01.24.08
Ban Damage: Chicago
Much to my dismay, one of the casualties of the no exceptions ban that the SS (that’s Stop Smoking troopers) enacted in Illinois is the good life lifestyle.
For fourteen years, Cigar Aficionado has held a cigar event in Chicago. The one night event was simply an opportunity for people who enjoy the little things to get together and enjoy a couple of cigars, have a few drinks and enjoy the company of others. As an avid cigar smoker and subscriber to the good life mantra, I was planning on attending the event this coming April.
However, the SS had other plans, and the event has been shut down since the lawyers have concluded that there is no legal way for them to have the event.
Is this really a health issue, or is the SS just waging a selfish campaign against the people they loathe?
Damage done. Event canceled. Another unnecessary casualty in a senseless war.
Read the Cigar Aficionado article
WordPress.com Political Blogger Alliance
Cross Posted To Ban the Ban Wisconsin
Ryan said,
January 24, 2008 at 7:25 pm
As a side note, my anger over this injustice is currently burning with the fury of a thousand suns…
Outrage, anger, frustration, rage, hate… These words don’t even do my feelings justice right now.
bmac said,
January 24, 2008 at 9:32 pm
You’re gonna have to let it go Ryan, these bans are completely accepted now, there’s no going back.
Believe me, I live in Vegas, home of the most bars per square inch of land in the world, and a smoking ban passed here in bars that serve food, even if that food consists of a basket of fries.
It has done so much damage to the local economy it’s not even funny.
Most of the bars have dealt with it by closing the restaurant portions of their establishment,to avoid the court costs involved in fighting it which means more drunk drivers on the road, as people are drinking and not eating anything.
Not to mention all the waitresses and cooks that lost their jobs.
Of all places, I never thought it would happen here, but it did, and no one has the money, or the time and energy to fight it.
Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life now, and even France has passed an indoor smoking ban.
Angie said,
January 24, 2008 at 9:38 pm
I am not sure, as this is 2nd hand, not smoke..and no pun intended.
I heard that in some places you could not smoke in your own yard. I think it was in California, almost hate to share this as I have not checked it out.
It is all just plain stupid! Who would have thought Vegas?
Angel said,
January 24, 2008 at 11:09 pm
the gummint is taking more and more control my friend..Indeed.
bmac said,
January 25, 2008 at 12:04 am
The only way to stop these bans is to keep them from getting on the ballot in the first place, and that can’t happen.
Once they hit the ballot, it’s a done deal every time.
Ryan said,
January 25, 2008 at 7:12 am
Yeah, but I can only let it go to an extent. There are some battles that I know can n o longer be won. But here in Wisconsin the battle is still going on and there is a pretty strong resistive movement - even in the state legislature. However, the a-hole we have for a governor is really getting pushy and wants to impose his personal agenda over everybody. I am willing to fight this as long as I can.
I simply cannot believe that anybody can accept such an outright infringement on their lives! I mean, the health issue is one thing - hell, my boss is dying from stage 4 lung cancer as we speak - but when the battle goes beyond health and starts hurting lifestyles, that’s a whole different thing. Is a one night cigar event a health hazard? No, of course not… And it just goes to show that this battle is being waged by the people who are angry that anybody does something enjoyable in their lives that they don’t personally approve of.
They are miserable wretched people and they won’t be happy until they have stripped all of the pleasure from our lives. Cigar Dave (from the Cigar Dave Show) has it right when he calls them the “Pleasure Police.”
bmac said,
January 25, 2008 at 11:53 am
I’m right there with you on this Ryan, these bans are an insidious attack on personal freedom. The thing is, most people don’t see it that way.
As I commented in an earlier post here, when these bans show up on a ballot, it gives people the chance to say F*** You to smokers. They like that. They like that a lot, and I don’t believe they give a damn about second hand smoke, as there are plenty of non-smoking restaurants and bars in every city.
That’s why these bans are totally unstoppable, because given the chance to screw over someone they don’t like, most people will gladly give up a right or two in the process.
Above all else, it’s personal, and that’s what’s scary.
What’s even scarier is, people in government are absolutely noticing how to get the public to willingy, even happily, give up rights.
micky2 said,
January 25, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Arent these the same people that want legalize pot ?
Arent they a bunch of bohemian fucking starbucks elitest ? Or is it just a asshole combo ?
alaskancamel said,
January 25, 2008 at 4:39 pm
I hate to say this (hear me out before you hate me), but I think they did the right thing by caneling the big smoke. Until these asenine bans really start hitting them in the pocket book, they will keep moving forward with them. The amount of business that will be lost from not having this event will hit a lot of people really hard. While that is sad, I hope it wakes a few people up. This is a huge event with major economic impact on a city even the size of Chicago. Then again, only time will tell.
totaltransformation said,
January 26, 2008 at 7:17 am
Heck our local airport just passed a smoking ban that states you can’t even smoke IN YOUR OWN CAR on airport property. WHAT??!!
It is just an example of the government limiting the freedoms of an unpopular group. That is always how it starts. This doesn’t bode well.
Ryan said,
January 26, 2008 at 11:30 am
BMAC, you’re right… And what is sad is that the people who are so pleased to be screwing over somebody wo they can feel “empowered” don’t even realize that in the end it is they (actually we) who are losing as our basic rights are being stripped away from us.
People didn’t like alcohol prohibition, so what makes this any different? They are simply trying to make another legal activity and substance illegal because it is “bad” just like they tried to do with booze.
Do you ever wonder why it is that hindsight is 20/20 to everybody except the people who make decisions that affect our lives?
Ryan said,
January 26, 2008 at 11:34 am
Camel, you are 100% correct. The Chicago big smoke is a big thing that draws lots of money to the area. At $200 a ticket times however many thousand people would attend, plus the area restaurants who provide food, bars, hotels, clubs, service staff… There is a huge loss here, and I just don’t see where they will make it up by banning smoking like this. The SS keeps touting that there are no economic impacts from smoking bans, but you don’t see big money sources of revenue like this event come from other areas to fill the void…
Idiots. Absolute idiots.
Ryan said,
January 26, 2008 at 11:35 am
TT, I hadn’t heard that, but it’s by far the most ludicrous thing I have ever heard. When they can reach into your own car and regulate like this, it is going way too eff’n far!
TRM said,
January 26, 2008 at 8:32 pm
I agree with BMAC, it starts at the polls,,, its not that they wackos outnumber us in the population, they just go to polls more than most… I think we all know what we have to do,,,,, talk to every freind, family member and that jackass you bump in to on the street and get ‘em pissed enough to vote…
Maybe I should martyr myself by going to all the smoke free bars I can find and lighting up… of course calling the local media first… maybe we all should…..
cigarshape said,
January 27, 2008 at 2:15 am
you guys are all totally on the mark. theres a fine line between too much government and something approaching downright scary. this blog article kinda sums the chicago sitch up nicely too… http://middlecoast.us/?p=35
Ryan said,
January 28, 2008 at 7:46 pm
TRM, BMAC, the problem here in Wisconsin is that this sort of thing doesn’t go to the polls. They psychotic governor and his legislature seem to think that it is ok to just go ahead and do things based on the little surveys that they pass out in Madison. These a-holes not only think that Madison is representative of Wisconsin as a whole (it’s not), they use biased language in their “official” polls. I have one that was used by the state legislature that basically asked:
Do you support your right to breathe clean air or do you support a smoker’s right to kill you?
I about passed out.
Ryan said,
January 28, 2008 at 7:46 pm
cigarshape, thanks for the link to the great article! We can use all the hep and support we can get around here
alaskancamel said,
February 5, 2008 at 9:33 am
Cigar magazine had an article awhile back talking about doing a million cigar march. It was tongue in cheek, but what a great idea. If we could mobilize a million people to enjoy a nice walk to the white house all smoking wonderful cigars, I wonder what sort of press that would get? If it truly does get organized, Im in.
Ryan said,
February 5, 2008 at 9:49 am
Camel, we’re organizing pretty hard here in Wisconsin. Joey and I just filed organization papers so we can get nonprofit status and start getting funding.
I know you can’t speak too much for your company, but where do you think they stand on things? I sent them a letter asking for assistance/endorsement/sponsorship/whatever, so we’ll see where it goes. I’ve been shot down a couple of times so far by cigar companies who don’t want to get involved (why wouldn’t they??), so I have hopes for the “evil big tobacco companies.”
alaskancamel said,
February 5, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I will look into it…first of all go to
mysmokersrights.com
See if that sends you in the right direction.
Ryan said,
February 5, 2008 at 6:55 pm
If you don’t feel comfortable talking in public, feel free to email me at arclightzero@hotmail.com
alaskancamel said,
February 5, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Public is fine, I just need to do some research for you. If you have questions that are too long for me to answer here, my email is
therandells@gmail.com
talk to you later
alaskancamel said,
February 7, 2008 at 3:38 pm
http://www.smokersclubinc.com/
This is another great informational site.
finally, you should go directly to
http://www.rjrt.com
From there, click on Legal and regulatory. This will give you access to much information on legislative concerns nation wide. I also found a phone number, but I am not sure if it will get you where you want to go. Try calling 336-741-5000. That is the number to our home office in NC. If they cant help you there, they should be able to point you in the right direction.
Let me know if it gets you anywhere. If not, I can always did some more.
Ryan said,
February 7, 2008 at 7:24 pm
thanks Camel! I’ll dig into it and let you know what I find. I’m putting together sponsorship requests right now and am hoping to start generating some interest in the cause…
Have you been over to our ban site? Http://www.banthebanwisconsin.com
We could use somebody like you on our side