The End of an Era

Last night was the last night of an era in Minnesota. An era of freedom where a man could light up a cigarette in a bar and enjoy himself.

I celebrated the end of this era by joining a buddy at a local lounge where we drank Tanqueray tonics and choked down smoke after smoke. It was a delight--and I don't even "smoke!" Today Minnesota implements a state-wide smoking ban in bars and restaurants and any other place that's public.

Perhaps the sickest part of this ban is the fact that it's impossible for anyone to prove causation if their business goes under. There's no way to prove for sure that the state's banning smoking was the reason and not a thousand other things that may (or may not) have come into play.

So the supporters have some seriously plausible deniability. "Out of business? We never put anyone out of business! Prove that this law put anyone out of business!"

The continued feminization of our culture continues unabated.