****
THIS AND THAT
Bitching By: James Edstrom
****
Smoking James Edstrom In The Hampton's
It's been a hot and wild week here in NYC. The heat was a killer and the work never stops. How I crave a few days out at Dune Point Fire Island to bask in the sun and to hangout with my friends. The air here is just horrible. I don't understand why all the tourists want to be here during the summer. Spring and Fall is so much better and even around Christmas time when it's colder is great. The only downfall for Christmas is we have these gridlocks where the city just can not move.
I don't understand why everyone has to bring their cars. Mass Transit is so much better. You don't have to look for parking or better yet, not pay for parking which is outrageous. You can stroll the street, explore and shop. Coming into the city can take hours and leaving can take hours. The bridges and tunnels are always backed up, so why waste so much time traveling? Next time, think about Mass Transit. There's nothing better than having a great train ride and talking to your friends instead of fighting traffic.
STOP AND FRISK
This is so wrong the police departments stop and frisk policy. Not only does the majority of these searches happen to minorities, it can happen to me and you. The police department says that they get guns off the streets. Well looking at the statistics, for the number of people searched and frisked, this is no way a justifiable excuse. Even if they got a million guns off the streets, it is our rights that are being taken away and this can not be tolerated. Isn't there something in the Constitution about unreasonable searches and seizures?
This is how the Germans started with Hitler. They take away more and more rights, till you have none.
SMOKING AND NEW YORK CITY LAWS
This is just getting out of control. I could go on and on about our rights. They take our tax money from one hand for these cigarettes, and with the other they ticket us for smoking. I spent almost 2 hundred dollars for a zoo and aquarium season passes two weeks ago and when I went to the Bronx Zoo, you can not smoke anywhere.
I know cigarettes are bad for your health. I have many problems from them. But I am just hooked. I have tried to stop and I can not. Going to the beach, Zoo or the parks and not being able to smoke, makes the trip very stressing, as I am always looking for a place to catch a quick smoke. Our smoking tax dollars are helping to pay for the upkeep of these places and yet we can not enjoy them.
The mayor said that they really would not be ticketing us for smoking, it was more of a pier pressure thing. But he lied, they are ticketing people, and it is just not right. We pay taxes too.
If you really want to know about the fight for smokers rights, you should visit Audrey Silk's website, NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment. Audrey really has a grip on what is happening to smokers. She has reports from all over the world. You can also join her Facebook page HERE.
They take away your right to smoke, they take away your right to choose what you eat, by banning trans-fats and now they are after what size soda you can have. What is next, your right to vote or your right to have sex? Stop this insanity now!
