Attention, Residents of Belmont, California!

[Updates below.]

You've got a pack of rotten commies in the City Council. My advice is to dump these fools before they apply their principles in earnest.

The Belmont City Council voted unanimously last night to pursue a strict law that will prohibit smoking anywhere in the city except for single-family detached residences. Smoking on the street, in a park and even in one's car will become illegal and police would have the option of handing out tickets if they catch someone.

[...]

"We have a tremendous opportunity here. We need to pass as stringent a law as we can, I would like to make it illegal," said Councilman Dave Warden. "What if every city did this, image how many lives would be saved? If we can do one little thing here at this level it will matter."

[...]

"You can't walk down the street with a beer, but you can have a cigarette," Warden said. "You shouldn't be allowed to do that. I just think it shouldn't be allowed anywhere except in someone's house. If you want to do that, that's fine."

You cannot rationally deal with people like this. They've rejected private property and are quite happy fiddling with the knobs of state control over our lives, in our name, for our own good. They aren't afraid to embrace nanny statism; rather, it's their explicit goal. Voting won't stop them because voting is a popularity contest that doesn't say anything to the validity of a person's philosophy, and one statist is easily switched out for another. Why vote out this prick Warden when his replacement rejects only his application of the collectivist impulse? Sure, someone might run against him in the future on a "smoker's rights" platform, but will that glimmers of hope in that platform translate elsewhere and stand for abolishing the rest of the local ordinances that affect us so much? You don't get elected by calling for the end to upwards of 95% of the code over which that elected body presides.

This garbage in San Mateo County isn't surprising. The pressure has been strong and steady for years, all over the world. I won't be surprised when some government body tries to take this straight to the core and ban all smoking and possession of tobacco paraphernalia in its "jurisdiction" whether in your home or outside it. I won't be surprised to see smart people fight it in court and lose. Why should they win? The other side is at least being patiently consistent in tightening the ratchet down. And they aren't slandered as radicals or extremists in the press like someone with half my conviction would be.

I expect to live long enough to see a violent, general revolt over something like this. I don't want to see things get to that point, but I can't imagine things going peacefully forever.

UPDATED 11/17/2006 11:55am
A related case, but with a twist.

Posted by Drizzten at November 16, 2006 09:51 AM