We’re told that the merger of Second Hand Smoke into In Real Life Exposed has been completed – and that the SHS members’ area is now fully a part of IRLX (and has just been updated). We’re also told that the IRLX membership price goes up tomorrow, so if you want to get in under the wire at the old prices, you only have a few hours left

Obviously, when we complain about the “progress” of the anti-smoking movement, we are speaking mainly of the US, since that’s where we’re based. We know that things are difficult in some overseas countries as well (especially in the EU), but we’re fortunate to be in the “forefront” of the war.
We’ve already expressed our amazement at what’s happened in Nevada; we’ve recently spoken with people who’ve just returned from a trip to Illinois, where a few years ago they were saying “it’ll never happen here” – and now, local bars are closing right and left because of the new smoking ban that’s taken effect.
And it now seems a certainty that a law banning smoking in cars containing “children” will be enacted here in California this year; the only question is what age defines a “child at risk” – the negotiations are now centered around the age of 8-10, but the antis originally wanted it defined as anyone under 18, which shows you where they’re coming from. (We would guess that a large percentage of the legislators who were pushing for 18, were themselves smokers for many years by the time THEY were 18.)
Even worse, there’s a proposed local ordinance in San Francisco, to ban smoking in private homes and apartments – except for large detached homes (we don’t know the definition of “large” but we’d guess that all private homes would be the logical next step.
But if you’re looking for a temporary safe haven, you may want to check out the posts on The Smoke Signals Messageboard where regular poster Paul McCarthy is detailing his search for a new place to live in the Southeast US (once known as tobacco country) – there are some interesting tidbits there.
And one other note, just to confirm our long-standing predictions that the do-gooders would never stop at regulating smoking; here in the test-market of the world (California), a bill is about to pass that would make it illegal to spank children under the age of 4. We’re most definitely not defending spanking – but on the other hand, to criminalize it, making parents subject to arrest and potentially sending their kids to foster care? Are we the only ones who despair that things have gotten totally out of control for good in this country?
We warned you – the war on smoking was only the start