True North

It was with no small amusement that I heard that bars around Minnesota had started to put on theatrical productions in order to get around the smoking ban. Basically, the law has loophole that allows smoking for theatrical performances. So basically if the bar is putting on a "play" and everybody is an "extra", they can smoke....legally.

Of course, people exercising their legal right to make decisions for themselves is just beyond acceptable for the Minnesota DFL, and they aren't going to tolerate it. How dare the peasants think they have the ability to choose ANYTHING for themselves!!

"I, as a legislator, am obligated to support the intent of the law," said Sen. Kathy Sheran, DFL-Mankato, one author of the ban that went into effect Oct. 1. "I would discourage people from doing this, because I think they know it violates the intent of the law."

I would also discourage you from passing smoking bans because it violates common sense, but that and a nickle will get me three cents (after accounting for new DFL tax increases).

As a legislator, you're also obligated to represent the will of the people (Hi! Remember us?!). And clearly the will of the people is that you're all a bunch of ignorant boobs and we want you to keep your hands off our personal decisions.

The American Cancer Society has issued its review, calling them a "reckless" endangerment of public health.

Reckless endangerment?? Which part exactly? You mean the part where perfectly rational adults freely choose to enter an establishment where there will be smoking. And that even after sitting down and smelling smoking they freely choose to stay? In fact, they may even freely choose to light up a legal substance and enjoy a smoke?? This all taking place in an privately owned establishment, whose owner freely chose to allow smoking?? And whose employees, presumably not chained to the bar, have freely chose to work in a place where there is smoking. And those employees may very well freely choose to smoke as well??

Which one of those freely made choices are "reckless endangerment" and not "personal responsibility"???

The idea was hatched by criminal defense lawyer Mark Benjamin, who helped organize the first smoking performance at a Lake Mille Lacs resort.

"If theater night is going on in one bar on one night and (people) don't want to go in, they can go across the street to the other bar," Benjamin said.

Holy Mother of God....this man is using common sense!! I can see why the Minnesota DFL has it's panties in a bunch. Free thought is clearly not an authorized activity in the People's Republic of Minnesota!!!

In addition, he's commiting the sin of demonstrating why the people that demand a smoking ban are a bunch of facist jerks. If smoking REALLY bothered them, they can leave. And drive 20 miles away?? No, very likely just cross the street. But don't get hit by the trolley!!!

So none of this is about public health, it's all about liberals wanting to impose their will upon others. They are smarter than the rest of us and they can't stand that we can survive without their assistance.

Problem though is...nobody wants it.

Doug Schultz, a state Department of Health spokesman, said the agency is monitoring the situation but has yet to receive a formal opinion from Attorney General Lori Swanson on whether the performances are legal. There have been no formal complaints, he added.

Nobody has complained?? Tells you something doesn't it. Or at least it should. Perhaps because the people that were there chose to be there and realized it was pretty stupid to complain about smoking when in a bar.

"A lot of people are mocking state law," said Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, another architect of the law. "We're looking at repairing the breach."

Mocking the state law?? Noooooo, tell me another.

How about instead of repairing that breach, you just throw away the entire law. A lot of people are mocking the law because a lot of people think it's total nonsense.

Of course, that would make sense...and there is no room for that in the Minnesota DFL.

[Kevin Ecker, is a non-smoking internationally published author whose works can be read at EckerNet.Com (comments for this post welcome there), occasionally True North and not quite covertly at Madore Watch. Feel free to enjoy some of his other works such as "Life Isn't Fair" and "DFL : Protecting The Right To Be Stupid Since 1944".]