A Breath of Fresh Air

While the rest of the Virginia blogosphere is sucks in the noxious fumes of a wonderful new NLS scandal, I'd like to draw everyone's attention to the long and hard fought victory that Senator Brandon Bell won today on behalf of non-smoking sourpusses everywhere in the Commonwealth.

I don't smoke. I never have. I never will. I don't even smoke cigars!

But I agree with Senator Charles Hawkins (R-Pittsylvania), who hasn't had a cigarette in 25 years, when he says that it is not only an absurd trespass on the rights of restaurant owners and smoking patrons, but also the non-smoking patrons who just think that smokers are more fun.

The nay votes were the regular conservatives, the rural Democrats, and the Senate leadership (who probably were angling for a substitute tax bill to squeeze it to death).

I'm fairly confident the house will stop this measure, but I'd hate for a silly frivolous tabloid story to distract us while our right to pursue happiness is being ground into the ash tray of the nanny state.

Also is this first time in this GA session that Cuccinelli and Chichester have been on the same side of a controversial proposal?