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In 27 years of toiling behind the bar, Jean Dilworth says the smell of cooking has always overpowered the scent of cigarettes at her Brass Rail Tavern.
“I smell like chicken when I go home,” she says.
A non-smoker herself, the warm, genial barkeep says she doesn’t mind her patrons lighting up when they stop in for a beer and friendly banter. That doesn’t mean she won’t do her best to enforce the statewide smoking ban when it goes into effect Jan. 1.
“If they want to light up,” she says, “I’ll tell them it’s against the law and they can’t do it in here.”
That doesn’t mean Dilworth is crazy about the new state-mandated restriction.
“I really feel I should have the option to say ‘yay’ or ‘nay,’ ” she says.
Although he says he wants to quit smoking, new Brass Rail bartender Chris Corn agrees with his boss.
“Smoking goes with drinking, and vice-versa,” he says. “There shouldn’t be a statewide mandate. It should be up to the owners.”
The Brass Rail, which has served as a venerable downtown Troutdale watering hole since the 1930s, is the quintessential “smoky bar” of countless story and song. The comfy establishment offers all the amenities one expects from the proverbial American “beer joint” – pool table, video poker machines, whimsical, off-color signs, and a line of giant jars containing pickled snacks.
About six years ago, Dilworth invested $900 apiece for two ceiling-mounted air purifiers. Given the number of patrons smoking on a Thursday afternoon, they seemed to be reasonably effective.
“I had Smoke Eaters before,” she says. “They do a good job.”
Dilworth admits she hasn’t been informed about technicalities of the new law, but she understands patrons will be allowed to smoke 10 feet from a bar entrance. She plans to put a portable propane heater at the far end of the beer garden out back to accommodate smoker holdouts.
She’s not sure how the ban might affect business.
“I’ve heard a lot of comments saying I’m gonna lose a lot of customers,” she says. “That might happen at first, but I think they’ll come back.”
Laura Warwick, a waitress and bartender at the M & M Lounge in downtown Gresham, expresses ambivalence about the upcoming ban.
“I’ll be glad to see it,” she says. “For me, there’ll be no excuse not to quit smoking. Customer-wise, I hate it, because there’s no need for people to come to our bar anymore.”
The M & M, Warwick says, has attracted smokers from Washington state since bar smoking was banned across the Columbia River.
“It’s gonna hurt them,” she says, adding that non-smokers “just accept” those who do – and gravitate toward the door. “I haven’t run into any staunch anti-smokers here.”
Bartender Danny Cranford was initially opposed to the ban, but came around the more he thought about it.
“There’s a good side in that it forces people to be good,” he says. “It will help make me cut back.”
Down the street from the M & M’s meat-and-potatoes environs, the Elbo Room’s stylish basement lounge offers a sweet-smelling alternative. It’s been a smoke-free since it opened three years ago.
Bartender Kristen Sherry says she looks forward to the smoking ban. She’s convinced it will bring back those who left the nightlife behind in favor of fresh-smelling clothes.
“I know a lot of non-smokers who will enjoy it,” she says. “I’m hoping it will bring more people out — people who don’t want to come home smelling like smoke.”
Sherry sees nothing wrong with smokers stepping outside to indulge their habit. Plus, she says, it’s time for a change.
“If anything, they can go out for a smoke and come right back in,” she says. “Personally, I think this law is a long-time comin.’”
— Shannon O. Wells
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Can you imagine how disgusting that harmonica must be?
And yeah, smoking is an addiction, even though the tobacco companies vehemently deny it.
The law is long overdue.
(email verified)
Sat, Nov 01, 2008 at 07:37 PM
If non-smokers want clean air so bad, why don't they go outside, they can have all the smoke free air they want. Next, they'll want to ban cars because they smoke too!
Puff puff puff that cigarette............
(email verified)
Sat, Nov 01, 2008 at 11:06 PM
What is next???? A ban on public farting? Our politicians should be working on more important stuff and let the bars decide what they want to do . . . either be smoke free or permit smoking.
(email verified)
Sat, Nov 01, 2008 at 11:23 PM
Oh, no I can't go to a bar cause there are smokers there. Whine Whine Whine. There are plenty of places around town that cater to non smokers. But the non smokers want to be able to go wherever they want So they choose to make those of us who smoke go somewhere else. Why should non smokers get preferential treatment? I know Majority rules and all that but I mean just because you CAN do something (like pass a law baning smoking in bars) doesn't mean that it is right.
This is about freedom of choice.
And c'mon Seriously? Complaining about your clothes smelling after being in a bar? Did ya really plan on wearing those clothes again without washing them? If so I think smoke smell would be the least of your worries.
The really funny thing is, Those same people whining about cigarette smoke and health are usually the ones that drive up in the big fat SUV. I wonder what puts out more damage? My cigarette or your SUV?
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 01:04 AM
It's about time! Oregonians are always bragging about how forward thinking we are, but everyone is still puffing away like it's the 1950's. Smoking is horrible for the smoker and other people who have to inhale it as well. Why should I have to inhale your carcinogens while I walk down the street or wait for a bus or enter or leave a building? I can't wait until no one can smoke anywhere. There is no such thing as a polite smoker! You smokers have no idea how disgusting that stuff smells. Trust me, once it's illegial and you're off it, you're going to thank everyone who passed these laws and got you off smoking. It's going to save you money and your health.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 01:53 AM
Every smoker is responsible for allowing their elected officials to trivialize them. My suggestion would be for allow of you to vote for the other guy, when you become a voting block, you become a group worth listening to. Until then, you just smell bad.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 05:03 AM
Smokers, I don't want to breathe your poison. If you want to kill yourself and die a death that is horrible, (i've seen it twice, in my mother and mother-in-law)then, why should I and the servers have to. It is an addiction or why would anyone care? It should be banned in public places because smokers are infringing on my rights. No, I don't like exhaust fumes either. Hopefully our children's futures won't have to deal with that either.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 07:17 AM
I used to have fun going to bars and just playing pool. I had to stop because of cigarette smoke and it makes me sick. Is it fair that I can't go to these places because of smoke? I thought a bar was to have a drink, play pool with friends, not go home smelling like an ashtray and have to wash my clothes and you think its no big deal but I even have to take a shower and wash my hair before going to bed because I can't sleep smelling that smoke in my hair. If anything permeated your clothes and hair and make you smell like this you wouldn't like it either. But smokers are used to their crappy smell so they don't notice it. When you get home at 11pm and all you want to do is go to sleep but it takes you 30 minutes to get the smell out, who really pays here....the non smoker!
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 07:43 AM
Smokers have only their vote as a weapon against the nannies. VOTE AGAINST ALL SPENDING MEASURES FOREVER.
VASAM
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 08:45 AM
doesn't it make more sense if smokers smoked indoors.
if everybody smoked outdoors, then the non-smokers would have nowhere to go to get away from the smell. the non-smokers would be trapped indoors to avoid the smoke and smell, until they walked outside where all the smokers are.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 08:46 AM
"to non smokey the whiner. if you don't like it then DON'T GO, or find a NON SMOKING BAR. as the article says there are quite a few here in portland, you HAVE A CHOICE. but you fell that it is right to take that choice away from somebody else because you don't like what they do. So you force ME outside so you can stay inside in comfort. See now I DON'T have a choice. I can't go ANYWHERE to smoke inside.
And as for the I am assuming Bartender since they said \"I and the Servers\" but didn't put a name. Any bartender who complians about smoke working in a bar is like a stripper complaining that men treat them like sex objects on stage. DUH!!
Did you not KNOW that there would be smoking in the bar when you applied for the job? Are you that retarded? Nobody put a gun to your head and made you apply there if you don't like smokers DO SOMETHING ELSE. Don't apply for a job where something you hate goes on.
Hell, I don't like kids, so you don't see me getting a job as a teacher. WHY? BECAUSE THERE ARE KIDS THERE!!!
Get a clue, go get another job and stop the whining.
Listen non smokers, your rights end where mine begin. Right now, you have choices of where to go, There ARE nonsmoking bars here in Portland. But after the first there will be NO bars where you can smoke in Oregon. That means that I no longer have a choice of whee to go. Thanks for taking away one of my freedoms.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 08:50 AM
I have the answer to smoking bans, and it's so simple, so straight forward I can promise you the brain trust running our political system will never give it a second thought.
Allow the market to decide and offer "protection" at the same time. Require establishments that allow smoking to post a "SMOKING ALLOWED" sign on the front door. Heck, make it a scary red sign. Allow, but not require non-smoking establishments to post a "NO SMOKING" sign. Make it pretty forest green. Now, I can assure you that if the green sign businesses are profiting and the red sign businesses are floundering, the owners will make the financially prudent choice.
Here in the 'Couv, we have one of the most restrictive anti-smoking laws in the country. You can't smoke in cigar stores, nor smoking lounges anymore. And, you can't smoke within 25' of an entrance to a business, or air intake for that business. As I cigar smoker, I used to enjoy the conversation and discussion in the cigar store and would often try something new while I was there. No more. Why you'd even WANT to regulate smoking in a smoke shop seems a bit odd; feels like a full blown nanny state move to me.
I realize that the OR measure allows for some exceptions, but it's still an intrusive, annoying, unnecessary law. While I respect non smokers and would never light up where folks object, they should return the favor and respect established "smoking allowed" places.
Perhaps Billy Connoly said it best; "....if she's sensitive to smoke, what's she doing in the f@#king bar..??..."
To the anti smokers, I'd suggest that YOUR favorite vice will be next. Count on it.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 09:24 AM
Next will be to eliminate drinking in bars because it's a health risk and offends the non-drinking patrons.
Sound funny...?? Just wait......
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 09:29 AM
Certain human beings are genetically inclined to be more easily addicted to substances than others. It's obvious anytime that you go to a bar, that those addicted to alcohol are more often than not also addicted to nicotine (Cigaretts), and those that are addicted to alcohol and nicotine, often move often to even more dangerous addictions (drugs). I don't want to hang around addicts and their drugs, so I avoid bars. With the new law coming into force on January 1st, I might actually go to a bar for the first time in many years.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 09:45 AM
What a joke! If an establishment doesn't want people to smoke inside they post "NO SMOKING" signs, and they don't provide ashtrays. But those losers in Salem seem to think that the general population is too dumb for that, so they have to pass a law that WE THE PEOPLE never had a chance to vote on. I really don't care because I can go to the grocery store and buy a 6-pack for the price of one beer in a bar, and I don't have to tip the checker! I'll bet this really hurts the lottery revenues more than anything else. How many times have you seen a gambler sitting at a video lottery machine without a lit cigarette while they give their money to the State! What's next, helmets and firesuits required to operate or ride in or on anything with wheels???
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Did you not KNOW that there would be smoking in the bar when you applied for the job?
Is there some reason you think people should be required to choose between a job and endangering their health?
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Plain and simple. Its done for the health of all.... How hard is it to step outside and drink your beer AND smoke your thing of choice? Would you avoid going to a friend or relatives house if they didnt allow smoking inside? NO, you would smoke outside!! DUH!!
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 10:49 AM
"Is there some reason you think people should be required to choose between a job and endangering their health?"
...is there some reason that working in a bar is the only job you can find? I'd think there are many, many options if you'd take the time to look....
Just saying.....
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Thank God I will finally be able to walk into an Oregon bar of my choice without being assaulted by a wall of reeking carcinogens! To all smokers and bar owners who complain about the law; there's plenty of beer-loving folks like me who would just as soon smell your farts than be forced to inhale the smoke from your miniature exhaust pipes.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 11:51 AM
I agree that this law is long over due. This is an addiction by choice and it should not be other people's problem. The smokers should all show some consideration and/or quit.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 01:24 PM
I would much rather have people smoke inside than to pollute the good air outside.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 03:27 PM
Smokers are a disgusting, immoral lot. I hope that we can lock them up in prisons if they violate the ban. I would advocate their beheading, if I didn't know that those liberal Clinton-appointees would call that "cruel and unusual" punishment.
McCain 2008. Death to Smokers 2009.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 04:45 PM
"I'd think there are many, many options if you'd take the time to look..."
What does that have to do with anything? Someone has to serve the drinks. People who have had to make a choice, their health or the job. Some people chose the job. Now they don't have to make that choice - they can have both the job and their health. And their employer doesn't have to choose between their employee's health and losing customers to their competitors.
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 05:10 PM
I'm going to go into my favorite tavern and shoot my gun into the air. After all, there's only a CHANCE that someone will be injured or killed by a flying bullet. Buncha whiners - it's (my!) free choice, dammit!
(email verified)
Sun, Nov 02, 2008 at 06:00 PM
Mixed in among the poor-me whimpering in these letters is some cogent social reasoning. The same reasoning applies to heroin use. It should be illegal to make a law controlling what one does with one's body. Oh, it's Constitutional law, you say?
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 06:45 AM
And I am looking forward to hearing some good music at the M&M again without smoking 2 packs of cigarettes in a night by breathing in everyone else's nasty habit!!!! YEA!
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 07:35 AM
Patrick Green, who doesn’t smoke, doesn’t mind if you do.
“It’s a stupid idea,” he says of the ban. “If people don’t like (smoke) they should go somewhere else.”
Let me tell you something Mr. Green. I love music, but I have quit going anywhere where smoking is allowed. Why? I was diagnosed with tongue cancer 5 years ago. The doctors called it smokers cancer. But the odd thing is, I have NEVER smoked or chewed a day in my life. Smoking disgusts me. And as someone elier posted, there is no such thing as a polite smoker. Smoking isnt a right you may think you have, its an addiction youve started and cant get off of. For that I feel sorry for you. But in a public place, you have no right to put my life in danger by this cruddy addiction that will one day make you wish you didntr smoke in the first place.
So put that in your pipe and smoke it.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 08:02 AM
I'm so happy. Smokers are some of the rudest people I have ever come across. For once I'd like to go dancing and not have to hack on smoke!! Another problem is how the fkers stand outside doors and as we wallk out we have to walk through clouds of smoke. Don't they know how funky they smell and how those of us who are civilized like to smell fresh???? Smokers are people with no class, even if they have money. period
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 08:21 AM
C'mon people, WAKE UP!!
This law is for THE GREATER GOOD!
It is a given that the needs of the majority trump the needs of the minority, so it pleases me no end that the majority of clear-thinking, clean-breathing Oregonians have put their feet down on this vile habit and the troats of the shrinking minority of selfish smokers.
I agree with the comment that the serving of alcohol should also be banned for the greater good. As should the serving of fatty foods like meat.
Meat is indeed murder, and the majority of correct-thinking Oregonians will effect a ban on bloody death on a plate soon enough.
Paradise is but a vote away, so vote to ban what is wrong for the sake of what is right and good for the majority of people.
Remember, for those who can't begin to live correctly on their own, government can, and will, assist them in getting on a better path.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 09:44 AM
OH Ira.. yawn.. you are totally going off subject. If smoking only bothered you I would be so fine with that. If folks want to make that decision go for it.. but when you are affecting ME! FORGET IT DUDE! It's the commons.. get used to it! I have my rights too.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 10:04 AM
"Meat is indeed murder, and the majority of correct-thinking Oregonians will effect a ban on bloody death on a plate soon enough."
Thank you for putting the stupidest comment possible on the board. First of all eating meat has nothing to do with smoking. Smokers are the minority, and hence have to be subject to what the majority tellls them to do. Omnivores on the other hand are not a minority. They are a vast majority. Humans are not the only species who eat other animals. We are the only species who smokes tobacco. Should we stop all other omnivorous or carnivorous species from eating meat? Do you have a pet? A dog? A Cat, maybe. What do you feed it? Salad? I bet it is a really healthy animal.
You are ridiculous.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Smokers: Try Chantix. It really works.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Hypocrates, Hypocrates, everybodies a Hypocrate,
it's ok to do this but don't do that!!
why are some habits legal and others aren't???
either ban it ALL, or legalize it ALL. including alcohol. it makes no difference to me, just make up your mind now! and stick to it so people will eventually get use to it
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 01:00 PM
"Jen"
You are a dear. I cant agree with you more. If smokers really cared about being around others that didnt smoke, they wouldnt smoke themselves. Its just vulgar, disgusting, and makes you smell cheap. Yep, you guessed it. Im a conservative. I dont believe it is my right to do anything that invades the privacy of others in public places.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 01:17 PM
Ira and Tax apyer,
Rhetorical Question, If it were "for the greater good" and/or smokers are the minority, why couldn't you get it on the ballot and pass a ban legitimately?
Cancer Free,
Obviously smoking had nothing to do with your cancer since you admitted you never smoked. The fact is many people smoke their whole life and never get cancer. It's genetics stupid. I guess if you need to blame someone for you're lot in life blame your parents.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 01:55 PM
What happened to America Land of the Free? I'm a non-smoker & I believe this ban is un-American. Smoking is legal so, how is it wrong to smoke in public? The establishment should make the choice of smoking or non. If they want to allow smoking, they should just pay a county permit to allow smoking. It is wrong to take any of our freedoms away - especially when we didn't even vote this smoking ban in. It is just another way for the government to have more control. I believe it is wrong to give any of our freedoms up. There is a woman's right to choose. Since smoking is legal, how is it wrong to have a smoker's right to choose?
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 02:30 PM
"Slap"
Go pound sand you (^%$. My parents never smoked either. I got my cancer from Agent Orange you (&^%, something I doubt you have no )&*^ing idea what that is. I got it from being in a war that wasnt popular, but one that made it easy for your mom and dad to puff a few tokes and conceive your lazy ass. Go lay by your dish and bark at the moon. "slap this you %^&*.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 03:03 PM
WOW.. I seriously had no idea there were so many people who lived in denial.. oh wait.. slap me silly.. of course there are.. they are called smokers.. hello..
In the meantime, I am looking forward to being able to hit the bars and go dancing and enjoying the bar food and not having to come home and burn my clothes and shower for 2 hours afterwards and not wake up coughing my lungs out!!! YEA!
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 03:30 PM
why couldn't you get it on the ballot and pass a ban legitimately?
What isn't legitimate about the legislature legislating?
Smoking is legal so, how is it wrong to smoke in public?
Smoking is now illegal in most indoor areas where it would effect others. Isn't that the point?
What happened to America Land of the Free?
Its now a little more free for people who want to be free of second-hand smoke.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 05:09 PM
Freedom of choice is important, for smokers and non-smokers alike. Having enough rope to hang oneself is an essential component of natural selection we have attempted to legislate away. The owners of private establishments should have the right to decides if their place of business allows smoking or not. As a non-smoker I understand that to avoid smoking/smokers I may have to avoid certain places. But as a non-smoker I don’t believe that I should be forced to have smokers in my health insurance pool. I understand that smokers already pay higher premiums, but what I am proposing is far more drastic. Smokers should be placed in a single health insurance pool together. The combined cost of their health care should be distributed amongst themselves. Uninsured smokers should not be treated for smoking-related illnesses. I don’t smoke because of the potential consequences. You, my friend, should be allowed to smoke, but are not entitled to protection from the consequences of your choice.
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 05:13 PM
Hey! why don't I ever get a response from people when I say "Ban it all or legalize it all" is everybody afraid that eventually what will be taken away is something you like?......
my point is why do people concentrate on only one vise, when there are so many....why not totally ban everything, including alcohol!!!!!
(email verified)
Mon, Nov 03, 2008 at 06:39 PM
"The owners of private establishments should have the right to decides if their place of business allows smoking or not."
Why? Bar owners are operating a public business, not a "private" establishment. Do they have a choice as to decide whether they will maintain other health standards? Its now clear that exposure to second-hand smoke has serious health consequences for both employees and customers.
"I would like an answer"
You've received one, several times.
(email verified)
Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 06:03 AM
While folks may not like the smell, there is real and valid debate in the scientific community as to what the 'real' danger, if it exists at all. Second hand smoke may be nothing more than an annoyance.
"Bull@#it. No way. It's been proven. Use common sense...."
Truth is that it hasn't been "proven" and the question of it's harm or lack thereof is still a question mark.
Read this with an open mind, note the cited references, and give it some thought:
http://www.joejackson.com/pdf/5smokingpdf_jj_smoke_lies.pdf
(email verified)
Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 07:07 AM
I smoke because it makes me look cool.
If I don't look cool at da club, how am I gonna find chix who dig me?
(email verified)
Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 07:54 AM
Alright smokers, here you go. Here's some therapy.
Cry. Let it out. It's okay. We understand. You'll survive. There'll always be a smoking area right outside the establishment. You'll be alright. Just let it out. Rage as much as you need to.
And then shut the hell up and let the rest of us enjoy the bars too.
Ex-smoker.
(email verified)
Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 08:20 AM
Rather than reading "Joe the Smoker", here are some actual factual resources:
http://www.lungusa.org/site/c.dvLUK9O0E/b.35422/
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/ETS
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/secondhand_smoke/secondhandsmoke.htm
That last link, from the Center for Disease Control sums it up perfectly:
"Secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults."
(email verified)
Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 09:09 AM
Just like you choose to smoke, you choose to go into a smoke filled bar whether you smoke or not. I am a non smoker and while I'm grateful they banned smoking from with in 25 feet of public entrances, I don't think it's right to force it upon places that people go to unwind (like the bar) because you have a choice to go in there or not go in there. I agree with the poster who suggested signs out front stating whether it's a smoking or non smoking establishment, then take your pick.
(email verified)
Tue, Nov 04, 2008 at 01:08 PM
"Just like you choose to smoke, you choose to go into a smoke filled bar whether you smoke or not."
Again, people shouldn't have to choose between their job and their health. Businesses shouldn't have to choose between their employees (or customers) health and staying competitive.
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 05, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Let's face it. Smokers are cooler than non-smokers. Name one jazz musician, rocker or any artist worth listening to who didn't smoke. With smoking cats we got everything from Monterey Pop and the Newport Jazz Festival to Woodstock and Live Aid. Hmmm, non-smokers gave us what, the Lilith Fair?
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 05, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Stupidity is also a human trait and we'd all be better off is the brian trust in Salem and Olympia (as well as other state capitals) would ban stupidity. That way, we who value the right to chose our own way of life won't have to be subjected to imbecilic dolts like "Joe", "Ami", "Ex-Smoker" and their whiny, knee-jerk, bleeding-heart, uber-liberal Democrat Party brethren, who prove on a daily basis that their collective stupidity is surpassed ONLY by their incredible and mind numbing intellectual dishonesty.
Stop telling me what's best for me. I can take care of myself and don't need some sniveling wimp to do it for me.
My condolences to the bar owners who've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears, as well as probably hundreds of thousands of dollars into building their business only to have some weak-kneed, skirt wearing, liberal Democrat Suzie boy congressman telling them what to do.
But sadly, this is only the beginning now that the "Messiah", Muhammad Obama has been elected and will now take us all to the "promised land" as, well, "promised". It's the cornerstone of the "we know better than you do about your own life" Democrat Party and now that Washington D.C. is going to be under choke-hold for the next four years under their "leadership" get ready to have more and more of your CIVIL LIBERTIES yanked away from you, because after all, you're all too stupid to know how to live your own lives the way you want to.
Of course, the one saving grace to their majority is that after their four years are up and the rest of the common sense thinking Americans see what they have wrought, they, being the Democrat Party, will not see another congressional majority, nor the office of the Presidency, for at least the next 50 years, so enjoy your four years "Joe", "Ami", et. al, because you won't see it again in your lifetimes.
GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE TRUE PATRIOTS WHO LIVE UNDER HER BANNER OF FREEDOM!!!!
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 05, 2008 at 05:13 PM
Just Saying,
I'm sorry but people DO have a CHOICE about where they will work. If you choose to work in a smoke filled bar then you have doomed yourself, not the smokers. Take your little quotation marks and smoke 'em, you just missed the point. If you CHOOSE to go into a smoke filled bar, or visit a smoking friend's house or work in a place where smoking is allowed then THAT'S YOUR CHOICE, no one forced that upon you. Move to the mountain where the air is fresh and clean all the time and stop blaming other people for your problems.
(email verified)
Wed, Nov 05, 2008 at 05:47 PM
"I'm sorry but people DO have a CHOICE about where they will work."
Sure they do, but why should they have to choose between a job and their health. I don't think we would let a smoker's choice to smoke trump someone's choice of employment.
"Move to the mountain where the air is fresh and clean all the time and stop blaming other people for your problems."
Apparently you think you can blow smoke in someone's face and say "that's my choice" and they should move if they don't like it.
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 06, 2008 at 11:25 AM
Like a lot of the smokers say, it is their right to smoke a known cause of heart and lung problems! If they want their "right" without trying to kill the rest of us why not use the Old American brain and invent a helmet they can wear that does not let the smoke escape. Keeping it in there with them would also allow them to fully absorb all of the tar and other healthy gases. Be sure too that you stay away from publicly funded health care when smoking begins to kill you, because the nasty non-smokers shouldn't pay for what was your choice. Maybe the tobacco company will pay for your terminal care!
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 06, 2008 at 01:36 PM
Sounds like Michael is having a hard day accepting the will of the majority. Hope you have a fun four years or more likely eight years! You might want to move to Alaska where Todd and Sarah are thinking about "going rogue" and setting out on their own, till the tax money from the rest of us quits flowing up there.
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 06, 2008 at 01:44 PM
Just Saying,
I think you obviously have the type of personality that never accepts responsibility in your OWN actions and consequences. I'm not even a smoker but even I can see the lack of logic in your thinking. I have never known a smoker who just sits and blows smoke in anyone's face and expects them to deal with it. If you see some one smoking or if you see an establishment that allows smoking then move your body in another direction. People have the right to smoke if they want, one bad habit deserves another, the fumes from your car made me sick today, so get off the road. And if you;re really THAT concerned about your health and second hand smoke then DON'T apply where smoking is allowed!!! DUH! (unless you're one of those types looking for another reason to sue and get paid for poor decisions YOU made)
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 06, 2008 at 02:12 PM
Michael, that email was pretty much poster board material for the 26% of folks who still think Bush is doing a good job. As for skirts, just because you aren't comfortable with your sexuality, doesn't mean you need to question others. As for me, I'm an Independent. I don't need the security of a party to help me make decisions. I use this thing called a brain. Check the spelling on that by the way. B R A I N
Anyways, I can't wait to see people like you crying over your cigarettes outside.
And for the rest of you, it takes all of 2 mins to smoke a fricking cigarette, then you'll be back inside with even more people than usual. Won't that improve the income of the bars? Do all of you smokers really intend to drink at home only? If so, really you are the ones removing the income. When I go to bars, I do it because I want a drink. You know, what they sell there?
See my previous post, let it out, and then...
Ex smoker.
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 06, 2008 at 05:29 PM
Poor Michael, the next EIGHT Glorious Years will either be a torture for him without his Chimperor to worship, or, a delight if he gets with the program, wipes the tar and nicotine from his eyes and realizes that Obama will usher in a new era of change in America.
Why should Michael be so resistant to improving his health and becoming a better person? It's just a matter of putting down a vile habit and getting his mind right.
The ban on smoking is but a first step in improving lifestyles for all, increasing collective health and increased productivity in the workplace.
Hey Yellowteeth, you don't need those smokes. Fatty doesn't need those steaks and hamburgers. Lazy doesn't need to drive his Escalade down to the corner to get a jug of milk.
Back away from those Camels and Whoppers, get rid of your piggish gas guzzlers and go for a run.
I cheer for a gloriously Blue Oregon, always in the forefront where what is for the greater good is encouraged and what is bad for the citizenry is banned...thus serving as a motivator to do what is best as deemed by a wise, informed majority.
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 06, 2008 at 06:12 PM
"I have never known a smoker who just sits and blows smoke in anyone's face and expects them to deal with it."
Isn't that what someone who smokes in a bar is doing?
"If you see some one smoking or if you see an establishment that allows smoking then move your body in another direction. People have the right to smoke if they want."
You seem to think that smokers should be able to smoke wherever they want and its the responsibility of everyone else to get out of their way if they don't want their health damaged.
(email verified)
Thu, Nov 06, 2008 at 07:00 PM
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Re: Smokers say: Ban’s a Drag
Smoking is an addiction not a choice. The state doesn't allow heroin dens why should they allow smokers dens. Why is it human nature to be so self destructive?
"Joe"
(email verified)
Sat, Nov 01, 2008 at 10:46 AM