Since the anti-smoking zealots set the ball rolling and are furthest along in their aim of reshaping a free would into one under their authority they deserve much of our attention, and since they, like most of the rent seekers and parasites who want to control others' lives, rely largely on government largesse one obvious way to hurt them is to pay less tax. Zaphod, Smoking Hot and Pat Nurse are among those who bring their smokes in from abroad, while Leg-iron is progressing from rolling his own into growing it as well (and not the only one as Pat Nurse blogs here) and has also been a leading light of what he calls Smoky-Drinky Place. All of which is very admirable of them, not to mention practical too, but obviously is only a way of fighting back for those who are smokers. For those of us who simply stand with them for whatever reason it's no weapon at all (well, the drinky bit of Smoky-Drinky Place is for those who drink, which is probably a healthy majority).
So what can the rest of us do? Well, we can still pay less tax by looking into all legitimate means of minimising our tax exposure, and if we are also drinkers looking at home brewing has got a lot going for it. Drinkers should be aware by now that they're the next in line anyway. But we can all refuse to deal with the antis and their supporters as a matter of personal choice. Which brings me on to a comment left by a fella by the name of Kevin on a post about anti-smoking zealots that I wrote a couple of weeks before Christmas, and in which I gave the example of a bloke in Ireland called Phillip Tobin who flat refuses to hire smokers:
... according to the firm concerned, not only might they take a smoke break (seems prejudicial) but even if they don't they will smell and get ill, and they must be stupid - no more evidence being required for that last half-formed thought than that they chose to continue smoking.This reminds me of the kind of spittle-flecked nicophobic hatred that Duncan Bannatyne spouts, the anti-smoking zealots favourite kind of anti-smoking zealot - a convert. Dear fuck, save me from people like Duncan Bannatyne and Phillip Tobin, and as Kevin suggests a step in the right direction is to give the bastards the flick and take your money elsewhere:
“I would consider smoking as interfering with standards. I’m talking about smoking breaks but not only that - their smell, their intelligence, their illnesses are all factors. That’s why the line was there. Smokers will not be employed, so there is no point in coming for an interview.”
Interviewed on an Irish radio station, Tobin added that anyone who could continue to smoke despite health warnings was obviously not intelligent enough to work for his company.
Oddly enough I was looking at possibly employing Tobin's company (Dot Com Directories) for my company. We had earmarked 50,000 quid for the project but now, sadly, I'll have to take his company off the list of potential suppliers because... well anyone stupid enough to make comments like he did is obviously not bright enough to handle our needs.Good for you, Kevin, and sound advice for the rest of us whether we smoke or not. If there's a practical alternative to doing business with a rabid anti-smoker, take it. If you're giving someone a voucher for a weekend away or looking to take a break yourself don't choose one of Duncan Bannatyne's Strength Through Joy health
Please pass the word so others are not tempted to employ a company led by such a cerebrally challenged individual.
In short, starve the antis. They may get off on hatred, but they need our money to do it.
* Not, I notice, for disabled customers. I wonder what would happen if a disabled smoker wanted a room there that they could smoke in.
