Stogie Exclusive: Clearing the Air About Cigar Night

I don’t want to make a habit of writing posts in response to reader comments, but in our effort to make StogieGuys.com an open forum for cigar enthusiasts – and simply for the sake of invalidating false information and idiotic opinion once purported as fact – this time I can’t help myself.

An anonymous comment was left on Friday’s post regarding our proposal to the Washington Nationals to create a temporary cigar section at RFK Stadium for an upcoming home game. As you know, the Nats rebuffed our suggestion.

But this guy – who didn’t have the balls to leave his name…and who claims to have a law degree from the University of Virginia (cough) – made some superfluous and blatantly bogus fabrications apparently in an attempt to suggest that our proposal was a bad idea.

In the following paragraphs, I will address Mr. Anonymous’ ridiculous lies and outrageous claims one by one. Enjoy.

[I]t [has] been proven unprofitable for private establishments to allow smoking because of the negative impact it has on non-smokers.

Wrong. If it was profitable for private businesses to ban smoking, they would do so on their own (thereby eliminating the need for Draconian government intervention). And who could blame them? Businesses are in business to make money, and good businesses will do what it takes to increase their profit margins. Private establishments should be able to choose what amenities to offer on their own, and many have already done so. But the sad fact is that smoking bans at their root are not about business; they’re about imposing the tyranny of the majority on minority smokers.

[I]t is also illegal for RFK Stadium to have a cigar smoking facility in the stadium. In my expert legal opinion (UVA Law School ‘04) RFK would not be exempt from the Washington, DC smoking ban. Because it would be run by Aramark, the stadium’s operator, and it would be run inside the stadium it would be counted as part of the profit of the stadium. This means it would not meet the required income from tobacco products to be exempt under DC’s smoking ban. Sorry to rain on your parade.

Well, sorry to rain on your parade, but your “expert” legal opinion is utter bullshit. The DC ban only prohibits smoking in indoor public places. If you have ever been to RFK, you will notice the giant, gaping hole where a roof would need to be for the ban to apply.

That being said, I certainly do not want to discourage readers from leaving comments on StogieGuys.com. Feedback from fellow cigar-lovers is one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of this hobby, and constructive criticism is always appreciated. But if you’re going to leave anonymous, false, and/or dim-witted ramblings, please be advised that I just might call you out on your lies.

Finally, to whoever left the comment: Grow some balls, write back, identify yourself, and engage us in debate. Anonymously hit-and-running while claiming falsehoods as expert fact is just plain cowardly.

-Patrick A