As everybody probably knows, the Ames City Council will be considering on Sept. 12 whether or not to ban smoking in Ames restaurants. One should not smoke around others who are trying to eat. It is smelly, unsightly and just plain rude. I never smoke in a restaurant, unless I am seated at the bar. I cannot stand to see or smell anyone firing up cigarette while I am trying to have a meal. All restaurants should ban smoking and give everybody a more pleasant dining experience. But to force them is nothing short of wrong. The issue has been dubbed a health issue according to George Belitsos. I say it is a freedom of choice issue. Certainly smoking is bad for everybody. Of course, one should think about the consequences of smoking before lighting up. But should that mean they should not have the right to smoke? Our freedom of choice is infringed on more and more everyday. For example: seat belt laws, helmet laws, art vs. pornography and even things we do in our own homes. This new ban on smoking is just another way for the government to make choices for us. We should not be so willing to give up our freedoms just because we do not like it when others indulge in them. Our nation has become completely whimsical. We seem to think matches are for sparking joints and burning flags, but damn the man who smokes in public. Lenwood Monte was right when he wrote in his letter that most people would be in favor of non-smoking restaurants, but he fails to see the implications of a forced ban. California has such a ban, but they decided to extend their governmental strangle hold to all the bars and taverns. What’s to stop that from happening here? Mr. Monte wants the ban because of his recent bout with cancer due to smoking. Mr. Monte, do not hide behind a banner of health and concern for others. You and I both know that if you had not contracted cancer you would probably be smoking one right now as you read this letter. The fact is YOU, not cigarettes and second-hand smoke are to blame for your cancer. You chose to smoke when you knew cigarettes were bad for you. Let us, as a society of free people, make the choice to let others make their own choices. Freedom of choice works for speech and it has worked for the last 200 years. Why change it now when it has become so popular world wide? I encourage everybody to not support a ban on smoking in restaurants and support your freedom of choice. Jake Pierson

Journalism and mass communication