Amy, I am a smoker and I argee with the judge. I don’t live in Greenville but I would not like to see someone try to ban smoking in Spartanburg! Everyone fusses about smoking and raising taxes why not on the alcohol? I don’t see many people who smoke and drive run into anyone.

smokers have rights too and should be able to go to a bar or restaurant and smoke if they want too…
It is supposed to be a free country and we have rights.

You are right. You do have rights, however when those rights cause harm to others, then you have violated the rights of others.  In other words you do not have the right to inflict poor health on others.  Smoking is a known health hazard not only to the smoker but also to those exposed to the smoke.  So if you smoke in a public place where all people are free to gather, then you are causing the hazard, and for that you have no right.  I know you are saying that the nonsmoker does not have to go to this or that bar, etc.  But now you, the smoker, are denying the non smoker their right to frequent a public establishment.  Looks like you are the villain.  Further what’s all the fuss?  Do you not read the paper or surf or blog?  More than twenty states have laws against smoking in all workplaces.  This is for the protection of workers and the public.  The bottom line is that smokers are in denial.. They know it will kill them but they refuse to accept it, and they want to take the nonsmokers and children down the bad health road with them.  Smokers are killers that get away with murder, not to mention littering our highways,city and county parks.  I am an ex smoker that had the mental awareness to quit.  It is a nasty habit, and very costly too.  So wake up, consider your fellow man…Smoke in your own space not in the public places.

I don’t smoke and never have.  If a smoker locked me in a room and forced me to breathe in second-hand smoke, then, yes, that smoker would be responsible for any damage done to my health.  If I am capable of walking away and choose not to do so, I am responsible for the consequences.  I have a big butt because I like cheese burgers.  I’m not going to sue over it because I wasn’t force-fed.  The constitution gives us the right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and freedom to peaceably assemble.  It doesn’t specify that any one group has the right to peaceably assemle EVERYWHERE.  For me, this is not about denial concerning my bad habits.  My bad habits are still legal this week, thank you very much.  This is about freedom and how much of it we’re going to let slip away before we notice that we’re losing it.  Go breathe somewhere else.

I am a nonsmoker and can no longer tolerate a heavy smoke environment; however, my wife is a smoker and we have agreed to locate restaurants where smoke is evacuated sufficiently to prevent further damage to me and my health - she does not smoke in our home.  No doctor can prove that second-hand smoke is a causitive factor in lung cancer any more than Al Gore can prove his academy award movie is anything more than political garbage.  Never-the-less, I also endorse restaurants which individually ban smoking as their matter-of-choice as long as other restaurants may allow smoking.  Hopefully, the smokers restaurants will work to evacuate the smoke to reduce harm to all, smokers and non-smoker spouses & friends alike.  America was created under the banner of freedom for indivudal rights for all - total banning those of smokers who built this country does not fit the image of a free society.