26 JAN 05: I'LL HUFF AND I'LL PUFF

Before we get to today's topic: a special greeting to all of you looking us up after we were mentioned on Tuesday night's WXTX "News at Ten!" Free advertising sure beats none at all....

I was tipped off that this blog would be mentioned on "News at Ten" - but the address was read as "Columbus GEORGIA.Blogspot." That's not exactly correct, but brought me quite a surprise. Someone actually claimed that name back in September - someone who hasn't posted anything since the November election. So apparently nothing's happened here since.

But anyway, for our newcomers: The Blog of Columbus is designed to be frequently local and topical, sometimes personal, and almost always funny. If you like what you read here, please visit often and tell others about it. If you don't - well, go ahead and flame me. My InBox now has 250 megs of space.

We tend to have one main topic a day - and Tuesday's big issue seemed to be the Columbus Council talking about banning smoking in "restaurants and all public places." As if a restaurant is NOT a public place? Well, other than a reserved booth at Miriam's Café....

The West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition went to a Columbus Council work session, calling for a public ban on smoking. Doesn't this sound a bit harsh in 2005? Shouldn't we refer to these people as "nicotine challenged?"

Members of the Tobacco Free Action Coalition pointed out about 64 percent of all "Columbus establishments" are now smoke-free. I suppose that would make the other 36 percent ANTI-establishment....

But did you see the list of smoke-free businesses displayed outside the Government Center at a news conference? Some of them are as small as a dentist's office.-- which is a little strange, because smoking there might lead to repeat business in teeth whitening.

The Tobacco-Free Action Coalition wants smoking banned not only in restaurants, but in schools. Now THAT'S an interesting idea. Make the smoking teachers join the rebellious students just outside the back fence....

Columbus Council seems divided on whether to ban smoking in public places. Mimi Woodson called for public meetings on the idea -- and in her district, there are plenty of nightclubs which would be happy to host this.

But Mimi Woodson told WRBL she'd endorse a citywide ban on public smoking if most people in her district want it. If it happens, you know what cigarette smokers will have to do - "pack" it in.

On the other hand, Councilor Nathan Suber said businesses which fear losing business with a smoking ban "should have the guts to do what needs to be done.... on their own." I never realized he agreed so much with President Bush's Iraq policy....

Councilor Red McDaniel said he doubts it's a city responsibility to "dictate private enterprise." On matters such as smoking, he means. He wouldn't dare extend that principle, and call for a ban on business licenses and property taxes.

A manager of the Cannon Brew Pub downtown admitted to WRBL he'd be angry if a smoking ban took effect. He said several customers visit his pub so they can smoke cigars. Do that too much, and someday you could need a designated breather....

Call me a weirdo if you wish, but I've never smoked at all. My mom enjoyed (I guess) Salems for years, and died of a brain aneurysm before turning 60. She smoked by the pack - and sadly, now she's in a box.

I was used to my mother's cigarette smoke when I was young - but the older I get, the more my lungs can spot second-hand cigarette smoke several yards away. This is true for other odors as well. When I jog on the south Riverwalk, it's all I can do not to sprint toward the Dolly Madison bakery for cinnamon rolls.

My car is kept smoke-free - but that lighter built into the dashboard seems awfully lonely at times. I hope it still works, if a carjacker approaches me....

And what about my home? I'd like to call it smoke-free -- but I'm hesitant to go that far. What if I leave the popcorn in my microwave oven too long?

E-MAIL UPDATE: Our Tuesday thoughts about a Muscogee County Humane Society promotion was met with skepticism by one reader:

You're just kidding about the Humane Society's latest adoption efforts, aren't you? I would hope so. I understand that Columbus is extremely sensitive to race issues and we've had a rough 2 years. But COME ON PEOPLE!! These are animals. They don't see race, they don't know race, and they sure don't discriminate against any race. They Humane Society has simply seen a pattern in it's adoptions of certain colored pets over the years, and they are trying something different to give all of the animals a "fair shake". Do you have a better idea? Let me guess, shave them all and then you won't know WHAT you are getting!! I have been to the Humane Society a number of times to adopt animals, and I have never seen them discriminate, either. Please, quit trying to make the circumstances in Columbus any worse than what they are. This city is NEVER going to heal if we don't focus on the important issues and quit knit-picking over the petty ones. And to answer your question, do white people only adopt non-black pets? No, one of the dogs I have now is black and I adopted her from the Humane Society 2 years ago.

OK, let's clarify something right away. I don't think I ever said the Humane Society's animals were racist. After all, if a Chihuahua can put up with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie....

Hmmmm -- shave all the animals up for adoption? This could be a new reality show on Fox: "Who's Your Doggy?"

My concern is with racist people, not pets -- and I'm pleased this e-mailer adopted a black dog, and is living happily ever after with her. I'll let other "knit-pickers" ask what color is the carpeting in the owner's home.

Yet a friend of mine admitted to me Tuesday she also felt a bit uncomfortable about the Humane Society's "Black Out Adoption Event." I guess I should have pressed the issue further with yet - and see if she avoids playing "Blackout Bingo," too.

Perhaps I'm sensitive to this because of a sermon I heard from a church pastor when I was a teenager. He claimed racial bias had filled all of our culture, citing negative phrases such as "blackball" and "black plague." Come to think of it, have you noticed how "blackboards" are disappearing today - and what color the new slate boards tend to be?

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