Puff, puff, give

I was listening to the radio today as I was driving around town and apparently there is some kid of legislature being introduced to ban smoking for soldiers. WTF?!?

Now, I've never served in the military short of being in AFJROTC for a couple years in high school. However, as a former smoker, I know that there is a relaxing feeling that can come along with it.

I'm not sure which is worse, the fact that they want to take away what little luxury the soldiers have left while they are serving and protecting our freedoms, or that they want to make a law of this?

Don't they have more important things to worry about up there on Capitol Hill? Or is this why our country seems to be going to hell in a handbasket...they make these frivolous pointless laws!

I think they, like everyone else, should be allowed to smoke in designated places. Those that can't take it can move away from the smoke. Now that I no longer smoke (I quit at the behest of my major professors), it really doesn't bother me to get a whiff here and there, but I can understand how some folks wouldn't want that going int their lungs. However, these are also the same people that drink bottled water becuse they think tap water is too unclean. Yet, it wasn't that long ago that it was perfectly fine for them to drink. Hell, chances are, they even were out there drinking out of the water hose in their yards as kids!

Ugh! Folks just need to chill out and let things be. We are so uptight about everything these days that its ridiculous!

I won't be moving to Alabama anytime soon

I know that some places have some obscure and ridiculous laws, but these new ones that the state of Alabama will be passing soon take the cake.

The first is a law that requires smokers to pay a $24 fine for smoking. Now, I'm not a smoker...anymore...but this whole smoking ban kick that the country is on is a bit much. First, they take away smoking in restaurants and bars. Then they want to keep you from smoking in your car (at least down here in La, they do). In probably one of the worst and most pointless moves to curb smoking, they don't allow smoking in TV and movies. Any smoking that does occur is prefaced by a warning. WTF?!? Now, Alabama is trying to pass this dumb law. A fine for smoking is like giving a fine for passing gas in public. Yeah, people don't really care for it, but it's a personal choice, and last I checked, this was still a free country. Make no mistake, smoking is bad, but so are a lot of things. If a person wants to light up, then let them. These anti-smoking tactics are really getting on my everlasting nerves!

The other law is similar. Alabama people who are fat will have to pay $25. I think it's an insurance fee or something, but I'm not 100% sure. Notice I said fat rather than obese. That is because, as I understood it, anyone with above the standard body fat index for their age and height and such will be charged. This is unconstitutional! First of all, not everyone that is fat got that way by eating their way there. Some have thyroid conditions, others are big boned, some have inherited the gene from their family, etc. Of course, there are those that did it themselves there, but as with smoking, that's there choice and they shouldn't be assessed a fee for it, especially the way they're defining fatness.

One can only hope these laws don't spread to other states!