Sioux City Journal

A continuing erosion of rights

Posted: Saturday, May 03, 2008

SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- On April 24, I received an anonymous letter. The letter was accompanied by a picture of an ashtray with a cigarette. The letter said: "My friends and I will enjoy going to the bars more since they will be smoke-free. We won't be going to yours, though. Your life is about this photo, you would do better to get a new life and stop promoting the taking of others'. The people have spoken, obey the laws."

I would like to thank the writer for their views. Because, you see, we still have freedom of speech.

This is my livelihood, not my life. I'm certainly not promoting taking the lives of others. I'm simply asking for an even playing field.

The government keeps taking more and more of our rights away, slowly but surely. Our rights of choice are leaving us, right in front of our eyes. It is beyond the smoking ban. This is just another lull before another storm.

We are private businesses which should be left alone to make our own policies about smoking. I don't smoke, and don't even sell cigarettes in my establishment.

Be careful who you vote for. It could come back and haunt you.

So the writer of the letter and their smoke-free friends will find a nice smoke-free bar in which to drink their Rob Roys and Shirley Temples. I just thank God the government hasn't taken away my right to refuse service to anyone. Yet. -- Rhonda Capron

Story Comments

Pariah wrote on Aug 31, 2008 4:04 PM:

" What about now Emily? Is he still waiting...persistent ignoramus isn't he. ;) "

Emily wrote on May 31, 2008 7:40 AM:

" Parah, Jason is still waiting for his apology. It appears as if that is something you never learned to do.

Glad you no longer live here to polute our environment with your poor manners "

Parah wrote on May 11, 2008 12:26 AM:

" Why not educate your selves instead of knee jerks followed by irrelevancies? Case in point; Al S, with his Communist zinger *shakes head* and the claim from Carmen that not only lacks any kind of logic, but is even devoid of his own words. I don't want any of you to agree with me necessarily I want you to think! Say some thing relevant and thoughtful for just once in your lives would you please. Tare me down with LOGIC and evidence. PLEASE!!!! There are absolutely valid arguments for why these kinds of laws are stupid and not one of you seems capable of putting them forward instead you claim I'm a COMMUNIST?! How irrelevant is that. You don't know the facts so you don't argue with any ammunition Left or Right. You want to know why people think you are ignorant hicks, because they read opinions like these. I was born there and still have family there, I know better, but not by anything I read here. "

Mark S wrote on May 10, 2008 7:58 AM:

" As I have pointed out before Flimflam, I am against the smoking ban, I am against the Patriot act, and I am against the Department of Homeland Security. My God, who is the Department of Defense Defending if not the Homeland!! "

Carmen wrote on May 10, 2008 7:53 AM:

" It seems Parah, that you are the only One sided, biased, and ridiculous person on these pages. Jason, made Good relevant points which you cold not dispute, so you attack him. Typical of liberals. "