The Road To Hell Is Paved With…

It’s certainly curious that when things are going okay,
i.e.: when there are no real problems to worry about, these neo-abolitionist
organizations seem to come out of the woodwork, and intensify their “anti-sin”
agendas. Or maybe it’s not curious at
all. I suppose these people have
nothing better to do when times are good than to stick their noses into the
private, completely legal, business of private citizens. It reminds me of a quote attributed to
German Pastor Martin Niemoller from the 1930’s.
“First they came for the socialists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me,
and there was no one left to speak for me.”
and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Now
before everyone gets his or her knickers in a twist, it’s an analogy! Clearly I’m not saying the extremely well
funded anti-smoker lobby, and their friends the Mayor and Calgary City Council
are National Socialists who are marching smokers to their deaths! Clearly this is NOT the case, but it doesn’t
make the analogy any less valid.
What
people don’t remember is where this all started. Back in 2002 the City of Calgary rammed through a by-law making
it illegal to smoke on the outdoor patio of a restaurant or bar, thus
pushing their own left wing, anti-freedom of choice, anti-smoker agenda on private business for the
first time, and starting a dangerous precedent. I thought this absurd at the time. Why stop people from smoking outside? Some of the mealy-mouthed excuses for banning smoking on pub patios had to do with the idea that “children” walking by might see someone on the patio smoking and suddenly be unable to control their urges to walk into a 7-11 and buy a pack of smokes. Even though it has been illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy tobacco products for years. Then a year later, after all the smokers had been driven inside by the anti-smoker by-law, the city made it illegal to smoke inside a
restaurant or bar, this time citing workplace employee health as the
reason. Very crafty of them actually
because who can argue that the health of servers and bartenders isn’t
important?
People
who know me know that although I am not a cigarette smoker, I do on occasion
enjoy a fine cigar in the relative privacy of my own back garden. I say “relative” because I live in a small,
semi-detached townhouse/condo with a four-foot fence, that’s less than fifteen meters from a City of Calgary off-leash park.
One of many, many, many places “youth might congregate.” If this new proposal is added to the already
brutal anti-smoker by-laws, and is allowed to get an “easy ride through
council” as Alderman Chabot says it will I might very well lose my right to
enjoy an occasional fine cigar on my own private property.
What’s
next I wonder? I suppose the
anti-drinker lobby could make a similar argument to the one the anti-smoker
lobby made and have the Council ban the legal consumption of alcoholic
beverages by persons over the age of 18 on a restaurant or pub patio, because
of the off chance that a child might witness the activity! Said child would of course be scared for
life, then not be able to control his, or herself head straight to the
closest liquor store only to be kicked out immediately for being under
age. But I guess these neo-abolitionists never think of things like "legal age restrictions," instead thinking that any four year old can just walk into a bar, light up a fag and order a shot of Jack Daniels. Will somebody please think about
the poor, defenceless children! If "the
kids" are the only reason nonsense like this gets pushed through Council, then
why not just enforce laws already on the books, such as carding anyone who
looks under 18? I guess the Calgary
City Council doesn’t think private business operators are smart enough to do
that, which I suppose is why all tobacconists have to have the windows to their
private businesses blacked out like a down-town row-house during the London
Blitz.
I
understand that some of you out there may not be smokers, but I cannot stress
enough that the FREEDOM to take pleasure in a LEGAL PRODUCT like a cigar,
cigarette, pipe, or chewing tobacco is in PERIL. It can’t be put any simpler than that, and if we don’t speak out
against this further attack on smokers, who then will be left to speak up when
the Calgary City Council gets around to taking away something you really do
care about?
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