Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em

OK, I'm about to do something that's a real rarity for me. I'm about to make a political statement. No, not about Iraq or anything like that... I admit it, I have trouble forming opinions on the really big things. No, we're talking local politics here.

The thing is, Socorro, NM, where I live, is considering passing an ordinance banning smoking from public places, including bars and restaurants. There's a lot of public support for this, from nonsmokers and health officials and People Who Think of the Children. And, needless to say, there's also a fair amount of opposition, particularly from bar and restaurant owners. (Also from people who simply think that the ban should be put up for a public vote rather than decided on by the City Council, but that's a slightly different issue.)

Anyway, the thing is, I was in my favorite all-night diner[*] tonight, eating "lunch," and I noticed they had a petition up at the front counter protesting the proposed smoking ban. (Understandable, since said restuarant has not only a large smoking section, but also a bar/lounge where smoking is currently permitted.) I signed it.

Now, those of you who know my opinions on smoking are probably pretty surprised by that. I make no secret of it: I hate smoking. I think it's a fithy, nasty habit, and I can't for the life of me understand why anybody would want to take up in the first place. I dislike being around cigarrette smoke, and I won't allow it in my house or my car. Hell, my parents both smoked when I was young, and, while I don't have any solid scientific evidence, I'm inclined to blame that fact, at least in part, for my life-long history of respiratory problems. I. Don't. Like. Smoking. So, personally, I only stand to benefit from a city-wide smoking ban.

But the principle of the thing is another matter altogether.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all in favor of banning smoking in government-owned buildings, and in places where people don't have a great deal of choice about going: airports, bus stations, hospitals, the County Courthouse, whatever. I'm 100% for that. But restaurants and bars aren't really public places in the same sense those kinds of places are, and I honestly think it should be up to the proprietor to decide whether to allow smoking in his establishment, in the same way that it's my decision whether to allow it in my home. People who don't want to be around smoking don't have to go there. I see no reason why smokers shouldn't have places where they can gather and smoke to their hearts' content, as long as nobody's forcing me to go in there and breathe it. You want to stand around and pollute each other's lungs, who am I to say you nay? It's a free country. You have the right.

Or rather, I figure you should have the right. Which is why I signed the petition.

And that's my political statement for, oh, the next six months, at least.


[*] It's my favorite in large part because it's the only all-night diner in Socorro besides -- ugh! -- Denny's, but also because it's fairly cheap, the food's decent, and the service is good. Hey, what more can you ask for?