Letter: Smoking does bother others

This letter is in response to Rhiannon Conley's column in the January 26 issue (What's next? Banning ranch dressing?, page 4). "Ban ranch dressing?" I don't think that's tobacco in your cigarette.

"If all goes according to plan for President Kupchella and his gang of wellness cronies, one of these days, I, along with countless other UND addicts, will" be glad that you're not allowed to smoke on campus.

I don't know anyone that "paints smokers as assholes." I don't. Both my aunts smoke and one of my uncles does. I don't think they're assholes, in fact, I think quite highly of them. They're not stupid, they're not uneducated and they're not rude. Obviously, they've made a stupid decision, but that doesn't make them stupid, does it? I didn't think so either.

All those people that you listed are free to smoke if they want, as are you. I have no problem with you smoking however much you do, hell, you could double it and wouldn't care. What I do care about is that god-awful stench it leaves hanging around for a while.

It's also the smell that follows smokers around into the classroom. It's rather hard to pay attention when there's an aroma of burning tires from the dude a few seats away.

I think lots of smokers understand why there's a 20-foot rule around the doors. I know that lots of them don't abide by it, even though there are (clearly visible) signs on all the doors. Maybe smokers really are stupid. Do you guys not see the signs, pretend not to see them, or are you just too stupid to understand them?

The difference between banning smoking and banning banging, tanning, and ranch dressing is that the smoking affects other people not involved in the act. Tanning, promiscuous sex (unless it's in the next room and it's so loud that I can't sleep), drinking, and ranch dressing don't. Smoking pot is about the same as regular smoking.

If someone is fat, it doesn't affect the people around them. Sure, we might have to step a few extra inches to the side to pass them on the sidewalk, but they usually don't smell bad … like smokers do. My point is that fat doesn't spread out to cover everything within a 30 foot radius like smoke does.

The beauty of living in America is that, in most cases, you're allowed to have your stupid vice. You are allowed to smoke as much as you want. If the smoking ban is passed, which I hope it will be, you can certainly feel free to go smoke off campus. No one is stopping your from doing that. You would also be free to take your thousands of dollars to another college. I hear Carleton is pretty good for that. You can smoke whatever you want and drink as much as you can handle.

You wonder why the 20-foot rule doesn't work? Have a gander at your attitude in your last paragraph.

And yes, I certainly would tell Lindsay Lohan that she wasn't allowed to smoke on UND property, and if she did (try) to put it out on my face, her precious smoking hand would be in a cast.

Jamie Hamilton Freshman, Flight Education / Astrophysics (414) 698-4213