The Stogie Guys

Michael Siegel isn’t your typical warrior for freedom of choice – especially when it comes to smoking. He’s a “public health” expert and a doctor who once pushed smoking bans in workplaces and still supports bans in restaurants and bars.

But Siegel says there has been a change in the anti-tobacco lobby and now calls the anti-smoking movement “a crusade.” On his well-read blog, Tobacco Analysis, he routinely calls out anti-tobacco groups when they make unsubstantiated claims to push their anti-smoking agenda.

To give you an idea, here is a selection of his exposés from just the past month. He…

• »Caught Tobacco-Free Kids lying about Philip Morris’ opposition to a FDA regulation of tobacco.

• »Uncovered the American Cancer Association’s false claims that tobacco companies lie about the ingredients of cigarettes.

• »Noted that the U.S. anti-smoking group ASH is advocating denying medical treatment to smokers.

• »Exposed Tobacco-Free Kids’ efforts to raise money for “brainwashing” kids.

• »Got a Minnesota anti-smoking group to backtrack on a misleading claim that 30 minutes of exposure to environmental smoke can lead to a heart attack.

• »Debunked a claim that 20 minutes of exposure to smoke could make a healthy adult’s risk of stroke the same as a pack-a-day smoker.

• »Got the American Lung Association to pull a TV advertisement equating smoking around children with the physical abuse of children.

As you can see, the anti-tobacco nuts keep Siegel busy with a never ending supply of bad science. And for his efforts to stop these rabid activists from playing fast and loose with the facts, Siegel has been called “a traitor” and a “tobacco stooge.”

Here at StogieGuys.com, we disagree with Siegel about the need for any smoking bans. Smoking is a personal freedom and responsibility issue, where owners of private property, like restaurants and bars, should be free – but never compelled by the government – to enforce bans.

Still, we’re glad Siegel’s there, exposing the lies of those who won’t be happy until there is global tobacco prohibition.

–Patrick S

Tags: cigars

If you don’t think smokers are a persecuted class, then you haven’t been paying attention.

Those who choose to smoke face a new smoking ban or exorbitant tax nearly every day, under the guise of “public health” – a rarely defined and limitless justification for restricting the choices that individuals are permitted to make about their own lives.

And it is that so-called “public health” justification that makes the newest form of smoker persecution all the more hypocritical and appalling. In Leicester, England health bureaucrats have launched a plan to deny smokers access to surgeries if they continue to choose to smoke:

Smokers could be denied routine operations on the NHS unless they quit a month before surgery…

The proposals, which have been drawn up by Leicester City West Primary Care Trust, could be extended to other areas.

The Leicester plans would involve smokers being given counselling and nicotine patches to help them stop. But the patients would have to give a blood sample to prove they had quit before being put on the waiting list and admitted for elective non-emergency surgery.

Doctors would decide whether to operate if the patient failed to give up.

The Leicester trust will launch a consultation on the proposals to coincide with the smoking ban that comes into force in England on July 1.

Now keep in mind that Britain has nationalized health care, and that the denial of care is by government doctors who are paid with taxpayer funds – particularly the billions collected in tobacco taxes. In Great Britain taxes have driven the cost of a pack of cigarettes up to £5.50, or nearly $11 U.S.

But later in the article the health Nazis reveal their real reason for this denial of medical treatment: “Its plans were welcomed yesterday by health charities but condemned by smoking groups which said they were part of a drive to save money and turn England‘s 10 million smokers into pariahs.”

And if turning smokers into pariahs is the goal, then Britain is doing a good job.

The government recently announced that smokers would be liable for an £80 on-the-spot fine for stubbing out cigarettes in the street. And European Union officials are considering banning smokers from lighting up outside office doorways, at bus shelters, and on outdoor train platforms.

–Patrick S

The man we’ve called “America’s cigar smoker in chief” is in hot water again – this time not for his alleged history of womanizing, but for a cigar.

While on a trade visit to Canada, the Governator’s motorcade stopped at a hotel to pick up a Cuban Partagas, the Associated Press reported this weekend. Schwarzenegger allegedly smoked the $14.83 stogie while traveling to Ottawa International Airport.

So what’s the big deal? Aren’t Cubans legal in Canada? They are, but under the U.S. embargo Americans are prohibited from buying Cuban cigars anywhere in the world.

“Persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are prohibited from purchasing or importing Cuban cigars, regardless of where they are,” U.S. Treasury Department spokeswoman Molly Millerwise said in a statement. Americans convicted of violating trade regulations can be sentenced to fines or prison, but it wasn’t clear Friday if a U.S. citizen had ever been prosecuted for lighting a Cuban cigar in another country.

If this comes as a surprise to you, you’re not alone. I was under the impression that U.S. law did not transcend other countries’ borders – especially when it comes to something as trivial as a hypocritical trade embargo.

Schwarzenegger’s people haven’t confirmed or denied the cigar in question was Cuban, and his spokesman said, “There’s no way of telling now because he smoked it.”

Frankly, I hope Arnold gets away with it (and that’s certainly not because I sympathize with communism). I smoke Cubans whenever I get the chance, in America or elsewhere.

I mean, if it’s legal to fill up my car with gas from countries that support terrorism, why can’t I buy cigars from Cuba?

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Exactly one month ago, I authored an alarming article about the spread of statewide smoking bans, including a breakdown of three states that seemed close to dropping the axe on individual rights: Illinois, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.

Since then, both the Illinois and Minnesota state legislatures have passed fascist smoking bans, effectively placing business owners and minority smokers under the thumb of the nanny state. Pathetic.

The Illinois ban shouldn’t be news to regular readers. We published a blurb about that in one of our recent Friday Samplers.

But the Minnesota ban is pretty fresh. Governor Tim Pawlenty just signed it into law last week, criminalizing smoking in bars, restaurants, and other workplaces throughout the Land of 10,000 Lakes starting October 1.

State Senator Tom Neuville, on the other hand, is one Minnesota politician who seems to have his head screwed on right. On his website, he explains why he voted against the ban:

Private business owners have a property right that government should not take away lightly. I still oppose smoking. But the statewide smoking ban is an overreaction to a problem which is more of a nuisance than public health issue. Adults can choose to enter or avoid a bar or restaurant that allows smoking.

Good points. Too bad Senator Neuville’s sensible assessment of the law didn’t strike a chord with a majority of his colleagues in St. Paul.

So, in one month, two out of three have bitten the dust. Let’s hope New Hampshire – the so-called “Live Free or Die” state – can hold out a little longer.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

After poking fun at the futility of fancy cigar gadgets and even recommending wooden matches over expensive butane torches, I couldn’t help but bring the following story to your attention.

A rare cigar cutter sold for an astonishing $60,500 on Sunday at an auction in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The item was part of the Jim Cate collection, an estate consisting of antiques and advertising items he acquired from a museum/penny store in Idaho.

Dubbed “the mother of all cigar-tip cutters,” the piece features a Marshall Fey Slot Machine Book that gets set into motion each time a stogie is placed into the top to be clipped.

In this fashion, the device is not only a cigar cutter; it’s also a trade stimulator. Popular in saloons in the late nineteenth century, trade stimulators were miniature gambling devices that were legal because instead of offering money, they bestowed chewing gum, stamps, and – you guessed it – cigars upon winners.

Often set beside a cash register or near check-out counters, these machines encouraged (or “stimulated”) customers to take their chance and spend some of their spare change before leaving. After inserting a coin, a handle was depressed or cranked to set into motion a roulette wheel, playing cards, or dice. When the machine stopped, the patron read his “winnings” on the dial; these were dispensed by the clerk rather than spilling out of the machine itself.

The device sold at auction requires a cigar head, not a coin, spin a roulette wheel. According to Showtime Auction Services, only two other cigar cutter/trade stimulators are known to exist.

No word yet on whether any gum, stamps, or cigars were included in the steep sale price.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

Truth be told, I’m not much of an art guy. Sure, I’ve spent an afternoon or two at the Art Institute of Chicago or the National Portrait Gallery, but those trips were mostly against my will. My idea of “culture” is a cold beer (or seven) and a hot dog (or three) at the ballpark.

So if I’m going to appreciate art, why shouldn’t it be related to one of my core interests? Like cigars, for instance.

I don’t know about you, but when I think about stogies, art generally does not come to mind. But with their decorative bands and aesthetically-pleasing boxes, maybe it should. Here are a couple examples of art that every Stogie Guy can appreciate.

Casanova Cigar Carvings

Brad Casanova of Casanova Cigar Carvings wrote us awhile back drawing our attention to his beautiful work. A master woodworker, Brad wanted his first personal carving to be both attractive and meaningful – so he chose to recreate the highly-detailed Fuente Opus X cigar label (seen below).

Impressed? Yeah, we were too. I encourage you to check out Brad’s “continuously growing collection of cigar art” at his blog. His work includes a CAO carving that was signed by Cano himself.

The Museum of the Southwest

If you’ve never had a reason to journey to the vast wasteland that is western Texas, here’s your chance. The Museum of the Southwest in Midland is holding an auction on May 8 that will feature 70 cigar boxes by “prominent” artists like Jesus Moroles, Glenna Goodacre, and Woody Gwyn (no, I’ve never heard of any of these people either). The picture to the right depicts one of the boxes that will be auctioned.

The event – which celebrates the history of the cigar in the U.S. – will include a cocktail buffet and a cigar bar. Tickets are $75 apiece. Sadly, the chances of anyone from the Stogie Guys staff attending are slim to nil.

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars

It’s been quite awhile since we last discussed smoking bans. March 27, to be exact. (OK, such nanny state legislation was mentioned in a few Friday Samplers since that post, but that doesn’t really count.)

In case you’re wondering, our 28-day hiatus was no mistake. Writing about the dangers of government-imposed smoking bans is no light subject, and the ferocity with which they grip the nation doesn’t make for pleasant reading – especially if you’re a fan of freedom. Besides, we recognize that many of you could care less about politics and policy.

Today, however, it’s time to break the silence. Take a look at the map below, which features states with some sort of statewide smoking ban highlighted in red, and you’ll see why.

(Please excuse the haphazardness of my map. No credible, updated map of statewide smoking bans could be found, so I had to make this from scratch.)

State legislature after state legislature is passing paternalistic smoking bans that prevent business owners from offering the amenities they so choose and criminalize consenting adults for engaging in a nonviolent behavior. All this based on bogus studies from the AFL-CIO and the Center for Disease Control.

Here’s a look at the latest states hoping to join the ranks of those already with fascist smoking bans.

Illinois

The state senate recently passed SB0500, a bill that would ban smoking in all public places and private clubs in the Land of Lincoln. On April 9 it was sent to the house, where it currently waits for approval. Nearly 40 Illinois towns have grown impatient of the delay and are implementing their own bans until the statewide law comes through.

Minnesota

St. Paul politicians are considering a slightly toned-down version of an all-out smoking ban that would allow bars and restaurants to apply to local municipalities for smoking licenses. This (arguably) more sensible proposition is drawing heavy criticism for being too lenient.

New Hampshire

A five-person house committee was recently convened to consider Senate Bill 42 – a statewide bar and restaurant smoking ban. Foster’s Daily Democrat wrote a good editorial on Monday stating that “after a string of efforts…to babysit New Hampshire residents…it is time to tell Granite Staters that they are responsible for their own health habits.”

–Patrick A

Tags: cigars