there because the owner lets you. That whole "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone..." rigamarole.