street government

Sapphire believes that there are two governments in every land – one ruled by the young and free which operates in the streets, and the other ruled by the geriatrics and health nuts which has no jurisdiction over her and young people generally.

"When bars and clubs start enforcing bans on drugs decreed by the public health lobby we'll just move the party outside or go back to what we've been doing for years -- partying at home," laughs Sapphire. "I feel sorry, sort of, for the hospitality industry losing out on us, but the bar and club owners really should have taken a stand."

"Their main source of income -- and attraction -- came from us, not the geriatrics and the health nuts running the public health lobby," says Sapphire. "It's ridiculous that they've forced us outside to smoke or do drugs. Hardly anybody is taking advantage of the smoke-free environment inside, and of those most are so old that they are not going to be around much longer."

"How is the government going to made amends to the hospitality industry when these bans close down thousands of bars and clubs?" asks Sapphire. "What about the tourist industry? What young people would want to come here when the whole country is geared for health nuts and geriatrics trying to live for eternity?"

"Who wants a night out at the gym or a place where the old folks hang out in their drug free zones?"

"I'm not sure which group is more responsible than the other for the current crackdown on all of our vices," says Sapphire, "but there's definitely a health agenda behind it and I think alcohol is going to be next."

"Like I said, it won't bother me what they do because I have my street government," says Sapphire, "but the world is going to become an awfully boring place for everyone else when all the health bans on drugs take effect."

"Bring back the likes of cigar chewing Winston Churchill and vodka swilling Boris Yeltsin," laughs Sapphire. "Now they were politicians to admire and would have kicked the current politically correct idiots back to kindergarten where they belong."

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weak-willed ex-smokers

Bibi is 38, a social smoker, and she's fuming that anti-smoking propaganda has caused so many people to quit and change from being pleasant companions into irritable, nasty and weak-willed ex-smokers.

"There are plenty of people who have sworn off alcohol and yet can enjoy a night out with drinkers -- and some ex-smokers can do this sort of thing, too," says Bibi, "but my personal experience with people who have quit smoking is that they have become absolute pains."

"My ex-best friend was a social smoker like myself who has been trying to quit for three years, but claims that she gets drawn back into temptation by smokers in social situations," explains Bibi. "She is delighted with the new smoking ban because she feels it will actually help her resist the temptation to smoke."

"Well, hello!" laughs Bibi. "As long as smoking is legal she is going to come across smokers wherever she goes and if she has so much trouble quitting then she might as well continue smoking."

"As I see it," says Bibi, "if she really wanted to quit she would. End of story. She is merely blaming her failure on others around her. If it's not us, it's her parents. She is totally spineless and I'm ashamed that I never saw that feature in her before -- but I'm not beating up on myself because even the colleagues of the terrorist doctors didn't suspect them."

"I appreciate it doesn't help the quitters if others are smoking around you," says Bibi, "but if you are having serious trouble with this sort of thing you need to get therapy or stay at home far away from people and environments that tempt you."

"I believe that lots of ex-smokers left the pub and club scene -- and are flocking back now -- because they couldn't cope with the temptation," says Bibi, "but I fail to see why millions of smokers need to have their freedoms curtailed just because some ex-smokers have personal problems with willpower."

"When she sees me and the other smokers going out for a smoke she starts lecturing us on addiction and adopts a holier than thou attitude," sighs Bibi. "She is becoming a real pain."

"There was absolutely no health reason why she needed to quit," says Bibi. "She just swallowed all the anti-smoking hype and became a born-again non-smoker with all the zeal attached to born-again crusaders."

"In my opinion there is no such thing as an ex-smoker," says Bibi. "It's like alcoholism. You're hooked for life and you have two choices when you want to quit: accept your addiction and exercise willpower to overcome it, or become a ranting crusader."

"Unfortunately, too many ex-smokers find it easier to become ranting crusaders than exercise willpower," sighs Bibi, "and now that they are coming back into the pub and club scene in droves I fear more rather than less victimization when I'm outside smoking."

"I've never tried to quit so I don't know exactly how difficult it would be," muses Bibi, "but if I ever had to make that choice I hope I have the strength of character to do it with grace without feeling a need to inflict venom on those who choose to remain smokers."

"I had to give up junk food a while back because I was putting on too much weight and while it's probably not the same sort of addiction as smoking I didn't feel a need to inflict venom on those around me who continued eating it in my presence."

"Sure, my mouth watered and I was tempted to give in hundreds of times," laughs Bibi, "but I persevered and now being around junk food doesn't bother me much. Yes, I still desire the stuff -- just like an ex-smoker must still desire cigarettes -- but you learn to concentrate on something else and the desire passes."

"Let's face it, at some time in our lives we all have to give up something we enjoy doing," says Bibi, "and how you do it shows what you're made of, doesn't it?"

health nuts, geriatrics and smokers

Sapphire is 19, an arts student, and a sad example, perhaps, of the total ineffectiveness of anti-smoking propaganda and a bad reason, perhaps, for the government to ban the sale of tobacco products completely.

"I drink, take drugs and of course I smoke," laughs Sapphire. "The more I come across propaganda designed to make me stop doing something the more I want to do it, and if they banned alcohol and cigarettes tomorrow it wouldn't bother me because there's nothing you can't get off a dealer."

"If the aim of the anti-smoking health nuts was to get us out of your workplaces, restaurants, bars and clubs then you've won," says Sapphire, "but in doing so you've created a generation gap and a social chasm like no other one before – except, perhaps, for the Prohibition on alcohol years. Smokers and non smokers are being divided, as are young people and older people. Are you happy now?"

"Well, guys, eat up and pump up in your nice, clean smoke-free environments -- and enjoy your liquor for as long as you can afford it," says Sapphire, "because as more smokers quit, or if tobacco is banned, all those taxes the government has ripped off smokers have to be made up somehow – think carbon tax, guys!"

"And, while you're thinking about that, think also about the next wave of health nuts who may ban alcohol and all the nice sweet and fatty food you enjoy so much," laughs Sapphire. "Right now, the health system may perform operations on 80 year olds and older, but it can't possibly afford to do so forever.”

“Who is going to look after you if you ever do live longer than smokers?"

"It ain't going to be me and my smoking friends!”

Read more by Sapphire:

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street government

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