I posted here because pastes with the > indentation tend to "word-wrap" on the blog. I used
the color coding below to distiguish between the two letters. Greg Lang
Subject: Smoking concerns
> My name is Robert Ripley and I am a non-smoker. I own
> a little bar about 25 miles south of Minneapolis, MN.
> Myself, my employees, my customers, and tens of
> thousands of hard-working Minnesotans would like to
> share some concerns:
> We respect you and your organization for trying to do
> what you think is good for all Minnesotans. It is
> your freedom and your right to do so. We only ask in
> return your respect for OUR freedom and OUR rights.
> The same wonderful freedom that allows you to choose
> to not smoke, or breathe second-hand smoke, is the
> same wonderful freedom that allows us the choice to
> smoke or breathe in second-hand smoke. I often wonder
> what makes a person like you feel that they should
> control other people's lives? Your goal is to "make
> America a healthier place to breathe for everyone."
> But, what if we do not want to be healthier? Why do
> you feel it is up to you to decided how long someone
> should live, or how healthy they should be? Some
> people want to live to 40, some want to live to 80,
> but what gives you the right to dictate that person's
> free will? Coffee is not good for you. Cooking over
> a BBQ grill is not good for you. Excessive amounts of
> fats and salts are not good for you. Vickie, how
> would you like it if I tried to make it so you could
> not drink coffee or eat a steak off the BBQ grill?
> That is the way your organization makes tens of
> thousands of us feel everyday. Us FREE Minnesotans do
> NOT want, or need someone telling us how healthy to
> be. It is not up to you, it is up to each person to
> decide how to live their life. Please, continue
> putting out ads to get people to quit smoking. Please
> continue to go after companies that target children.
> Continue to fight the good fight, but don't stomp on
> decent hard-working peoples' liberties in the process.
> Please stop supporting government legislation that
> prohibits smoking in bars and restaurants in MN. If
> the government has the right to control a person's
> health, then what true freedoms do we really have?
> Keep in mind, a government ordinance that can prohibit
> smoking is NO different that one the mandates smoking.
> Both are wrong.
>
> Thank you for your time,
> Robert Ripley
> Attached is a similar request made to John Stine of the MDH.
(Pasted below)
April 3, 2008Mr. John Linc Stine,
Can you look tens of thousands of Minnesotans in the eye and explain to them why Indian casino patrons and actors have more rights than they do? Can you explain why you are trying to enforce this blatant discrimination?
My name is Robert Ripley, and I own the Bullseye Saloon in Elko New Market, MN. Channel 5 News recently did a story on our theatre nights, and on the MDH actions, and inactions regarding them. Here are a few things that myself, my employees, my customers, and tens of thousands of hard-working Minnesotans would like to tell you:
First, my customer base, like the majority of hometown bars across the state of MN, is composed primarily of blue-collar working people. These people go to work everyday to build the roads you drive on, fix the cars and airplanes you rely on, wire the house where you live so you have electricity, and raise the crops you put on your dinner table. During the course of their daily lives they are exposed to herbicides, they risk injury building our bridges, and they might get electrocuted while fixing your air conditioning. They fight fires, they breathe in diesel fumes, they remove asbestos, and they cook over charcoal grills. When a "Day’s work" is complete they come to their local bar to have a beer and a cigarette and unwind. All of us are wondering how it is that they can breathe in carcinogens all day long as they fight fires, fix diesel trucks, remove asbestos, spray herbicide, and cook over a BBQ grills, but they cannot choose to have a cigarette at the bar after work?Secondly, my employees are concerned about their right to choose the environment in which they work. There are implicit and explicit risks associated with ANY job. My construction worker customers have to worry about being hit by a passing motorist everyday. My farmer customers have to worry about getting their arm caught in the baler or the combine everyday. My firefighter customers have to worry about smoke inhalation and being burned to death everyday at work; and for some reason they choose to do those jobs anyway. Bartenders and servers are no different. These college students, customer friendly people, and single-mothers CHOOSE their work environment also. Just like the fire fighter and the BBQ chef, these Minnesotans choose to breathe second-hand smoke and carcinogens everyday at work. They know the risks associated with their job, and they still choose to serve us.
Also, how many Minnesotans are you willing to put out of work to achieve a smoke-free utopian society? Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. Running a small business is a difficult task, and small businesses "go under" everyday here in Minnesota. They go out-of-business for reasons like: bad bookkeeping, employee theft, poor marketing skills, bad personnel decisions, lack of customer service, or inability to change with the market. But, when these small business owners are somehow able to manage their business and avoid all of these potential pitfalls just to have unconstitutional legislation rob them of their life’s work, that is downright unethical and "Un-American."Finally, we have some concerns about the rights and freedoms that these working-class Minnesotans, and the Vets that fought to give them these rights. Before the unconstitutional Clean Indoor Air Act, everyone had equal rights under the law. People had the right to breathe clean indoor air by simply exercising their freedom to patronize an establishment that did not allow smoking. Similarly, people had the right to smoke and breathe second-hand smoke by patronizing establishments that allowed smoking indoors: A level and fair playing field, equal rights for everyone. Now, under the new Clean Indoor Air Act law, the rights of one group, was sacrificed for the rights of another group. This is not what America is all about. When women gained the right to vote, we did not take away the right to vote from men. Minnesota laws need to give equal rights to all of its citizens, not just the groups that the legislature deems politically correct. If you, John, walk into a restaurant and there are many screaming children, you have the right and the freedom to CHOOSE to cope with your surroundings, and you have the right and freedom to walk back out the door. If you, John, walk into a fast food joint and it smells like greasy french fries, you have the right and the freedom to CHOOSE to cope with your surroundings, and you have the right and freedom to walk back out the door. Why is this any different than walking into a "smokey" bar? Do you believe that the rights of Minnesota "non-smokers" should trump the rights of Minnesota "smokers" who choose to participate in the LEGAL activity of having a cigarette?
We Minnesotans are asking the MDH to stop regulating our personal rights, liberties, and freedoms. The Minnesota legislators that cast their vote for this Clean Indoor Air Act must have forgotten about all the hard-working blue-collar citizens that are represented by this letter. I, no, WE ask you John Stine, and our MN state legislators, to stop trying to regulate the amount of smoke that goes into the fire fighters lungs. Stop regulating how many carcinogens the line cook breathes in everyday. And stop trying to manage the risks of construction workers and bartenders. Just because something is "Not good for you," does not mean it has to be illegal. Please keep this in mind today while you drink your coffee or your soda pop, and eat your fast food…. before unconstitutional laws take those "unhealthy" freedoms away from you.
Sincerely,
Robert Ripley,
My Employees,
My Customers,
And Tens of Thousands of Hard-Working Minnesotans
