Anti-Smoking Battle Royale in Chi-Town
With all the anti-smoking rhetoric that’s been filtering down through the news as of late, I wasn’t surprised to see my hometown gearing up for a heated debate over a proposal to ban smoking in virtually all of indoor Chicago.
On one side, we have Health Committee Chairman Ed H. Smith who is supporting and driving the ban, and on the other we have the 26 votes needed to pass the all-inclusive ban.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, “The proposed anti-smoking blanket would cover outdoor sports stadiums, train platforms and virtually all of indoor Chicago, including restaurants, free-standing bars, theaters and shopping malls. Smokers who now huddle in doorways would even be prohibited from puffing away within 25 feet of an enclosed area where smoking is banned.”
There’s a good chance a ban of this magnitude will not be passed, however it paints a pretty good picture of how one-sided anti-smoking advocates really are. I’m sure there will be a compromise somewhere in all of this, and I urge Ed Smith to re-think his values and freedoms in which he is allotted as stated in the words of our forefathers. I normally don’t rant on political issues, however I don’t like to see anything that infringes on our rights as citizens using such terms as “all-inclusive” and “blanket”. Should the circumstances allow, I would advocate non-smoking rules in certain public areas (even I don’t like the smell of cigarette smoke while dining), however I don’t feel it’s right for any one person or organization to fully rule out our freedoms.
The full article can be found online with the Chicago Sun-Times.
On one side, we have Health Committee Chairman Ed H. Smith who is supporting and driving the ban, and on the other we have the 26 votes needed to pass the all-inclusive ban.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, “The proposed anti-smoking blanket would cover outdoor sports stadiums, train platforms and virtually all of indoor Chicago, including restaurants, free-standing bars, theaters and shopping malls. Smokers who now huddle in doorways would even be prohibited from puffing away within 25 feet of an enclosed area where smoking is banned.”
There’s a good chance a ban of this magnitude will not be passed, however it paints a pretty good picture of how one-sided anti-smoking advocates really are. I’m sure there will be a compromise somewhere in all of this, and I urge Ed Smith to re-think his values and freedoms in which he is allotted as stated in the words of our forefathers. I normally don’t rant on political issues, however I don’t like to see anything that infringes on our rights as citizens using such terms as “all-inclusive” and “blanket”. Should the circumstances allow, I would advocate non-smoking rules in certain public areas (even I don’t like the smell of cigarette smoke while dining), however I don’t feel it’s right for any one person or organization to fully rule out our freedoms.
The full article can be found online with the Chicago Sun-Times.
posted by Fumo Santo | 9:20 AM
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