A smoking gun? Not inside, it's not.

To all of you who smoke out there, I have a message:

Stop. It's bad for you.

Ok, that being said, I can now cheerfully acknowledge that you have been warned of the consequences of your actions, and have every right to continue to smoke as you please.

Unless, of course, I am the Decatur Alabama city council.

They have decided, in their lofty wisdom, that smoking shall not be permitted in public places.

To be more specific:

(from http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/070923/week.shtml)

On Oct. 1, Decatur will become the largest Alabama city to ban smoking in all public places, including bars, restaurants, outdoor sporting arenas, businesses with employees and enclosed spaces frequented by the public. Decatur is just the seventh city in Alabama to do so.

"Enclosed spaces frequented by the public" is vague enough to include just about anywhere short of a cow pasture or cotton field, so we can conclude that what really it boils down to is the ability to fine you if you are smoking, and they feel like it.

Apparently this bit of Orwellian small-town politics was proposed by councilman Ronny Russel, who claims he was forced to quit a job (unfortunately not his current one) because he was allergic to secondhand cigarette smoke. (I have also heard that it was because someone blew smoke on him in a restaurant, but cannot verify the accuracy of that statement)

I understand his affliction, given that I am also allergic to cigarette fumes. However, unlike him, I appreciate the liberty we enjoy as American citizens, and am rather in favor of expanding it in the face of government encroachment, as opposed to spearheading the assault on our freedoms.

If you want to smoke, you should be able to do so. For that matter, if you choose to chain smoke your way through as many packs a day as you can, go right ahead. It may not be an intelligent or healthy decision, but I don't recall the Constitution making that distinction.

I can only predict that the next step will be to ban seafood in Decatur, when one of the councilmen gets food poisoning from a bit of aged shrimp. And deus avertat they should choke on some barbecue, or we can say goodbye to Bob Gibson's and the best pork stuffed potatoes this side of heaven...

-Oak