On the March in: Chicago
Smoke Nazis in the Chicago area rolled over the right of free association, when they forced attendees to the Chicagoland International Pipe and Tobacciana Show to go outside to smoke.
At the Chicagoland International Pipe & Tobacciana Show in St. Charles, IL, attendees have been told that, due to a statewide smoking ban that went into effect in January, they may not light up even though theirs is a private gathering of only willing participants. This, despite the fact that the conventioneers bent over backwards to try to reach an accommodation.
There was a time--years in the past--when one could volunteer for the American Cancer Society fund raisers without feeling like a fascist. Now, the ACS is one of the leading components of the Nanny State.
Mike Grady, the ACS's Illinois director of public policy, illustrated the Cancer Society's belief that they are on the side of right--and your rights be damned.
"This is the first time we've seen such a blatant attempt . . . to actually undermine the law through legal sophistry. We're very happy with the outcome. This is the perfect example that the law is being enforced."
Some officials are more insufferable than--cancer?
At least in Illinois, the smoking ban was passed by the legislature and signed by the governor. They can be held accountable for their actions in the next election.
In many locales, smoking bans are administered by Health Departments and Health Boards: groups of unelected officials who can write citations, levy fines and, in some cases, order jail time for offenders. In these cases, voters have no recourse.
Fascist Tactics
Writing on a different topic, Doan Boal did a paper that compared the tactics of the Nazis in Germany and the anti-gun movement in America. His paper examined the "comparison of Nazi propaganda techniques and those used by the powerful anti-firearms-ownership movement in America..."
Boal found more than a few similarities in tactics. He might well have been comparing the Smoke Nazis to the original ones.
Among the articles of faith for the Smoke Nazis are:
1- The belief that they are smarter than you.
2- They know what's best for each individual.
3- The free market of ideas and minds is too messy. Better that laws and regulations are passed and the punitive power of the state is applied to unbelievers.
4- They believe in the power of re-education.
5- They are frightened that people may make the wrong decisions if left to their own devices.
These were also some of the tactics used in Germany in the 1930s.
Anti-smoking officials and agents are part of the larger Politically Correct crowd: both are concerned with regulating behavior and thought.
People standing on the sideline lose whenever they allow the Smoke and Health Nazis to take away their neighbors' freedoms. They lose because their freedoms will likely be next.
Count on it. Ask yourself three simple question:
1 "If every last smoker in the USA quit today and never smoked again, would all of the overzealous public health officials harassing smokers, suddenly find meaning to their lives?"
2 "Or would they find another behavior to demonize, repress and regulate?"
3 "What are the next personal activities to be targeted by the Smoke/Health Nazis?"
Smoking, by some estimates, kills 434,000 people a year in the USA.
To paraphrase Emiliano Zapata, "I'd rather die--smoking, wheezing, coughing--on my feet than live on my knees."
Smoke Nazis are all about control.
If you're in doubt about the validity of the above statement, ask the convention goers at the Chicagoland International Pipe and Tobacciana Show.
by Mondoreb
image: RidesAPaleHorse
Sources:
* Tobacco, Tolerance and Truth
* Pipe Smokers Huff and puff over smoking ban
* The Anti-Tobacco Nazis
* HCI Tactics and Nazi Tactics
* blackrosebooks
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