Well, was just listening to Drudge. Apparently there's a new anti-smoking law in Omaha Nebraska, and authorities are urging citizens to call 911 if they see anyone smoking in public.

Now, call me cynical, but I can just see the dispatcher taking the call, waiting until he/she finishes her cigarette, then passes the urgent crime in progress report on to units in the area, armed with squirt guns.

We must be past all the big stuff if smoking in public is legitimate use of the 911 system, this is like using 911 for a jaywalker.

Edit: Ok, so it was a toss up between posting in the lounge or posting in the politics forum, I really couldn't decide, but it seemed absurd even for politics so I went with the lounge.

Are they going to ban high capacity cigarette packages and force 10 cigarette only pacs?

*gasp* I hadn't thought of that! Maybe they should make a hotline straight to SWAT for hi-cap smoker sightings!

Tis true. The ban went into effect a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately Drudge exaggerated a little, but thats OK.

Yes citizens are being instructed to call 911 if someone is smoking in a restaurant, etc, or even if "SMOKING PARAPHENALIA" is seen... BTW "smoking paraphenalia" is: lighters, matches, ash trays...

The only good thing is that its the po-lice's lowest enforcement priority, although contrary to Drudge's claim, several actuall arrests have been made on cigar smokers... Apparently they were arrested after it was discovered they were smoking CUBAN cigars...

Utterly patheitc, but the brass at OPD love it... Its being referred to in the political circles as the "greatest revenue enhancement for the city since gasoline taxes..."

Talk about politicians being two-faced. Here in New York, they are always coming about different ways to ban or restrict smoking. However at the same time rake in the money by taxing the same people they say they want to stop. They want the money from them but then tell them them not to smoke. They can't have it both ways. To me it doesn't matter, I stopped back in December of 85 when I got sick and had a heartattack.

whats next? ban on chewing gun because i dont like to step on gum as much as the next person so maybe we should ban gum :rolleyes:

I am a non-smoker, but i believe in ones right to smoke, just not in my car or house :)