Armed gunmen steal pallets of cigarettes

Merced Sun-Star.com ^ | 17 December 2002 | Mike De La Cruz

[SheLion]

This is happening more every day. The government created a monster when they taxed cigarettes way out of site!

[SheLion]

Puff

[2banana]

People are acting just like when the US government banned alcohol during prohibition.

I will wager that within 12 months we will see lots of "smoking speak-easies" within the borders of cities that have banned smoking in public.

Prohibition (of booze) gave us organized/wealthy criminal organizations and gun control (both of which still plague us to this day). The damage did not stop until prohibition was repealed. At least the government back then respected the US Constitution enough to amend it to try it.

I predict the near prohibition of smoking will do far worse damage...

[mhking]

Why do I keep thinking of the opening sequence from "Beverly Hills Cop," where an undercover Eddie Murphy is trying to peddle a trailer full of stolen cigarettes when I read this?

[SheLion]

I will wager that within 12 months we will see lots of "smoking speak-easies" within the borders of cities that have banned smoking in public.

Your so right.

Do you mean these?

[Just another Joe]

And so it has started.
We will see more and more of this and in different ways.
I think I better start my tobacco plants NOW!

[SheLion]

Why do I keep thinking of the opening sequence from "Beverly Hills Cop," where an undercover Eddie Murphy is trying to peddle a trailer full of stolen cigarettes when I read this?

I saw that movie, but I can't remember that scene. hmmmm I must be losing it!

[Dead Corpse]

Shoot. the only response I can think of to this is, "I wonder if they will off-load any of those on E-Bay?"

Texas is pondering a $1 tax per pack increase. If they do, that will be when I either buy regularly off the internet, or start making trips to Mexico.

[facedown]

Not the best pic but the only one I could find quickly.

SheLion, remember the cop car chase where all the cop cars pile up in a huge crash? The Pointer Sisters are singing in the background?

[steve50]

Friend of mine just opened one of those gas/grocery one stops, they broke in and got stole 4 grand of smokes the first month. You can take more off these places than hitting a small bank.

[advocate10]

Here in south FL, there have been dozens of convenience store break-ins where only cigarettes by the case were stolen. Several of these burglaries were caught on tape and show folks breaking windows, going in and snatching up every cigarette they could find. Cig. tax here is not higher than elsewhere. A pack costs $3.50. It will be happening more as taxes rise.

[Wonder Warthog]

"People are acting just like when the US government banned alcohol during prohibition."

Ah, yes ---Prohibition II (or is it III (the War on Drugs then being Prohibition II)).

[Semaphore Heathcliffe]

Neutron Dance!

[Semaphore Heathcliffe]

The War on Cigarettes is going just as planned...

[facedown]

Neutron Dance!

We have a winner!

(Chorus:) And it's hard to say
Just how some things never change
And it's hard to find
Any strength to draw the line
I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance
I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance

[DeaconBenjamin]

The cigarettes are too bulky -- just take the stamps.

[MeekOneGOP]

[mvpel]

Hmmm... I thought the drug warriors said that the violent crime is caused by the drugs, not the War on Drugs.

[Redcloak]

Another test of memory: How many people remember the Soviets' propaganda reaction to Neutron Dance?