I have to wonder, out here in la-la land, that they've come to the conclusion that tobacco smoke is somehow *more* deadly than other (actually quite a bit more deadly) types of exhaust.
I mused on this yesterday, where I met 'Professor Ping-Pong', who wouldn't share a bit of the downtown sidewalk with a tobacco smoker, though he seemed copacetic with all the cars, trucks, and motorcycles that were part of Ukiah's only 'traffic jam' (downtown, about three blocks worth).
Today, I met a woman who'd quit smoking in 1982, but loved the smell of (some) burning tobacco.
She pointed out how her friend who quit with her couldn't stand it.
I realized right then why these laws out here are so freakin' draconian and rude.
These people don't want to protect their physical health, they want to protect their mental health.
A substantial number of ex-smokers are militantly so, and it appears that my new acquaintance has pointed out the underlying cause: envy.
So that's where they get the gall to outlaw smoking on a sidewalk.
I knew it couldn't be fueled by anything sensible, since I've seen 'sensible' (Vancouver, BC).
The Canadians are *so* polite. They realized it wasn't much more than an airflow issue. That's what they legislated.
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