Dear Freedom-Lovers of South Carolina: As we move into the Holiday season, I wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy I-got-time-off-of-work-a, and Happy New Year. As you ponder a new year’s resolution, might I suggest the following: GET OFF YOUR ASS NEXT YEAR AND FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOMS!!!!!

This is a small sampling of what has been happening outside of South Carolina this past year:

1. •Four major freedom organizations filed complaints with the Office of Research Integrity a few months ago (see a previous entry) over the problem-ridden Surgeon General’s report of 2006 on ETS and the SG’s downright false claims in his oft-quoted press release. To date, the ORI has not dismissed these complaints, which suggests that they are taking the issue seriously.
   

1. •In New York, many businesses are now openly flouting their smoking ban.
   

1. •In Germany, the smoking bans have either been reduced to trifles or have been eliminated.
   

1. •In Pennsylvania, their smoking ban allows, and has granted, so many exemptions that the ban is a joke.
   

1. •In Illinois, the big joke is that everywhere outside of Chicago, there effectively is no smoking ban.
   

1. •And in Ohio, the legislature is poised and ready to exempt all non-publicly traded businesses from the ban (which will, effectively, end the ban for all bars and restaurants except “chains”).
   

While much of the rest of the world is either seriously rethinking proposed smoking bans or seriously considers rolling back smoking bans, some localities in this state are embracing them like lemmings embracing a cliff.

It’s really kind of sad. I don’t know what or who’s to blame. Is it the biased media of this state that continually broadcast wholly one-sided articles and editorials aiding and abetting anti? Is it the politician who parrots anti-interest group propaganda blindly and stupidly? Or is it the citizens and businesses, who idly stand by and let anti steamroll over our freedoms?

I can’t believe what people (let alone editorial staff) let the media get away with in this state. Aside from never citing any input from any pro-freedom organization and quoting without critical view anything spewed from any and all anti organizations; does anyone else find it sadly funny that 1) An already smoke-free restaurant can express support for a ban on his neighbor’s businesses and no one sees any conflict of interest? 2) that a ban can be touted for a bar to “protect children”? 3) That a County (York) and a city in the county (Rock Hill) can publicly announce that they have joined forces to pass a ban so that city business is not lost to surrounding county business AND not have anyone accept that as acknowledged proof that bans are bad for business? Sometimes, I swear, I think South Carolina media articles covering smoking bans are written by people with a grade school understanding of journalism. The coverage is not only biased, it’s piss-ass poor journalism.

Many politicians throughout the state are taking at face value the rhetoric spewed at them by anti-interested parties - anti-smoking groups and their friends - who are paid for their efforts - and are completely ignoring the pleas of businesses and citizens, who are NOT paid for their efforts, and who just want to be left alone.

Some wickedly retarded politicians are actually saying they support individual liberties and leaving businesses alone, BUT except for this issue (even though this issue is perhaps the biggest example of nanny-statism in existence today).

But most important (or most absurd), is the apparent complete lack of interest individuals and businesses have in defending their own freedoms. Lots of businesses and people bitch and whine about a smoking ban, but few of them actually speak to their representatives or show up to government meetings to oppose them. Sad.

I swear, for a state that claims a historical pride in being rebellious, no better example of surrender and blind compliance to those “from off” can be seen but here.

I’d like to insult this state by saying that we should rename it South New York - but that would, nowadays, be insulting to New York. At least in New York, many businesses are now openly flouting their smoking ban. Here, if you believe the media, most businesses are meekly accepting it.

In these “Alerts” and in the variety of other news sources on the internet (some of which are linked in this website), we can only try and give you, South Carolina citizen and business owner, a head’s up to what’s going on. You - all of you - must take action. Otherwise, y’all might as well start practicing going “baaa” and fully be the sheep y’all are proving to be.

And that’s my peace. Happy day’s off. And think about the future, before it’s out of your hands.