Lengthy Tale About The City Council Voting To Close Our Club

[ithelouniverse]

So the city council has informed us that Thursday evening it will be voting on measure to ban smoking from public places. Nothing new, they do this fairly often, but this time they tell us our club will close as well. Why? I ask. Because our clubhouse is part of a smoke shop and they will no longer be exempt. Thats all we get. Us being us we dig a little deeper in our own fashion, and here's what we find out. A fellow here who owns a bar across from our Texas Tech campus brought this to the table. Why? Because twice he has tried to go non smoking and the business goes to any of the other 30 bars within walking or bus distance from school. He knows that the smoking amongst college kids is high and wants to level the playing field by saying no smoking anywhere.
What does this jerkoff do?
He gets his wife to go to the American Cancer Society and complain about how bad the house stinks when he gets home and they bring doctors, who bring studies, to the council meeting about how the danger isn't for the smokers! Not at all! It's for the non smokers that are forced to work there because of our terrible economy and they are literally killing themselves for money by breathing in 2nd hand and ALSO KILLING THIER KIDS BRINGING HOME 3RD HAND SMOKE?! Are you shitting me?! So the council told us a preliminary vote showed 3 for 3 against 1 undecided.
Any place with 4 wall and an employee (that's actually what the ruling says!!!) will no longer be allowed to permit smoking. All because this ass needs to level the playing field for his shitty bar because he's too cheap to hire decent music and the house band is whatever musician is dating his daughter. This isn't a smear fest, I sold AND wired every light and speaker in that place. He really only hires his daughters boyfriends for the house band! It really is pit. Trust me: the smoking is the least of his problems. We have two other non smoking bars here in town and they usually have a line out the door, but they are willing to spend the money to make the bar appealing enough that students don't mind going outside for a smoke. Or not smoking at all because one is a no readmitance venue, so no running outside to smoke.
I'm sorry for the length of this post, I'm clearly angry. On property we own we should be allowed to do pretty much whatever the hell we want, within the existing laws of the state and nation...
Thoughts?!

-Lou

 

[ruscho]

The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Make your pipe club a private club and the problem is solved.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

Wow, that's bogus. 3rd hand smoke. Lol.

 

[daveinlax]

On property we own we should be allowed to do pretty much whatever the hell we want, within the existing laws of the state and nation

And those laws are changing every day and are overwhelmingly popular.

Make your pipe club a private club and the problem is solved.

That's been tried and is a loser. Private clubs are workplaces first.

Your best bet is to get the smoke shop grandfathered meaning it makes the majority of the money from tobacco not booze or food. 8O

 

[seilerjp]

Many years ago when our club sponsor shop closed, we moved to a member's home and have been meeting there once a month for over 12 years. Of course the maximum number of people that show up each month never exceeds 10 people. It's a shame how our hobby is viewed and the restrictions being placed on us for our legal hobby!

 

[ruscho]

That's been tried and is a loser. Private clubs are workplaces first.

Huh? Why should private clubs be workplaces? Call the darn thing a "book club" and light up

 

[lonestar]

Man that is bullshit. Hope you guys can get in action quick enough to do something. Been a year or two since I've been up there but I remember theres a Restaurant just outside the loop with smoking inside, I think its the Longhorn Cafe. It's inside the Truck stop on the south side of town. Maybe band together with them and any other smoking establishments you can get and have a march on city hall. Get some students involved.

 

[pylorns]

that's messed up. I would be so pissed too. I hope your club goes to the city council meeting and make your voices heard.

 

[lonestar]

Probably doesn't matter, but it's Tech Cafe inside the Chisum Travel Center on 84. Hang together or you'll surely hang alone.

 

[james80]

At what point is the club being closed?!? Smoking bans exist all over the world get over it.

 

[okiescout]

If you do not act ( with that council ) you will loose more rights in time. Get up a crowd and make your voice heard at the council! We are loosing more freedoms in this country every year, because we are the "silent majority".

Maybe not in the smoking arena, but certainly in general. It appears a minority who is willing to put the effort, time, and money into a cause can often achieve their objective. It is a matter of how much you really resent being pushed around. You can always just do like most folks will do and just bitch. Baaa Baaaa! :O)

 

[dmcmtk]

"...3 for 3 against 1 undecided."
So where do things stand?
"Get up a crowd and make your voice heard at the council!" - Yes.

 

[james80]

Yes pipe smoking can be described as a hobby. So is paintballing.
Now sit in a bar and let a paint balling competition go on around you as your clothes get spattered with paint whilst you have a quiet drink.
Happy? No you wouldn't be. See the other guys point of view and stop bemoaning the injustices of it all from a selfish point of view. Smoke your pipe elsewhere. This after all is a gentlemen's hobby? A quiet contemplative hobby?
Or is that sales speak?

 

[tuold]

Seems to me that if I wanted to open up a business where smoking was allowed, I should be able to do that. If people want to work there or go there for entertainment, then they should be able to do that.
The problem we have is that there are plenty of people out there who think they know better how to run your life then you do. You can't make sound choices for yourself so they make them for you. Jeeze, if you're actually enjoying yourself while doing something they disapprove of, well, that has to be squashed right away!
This is the Neo-Victorian society we all live in these days.
BTW, it's the people who think they are being offended or sullied by others, those who demand others change instead of themselves who are the ones being selfish. Maybe I'm sickened by those who are gnashing on animal flesh in my favorite restaurant. The smell of animal flesh is offensive as is the sacrifices of helpless animals. I want all meat banned from public places. It's been shown to cause cancer too!
As for the paintball scenario, if I walk into a paintball themed bistro I would know what to expect, eh? Maybe I wouldn't go in....maybe I would.

 

[james80]

The title of this thread is ".... Council closes our club".
The council hasn't closed the club. You guys need to catch a grip. This contemplative hobby seems to be hijacked by reactionaries.

 

[phred]

I'll be honest - back when Colorado voted on an indoor smoking ban, I voted in favor - but the Colorado ban, while broad, did include exemptions for smoking-related businesses (such as the local hookah bar, several cigar "bars", smoke shops, etc. - basically, any business that received a certain percentage of income from the sales of tobacco products).
The merits of a ban are, obviously, the subject of dispute - but is there any chance of getting the city council to make an exception for smoking-related businesses? The bars are one thing (and this does sound reeealy shady), but extending the ban to tobacco-related businesses seems at best ludicrous...

 

[ithelouniverse]

I absolutely agree with the restaurant, hotel and bar aspect of the bill or motion or whatever it's called. Smoking is not a requirement of going out. However, I feel like walking into or working at a smoke shop or club is consenting to be exposed to smoke. This isn't asbestos, no one is being lied to about the goings on, no one DOESNT know the risks.
Phred: we are hoping for an exemption for tobacco sales but the fellow from the city office we spoke with told us that was unlikely, and further more, built into this motion will be a minimum of 12 years before it can be revisited in order to develop more "data."
James80: you're right, they're not closing the club just banning smoking in the building we use. I apologize for two reasons:

1. I'm sorry I wasn't clearer

2. I'm sorry I didn't include a map leading you from point A to point B...

If you think we here on this forum complain too much , I'm sure there's plenty other places for you to take your highly evolved, unselfish, other point of view seeing internet persona...

 

[james80]

Your sarcasm is somewhat bemusing. My point was clearly made.

 

[dochudson]

what you need to do is get the word out far and wide as to this guys motives. find a pipe smoking lawyer and get him to join your club. someone in your club needs to run for city counsel. you need to get everyone you know to show up at the meeting and speak in favor of grandfathering in existing smoking shops.

 

[mso489]

I'd move the club to private homes, for starters, both to have a place to meet, and to

keep the group together as an opposition to heavy-handed local statutes. Then I'd

pursue the city council with your case. They are obviously going with the trend of

banning any kind of smoking anywhere there is public exposure. Absolutely drop the

whole issue about the bitchy club owner. He's not the point, and his club will likely

sink of its own unpleasant ownership, but carping about him, his daughters, and his

business will move no one who isn't personally involved. Instead, make a point of the

intrusive aspect of this law. Here are people who want to have a sociable, convivial

gathering based on a mutual hobby, getting run off. People can begin to feel personally

hemmed in and violated and wonder if someone will pull the fire code on their church

supper or boy scout troop, and may have second thoughts about your club. Even if you

don't win the day, you will have put down a precedent for push back on intrusive statutes.

Where exactly do you draw the line? And is this a logical and good place?