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It just occurred to me that although it may be a little bit dated, my "Day Of Defiance!" booklet from two years ago might be helpful here. Go to: http://encyclopedia.smokersclub.com/257.html and print out the "Day Of Defiance!" brochure you'll find there. If you'd like an updated "Generic" copy that's not quite as UK/DoD specific just email me at Cantiloper over on the aol system and I'll be happy to send you one. . - . Michael J. McFadden, Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"

Alan wrote, "Michael, I have no doubt that the Daily Mail and politics.co.uk printed the story without checking that it was true. The story din't run and run like it would have done if it was true, it fizzled out apart from on forums like this where it is repeated despite being untrue." Fair enough. I agree that I would have expected somewhat more coverage so it's possible the story was bogus. I guess contacting the reporters involved might yield some answers but I'll leave that up to you guys! :) Michael J. McFadden Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"

So roughly 4,000 pubs closed since the smoking ban. And the politicians and antismoking groups assured everyone that the ban would be "cost-free." Think about the tens of thousands of jobs lost (along with the enormous impact such loss has had upon the health of those workers and their families) and think about the costs involved. Those politicians and those antismoking groups should be held legally responsible for what they've done... not the taxpayers. Michael J. McFadden Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"

George Baker wrote, "The smoking issue is done, dead, past, history, end of. No UK government will reverse or modify the ban" and if it's not out of line to repeat what I just posted in another thread here, the Great Alcohol Prohibition Experiment lasted for about fifteen years in America, and the Prohibitionists felt much the same way then as they do now. The Great Smoking Prohibition Experiment will probably fall within five years rather than fifteen, but time will tell. The weakness of the smoking ban is that it was founded on lies, and once those lies are commonly exposed, the support for it will wane. With alcohol prohibition, the support was a combination of fact and morality - neither of which was exposed as being incorrect, but both of which were eventually held to be inadequate in justifying the government excess. Antismokers whinged on for years over their issue, but once they've won for the moment they hold that their opponents should instantly throw in the towel and "move on." That's the kind of attitude promoted by every conquering army in the history of the world: sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Time will tell. And drastic punishments such as Howitt's are a double-edged sword. Yes they deter other freedom fighters, but they also serve to create martyrs to win the sympathy of the wider population that does NOT want to see smoking treated as being the same as gun-running. Michael J. McFadden Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"

This is like entering the Twilight Zone. "Credit Crunch" ? "Cheap Supermarket Booze" ? "Rough economic times" ? You *do* realize this isn't limited to the UK I hope? That it hasn't just been happening over the last few months? That it's not simply the pub industry? You've been killed by the smoking ban and instead of fighting back half of you have simply picked up the battle flag of your murderer and joined in waving excuses in the air. Want some evidence of my point? Pop across the pond to the midwestern US and visit the casinos in an average midwestern US State. The Gvt. of Minnesota has been open enough to make its figures public over the last five years and they paint a picture so crystalline clear that not even an Antismoker can fail to see it: http://banthebanwisconsin.com/Documents/MNGraph.pdf At least over here the small pubs have fought back with resistance and stayed largely alive. Noncompliance rates are estimated to range from 25 to 50%, pubs set up phone trees to warn of gestapo raids, descriptions of Informers and Stoolies are shared and they're made to feel quickly unwelcome, there are at least signs of life against the Vichy government... but what's happening over there? After over a hundred posts warning of what a smoking ban would do your pubs ( http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/forum.ma/user-posts/191751?PagingData=Po_0~Ps_10~Psp_Id~Psd_Desc ) it appears that the only effect they've had is to have me removed from notifications about articles here. I wander back over and see exactly the same excuses that were being thrown around in early 2007. It's sad. And while I realize that there are a good number of you who ARE fighting, I wonder just what the rest of you are thinking. How many of you have joined F2C? How many of you are resisting to whatever extent you can? And how many of you are simply playing the role of kapos? Credit crunch.... sheesh. Michael J. McFadden Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"