Sioux-cia

Children do not have a choice. It's their parents' choice. I don't think siouxjoy made the decision to have a lifelong respiratory condition. That was his mother's choice. Saying your not responsible for choices people make for their own children makes me sad. I see people making dangerous choices for their childen frequently. My choice is to report them to the police/social services. My choice is to spend an extra 15/20 minutes, making other patients wait longer, to tell them exactly how they are endangering their children's health. Heard it already? Too bad, you're going to hear it again because obviously you weren't listening the last time someone warned you about the adverse affects you actions have for your children. My choice is to not accept children suffering because of their parent's 'rights' to do whatever the hell they please inspite of the damage to their children. My choice is to get involved. To look the other way because it's not my problem is not my choice. But, we're getting off topic. You have the choice to go to an establishment that allows smoking (kittie payment) or to go to an establishment that does not allow smoking. The choices for non-smokers is now greater. As a health care provider who works mainly in emergency room/ Urgent Care settings, a helmet law is always the better choice, IMO. I wish they were stricter. I wish that a helmet law could take away the right to drive a motorcycle or could put the driver in jail rather than losing a life or limb or living with the fact that a passenger died because she was allowed/given the right to ride without a helmet. If it were my child whose organs I had to donate because of a 'choice', I would forever wonder why things had not been done differently so my child would still be here to outlive her parents. So the right to ride a bike without a helmet is being trampled, well, society isn't as free as we want it to be. Look around and you'll see it's never been as free as you think it was. When taking away 'rights' for the betterment of public health is an issue that comes to a public vote, I know which way I'm voting.

Your post points out two important facts in the 'smoke/choose not to smoke' argument. You made a choice as an adult to sit in the smoking section of a resturant to spend time with your mom. That's great. It is important to spend time with your parents, family and friends. AND I appreciate that nicotine for most is an addiction. Like many addictions, it's hard to quit. Children don't have a choice regarding exposure to second hand smoke. If smokers were cognizant of the rights of children (and non-smokers) not to be exposed to second smoke, California would not be looking at/or already has passed a bill to cite smokers who smoke in cars with children passengers. You mention your 'asthma' like condition caused by second hand smoke, that's serious! You didn't have the choice to move to a non-smoking environment. I see children crying in pain due to an ear infection daily. Many of those children live with parents who smoke. They swear they don't smoke in the house or in the car yet when I walk into the exam room the smell of stale smoke slaps me in the face as I enter. I see young pregnant women who still smoke. "I've cut way down. I only smoke around half a pack of cigarettes a day now." Well, let's see, hmmm, that's 10 cigarettes a day your fetus is smoking!! As an adult, the choice is go to a business that allows smoking or don't go. Big choice. People talk as if there were a multitude of non-smoking venues to go to, there weren't. Now it's possible to go to work and go out after work or any time without coughing and hacking because of someone's choice to smoke. If your smoking only affects you and you choose to continue to smoke, go for it!! But, when it affects others who don't want to be exposed to your second hand smoke and all the dangers it brings, it's time to stop smoking or go somewhere else to smoke. Trite as it sounds, smokers have rights, too. This ban enforces those rights. Someone likened smoking bans to 'white only' establishments of the past and see the smoking ban as delegating smokers to the 'non-white' status of persons of color from not so long ago. I don't see the ban as making smokers second hand citizens. They still have the right to smoke and to go into non-smoking establishments, they just can't smoke there. In the past, if you weren't white, unless you were an employee, there was nothing you could do to go into 'white only' establishments. That agrument doesn't fly for me.

Gotcha! And I'm sure the other SS.com members whom you have deemed 'worthy' are eternally grateful.

A puck is a hard rubber disc that hockey players strike when they can't hit one another. ~Jimmy Cannon

War - The Cisco Kid 1973 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgZVnamjEsQ...feature=related

Twist it any way you want but the facts are that JTCigarro was planning this change in business for quite some time. The smoking ban did not cause them to change their business and start from square one. They have been and are negoitating for one of three new venue spots, they already have financing and they have blue prints in hand. All of this did not occur within a few days of the smoking ban vote. DaveK, wrong once again!! By the way whatever happened to,

Sad on one hand but also a nice tribute to the young man! He is so incredibly lucky.

Thanks for the link. Good to see that not only are their employees NOT losing their jobs but sounds like JTCiggaro is actually going to hire more employees. Guess the non-smoking zealots can take that off their list of 'things to feel guilty about'.

You're a hoot!!! Thanks!

Pink Floyd - Any Colour You Like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb5ZjmpmMbg...feature=related The 70s had some awesome quitarists!!!

A honest, respectful dialog without name calling is not 'picking on' anyone. If we all lived, believed, and thought the same we wouldn't be Fighting Sioux fans, we would be the Stepford Wives.

We do have choices. Smokers have the choice to not smoke in bars, etc., they can go outside to smoke, or they can choose not to go to business that don't allow smoking. I haven't bowled in years because bowling alleys were so smoke filled, I could only stand being there a game or two. There were no other choices except bowl in a smokey atmosphere or don't bowl. Now, I can go bowling and have fun while I'm there! There were resturants where the food was wonderful but the smoking was terrible. There weren't choices except eating takeout. It's so trite to say, go somewhere else if you don't like smoke. Many times there wasn't a good 'somewhere else' choice. Now the shoe is on the other foot. I didn't know California was ticketing drivers who smoke with children in the car. Children don't have a choice when adults subject them to second hand smoke. It's proven that 2nd hand smoke is a direct cause of many illness children may get; ear infections, asthma, upper respiratory infections, allergies and all those other potentially terminal illnesses which include bladder cancer, lung cancer, heart disease.. Good for California!!!

Aw, man!!!! I wonder if he would have played knowing that he could injure himself so badly that he would be out for the year?

I look at smoking the same as speeding down the highway. If you smoke and no one else is exposed to your second hand smoke (unless by choice), do it. But, if your smoke has an adverse affect on employees, non-smoking patrons who don't enjoy your second hand smoke then you should smoke somewhere else. Many people enjoy speeding down the highway but speeding is going to have an adverse affect on other people on the highway, so you can't do it. You have to speed on private property (racetracks). If you think about it alcohol consumption is already regulated. You can't drink and drive. You can't have an open container in the car. Public intoxication is against the law. You have to be 21 years of age or older to drink alcohol. There are times when I wonder if fast food shouldn't be regulated. After seeing a 66 pound, 21 month old toddler with asthma and no other metabolic health problems, I wonder if that wouldn't be a good idea. She weighed 5 pounds less the previous month. She obviously doesn't have a choice in what she's fed. IMHO that's child abuse! But, I digress.

Gordie Howe Hat trick next season!!

Went out last night (MN). Drinkin' a little, talkin' a lot, having a bit o' fun. NO SMOKE!!!!! This morning woke up without a smoke (or alcohol) hang over and my clothes didn't stink of second hand smoke. One city, one state at a time....

....with Bill Mumy, Lost in Space, and Corey Fischer, a whole lot of sit coms (?).

Enjoy! They grow up so quick and then, poof, they live far away.

ZZ Top - Arrested for Driving While Blind 1975 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv6NtJxzk-g

Yeah, the sound is more 80s than 70s but there aren't that many choices for X! Styx - Babe 1979 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujG9wqBNLAk...feature=related

Dean

Commandments

Blake epitomizes the heart of Fighting Sioux hockey!!

He has more money than the national treasury but I was rooting for him!!!