I castigated the Australians because of a newspaper headline from an anti-tobacco group that said banning smoking in all apartments Down Under was inevitable.
But I never checked to see whether they were talking, in their charming and peppy accents, about public or private apartments and voluntary or forced bans on smoking.
In the Sensible Smoker’s book, the owners (or tenants group) any public or private apartment building may completely ban smoking indoors and out, for whatever reason. But any public or private apartment building should be allowed to allow smoking, too, for whatever reason.
Like a particular public housing project or half-way house might choose to allow smoking because they have bigger fish to fry. There are some substance treatment programs that relax their no-smoking rules for the same reason.
I’ve never, ever been angry at any individual restaurant or bar that chose to go “smoke-free” and have never denied them my business.
What makes me angry is that no individual restaurant or bar can choose to relax the no-smoking laws, no matter how many people may want them to, for whatever reason.
Why can’t restaurants have a Smokin’ Ribs Tuesday? People who don’t mind smoke in the air as well as in their Baby Backs or Buffalo wings can frequent the place once a week. Those who hate smoking can go any or all of the other six days of the week.
Why are anti-smoking crusaders so afraid of any crack in their armor of Zero Tolerance? Why can’t we have Two Percent Tolerance?
When perfect obedience is required for the magic to work, you might be a character in the Emperor’s New Clothes.
