Bro tells me that here (sleepy old here ) you are "not allowed" to smoke in a work vehicle anymore due to workplace smoking laws.  He is a plumber, so his work vehicle (being tax deductible and therefore prone to the winds of legislation) is 'technically' his workplace and therefore you are not allowed to smoke there.  Because, 'it' says so.

Speaking of plumbers, the govt is proposing that all licensed plumbers here should have to jump through a series of hoops to gain 'points' in order to allow them to keep being licensed.  Ever been in a room of pissed off plumbers?  I really can't imagine, because just on an individual basis they seem to be a breed apart, that take crap from no-one, and have a great deal of fun making sure that that is clear.  The govt may just have taken on more than they can chew with pissing off plumbers as a whole.  Will be watching that one.   

Heck yeah, plumbers are a breed apart!  I can remember my dad telling me that although some snotty people may look down on plumbers, the joke's on them because chances are high that the plumbers are pulling in much more money than they are.  So yeah, I think the gov't may have bitten off more than it can chew.  A clogged toilet and back-flowing sewer can bring anyone to their knees-- congressmen especially!  Can you see some prissy senator rolling up his own sleeves because the plumbers are on strike?

Speaking of plumbers, the govt is proposing that all licensed plumbers here should have to jump through a series of hoops to gain 'points' in order to allow them to keep being licensed.  Ever been in a room of pissed off plumbers?  I really can't imagine, because just on an individual basis they seem to be a breed apart, that take crap from no-one, and have a great deal of fun making sure that that is clear.  The govt may just have taken on more than they can chew with pissing off plumbers as a whole.  Will be watching that one.   

You know, it's not about whether or not you or l smoke, or whether you like smokers, or being around them, or whether or not they piss you off for what ever reason, it's not about whether you are toxic or sensitive or sick or healthy. 

It is about the state creating a zeitgeist in order to tell you who you are so that they can control you.  It is about 'facts' being created and promulgated for the very purpose of legitimising the ever increasing controls on your sovereign liberty.

It is about your civil and soulful freedom.

Read the fine print.

Very well put.  I think if left to their own devices, most people at least try to be considerate of others. If not, they usually get the hint if told.  But creating legislation to make people do as the STATE wants is something altogether different. I think it's important to not lose sight of this.

It is about the state creating a zeitgeist in order to tell you who you are so that they can control you.  It is about 'facts' being created and promulgated for the very purpose of legitimising the ever increasing controls on your sovereign liberty.

It is about your civil and soulful freedom.

Read the fine print.

Starling, is this the same as the snuff my grandpa dips?  It's a really, really fine powder he stuffs between his lower lip and teeth.  His parents used to use snuff on twigs to clean their teeth, as well.

The "portion" style comes in tiny bags so you don't have to get a spittoon . Same thing as snuff. I've watched my smoking friends suffer from the insane laws and propaganda against cigarettes and recommend this to all fellow nicotine fiends.

I'm not saying this description fits you at all, but a lot of people who were "chemically sensitive", allergic to animals, etc., are really just control freaks who use their bodies to control other people.  They really will develop symptoms and brandish them like a weapon.  Again--not saying this fits you, but I've seen it on quite a few occasions.

Example:  the man I dated who was allergic to cats, smoke, and anything else pertaining to me.  Complained to high heaven, claimed he had asthma-- but-- BUT-- he smoked pot in large volumes daily, and wore enough cologne to smell up an entire army.  I guess he had the luxury of picking and choosing his sensitivities.

Well, that's unfortunate.  Personally I wouldn't even consider dating someone who smokes.  We just wouldn't be compatible, and I would never try to make someone change for me like that.  I think it's important to know what you can and will accept, and make your choices accordingly. 

And about respecting another person's right to breathe clean air, I apply that to myself as well.  I LOVE to burn incense, but I wouldn't burn it in my office and force my staff to smell it and breathe it.  It's just common courtesy.

I started smoking when I was about 12 - it was a rebellious thing - and quit when I was 18.  I remember how nauseous I was when I first started, until I built up a tolerance.  About a year later, I went to Hawaii with my best friend and her mom who were very heavy smokers, and I was pretty sick most of the time.  The next time I went with them, I smoked a bit during the weeks before hand to build up my tolerance so I wouldn't  be miserable the whole two weeks.  It helped a lot, but I'll never do that again.

It isn't just the nausea though, I used to get severe asthma, tachycardia and irregular heartbeats from commercial cigarrette smoke, among other symptoms.  I've healed a lot my sensitivities over the years, but I still have some negative reactions to chemical exposures if they're strong enough.  (One of the worst, oddly enough, seems to be chemical 'butter' smell like the stuff they add to microwave popcorn.  I am not kidding when I say I literally have to hold my breath when I walk down that isle at the grocery store or I will heave.)

I'm a healer, and some of the people I've worked on who are smokers are extremely toxic.  Their bodies just reek from the toxic chemicals, and it seems to be especially taxing to their livers.

Chemical perfumes are nasty IMO.  I remember a massage client that I used to work on every week many years ago.  She never wore perfume until one particular day she put in on for some reason, and her entire body was one big muscle spasm. It was like she had a whole different body, and as far as we could determine, that was the only variable.  It was like a great big fight or flight stress response.   We tested it again one time in the future, and she had the same response.  Natural fragrances didn't have that effect at all.  (As an aside - the only other time I would find such a huge negative change in people was if they suddenly took up yoga... but that's a whole different thread.)

The thing about many toxic chemicals - they can cross the brain/blood barrier and effect behavior, mood and cognitive function.  I observed this a number of years ago at a special clinic for allergies and sensitivites.   At the time, my allergies (especially ragweed) were so severe, they were really interferring with my ability to function.  So I went to see this doctor who had done a lot of research and written several books on the subject.

They did their testing double blind, so that neither the patient nor the nurse would know if the test was a chemical or whatever else they were testing, or a placebo.  They would start at the lowest possible dilution, and then increase to see if there was a negative response, and then they were able to neutralize it with the next lowest dilution.

Anyway, while I was there, they were testing a cute little boy who was probably about seven years old.  He was very sweet, polite, and peaceful, drawing in his coloring book, but when they tested him with a particular chemical he was sensitive to, it was unbelievable.  He turned into a raging little monster right before my eyes.  I mean, it was like he went crazy - ADHD to the extreme!   And then when they would give him the neutralizing dose, he would morph back in to his sweet little self.  He was like a minature Dr. Jeckll and Mr. Hdye. Very fascinating to watch, and something I'll never forget.

So, little kids breathing in thousands of toxic chemicals in an enclosed car while mom or dad puffs away...  I feel sorry for the teachers.

I'm a libertarian, but I really hate when people smoke in enclosed public places. (And perfume and chemical fragrances too, for that matter.)  I think it's rude to pollute the air that everyone else has to breathe with thousands of toxic chemicals.   What about my choice and right to breathe relatively unpolluted air?  We have enough chemical exposure without adding commercial cigarrette smoke to it. 

I have strong feelings about that because, like many people, I'm extremely chemically sensitive and can get very sick from chemicals... but I would still agree that private places should make their own policies whether or not to allow smoking.

I'm not saying this description fits you at all, but a lot of people who were "chemically sensitive", allergic to animals, etc., are really just control freaks who use their bodies to control other people.  They really will develop symptoms and brandish them like a weapon.  Again--not saying this fits you, but I've seen it on quite a few occasions.

Example:  the man I dated who was allergic to cats, smoke, and anything else pertaining to me.  Complained to high heaven, claimed he had asthma-- but-- BUT-- he smoked pot in large volumes daily, and wore enough cologne to smell up an entire army.  I guess he had the luxury of picking and choosing his sensitivities.

I smoke, doctors and people tell me that I will get cancer if I continue to smoke. First of all, I dislike people telling me what diseases 'they' think I will get! 

I live in Maine, and a town up north (Bangor) just passed a law against people smoking in their vehicles with children the age of 17 and under. I saw a segment on the news the other night with the lawmakers stating that they were going to issue 'warnings' first, then give out violation tickets (bills of exchange;)) if people don't abide by the law. So far they have not had to issue any warnings. I saw in one of the earlier posts someone mentioned about how  they will make a law that someone will not be able to smoke in their own home with young children. My opinion, that's taking it a little bit too far!

I'm a 'wonderer'...I wonder what would happen if everyone who smoked cigarettes 'QUIT' all on the same day? lol.

I think that things aren't what they seem to be with regards to smoking.  I think that if one occasionally smokes all natural, organic tobacco "roll your owns" then you'll be fine.  I do that when the weather is warm.  Like to go out and have a tasty homemade cigarette made from fresh, yummy smelling American Spirit tobacco that comes in a pouch, with a piece of pure cotton inserted in for a filter.  When it's fresh and soft and moist it kinda almost smells like raisins.   !   smile

The problem with cigarettes isn't the tobacco.  It's the hundred billion chemical additives that they mix in, compounded by the fiberglass filters.  THAT'S what's causing lung problems.  Not tobacco in itself.

That's what David R. Hawkins (Power Vs Force) has said about cigarrette smoking - that the health issues started because of the pesticides and the chemical additives, and that organic tobacco is fine.

I'm a libertarian, but I really hate when people smoke in enclosed public places. (And perfume and chemical fragrances too, for that matter.)  I think it's rude to pollute the air that everyone else has to breathe with thousands of toxic chemicals.   What about my choice and right to breathe relatively unpolluted air?  We have enough chemical exposure without adding commercial cigarrette smoke to it. 

I have strong feelings about that because, like many people, I'm extremely chemically sensitive and can get very sick from chemicals... but I would still agree that private places should make their own policies whether or not to allow smoking.

Don't worry though, you aren't the only one with crazy in-laws.  My MIL has similarly flipped out, though usually because I tell her we're going to raise our daughter our way even if that means doing the exact opposite of what she wants (which usually means filling her with processed food, 20 different medications, and other bullshit).  That's all I can really say without digressing into a pages long rant that can't possibly do any good (though it is very very tempting, but all it would do is stir my anger and lead me to VERY dark thoughts).  She is actually good for me though, because I thought I was some how enlightened enough to not hate even the most obnoxious people.  How much I have learned about myself.

FIL kicked me out of the house mid family dinner recently for daring to suggest that smoking does not necessarily cause lung cancer, nor does not smoking guarantee that a person will not get lung cancer, using personal anecdotes to illustrate my point.  He blew a fuse that night.  Always going on about it though, as though he's just having intelligent conversation.  He is a true agent for the dark side :lol::lol:

Kicked you out...in mid-dinner??  That's harsh, and bit dramatic.  !   What is it with the "puppet" types who get so absolutely angry and pop their tops at the mere mention of anything that contradicts the status quo?  I've disagreed with people, like, Oh, that's stupid, that can't be true...but I didn't get angry, and I still listened to what they were saying, and most times, I could be convinced to see it their way.  But then you get these types, I remember LipstickMystic talking about it in the Pod People thread months ago, about the way they just flip out and go all cuckoo.  It seems obvious...oh, they're pods, puppets, whatever you want to call them, but still, I'd love to know why exactly the *anger* specifically.  Maybe it's just a matter of pushing their programming boundaries, triggering fear, but it still seems odd.