Saturday, April 23, 2011

The Nanny State never Quits

News Flash! April 22, 2011. AP news from Atlanta, Center for Disease Control: CDC hopefully announces it anticipates an effective 50 state ban on smoking in "public places" by 2020.

Personal Log, Stardate 2022.

I had not seen my friend Mike in 10 years, he has been working in Asia. Of course, he is visiting, he is welcome in my home.

When we get home from the airport, I told him, "grab a couple beers, I'll get the luggage, you've had a long flight."

I come in and Mike is in my kitchen SMOKING A CIGARETTE! I go into panic mode, fan the doors, try to get rid of the fumes, but the alarm goes off anyway. Mike is puzzled, asks "you got the smoke detectors set a bit low or what?"

I have to confess to being a "registered smoker". "say what", says Mike?

Yeah, well in '16 we had to register as smokers to be able to purchase tobacco; still legal, but only if I show my registration card at the store. That triggered a "home investigation" by Childrens' Protective Service. We 'fessed up, the grandkids visit here regularly. We promised not to smoke around them, but CPS' mission is to protect children above all.

We had to install tobacco detectors at our expense, real-time connected to a monitoring center. If the detectors sense active smoking in a house children might visit, the alarm sounds and we get a visit.

Mike, I know you didn't know this, but that alarm means the smoke cleaners will be calling shortly. I can select which, but they must be licensed, and it will tickle you; they will show up in "moonsuits" and act like they believe this crap, but Hell, it's their rice bowl.

They will come in, sniff the house electronically, and clean up any potential residue on walls and ceilings. No, Mike I can't do it, now that the smoke-nannies have been alerted, I gotta pay for a licensed cleaner to come make my house safe for children, or we can no longer allow anyone under 18 in the house.

Mike softly curses in the Mandarin he learned as a company rep in China, slows down and asks, "What the Hell happened to the free country I left in 2010"?

"Ah Mike my friend, you haven't been here", says I. "We are still free to say anything that offends no one; we can still fly commercial flights as long as we are willing to have our 5 year olds groped by strangers, and we are still free to smoke in a tiny corner of our backyards. Automobiles, only if we certify that no child will ever ride in it. Violate these rules once is a $500 fine. If the DA finds a "pattern of abuse" we are subject to felony charge of "Reckless Endangerment".

We finish a six-pack in my limited smoking area catching up on old times and Mike books a flight back to Taiwan, where they have better things to worry about. Mike wonders why he served two terms of enlistment, and chews me out for not doing a better job here preserving freedom on the homefront.


Obviously a future fiction, but tell me it won't go there. The Smoke/cholesterol/salt/ethanol nannies truly want to control our lives. It's in our best interest don't you know.

Pardon me, but my "best interests" are none of your freaking business. My insurer perhaps, but I expect to outlive another couple of agents half my age.

8 comments:

  1. So true, the nanny state never quits. On conchoinfo if you disagree with J&J your comments will never see the light of day and on the Libertarian’s web site free citizens will experience the same draconian policy.

    Steppenwolfe

    ReplyDelete
  2. Utter BS! In the 5 years this site has been up Webmaster Turner has removed exactly one post. It "saw the light of day", but...

    Any privately operated forum has the right to protect itself from "over-the-top" droppings. The standards are up to the operator, but ours are way more flexible than the newspaper's.

    Don't care for either, it's a free country, start your own site, people do it every day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It appears that old Steppedinit is still as full of you-know-what as a Christmas turkey.

    ReplyDelete
  4. http://www.rense.com/general35/SDFG.htm

    take a gander at this!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ah! Soo! ..... you are awake. Seems it was facebook’s new security settinngs which prevented my comments from being posted. My applogies to all. I reserve the right to be wrong.


    *****************(^);;(*)******************

    Steppenwolfe

    ReplyDelete
  6. We are very flexible on what we allow in comments here. The last three comments were on the edge. They really need to be more on topic. Everyone has a right to speak their opinion. We don't have to provide the place for that speech. Our rules are simple. Keep on topic. Don't get personal. Keep it (relatively) clean. Post so your son, daughter or any member of your family could read it.

    And thanks to all the participate here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Steppe you were doing so good. Your last comment will never get published because you started name calling.

    And just for the record, I and some friends were at the first Tea Party Rally on the Court House Steps. We gave out a few tee shirts. Had TANSTAAFL on the front and A POX ON BOTH THEIR PARTIES on the back. Need to get your eyes checked.

    And Steppe, this blog is private property. You want to play, play by the rules. You don't, go play on your own blog.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your "future fiction" is scary indeed. I swear kids think I'm a kook because I believe in "God-given rights". Maybe one day they will outlaw the Constitution, but until that day I will fight to protect it.

    ReplyDelete