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"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Dr. Hunter S. Thompson  "It's a tough job, but somebody has to do it." David Stanowski To find older articles; use Search or Site Map |
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Tuesday 10 October 2006 The Non-Smoking Gestapo! A few months ago, The Blog made the case that smoking bans, in any privately-owned business, were blatantly unconstitutional, and that they were not being supported by "the people", but rather by the pharmaceutical industry, using the cover of such groups as the American Cancer Society, and the Sierra Club. Their cover groups hoped to gain even more power to dictate public policy, and the drug companies have a long-term plan to force smokers to give up cigarettes in favor of their smokeless nicotine delivery systems. Power and money are the motives behind this movement; not public health! Fortunately, the Galveston City Council voted down a smoking ban, in this city, but with the money that the drug companies hope to make, someday, with their smokeless products, this issue will NOT go away! A smoking ban did recently pass in Beaumont, which had an immediate negative effect on the bar and club business, and there is new effort to pass a ban in Houston. A smoking ban did pass, in May of 2005, in The People's Republic of Austin, but it has been difficult to assess the effect of the new law in this Socialist Worker's Paradise. Recent events in Austin reveal why this is the case. The Austin ordinance calls for bar owners to post no-smoking signs, and remove ashtrays. If people are caught smoking, the bar owner will be cited, and fined. Since most owners hope to save their businesses, by not driving customers away with this blatant nonsense, many just hand out plastic cups, filled with water, as ashtrays, and look the other way. In addition, since the ban does not apply to outdoor patio areas, between the ability to move patrons outside, or provide them with ashtray substitutes, most bars have been able to stay open; but this is because most smoking in bars has not stopped!! Some have not been so lucky. Lovejoy's Tap Room is one of those who is closing due to this foolishness! When the ordinance was first passed, several bar owners joined together to sue the city over the unconstitutionality of the law, and the vagueness of the enforcement provisions. Since it has been in effect, there have been 95 notices of violation cited, and 10 criminal complaints against bars, but after last week's court ruling, the focus will shift to bar patrons. The court ruled that bar owners should not have to "enforce" the smoking ban against their own customers, so from now on, when a patron violates the ban, the customer should be the one cited and fined $500. The prospect of the police fining smokers, in bars, should be a big boost to the bar business!! Stay tuned for more fun from the People's Republic of Austin!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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