Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Never Saw That Coming Part I
All along I thought the smoking bans inside was just the first step to a complete smoking ban by the anti-smokers. It has nothing to do with "second hand" smoke and everything to do with their hatred for smoking and smokers.
The next obvious step would be to ban smoking outdoors. Leading the way to this new enlightened society is Bowling Green.
City Manager Kevin DeFebbo has issued a policy to eliminate smoking in almost all locations of the city’s park system. It will go into effect at individual parks, said Parks & Recreation Director Ernie Gouvas, as soon as signs announcing the change can be posted.
That will take awhile, but sooner or later most parks will only allow smoking in parking lots.
I guess the ventilation in the parks must be horrible down in Bowling Green. I didn't know you could be exposed to so much second hand smoke OUTDOORS. Maybe I am being a bit too cynical here. I am sure they have great reasons to ban smoking in parks?
DeFebbo said he knows smoking is a “very visceral issue” with many people, but this is part of the city’s effort to protect public health and set an example for the many children who use public parks.
Give me a break! Let me see if I understand this. They want to set an example for the kids who use the parks? Is this a joke? What we are really telling our kids by banning smoking is much more nefarious. We are demonstrating for them that it is OK to strip society of its freedoms one small step at a time. Something many more times evil than watching a hand full of people smoke cigarettes.
But it doesn't stop there. The "excuses" get better.
Gouvas said that while there are some safety concerns, such as the fire danger around playground wood mulch, the main thrust is toward promoting a healthy community.
I can't believe he sites the fire danger from the wood mulch at the playgrounds. I bet I could throw lit matches onto that mulch for hours and never catch a single piece of mulch on fire. I seriously doubt a cigarette would send a playground up in flames. He had to really stretch to find "reasons" to hide his smoking bigotry.
