Saturday, November 15, 2008

Carry An Unlit Cigar II

"I am beginning to be able to really sympathize with smokers and to see how this treatment by institutions in our society really marginalizes them and makes them feel like social outcasts or pariahs. Were I a smoker, this would probably make me angry and motivate me to identify even more strongly as a smoker and to resolve even more strongly to continue smoking. Any desire to quit would be tempered by the viciousness of these anti-smoking advocates and their bigotry. I am starting to really see where many of my readers are coming from."

-Dr. Michael Siegel
Smokers to Be Banned from Fostering or Adopting Children in Several Districts in Scotland
November 14, 2008

As I postulated over a year ago, we need to Carry An Unlit Cigar; mostly to project our existence and credibility; while refusing to be marginalized or de-normalized. Smokerism continues to rob more individuals and business people of their rights than any other legislative/social reality today. In Boston, cigar bars are on the verge of being voted out of existence by 'health' crusaders, college campuses everywhere are banning smoking on their property, and in Los Angeles they may make smoking outside of your home illegal. There are even Tobacconists in the United States of America that cannot smoke in their own stores, even though sampling and studying our products is absolutely necessary. We need to put ourselves 'out there'! And as far as I know, even the 'unpleasant' smell of an unlit cigar (either partly smoked, or fresh) is still LEGAL everywhere!

At the very least, Carrying An Unlit Cigar (or Pipe) may give us the opportunity to talk to a few people and maybe even sway their opinion.... making converts and teaching tolerance while sharing our passions. Be a positive public ambassador for the luxury tobacco industry!!! If every cigar smoker convinced just 10 people to respect and value our rights, then we would be in the majority...

What do you think? Do you Carry An Unlit Cigar/Pipe? Making friends or enemies?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"And then they came for me", Martin Niemoller (Google him and you'll get it). Anyone who values freedom has to fight this. You can't just suddenly fight for only what interests you, you have to fight whenever freedoms of any kind in this country are being threatened or taken away because one day you will be directly affected and who will be beside you to fight with you. It is easy to pick on small groups like cigar smokers and take away our right to smoke cigars because we are out numbered by the apathetic, even more than the ones who seek to take away our rights. Freedom is hard to establish and maintain and must be constantly protected by all those seeking to remain free.

Teddy Madison said...

What???? This is not about freedom, this is about addiction and a 50/50 death rate. You are out of your mind if you think what you do is because you like it. What, because it's legal you have a right to do it where ever you like?