Rules of Engagement

This is just sick. A bouncer, some one I believe I've actually met, was stabbed to death at Guernica in the East Village this weekend. Seems that he was kicking some guy out because he refused to put out his cigarette. People, people, people. I'm all for flouting the law, but not at the expense of someone's life! That's just so wrong.

But somehow, not surprising. Since the law has been passed, I've sensed a growing tension between smokers and nonsmokers. I joked Saturday about class war erupting in the streets, but I didn't know it would happen so soon. It seems like a petty thing, but smokers are addicted to their drug just like any crackhead, and if you try to take it away from us, we will fight back. I have already written off two of my former friends for being downright nasty to me when I jokingly complained about not being able to smoke in the club. Hey, I was fine with going outside, but they proceeded to launch into why it was so great that I was no longer "poisoning" them. I just find that to be rude and uncalled for. Thankfully, I don't harbor homicidal tendencies, but reading any nightly police report will teach you that people are killed over less every day.

This will get worse before it gets better. Back when you could smoke in a bar, nonsmokers rarely ever complained to your face; now they feel that since the law is on their side, they can insult you with impunity. A lot of New Yorkers, even sober, don't take that kind of talk lightly. Now get them drunk, and see what happens. You think a person quitting smoking has a short temper? How about a person deep in the environment in which he enjoys smoking the most, who is intoxicated and denied his fix? Did anyone think about this recipe for disaster?

You can recommend that I should just quit smoking, but that is exactly what I will not do. I will not be pushed into quitting. In fact, as ridiculous and obstinate as it sounds, I refuse to quit until this smoking ban is repealed, or until I live in a place where I can have a cigarette and a cocktail in public without fear of reprimand. There's no way I'll let the government make that choice for me. It's about state's rights, not slavery! Er, you know what I mean.