Mayor Dreams of 'Smoke-Free World'

By Roggie McFadden

DALLAS, Texas -- January 20, 2003 -- Mayor Laura Miller has made a real important New Year's Resolution this year: she's going to do everyone a favor and ban cigarette smoking in Dallas. Yes, the Mayor is promising Texans the blessings of a wondrous 'Smoke-Free World' if all goes accordingly.

Mayor Miller has told close advisers of her long-cherished vision of one day when all the children of Texas will stand hand in hand in their smoke-free environments of peace and positivity.

Miller is supported in making her dream reality by an activist group called the Smoke-Free Dallas Coalition (partially funded by the American Cancer Society). The political group, "wants to see smoking banned in restaurants, bars and other public places." They are "concerned about the potential dangers of second-hand smoke."

In 1986, Dallas passed an ordinance making it necessary for restaurants to provide non-smoking sections for customers. This is not enough for councilperson Dr. Elba Garcia, who wrinkled up her nose at a City Council reunion and said, "When I go to a restaurant, my choice doesn't matter. The drift still happens ... I can smell it."

Councilperson Garcia likened the deadly "drift" to "a loaded gun - except the bullets kill you slowly."

Throughout 2002 in Dallas, non-sensical comparisons like Garcia's have been wafting effortlessly from the lips of the Holy Health Crusaders, clouding the debate over the ordinance with stultifying black puffs of unreasonable and hysterical exaggeration.

During a recent media blitz, Mayor Miller exclaimed for TV cameras, "Second-hand smoke kills. Science has proven that second-hand smoke causes cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness,"

The restrictions to be voted on by the City Council are less than what Ms. Miller originally desired as outside patio areas and freestanding bars (not connected to a restaurant and deriving 75 percent or more of revenue from alcohol sales) would be exempt. Karen Potasznik of the Smoke-Free Dallas Coalition laments that, "This is nowhere near what Dallas needs."

Some are still taking a stand to oppose Miller's offer of smoke-free Utopia. "If those people don't want to go to restaurants that have smoke - they don't have to go," said restaurateur Blaine Brooks. "What happened to our choice?"

For Ms. Miller, there is only one choice and this is her chance to make it, and her chance again to "make a difference."

From Wilshire Gazette (February 2003)

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Reader Comments

From: "Lawrence and Sharon"
Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003

Since we, the smoking public, can no longer smoke in a Dallas restaurant, my wife & I will eat in some other city as we did today while in Dallas.

Don't these violators of the smoker's freedom not know that drunks also kill? What about the pollution of big trucks, planes & factories? I often wonder how many of these people that are ganging up on smokers, are drinkers of alcohol. I have seen first hand innocent lives taken by a drunk driver.

Thank you. Eat elsewhere.

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