Taken from Section 1 of the 14th Amendment:
“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States”

We all have rights as individuals. When the government starts telling you how to live, that’s a problem.

There are a lot of things that offend a lot of people in this country. I’m not going to go off on tangents, but I could quickly populate a very long list. We should be able to respect each other, even if we don’t always agree.

I find it troubling that we willingly give so much control of our daily lives to the government, rather than have enough confidence in ourselves to make educated decisions.

As you may be aware, North Carolina has recently passed a no smoking bill that is crippling almost all smoker-friendly establishments within the state.

I am all for respecting and protecting the rights of the non-smoking community (especially children’s), but I believe it should be up to the owner of the establishment to make the decision on whom to cater to within their business.  It is our decision as to which businesses we support and frequent.

I am not disputing the ban on/at airplanes, buses, trains, government buildings, etc. (true public environments that are shared and/or required to be used by everyone). That is common respect.

This discussion is in regards to private businesses: A business that is a private enterprise, on private property, and no one is making anyone go into it unwillingly. There is a thin line between this and the government telling you what you can/cannot do in your own residence.

If you’re reading this, I’m sure you can read a sign that says “smoker-friendly” or “no smoking”. At that point, you should be educated enough to decide if you want to enter the premises or not.

As educated individuals, we have the right to choose where we do business. Our freedom of choice should determine the success of that establishment. If a business owner chooses to promote a non-smoking environment, I would definitely respect that. If a business owner chooses to promote a smoking environment, it too should be respected. Let free enterprise hash out who stays in business and who doesn’t.

This is an issue of personal choice, for both the business and their customers. There is no need for the government to get involved in this issue, and doing so is an infringement on both the personal right of choice for owners and their customers, along with an infringement on the property rights of the establishment. It’s definitely not acceptable for the government to put an establishment out of business by driving away the clientele to which they cater, by banning the use of a legal commodity, as we are seeing here in NC.

As for all of these bars and restaurants that are claiming to love this new law, why didn’t they choose to go non-smoking on their own? If the demand was so high, and a non-smoking establishment is as lucrative as some people state, it seems to me that all of these locations would have taken the initiative without the government’s involvement. The large chains are not likely going to be negatively affected by this, but several small businesses that have had a majority of smoking customers may be forced to close their doors now that their clientele has been made to be outcasts.

If you take the time to read the bill that was passed in NC, hookah bars are not exempt and are in violation of the law (smoking is what they do), private clubs are not exempt unless they qualify as non-profit/tax exempt organizations (so now you can smoke in a church, but not a bar…), and hotels are required to limit the number of rooms that they can offer to smokers, regardless of their clientele.

It amazes me how often we (Americans) just roll over and let the government decide what is best for us. We continue to give up our rights a little bit at a time while saying, "it's not that bad" or "it could be worse".

Bottom line, it should be our choice. There was no law restricting an establishment from becoming non-smoking without the government’s help. There also was not a law that made non-smokers go to and/or work in a smoking establishment.

Every industry, profession, and trade has risks (even staring at a computer monitor all day). We still have the choice to pick the type of career that we want to enter. If smoke is something you hate, you shouldn’t pick a career where you will be exposed to it. There are way too many options available for individuals to gain knowledge and study a career of their choice to say that they are being forced to work in a smoking environment.

“If you don’t like sharks, stay out of the ocean” <--- Your choice... or we could get the government to write a bill to have them removed because they are dangerous.  ;- )

Some people don't go to clubs and/or concerts because the music is too loud, and the noise could cause hearing damage. Do you feel that the government should step in and regulate the volume levels? If they did, many of the current patrons would no longer frequent these establishments/events.  Of course, according to government studies new clientele, preferring quieter music, would step in to replace the loss of the existing customers...

This is very similar in regards to what is happening at several of our local businesses, and may have already or currently be happening to businesses in your area. How easy and/or reasonable is it to expect a business to replace its customer base?

Please keep in mind, that even though smoking is part of this battle, the true war is to protect our rights and freedom of choice. Even if the loss of this right does not directly affect you, the loss of the next one may.

What other rights of choice are we willing to give up, in the "public’s" best interest?

I have started a petition against this infringement on our right of choice. Please take a moment and click on the links below to sign our petition and help save our freedom of choice.

I will be keeping all signatures private, so they will not be visible to the web.

Signers of this petition are not asking for smoking to be allowed everywhere. However, we are asking that the government does not take away the establishment owner’s right to choose the clientele to which they cater. It is the intent that smoker-friendly establishments will be required to clearly post signs stating that their location is smoker-friendly, just as non-smoking establishments post no smoking signs.

I’ve caught a lot of flack stating that petitions don’t work. Without any support, we can be assured that it will not. However, for the signers, at least we can say that we’re trying something and not just rolling over.

If you prefer to be a governmental sheep and follow the herd, that is your choice. If you are tired of the government taking away your personal liberties and would like to try to make a difference, please take a moment to read the petition. If you agree with it, please sign it and share the link with other supporters. If you don’t, don’t. That too, is your choice.

Food for Thought - Giving up any right of choice is a very slippery slope. Are we going to ban everything that is potentially dangerous and/or offends someone? If so, we are all destined to lose a choice that is important to us, and it is guaranteed to become a very sad and boring world.

The choice to fight these injustices is up to you.  In the words of Rush's song Freewill (available in the playlist below), "if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice".

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, and I have the utmost respect for yours. I welcome your comments to this post.

Thanks for reading,

Fight4Freedom