Indiana Clean Air Act - Stop Stinking Up Our Outhouse With Your Pipe Tobacco
ghostsofpompeii
Master
For a few years now my wife and I try to get a little fresh air and exercise by walking in a variety of Parks, County Fairgrounds, or Nature Preserves here in Indiana. It's not safe to walk the streets around my house so we jump in the car and travel to one of about a half dozen different locations depending upon our preference for that particular day - some have primitive forest trails while others have nicely paved walkways throughout the park. And it has been my custom to bring along my pipe. Until recently it's never been an issue. But within the past month we're beginning to notice signs posted on buildings - including bathrooms that read ... "No Smoking Within 20 Feet Of This Building In Accordance With The Indiana Clean air Act".
Before these signs were posted on the buildings my routine was to make a quick pit stop before we'd begin our walk to 'drain my dragon', squirt a little hand sanitizer on my hands from a small bottle I carry in my pocket, and then proceed to pack my pipe and light-up before stepping outdoors in the wind. Now mind you many of these bathroom facilities are little more than a glorified outhouse or Porta-Potty ... some without actual plumbing. And as you can image they reek to high Heaven. On a good day the urinal cake may quell the stench somewhat ... while on other days if considerable time has lapsed between service calls ... it can make you weak in the knees.
So the very notion that the lingering aroma of my pipe tobacco could be offensive to anyone entering the building is both laughable and asinine. I fear the day may be drawing near when the sign posted at the entrance gate of the park reads "Smoking Is Prohibited Inside The Park". Fellow Pipers ... we're doomed.
Comments
For years I have visited my local park, which also has an archery range, complete with elevated shooting platforms. It is redneck paradise to say the least.
Well, after about an hour of shooting my longbows, I like to take a break and smoke a pipe. I will take along a folding chair, and sit on the edge of the archery range, which is about 30 yards from the walking trail. Another guy, who is usually always sitting close by, is the local Five-O.
So I sit and smoke my pipe, and watch various hipsters in spandex get their exercise. I'm assuming that Five-O is doing the same, but since he has never even opened the door to his cruiser, I have no idea what the guy looks like.
There is one guy I find hilarious, who has his dog trained to pull his bike. He rarely needs to pedal, unless Fido needs to stop to sniff something. I'm sure it has crossed Fido's mind more than once, that his owner would be better served with a miniature horse or pony.
As of yet, there is no signage posted banning smoking, but the whole scenario has me feeling like an outcast of sorts. I expected that someone would confront me long ago about my pipe smoking, but so far no one has felt the need to school me for my own good.
Since we've moved to NC, admittedly one of the larger tobacco producing states, they've outlawed smoking in bars unless grand fathered. The only way around it, from a bar owners perspective, is to open a smoking bar now it must be in a "stand alone" building (not sharing any walls, floors or ceilings with other buildings).
We're all becoming sheeple/wusses biding our time in our respective nanny states.
Most of the guys here can't smoke in their own homes why would the rest of the world want them around?
I was referring to the "Citizenry" we, not the pipe smoking community.
That being said, I do think it is incumbent upon us to be pro-active in matters regarding the erosion and outright theft of our personal freedoms and liberties.
I'll stop there, don't want a thread-lock.
@ghostsofpompeii, in reality, the only people to ever show an interest in my archery, have usually been teenage males. Most of them think that they need the power of a compound bow, to actually take a deer. Since bowhunting is a part of our culture down here, I think they find it intriguing that they could accomplish the task with a longbow, wood arrows, and a broadhead that they sharpened by hand.
When the adults see me sitting in my chair smoking my pipe, I don't think most of them know I have been shooting my bows. My guess is, if they think anything at all, it is something along the lines of being offended by my pipe. After all, I think 99% of people believe smoking is smoking, and that offends me.