The Emporia Gazette

glarson (anonymous) says...

additional comment on original story:

http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/20...

December 4, 2008 at 7:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Newsie (anonymous) says...

A couple of questions:
1. Had the vote been the other way, would you anti-smoking ban folks still be advocating a vote by the public?

2. How do you avoid a conflict of interest in a small town such as Emporia?

December 4, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

gwen,I mean Newsie:

Question #1. Of course not, CAE could spend their money doing that. We weren't the ones that brought this mess to the city,

Question#2. You probably can't avoid it. But IF there is one and you are an elected official, you should abstain from voting.
Regards Steve

December 4, 2008 at 7:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

workingmomma (anonymous) says...

Well, Justaflush, since you chose to pick me out off all the comments. I will just name Bruff's and Centinela, just to name a couple. Love Bruff's for their steak, hate the smoke. I do understand that it is a BAR, but it is also a GRILL, so would like to enjoy the Grill part without the smokey environment of the Bar. But I really don't care to argue this point specifically with you, as I know it is impossible to argue with a STOP sign.

December 4, 2008 at 9:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

locopunky (anonymous) says...

Way to go Emporia! Nice to see that you care about your citzens! I had my doubts about the commisioners...but not now! They are great!

December 4, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Summer_Breeze (anonymous) says...

I'm no longer an Emporia resident, but I was there for nearly 50 years, so I think I know the town and its "personalities" pretty well. I'm ambivalent about this smoking ban.

On the one hand, I have to take issue with government, any government, telling property owners what can occur on/in their property. That doesn't sound like democracy to me.

On the other hand, I HATE going to a restaurant where smoking is allowed. Face it, no matter how far away the "smoking section" is, the smoke permeates the entire establishment. I choose not to smoke, and I don't want to smell like smoke or have my food taste like it. There are few choices of restaurants (not fast food joints) in Emporia, and it would be nice to go somewhere that didn't allow any smoking.

Bars, now there's a different story. I have spent many an evening/night in Emporia's drinking establishments in my past. But my ability to tolerate the smoke has decreased over time. These days, after an hour or so, I have to exit. I'm sorry for that, because many of my friends still congregate in bars, and I miss hanging out with them. I do recognize that smoking and bars historically go together, and I stand behind Corbin, Burgess, and others who feel that their business is threatened by this smoking ban.

The real problem here, as a (now) outsider looking in, is that Emporia's Commission seems to have adopted a faulty ordinance. It seems ill-considered, and I hope the petition drive to put it on the ballot will correct the flaws. Good luck!

December 4, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Wasn't Natasha's a non-smoking place? Just asking, I don't know for sure.

December 4, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

eugene (anonymous) says...

Sounds like we need to vote in new commissioners to me. I guess emporia is more worried about smoking that is legal than the drugs that are illegal.

December 4, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

bbob (anonymous) says...

I was able to watch the meeting on TV yesterday. During his comments, Mike Helbert stated something to the effect that 75% of people in Emporia do not smoke. If that is the case, then why wouldn't bar owners want to market toward them? I would think that would be an opportunity to make more money than limiting themselves to the 25% who do smoke. Just a thought. I do hope that those who oppose to the ban will take a step back and a deep breath and relax a little. This is a small town and there is a lot of name calling going on. At the end of the day, no one wants to put anyone out of business and nobody should want to hurt anyone. As a business owner, I work to adapt what I do every day to better serve my clients. I do this because the world changes every day around me and, like it or not, if I don't change with it, I will be searching for a new profession. I hope that business owners who feel the ordinance will have a negative impact on their business will work to change and adapt what they do, continue to offer the same great service they always have and thrive in the changing world around them. Finally, if 75% of those able don't smoke and 25% do, what does anyone think a public vote will look like? I am no math major, but that would be a pretty tough number to overcome. By the way, I am a smoker, have been for years and I am for the smoking ban. I am because I choose not to ignore the fact my habit is nasty and unhealthy eventhough the side effects of my habit have yet to surface. EOB, I applaud you for your efforts to utilize your rights as citizens. You are asking Clean Air Emporia to be open minded. Please be open minded yourselves. There is no reason this can't be settled in a civil manner. The no-smoking ordinace will help clean up our community and make it safer for our citizens and hopefully help a smoker or two quit.

December 4, 2008 at 10:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ksfarmer (anonymous) says...

on that long list of towns about smoking bans, I didn't see Junction City. Imagine trying to take that (the right to smoke while having a drink) away from the military. Maybe Emporia is just enough blue-collar, redneck to stand up against this. Why do we need to follow the lemming cities just because a couple of ladies with too much time on their hands and grant money to spend? Emporia isn't the large metro area everybody wants us to imitate. We will always be that in between size. Big enough, yet small enough. Population hasn't changed in the 40 years I've seen, yet everyone wants us to 'grow up' and act like a 'big city'. The people who want big city style, go spend your time there on the weekends. We all know you do, but leave your big ideas there when you come back to work during the week and leave Emporia the way it is and always has been, a little rough around the edges.

December 4, 2008 at 10:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

irishemporia (anonymous) says...

I appreciate that the commission voted for the ban despite a few loud descenters. Nothing wrong with a healthier Emporia. I can't wait to explore those bars and restaurants, like Bruff's, that I have been avoiding all these years.

December 4, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

As I told those in attendance at the Commission meeting yesterday and now I will tell all on this forum.
I was born and raised in Emporia, my father was raised and schooled in Emporia, worked for and retired from the City of Emporia in 1976 and my grandfather run the VFW, when it was but nothing more than a large house on the norhend of a gravel Commercial STREET, so you see my roots to Emporia are deep.
However for the past couple of months. I have seen Emporia change from the City that I was proud of to a place where the respect for one anothers individual rights and freedoms has be trampled and taken away by a few so called prominent individuals who convinced others to jump on their "Holier Than Thou" band wagon and become part of a "COLLECTIVE", instead of a choose for themselves individual, who could actually choose for themselves, when it comes to lifes difficult decisions and is trying and may be succeed in "SUBJUCATING" all individual think for themselves citizens of Emporia.
I am sorry and saddened to say that I am no longer proud of what I felt was a wonderful place to live in and be an individual whom had the right and freedom to choose how you lived your life and life style. It also saddens me deeply to think that the City of Emporia was a City that everyone in Emporia could think of as their City. However to my dismay as of yesterday's City Commission meeting I found out that the City of Emporia belongs to the Sauders, the CAE and their followers and some City Commissioners and not to anyone who believes in the " RIGHTS and FREEDOMS of all citizens of Emporia to have the "FREEDOM OF CHOICE " to live their lives or life style as they freely chose to do. As far as I am concerned all citizens of Emporia's "RIGHTS and FREEDOMS" have been lost and " mark my words" other bans and losses of "RIGHTS and FREEDOMS" will and are to come. Because the Sauders, CAE and their followers are now convinced that they are "INVINCIBLE", ALL POWERFUL" and can now dictate and get anything that they "need and want'. And the sad thing is, with all the sheep that they convinced that they are all wise, they may just be right.
Therefore I am no longer proud of Emporia or to be a native Emporian.

December 4, 2008 at 11:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Also if you are an elected official and own a business that does a lot of business with an individual or individual who wants to propose anything that could effect the other businesses in a City. How in the world could you possibly vote on such a proposal and not have a conflict of interest ?
And if any of the other elected officials on the same panel considering the same vote should at least force a no vote and kill the proposal, and put it to a vote of the people in order to be fair to everyone.

December 4, 2008 at 11:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Kujiin (anonymous) says...

Thank you methusla,

Finally someone who's on the same page as I am. Things are happening all around us and people are to blind to see. Its not all about the Smoking Ban! Whats next public gatherings, religious freedom, the internet? They have a perceived public concensus and will now claim your best interest in other matters.

December 4, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

LandoftheFree (anonymous) says...

As I said before I travel for my work, in one state that we were in they had a smoking ban and it went as follows:

If you employed people under the age of 21 or allowed patrons under the age of 21 you were required to be smoke free! (Resturants, bar and grills, etc,)

If you did't allow anyone under 21 or employ any under 21 then you had a choice!!

Maybe the ban wouldn't be so bad if they would still let the people paying the taxes for their business to have the freedom to decide what they wanted to follow.

December 4, 2008 at 11:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

frulu (anonymous) says...

So what would you all have complained about if this had passed? I guess you would have to find something else to complain about to fill all your time.

So why don't we worry about other issues instead of this one. It is done for the time being.

December 4, 2008 at 12:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Absolute (anonymous) says...

The government already helps protect the public in a variety of ways by enacting laws for privaty protery owners. Do you all have a beef with fire codes, OSHA laws, labor laws etc?? Should we not have fire codes because they "infringe on" personal property rights?

December 4, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Options (anonymous) says...

I may not be in favor of smoking, but I have to say that I am not in favor of 3 people telling almost 25,000 what they can and cannot do. It is up to those 25,000 to voice what they wish to see, whether it be smoking or nonsmoking. But even then I believe it should be up to the owner to make that decision. I come from Johnson County and all my life I saw the rich make the rules and pay so they could get away with the ones they chose not to follow, without consequence. I thought by coming to Emporia I could get away from that and sadly, I was wrong. What kind of an example are we setting for the youth of America. That money talks and doing things the right way, the civil way or the just way goes out the window? I do believe that both sides are taking this a bit far but I think that this whole thing has been handled poorly by the commissioners.

And Natasha's was a smoking establishment. It was just more spread out than some of the other bars in this town that you probably didn't notice it as much.

December 4, 2008 at 1:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

I don't smoke or go to bars so THIS ban won't effect me really other than the fact that it sickens me. Just because this ban doesn't effect me doesn't mean the next one won't or the next one or the next one or............. With this knowledge I can empathize with those who it will effect.

The other thing that sickens me is the high school flashback I'm getting reading the names of the people who organized and voted for this thing. These names are all too familiar. They are the same one that teased people for not wearing Pepe or Guess jeans and not driving an Iroc Z. Tonight I'll probably have nightmares about smoking at EHS and getting beat up for it by a bunch of grown up children with silver spoons in their mouths.

I thought high school was over but sad to say it's not. I'm going to go throw up now.

December 4, 2008 at 1:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Lothar (anonymous) says...

Let's just ban tobacco, and be done with it. Oh, wait, I forgot, government wants us to buy tobacco, so they can get the sales tax to fund whatever program they want to now. They just don't want us to smoke.

If tobacco is really that bad for us, then why does the government not simply ban it outright? I really don't care about non-smokers rights. If you don't want to be around smokers, then don't go where they gather. Go to one of the bars that are already smoke free if you must have a drink. Go to a resturant that has bar service, and order from your table. You don't have to go to a bar to drink.

Non-smokers have the same rights that smokers have. Why do you think your rights are more important than others? Oh, I forgot, Orwell said it best when he wrote "all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

December 4, 2008 at 2:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Kujiin- I have been on your "page" for over 4 decades now !
I don't know how old you are or whether your Emporia roots go back as for as mine, but that makes no difference.
I can tell you this about the struggle of "POWER" or "SOCIAL STATUS POWER", is nothing new or recent to Emporia ,this sort of thing has been going on for a long time, the only difference is, that once in a while, the names of those pushing "THEIR" agenda change.
However this smoking ban has riled a lot of people, because it is not totally a health issue alone. A lot of smokers and non-smokers have realized or are about to realize, that it is a matter of losing individual "RIGHTS and FREEDOMS", no matter what other spin may be put on it.

December 4, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

I also wonder how many of the people in the other Cities in Kansas or the other states have realized or about to, that a smoking ban was only the tip of the ban's and loss of "RIGHTS and FREEDOMS" iceburg and that more bans, etc. will be forthcoming.

December 4, 2008 at 2:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Also, as I and others have said, "beware of becoming or having to live in a BIG BROTHER" society !

December 4, 2008 at 2:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Kujiin (anonymous) says...

Kujiin- I have been on your "page" for over 4 decades now !
I don't know how old you are or whether your Emporia roots go back as for as mine, but that makes no difference.

I have a feeling we're close in age and I've been around here since the early 90's.

Just the tip of the iceberg is correct......

December 4, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

joedaddy78 (anonymous) says...

The following is a quote from KVOE's website:

Emporians Open For Business attorney Mike Helbert issued a news release shortly before the meeting saying Jim Kessler and Bobbie Agler had conflicts -- Kessler because he accepted a loan from the Stephen L. Sauder Trust, Agler because he is an officer or trustee of 11 Sauder trusts at the same time Sauder's wife, Bobbi, began spearheading the Clean Air Emporia effort. He also said Emporians Open For Business could file a legal challenge based partly on the alleged conflict. During the meeting, City Attorney Blaise Plummer said there was no conflict after researching the issue.

Can someone tell me how this would NOT be a conflict of interest? I'm confused......

crackinsack....
keep in mind that you do now report drug users and smokers the same way....by calling 911.....glad you are helping me foot the bill with our tax dollars for the extra work that is going to be coming the city's way......

December 4, 2008 at 4:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

joedaddy78 (anonymous) says...

Thank god we have an organization that will take care of public health and the health of workers in a smoking environment...o wait

The government already helps protect the public in a variety of ways by enacting laws for employers and public safety...It's called OSHA....OSHA is who should be in charge of this ban not CAE. OSHA is the agency who is there to protect the employees...The employees are exposed much more than customers....I've always wondered why OSHA has no input on smoking in the workplace....

December 4, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

joedaddy78 (anonymous) says...

O now I know why.....
http://www.nycclash.com/CaseAgainstBa...

December 4, 2008 at 5:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

joedaddy78 (anonymous) says...

A new (2003) study with an impeccable provenance-- the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study (CPS1)-- shows the same results as the WHO study, and with no room for wiggle, spin or ambiguity.

Focusing on 35,561 never-smoking Californians married to smokers, who were followed by the Cancer Society for 39 years (1959 to 1998), the tabular results not only--and absolutely -- showed no lung cancer risk whatsoever but actually showed a slightly lower risk than expected among the general never-smoker population.

These results held for both men (0.75 @ 95% confidence) and women (0.99 @ 95%), held both before and after the results were mathematically adjusted for seven relevant confounders, and further, showed no dose response trend (the risks did not grow with the amount of exposure.) (*)
-"Environmental Tobacco Smoke And Tobacco-Related Mortality In A Prospective Study Of Californians, 1960-98," Enstrom & Kabat, BMJ 5/17/03

This ought to, definitively, put the matter to rest.

Except among those who are hopelessly committed to a social agenda.

December 4, 2008 at 5:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

josiesbar (anonymous) says...

http://www.nightclub-business.com/for...

This is Bar and Nightclub Magazine's online forum. My favorite from this thread?

"Some people have seen sales increase because of nonsmoking, but that certainly didn't happen to me."

December 4, 2008 at 5:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Penny (anonymous) says...

joe,
that "new" study was funded by the tobacco industry and has been debunked by many reputable orgainzations, including the American Cancer Society. Funny that independently funded research nearly always finds that SHS is harmful and research funded by the tobacco industry generally does not.

Thank you to the commissioners who voted in favor of the ordinance!

December 4, 2008 at 6:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

slipandslide (anonymous) says...

Im interested in when or how there was a survey of emporians to determine how many do/dont smoke. Did I miss out on something? If a survey hasnt been done then how does anyone know how many smokers there are?

December 4, 2008 at 8:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

penny-I believe that you are wrong about joedaddy78s' comment. A new (2003) study with an impeccable provenance-- the American Cancer Society's Cancer Prevention Study (CPS1)-- shows the same results as the WHO study, and with no room for wiggle, spin or ambiguity.
I may be wrong, but I believe that the American Cancer Society or WHO ( the World Health Organization) has nor will accept any funding from the tobacco industry. I also believe if any donations for funding were in fact made to them by the tobacco industry, it was done so without either organizations knowledge as to where the funding came from.
If you are going to believe that 2 of the most reputable and respected organizations in the world is giving biased or false reports, then you would have to believe that anyone else who does any kind of testing, is or could also be presenting biased or false test results and if that is the case, who are you going to believe as truthful.

December 4, 2008 at 10:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Newsie- As to your post,
Posted by Newsie (anonymous) on December 4, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

A couple of questions:
1. Had the vote been the other way, would you anti-smoking ban folks still be advocating a vote by the public?
2. How do you avoid a conflict of interest in a small town such as Emporia?

1. Well, Newsie the anti-smoking ban folks would not have to advocate a vote by the public. The smoking ban advocates would already be demanding a public vote, and yelling "FOUL", as loudly as they could.
2. Of course you could avoid conflict of interest in a small town. You do that by having a "CITY COUNCIL" form of government with equal and fair representation from all parts of the City, with more than just 5 representatives and whom are not from just a certain area of the City.

December 5, 2008 at 8:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

koach52 (anonymous) says...

methusia.....a little too much emphasis is placed on what part of the city one lives in. I am sure there are people on both sides of this issue in all parts of the city. Quit painting a picture of the EVIL Northwest.........On this issue ...what in the world does where you put your house have to do with it?

December 5, 2008 at 9 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

koach52, who said "EVIL Northwest"?
What are you talking about?
Oh yeah! The kind of attitude I talked about in my last post.
Of course just because you live on that side of town doesn't mean your a snob that treats people like utter garbage and makes them feel less than human for not having enough luxuries but I personally have had this experience with some "West side" people and hold a little resentment toward people who treat others this way. The people who organized this ban and the city council all have last names that are very familiar to a lot of us with experiences like this. Is it my/our problem? Of course it is! Did we cause it? NOPE!

methusla is correct and apparently been around a while and seen this again and again.

Now let's all go and try to enjoy our freedom while we still have it.

December 5, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

koach52- I make the point of where an elected official comes from because if they all come from a certain area of the City or country, that constitutes an unfair representation of the City or Country as a whole and it has been that way in Emporia for decades. In case you don't know it everyone is entitled to equal representation, under the law and if the majority of the elected officials come from only one area or location and are heavly influnced by the power people of the area they come from that is not fair and equal representation of all the people, its just that plain and simple. Furthermore this has been the way the local governing body has been biased for decades.
Also if some of those elected officials own businesses and have large business interests with the power people of the area where they live and come from, that is not fair and is in my opinion a conflict of interest, due to the influence upon that particular elected official to favor the wants of the person connected to the elected official by way of a business tie.
Perhaps you do not agree with the "Bill of Rights" or the "Constitution", that all citizens of the U.S. are equal and have the right to equal representation under the law, not matter where they live, what color they are, what their ethnic background may be, social status , etc.
If you or anyone does not believe in or agree with these basic principles of our founding fathers, then this country and City is in worse trouble than I or anyone can imagine.

December 5, 2008 at 9:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

P.S. If the truth is a hard pill to swallow, so be it, for the truth is almost always a hard pill to swallow and hurts when one does not want to hear the truth.

December 5, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

seriouslyfolks- You are right, I have been around a while. As I explained on another forum, I was born and raised in Emporia, my father was pretty much raised and schooled in Emporia, my grandfather run the VFW when it was nothing more than a large house on the northern part of a gravel Commercial Street. So my Emporia roots go back a ways and are deep.

December 5, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

bbob (anonymous) says...

We, the citizens of Emporia, voted in our commissioners. methusla, you continue to mention the truth and that the truth is sometimes hard to take. The real truth is we elected our commissioners, they did not elect themselves. Quit complaining about equal representation for all parts of the city. If you don't agree with the elected officals and their politics, then run for office, support another candidate or SHUT UP! Smoking is harmful to your health. Inhaling second hand smoke is nearly as harmful. These are facts. Another fact you need to warm up to is that soon we will not be able to smoke in public places in the City of Emporia.

December 5, 2008 at 11:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Penny (anonymous) says...

Methusla: That's just it, ACS and WHO did not do this study. It was done by 2 professors from California who received money from Phillip Morris to do so. They took data collected by the American Cancer society for a different purpose, left out a few things and there you go. The American Cancer Society has spoken out against this study because of their way their data was misused, using money from the tobacco industry.

December 5, 2008 at 11:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Penny (anonymous) says...

I just re-read the actual ordinance, and I don't see anywhere that it says to call 911 for violations. I know that Mr. Zimmerman was quoted in the Gazette as saying that, but unless I skim-read too fast, I don't believe the ordinance actually calls for that type of response. Can someone clarify before we have idiots who actually do this?

December 5, 2008 at 11:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

Who is saying that smoking isn't bad for you?
That isn't the issue here.
Prior to this unjust ban there were and are laws restricting the age in which a person can smoke and the places they can do it. That is ,in my opinion, enough.
I smoked for about 5 years(1991-1996 or there about) and then quit(I quit drinking just before that for what it's worth). With the laws already in place I haven't noticed a problem with other peoples smoke. I avoid it and keep my kids away from it. That's my responsibility not the city's.
We're not saying smoking is good and go do it or else. We're saying enough is enough and a ban is too much. I don't believe this is truly a health issue for either side, hope I'm wrong but I don't think so.
Oh bbob telling an elder to "SHUT UP!" is just plain rude dude. You must be from the "West side.";)

December 5, 2008 at 12:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

bbob- I can tell that you evidently are either a fairly young person or have not been in or around Emporia long enough to know how politics works in Emporia nor have the benefit of having lived long enough to know what is what and gain wisdom with age.
As far as running for City Commissioner, I have tried a long time ago and found that I was not from the right part of town or had enough money or influential friends to gain a Commission seat, such is the politics of Emporia, Kansas.
However I do not take offense at you telling me to "SHUT UP", as I figure you just don't know any better or were never taught any better. I also hope you are fortunate enough to live a long and happy life, so you may gain insight, knowledge and wisdom and I also hope you will certainly have the "RIGHT and FREEDOM of CHOICE " to freely voice your rude, arrogant comments and attack people on a free forum, such as this one, which by the way may be an endangered species just like all other "FREEDOMS" that may be banned by anyone who decides it needs to be banned.

December 5, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

bbob- If you don't believe that all or most of the elected officials who come from a certain area, are not influeced in their voting by the powerful and influential people of the area they live in or come from, then you are even truely a more innocent dupe than I think you to be.
Even Federal Government elected officials are influenced by the powerful and influential people who live in the same area that the Federal Government Official comes from, and even influenced by those that don't live in the area the Government Official comes from and that influence can be in the form of many things, such as gifts, money, paid trips, use of private jets, etc. So there you have it bbob a lesson in politics and I mean all politics, Federal, State, County and Local.

December 5, 2008 at 2:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

bbob (anonymous) says...

I can see why the intelligent people shy away from arguing with a band of idiots...No thank you for the political lesson. I will go ahead and stick with my college education. You are, however, partly right, some politicans have taken gifts and other things of the like. But to get elected you have win popular votes (unless it is for president of course). People elect people who are successful, otherwise idiots like you would be in office. Did all of your experience, wisdom and insight not teach you that? You are a moron. Instead of bragging about how old you are, try and get some perspective. Why do you think all of the other communities in the state that are our size and bigger are going smoke free. Is it common sense perhaps? Get a life you old fart. No need to respond, I am done wasting my time here. Bbob out!!!

December 5, 2008 at 3:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

FishEye (anonymous) says...

bbob is right on! Methusla, you need to use some of your expereience and old age wisdom to realize that we have to make Emporia a better place for our kids to live. Not just right now but in the future too. Quit tryin to hand out political educations and get over your political failures and jump on board with the people who want to see Emporia be clean and healthy. NO MORE SMOKE! NO MORE SMOKE! NO MORE SMOKE! NO MORE SMOKE! NO MORE SMOKE! NO MORE SMOKE! Long live the hippies!!!!!

December 5, 2008 at 3:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

bbob I hope you have left.
Steve

December 5, 2008 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

The above comments by bbob are rude and really shows something was lacking in his college education. Methusela
has every right (so far) to voice his opinion here.
And fish eye what are you trying to say?
Steve

December 5, 2008 at 4:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

The God of education apparently doesn't teach people how to be nice. Attitudes like bbob's are toxic. There should be a ban. ;)

December 5, 2008 at 5:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

Fisheye- You must be a "sucker fish" to be suckered into supporting a loss of one or more of your and other peoples rights and freedoms. Just what kind of future do you think you, your kids, your kids, kids, etc. are going to have or will have when all of your freedoms have been flushed down the toilet, as you and the other "totalitarian" morons seem to want to do, did you and that other supreme disrespectful "idiot ", bbob learn nothing in history class !
As for you and bbob being college educated, that education means nothing without the freedom to do something with it, other than brag about it and put other people down, who have probably experienced more of lifes trials and lessons than you two "pot smoking" college educated flunkys will ever get the chance to experience and learn.
Now lets hear some more of that college educated "prose" and "eloquence" that you have evidently learned at all the partys you go to.
I to have a college education, however the difference between me and you two is the fact that I was also taught some semblence of respect and do not nor have not called anyone by name either in public or on this forum until now.
So take both of your college educated gutter mentality and mouths and stick both where the sun will never shine. And by the way how does it feel to be talked to and treated on the only level that you seem to understand ?

December 5, 2008 at 6:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

P.S. Oh, and a really good start to make Emporia "Clean and Healthy " would be to get rid of people like you.

December 5, 2008 at 6:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

P.S. Oh yes, I am assuming you, Fisheye and bbob are ESU students and if you are then I am also disappointed in the type of people that the university I attended when it was known as "KASAS STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE" .

December 5, 2008 at 6:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

Methusla:

Calm down man! Don't get pulled down to a lower level of discourse. We appreciate your postings. Keep on typing methsla.
Steve

December 6, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

rbow, my friend-
Sorry, but those two, supposedly higher educated oafs, just pee'd me off and I lost it.

December 6, 2008 at 9:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )