Earlier this week, I told the story of my friend who was arrested for petitioning on public property... a sidewalk in front of a post office. There's no question about that being public property, but there is a whole large class of private property that is being severely regulated because "the public" gathers there. That class of property includes, bars, taverns, restaurants, bowling alleys, pool halls, and clubs such as those for fraternal organizations. The severe regulations being imposed on owners of these establishments are smoking bans.

The justification given by city councils for banning smoking in such businesses is that they "serve the public", and that secondhand smoke represents a hazard to those who patronize those organizations. I've dealt with the health issue before, in Secondhand Bullshit, but I want to set that part aside today and just deal with the simple idea that governmental groups believe they have a right to define what patrons of such businesses may do.

Here in the Twin Cities, businesses and many other people are grouping together to fight the bans, under the banner Minnesotans Against Smoking Bans. I'm part of the group, and some of our most vocal members have never been smokers. They will tell you that they oppose bans because they are a violation of individual and property rights. For the businesses, it isn't about smoking either... it's about their right to run their business as they choose.

Let's understand that all the businesses affected by proposed smoking bans have always had the option to define their establishments as non-smoking, and quite a few of them have done so. Others chose not to. The bans would take that choice away from them.

If you're someone who is bothered by the smoke of others, there are plenty of smoke-free places you can patronize. If you wish to smoke, you can find businesses that don't forbid it. That IS the natural and free way of solving the problem, isn't it? Every business owner has a good idea what effect their "house rules" are going to have on their business. When an owner decides to make their establishment non-smoking, or not, they're aware that they're going to lose some customers, and perhaps pick up some others, but those are choices that they have every right to make for themselves.

What is absolutely wrong is city councils attempting to ban smoking in businesses on the grounds that they're protecting public areas. The private businesses singled out by such bans are NOT public areas in any meaningful sense. Just because the public is generally welcome, in a bar for example, does not make it a public place. A bar is private property, and the owner of that property can allow or disallow patrons as he or she chooses, and can legally eject anyone from their premises. There are few bars that haven't had to "bounce" some customers. None of us has any intrinsic right to be on the bar's premises, and the business can have rules for patrons, or even charge a fee to get in.

They are NOT public places, they are private businesses. Let's consider why  bars, taverns, restaurants, bowling alleys, pool halls, and fraternal clubs are being singled out for smoking bans. I think we all realize what distinguishes those businesses... they are places where MANY customers enjoy smoking. Many people smoke only when they're drinking. Others smoke only after a meal. For those who enjoy smoking at ANY time, their choice is being taken away. These businesses are being targeted simply because there are normally smokers there in significant numbers. One reason these businesses have a lot of smokers among their customers is that there are so many other places that have been pushed into becoming non-smoking. Smokers go to those places where they are welcome, and tend to stay away from non-smoking businesses.

Many of the businesses affected by the proposed smoking bans are going to suffer serious financial loss if those bans are inflicted on them, and they all have huge investments of time and money in those businesses. Here are some of the losses suffered by businesses in other areas where bans are already in place.

Smoking bans are wrong... and wrong in so many different ways that it's incredible that they ever got to the table. Understand clearly that those elitist pushers of bans are doing so with taxpayer money, while those of us trying to expose their fraud are working at our own expense and in our own spare time. We could use your help. Again... check out Minnesotans Against Smoking Bans. Come to the next Smoker's Night and help us fight this ugly attack on freedom. We're fighting for YOUR rights too.