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Rantings of a Sandmonkey

Be forewarned: The writer of this blog is an extremely cynical, snarky, pro-US, secular, libertarian, disgruntled sandmonkey. If this is your cup of tea, please enjoy your stay here. If not, please sod off

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

My Heros in Morgan County Indiana!

About time someone stood up to the Anti-smoking Nazis. The owners of a Morgan County restaurant are vowing not to ban smoking at the eatery despite the threat of a lawsuit for refusing to comply with the county's recently imposed smoking restrictions. The southern Indiana county's smoking ordinance that took effect in January requires restaurants that allow smoking to have separate rooms with separate heating and cooling systems. Bob Williams and Linda Dunigan, owners of Charlie's Drive-In Restaurant, have been fined $200 for refusing to comply with the ordinance. A note posted on the restaurant's door spells out their position. "This restaurant allows smoking. If this offends you, please feel free to visit one of our competitors," the sign reads. "If you choose to come in, then you enter at your own risk. Thank You." Naturally, the Heath board doesn't like their authority challanged, so they are suing the shit out of those people. The Morgan County Board of Health is poised to file a lawsuit against the restaurant's owners for noncompliance with the ordinance and refusing to pay the fine. but the people are fighting back! A jar on the restaurant's counter collects change for "attorney fees and fines for court to fight the smoking ban," according to a handwritten label. Regular customers at the restaurant say the ordinance limits their personal freedom. Butch Albertson, a 62-year-old retired factory worker, comes into Charlie's almost every morning, and doesn't mind smokers although he does not smoke himself. "I have been eating with these people for years," he said. "I have a right to come in here, or to leave if I want to if the smoke bothers me. I don't think they have a right to tell people they can't sit in here and have a meal because they smoke." Makes sense , no? Look, I am not for lung cancer nor do i get paid by the Big Tobacco companies; I am just a person who recognizes that people should have the right to smoke in certain areas if they feel like it. I have seen this happen in Masschusetts and no one liked it. It started in Boston, and immedietly everyone stoped going to Boston Bars and went to the ones in Allston and Somerville, which caused an outcry amongst the Boston Bar owners, and forced the City to lobby the state to make a state-wide ban of smoking in bars to "level the playing field". Once that got enacted, everyone started going to bars in New Hampshire and Rhode Island during the winter or just mostly stayed at home, and now Boston bars suffer from lack of revenues because of that darconian law that was supposidly enacted to protect the health of Bar employees. Well, I hate to say this because it's so basic, but you know, those employees have a choice not to work there! It's not like they don't know they will be around smoking people- it's a freakin bar. They can work for a restaurant or a seven eleven or something. But they chose to work in a bar because it pays better. Well, that better pay comes with a price, and if you are not willing to pay it, then don't freakin work there. Right? This is all very stupid. What's next? No drinking? No dancing? or maybe no talking? Next thing you know we will be going to libraries for a good time. I am glad this kind of crap doesn't fly in Egypt and i am glad that those people in Indiana chose to take a stand against the "Health Board" and told them to get bent. Someone needed to put those people in check and hopefully more will follow.

2 Comments:

At 7/13/2005 03:45:00 PM, Blogger Doubting Thomas 65 said...

Only someone who hasn't had cancer can have this attitude. Have something growing inside you sometime sandmonkey, and see how you feel about class one carcinogens floating through the damned air into you...

 
At 7/13/2005 09:30:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree that it should be up to the bar owners. If you are afraid of the smoke, go to a restaurant that is for non-smokers.

It's the individual who puts up the money, takes the risks of running a business that get to decide who they want to serve.

 

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