Mmmmhmmm...

We went to a party last weekend and were talking to some friends from the Springfield area. Springfield, by the way, has a fairly new ban on smoking in public places.

Seems as though the weekend before, our friends, both non-smokers (non-strident, though), were in the mood for a burger and a beer. They checked out a few of their favorite neighborhood bar and grills, only to discover that most of them had closed...due to lack of business...because of the new smoking ban.

Yea, yea...all the smoking police will defend the ban and say that the businesses would have closed anyway. You can say that til you're blue in the face, til the cows come home, til hell freezes over...use any ole homily ya want...and I still won't believe it.

Ya know...I've talked about wanting to quit smoking. But shit like this makes me wanna keep it up...just on principle. I know, I know...that's a ridiculous stance to take, but there it is. Let some damn nanny tell me I can't do something...especially if it's "for my own good"...and I'll break my neck to do it.

(Oh, and btw...swiped the 'toon from my favorite

Curmudgeon

.)