Ladies and Gentlemen, Don't light your butts here...

With the world going through the War on Terrorism, it is very easy to forget the fights where citizen activism can make a difference. No, this isn't another article about the War on Terrorism, however this is another article about your individual rights and freedoms. For all you smokers out there, BEWARE!!! You are soon NOT going to be allowed to smoke in restaurants, bars, and maybe even your own HOME!!!

One thing to be clear about, I do not smoke. I don't like the smell and to live such a lifestyle means spending money on a substance that will harm me. I have 5 nieces and I would never want to subject them to such an environment hazardous to my health and theirs. However, because I made the choice to not smoke does NOT allow me to prevent somebody to fill their lungs with tar and smoke off a couple of years from their lifetime. Sure I will try to advise the younger generation to not smoke, but where my words stop is where their decision begins. Later in life, I do not want them to point the finger at me on how I didn't warn them the dangers of inhaling such substances.

Smoking bans have gained ground in many states. The People's Republic of California has imposed such bans on restaurants and bars. The problem is not the smoking in restaurants, but the problem resides in the advocation of these lobbyists to use the force of the Government to dictate which customers a business can accept. Frankly, if I owned a restaurant I would make it a "No Smoking Zone," I do NOT need the government to tell me what type of clients I can serve. It is up to private industry to enforce such a policy, not the Imperialistic Federal Government. This brings a question, what is the role of the Federal Government? Does the Federal Government exist to control the actions of its citizens through legislation? Sounds like a tyrannical government to me.