IF SMOKING GOES, SO DO WE, TOURISTS VOW

New York Post ^ | 8/14/02 | ANDY GELLER and MARIANNE GARVEY

[kattracks]

August 14, 2002 -- If Mayor Bloomberg's proposed smoking ban passes, European - and even American - tourists say they will bid adieu to the Big Apple.

"As a European and a foreigner, I was frequently made to feel I was a criminal, unwanted and some sort of a monster," said Briton Hamish Goodwin, who recently visited the city.

[The Raven]

The politicians tried throwing out the smokers in Copenhagen a number of years ago (something like 50% of Danes smoke). The voters responded by throwing out the politicians instead. Now you can smoke - even in airports - right up to the gate.

[kattracks]

ping

[Darheel]

Non-smokers are stressed out by being wimps, and try to transfer that wimposity onto real Americans who choose to enjoy the short time they have to live in this current tyranical regime. Stress, of course, is the cause of all cancers.

[ccmay]

boo hoo hoo for the worthless drug addicts. weed head junkies deserve no sympathy and must be stamped out.

-ccm

[Prodigal Son]

What the heck is happening in the States? I shake my head when I read things like this- when I left, I never would have imagined it could get like this... Unreal. So, you can't even smoke outside anymore?

[kattracks]

Yeah, and the junk food addicts are next. Then maybe sugar addicts. Couch potatos will be driven from their lairs to attend mandatory gym sessions. And on and on.

Hey, it's all for our own good!

[Darheel]

Hatred for a plant that has led to this:

'boo hoo hoo for the worthless... add your own hated group here'.

Real Liberty has no meaning to philosophical and moral midgets like this Lib.

[Coeur de Lion]

I think it's a good thing. Screw all the health facists. If they wanna run around all "chicken little" fashion then I guess you have to allow it. I would personally prefer squashing the buggers and halfwits. As for second hand, smoke they definitely fit in the category of halfwits. Blow smoke in their face and if that doesn't choke them, well hell do the real thing!

[billhilly]

There is no voting block as large as smokers in this country. If they could only unite they would change all of this nonsense.

I smoked for about 50 years, and successfully quit in April of 2001, but I still get furious with the control freaks.

[I'm_With_Orwell]

It won't stop Bloominidiot, he's gone completely hysterical/obsessive over this issue.

How do these people manage to get past the GOP gatekeepers?

[Congressman Billybob]

If New York City would ban all card-carrying idiots -- all the voters for Hillary!, for instance, or all supporters of Al Sharpton -- all the other problems of the City from crime to bad schools, would become self-serving. But such an idea could never be presented because WHOEVER is in charge of NYC must be afraid of its idiot class at the polls.

Congressman Billybob

Click for latest column: "Good People, Naked People, People Who Are Wet and Wild."

Click for latest book: "to Restore Trust in America"

[grania]

I smoked for about 50 years, and successfully quit in April of 2001, but I still get furious with the control freaks

I smoked for 43 years, sucessfully quit in March of 2001, and get seriously disgusted with these health-board Nazis.

It makes no rational sense that they can tell a business owner that smoking can't be allowed in his own restaurant or bar.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

IF SMOKING GOES, SO DO WE, TOURISTS VOW

Yea for about 5 minutes just across the river to buy a pack of smokes !

[Leisler]

No doubt with your vast intellect, everything in the world with a little forced discipline, would be clean, hygienic and orderly.

[tomkat]

kiss my butt

bwahahaha ! !

[thoughtomator]

Until I learned of his anti-smoking fanaticism, I was very proud to have a mayor like Bloomberg. Now that he's shown an unacceptably repressive legislative agenda, he can kiss my ass. I'll swallow my pride and vote for the Democrat in the next mayoral election just to see him go. I'd rather have an honest enemy than a false friend.

[FenianOfEire]

Welcome (back) to Amoralca 2002... By chance, were you a safari guide in Africa(see "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross)? ;)

[Prodigal Son]

I'm not back yet...

I'm not sure I get the John Ross reference but I was in Africa for a little while.

But seriously, do people really come up to you on the street (where cars,buses and trucks are spewing CO out there tailpipes) and say "you're killing me?" if you're smoking? Is this for real? That's the most comical thing I've ever heard. If somebody came up to me and said that I'd probably say the same thing right back to 'em (while laughing of course) "No really, you're killing me!" (while bent over guffawing).

What the hell's gotten into people?

[Wolfie]

What the hell's gotten into people?

A pernicious and pervasive interest in what other people are putting into their bodies, fostered by a government which has promoted a Prohibitionist mentality for the past 60 odd years. You didn't think it wouldn't spread, did you?