Now they're smoking in the new Crookston Sports Center...WELL DUH!!

First, this from the Crookston Daily Times Editorial Page...

Staff reports
Crookston Daily Times
Posted Mar 29, 2010 @ 12:59 PM
Crookston — How about a little willpower?
When the debate raged over what smoking policy to implement at the Crookston Sports Center, most of the talk was about smokers lighting up outside, and pushing the rules more and more as they sucked up as much nicotine as possible before entering the facility. No one during the debate worried about smokers actually smoking in the building. But it’s apparently happening. A member of the Times staff, in the Blue Arena last week, was summoned by a hockey mom to “check out” the women’s bathroom nearby. Sheepishly, the staff member wondered what it was all about, and was even more incredulous when the mom opened the door and said, “Just take a whiff.” But he didn’t have to; the cigarette smoke smell was so thick it poured out of the bathroom, and it was obvious what had taken place in the small bathroom minutes earlier. So, you’re so addicted and so determined to subject others to your toxic, secondhand smoke that you’ll fill a bathroom full of smoke a few feet from where dozens of youth hockey players get dressed in their locker rooms. Nice!

WELL SAID Crookston Times!  But here's the bigger problem.  And first of all let me say... I believe in smokers rights!  I believe that if something is sold in a community/area and if I as an adult can go and purchase it, then I have the right to be able to use it.  However it seems that we have determined that smoking is not only bad for the smoker but also for those around them who inhale some of the second or third hand smoke that's in the air.   So without an argument that that is bad for you...WHY does the city allow such items to be sold in the stores?  It's time to take a stand and make the community smoke free?  ANYTHING ELSE IS JUST BEING and ACTING the part of a HYPOCRITE. 

OH but wait!!!  We need the tax revenue.  HYPOCRITE! (then sell illegal drugs and really bring in some cash!) 

We can't do that to the local businesses!  HYPOCRITE!!   

WE can't do that because then people won't come to our town to shop or do sports. 
AGAIN HYPOCRITE HYPOCRITE HYPOCRITE.  

ANYTHING less than a total ban on smoking is selling yourself and your community out for money!  And I'm tired of hearing about it.   There should be BIG SIGNS on the edge of town.  SMOKING IS NOT ALLOWED ANYWHERE in the CITY LIMITS of CROOKSTON.  Then there needs to be a $500.00 fine for gettng caught the first time, and $1000.00 after that, and then big fines and jail after that.  Anything less is just a wink wink nod nod, we want to pretend that we're against smoking cause it's politically correct at the moment. 

EVERY young couple that has a baby, that I happen to know also has at least one smoker among the parents.  Yet the anti-smokers don't seem to care about that.  Over most of my life I remember people changing a baby with a cigarette hanging from their mouth (it muted the smell of baby formula having passed through the baby).  That goes on thousands of times a day in Crookston yet I hear no one saying anything about it.

IS SMOKING BAD FOR US?   Then take steps to outlaw it (use AND SALES) no matter what the costs!   IF NOT, put in smoking areas in the new sports complex and SHUT UP!  (and think of the revenue it would bring in if we sold cigs at the venue!)

I keep hearing that we want to make noise as Crookston being this great town.  Well what better town to raise kids in then a SMOKE FREE TOWN? ?  It would make national news, probably for a long time.  We'd be on the map as the little city that dared!!   NA..let's just whine about it instead.  It gives us this feeling that we're doing something good.  If you're serious about making the sports venue smoke free then there should be signs, BIG SIGNS at the drive in entrances.  There should be anti-smokers stopping every car as it enters and handing them a pamphlet outlining the law and the penalties.  We need to publically ridicule anyone caught breaking the law and hand them a big fine.  Everything else is  WINK WINK NOD NOD!

(PS...PLEASE I hope you see the tongue-in-cheekness that I wrote this!  But based on so many comments I see following others written comments it appears that many people just don't get sarcasm and inuendo so I'm telling you - this is sarcasm!)