Eeyores news and view

Gates remark steals focus for Obama
Police unions voice anger

President Obama infrequently wades into issues of race, but his unscripted foray into a racially charged debate about the arrest of a prominent Harvard professor kicked up a controversy Thursday, drawing the ire of police unions and distracting from the White House's health care message.

The white Cambridge, Mass., police sergeant derided by Mr. Obama for acting "stupidly" said the president was way "off base" and suggested Mr. Obama was merely sticking up for his friend, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., who is black.

"I support the president of the United States 110 percent," Sgt. James Crowley told WBZ Radio. "I think he's way off base wading into a local issue without knowing all the facts."

The White House has since backpedaled, with aides insisting the president was not calling the officer stupid, and with Mr. Obama telling ABC News that Sgt. Crowley, an expert in training police how to avoid racial profiling, was an "outstanding" officer.

But the president insisted that his remarks on the arrest of Mr. Gates, made at the end of his Wednesday night news conference on health care, amounted to nothing more than straightforward commentary.

"You probably don't need to handcuff a guy, a middle-aged man who uses a cane in his own home," the nation's first black president said in an interview with ABC. "Everybody should have just settled down and cooler heads should have prevailed."

Mr. Gates was arrested inside his Cambridge home on July 16 by police responding to a report that two black men were trying to break into the house. Mr. Gates said he had forgotten his key and jimmied the door but was already inside when the police arrived.

Words were exchanged and the professor was arrested but the charges were later dropped. At his press conference, Mr. Obama said he did not have the facts of the case but he thought the police had "acted stupidly" by arresting Mr. Gates after he had identified himself.

The subsequent back-and-forth has generated the same kind of cable chatter Mr. Obama often derides as a distraction from more important issues, raising questions about why a president who often avoids commenting on sensitive racial issues chose to speak so bluntly.

Police organizations - including one that backed Mr. Obama's election and one that didn't - have complained.
Mr. Obama attended Harvard Law School.

Republicans also jumped on the dust-up, asking if Rep. Michael E. Capuano, the Massachusetts Democrat who represents Cambridge, agrees with Mr. Obama's comment. The National Republican Congressional Committee said Mr. Obama had offered a "questionable rush to judgment."

Comedian and actor Bill Cosby, a prominent black social critic, said he is worried about the direction the conversation is headed and warned that people "who don't know" should probably take a step back and refrain from commenting. Asked by a Boston Fox affiliate if that was directed at Mr. Obama, Mr. Cosby responded: "Whatever the president said, I have to take into consideration that he lived in Cambridge for some time so he may know more than he's saying about situations of that sort."

Cambridge police are asking a panel to review the matter.

Mr. Gates, 58, is a renowned scholar and director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. He said in an interview with TheRoot.com, a daily online magazine, that he was the victim of racial profiling.

"It's clear that [the arresting officer] had a narrative in his head: A black man was inside someone's house, probably a white person's house, and this black man had broken and entered, and this black man was me," he said. "He demanded that I step out on the porch, and I don't think he would have done that if I was a white person."

Mr. Gates added: "It's not about me - it's that anybody black can be treated this way, just arbitrarily arrested out of spite. And the man who arrested me did it out of spite, because he knew I was going to file a report because of his behavior," he said.

Sgt. Crowley has insisted "I've done nothing wrong" - when asked about the charges of racism he said, "It almost doesn't even warrant a comment it's so ridiculous."

Sgt. Crowley said there was a "lot of yelling" when he encountered Mr. Gates at his home near the Harvard University campus.

"Mr. Gates was given plenty of opportunity to stop what he was doing. He acted very irrational," the officer told the radio station. "He controlled the outcome of that event. ... There was references to my mother, something you wouldn't expect from anybody that should be grateful that you're there investigating a report of a crime in progress, let alone a Harvard University professor."
Mr. Gates has asked for an apology, saying he'd been treated unfairly by the white police officer.

Mr. Obama said Wednesday, "I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played" in the arrest.

But he said it was a "fact" that there is a long history of blacks and Latinos being targeted for racial profiling in America, adding "the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home."

Chuck Canterbury, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, which endorsed Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona last year, said he has told the White House he was disappointed by the remarks and offered his support to Sgt. Crowley.

"Police officers, like all Americans, rely on President Obama's leadership to guide us through an extraordinarily difficult period of change in a variety of areas: To be successful in this effort, he will need the help and support of all of us," he said.

"Statements of this nature, made without the facts, do little to narrow the void of distrust that too often separates the community from the men and women who work to keep it safe."

In his ABC interview, Mr. Obama noted the 42-year-old sergeant's commendable record.

According to the Associated Press, Sgt. Crowley has taught a class on racial profiling for five years at the Lowell Police Academy, and the academy director called him a good role model who was hand-picked by a black police commissioner.

In 1993 Sgt. Crowley repeatedly tried to save the life of black Boston Celtics player Reggie Lewis after he collapsed during practice. Even though Mr. Lewis had no pulse, the officer, who was then with Brandeis University, kept attempting to revive the player who had died of cardiac arrest.

Sgt. Crowley's own force came to his defense, saying nothing he had done was racist.

"The whole story hasn't been told," Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Hass told reporters, adding the panel would help to "really disclose" everything that happened.

The commissioner said Mr. Gates' attorney had approached the police with a request to drop the charges, which they did this week after working with the district attorney. He also disclosed that while Mr. Gates was away there had been a break-in at his home which was investigated by Harvard police.

In his official police report on the incident, Sgt. Crowley said he could see the man he later identified as Mr. Gates in the foyer of the home through the glass paned front door. He identified himself, explained the report of a break-in, asked for Mr. Gates to come outside but the professor refused and then shouted "Why, because I am a black man in America?"

The report said Mr. Gates accused the officer of being racist and was "leveling threats that he wasn't someone to mess with." Sgt. Crowley wrote in the report that the professor kept yelling and when they went outside it drew the attention of people on the street. He then arrested him for disorderly conduct.

Mr. Gates said in his interview with TheRoot that he couldn't have been yelling since he had a severe bronchial infection.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/24/gates-remark-steals-focus-for-obama/



Sure looks like to me that the idiot is screaming. People throw the race card around way to easily. Racism pimps, like this professor, the President, Sharpton and Jackson, are like the little boys that cry wolf. They try to incite a riot when they are wrong. They should be arrested.

Eeyores news and view

I was reading these articles this morning and i will admit i don't have all the facts, but i bet neither does the President when he made is declaration of guilt. I bet he never even talked to the officer. The case reminds me of Cynthia McKinney in DC. She called racism when she struck at the officer for asking for her id. People should mind there own business or at least try to find out what they are talking about before they run there mouth. Makes me sick that this President will promote racism just because the black person is being attacked. If the roles were reversed, he would never said that it was racism. Does not he see he is being used like a punk

President says Cambridge cops acted ‘stupidly’
President Obama ripped Cambridge police for acting “stupidly” in the arrest of Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and said the noted scholar, a personal friend, was justified in being “angry” at his treatment.The president said he does not know whether, as Gates maintains, race was a factor in the controversial case now making national headlines. But he said racial profiling is a “fact” in America today. His remarks came in response to a question at the end of last night’s press conference on his health-care initiative Obama acknowledged that he did not know all the facts of the case in which Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct by cops investigating a report of a break-in at his Cambridge home after Gates had to force open a jammed door.
“I don’t know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that,” Obama said. “But I think it’s fair to say, No. 1, any of us would be pretty angry... (you can read the rest at)
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1186574

Officer in Henry Gates flap tried to save Reggie Lewis Denies he’s a racist, won’t apologize he Cambridge cop prominent Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. claims is a racist gave a dying Reggie Lewis mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in a desperate bid to save the Celtics superstar’s life 16 years ago Monday.“I wasn’t working on Reggie Lewis the basketball star. I wasn’t working on a black man. I was working on another human being,” Sgt. James Crowley, in an exclusive interview with the Herald, said of the forward’s fatal heart attack July 27, 1993, at age 27 during an off-season practice at Brandeis University, where Crowley was a campus police officer.

It’s a date Crowley still can recite by rote - and he still recalls the pain he suffered when people back then questioned whether he had done enough to save the black athlete.
“Some people were saying ‘There’s the guy who killed Reggie Lewis’ afterward. I was broken-hearted. I cried for many nights,” he said. Crowley, 42, said he’s not a racist, despite how some have cast his actions in the Gates case. “Those who know me know I’m not,” he said.Yesterday, Lewis’ widow, Donna Lewis, was floored to learn the embattled father of three on the thin blue line of a national debate on racism in America was the same man so determined to rescue her husband.
“That’s incredible,” Lewis, 44, exclaimed. “It’s an unfortunate situation. Hopefully, it can resolve itself. The most important thing is peace.”

Gates, 58, an acclaimed scholar on black history and a PBS documentarian, went on the attack against Crowley on Tuesday, demanding he apologize for arresting him for disorderly conduct last Thursday while investigating a reported break-in at his home. Gates, returning from a trip, was seen by a Malden woman trying to force his front door open. Police alleged he initially refused to identify himself. Though he harbors no “ill feelings toward the professor,” a calm, resolute Crowley said no mea culpa will be forthcoming.“I just have nothing to apologize for,” he said. “It will never happen.”
Attorney Charles Ogletree, Gates’ close friend and fellow Harvard savant, told the Herald, “It’s regrettable and unfortunate that the officer feels that way, and I do hope that some progress will be made in healing this wound.”

Gates, who upon his arrest allegedly bellowed to a gathering crowd on Ware Street, “This is what happens to black men in America!” believes he was targeted by Crowley - whom he called a “rogue” cop - because of his race. Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas, with Gates attorney Walter Prince’s consent, agreed Tuesday to drop the charge of disorderly conduct, calling the incident “an unfortunate set of circumstances.”Crowley, an 11-year veteran of the force, oversees the evidence room, paid details and records unit. He also coaches youth basketball, baseball and softball.
Joseph McDonald, a former director of public safety at Brandeis, said Crowley was “a real pro,” calling Gates’ racial profiling charge “strange.”

“You just do the job as a cop. You don’t look at the color of skin. You’re just trying to help people,” said McDonald, 57.
In a statement expressing its “full and unqualified support” for Crowley, the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association called its brother a “highly respected veteran supervisor with a distinguished record. “His actions at the scene of this matter were consistent with his training, with the informed policies and practices of the department and with applicable legal standards.”
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1186567

Eeyores news and view

Senate to vote on concealed weapons measureBy JIM ABRAMS (AP) – 5 hours ago

WASHINGTON — Gun control and gun rights advocates are heading for another clash with a Senate vote on a measure that would allow people with concealed weapons permits to carry those hidden weapons into other states.

Backers, led by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., say truckers and others with concealed weapons permits should be able to protect themselves when they cross into other states. Opponents say the measure would force states with strict procedures for getting permits to accept permits from states with more lax laws.

The Senate has scheduled a vote Wednesday on the measure, which Thune offered as an amendment to a major defense policy bill. Under an agreement reached among Senate leaders, 60 votes will be needed to approve the amendment.

The vote comes a day after the Senate completed what is probably the most controversial issue connected to the defense bill, voting 58-40 to eliminate $1.75 billion in the $680 billion bill that had been set aside for building more F-22 fighters. President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates campaigned hard for removing the money, saying the Pentagon had enough F-22s and the money could be spent on more pressing defense needs.

The gun proposal would make concealed weapons permits from one state valid in other states as long as the person obeys the laws of other states, such as weapons bans in certain localities. It does not establish national standards for concealed weapons permits and would not allow those with permits to carry weapons into Wisconsin and Illinois, the two states that do not have concealed weapons laws.

"Law-abiding South Dakotans should be able to exercise the right to bear arms in states with similar regulations on concealed firearms," Thune said. "My legislation enables citizens to protect themselves while respecting individual state firearms laws."

National Rifle Association chief lobbyist Chris W. Cox said the last two decades have shown a strong shift toward gun rights laws. "We believe it's time for Congress to acknowledge these changes and respect the right of self-defense, and the right of self-defense does not stop at state lines," he said.

Gun control groups were strongly in opposition.

Concealed handgun permit holders killed at least seven police officers and 44 private citizens during a two-year period ending in April, according to a study by the Violence Policy Center. "It is beyond irrational for Congress to vote to expand the reach of these deadly laws," said the center's legislative director, Kristen Rand.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the bill would "incite a dangerous race to the bottom in our nation's gun laws." He said his own state, which has strict gun control laws, would have to accept concealed weapons permits from states such as Arizona, which issues permits to people with drinking problems, or Alaska, where people with violent misdemeanor convictions can get permits.

"Folks in Minot, N.D., and New York are going to have different conceptions about what's right for their locality," said Jim Kessler, vice president for policy at Third Way, a centrist think tank that supports gun rights. "In some states you have to show a real need" to get a permit, he said. "In other states you have to show that you can stand on two feet."

So far this year gun rights advocates have had the clear advantage in Congress. They managed to attach a provision to a credit card bill signed into law that restores the right to carry loaded firearms in national parks, and coupled a Senate vote giving the District of Columbia a vote in the House with a provision effectively ending the district's tough gun control laws.

House Democratic leaders, unable to detach the two issues without losing the support of pro-gun Democrats, abandoned attempts to pass the D.C. vote bill.

On the Net:
■Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov


It is happening there it can happen here also.
Iran recruits foreign security to maintain order
July 22, 2009 - 8:36am

J.J. Green, WTOP Radio

WASHINGTON - A showdown is looming in Iran.

Friday prayers will be led by Ayatollah Khameni as foreign security forces are being brought in to maintain order.

At the end of June, there were scattered reports that the Iranian government was flying in members of Lebanon's Hezbollah military wing to help patrol the streets. Flights from the airport in Beirut to Iran were booked solid by these additional security forces.

Sources say the extra security is gearing up for a showdown Saturday, when a huge global protest is being planned to coincide with an Iranian protest.

Between now and then, the strife is expected to continue, as Khameni's power is being challenged and President Mamoud Ahmadinejad's re-election is being questioned.

Already there are reports of nighttime home invasions, including security forces shooting at un-armed Iranians.

Meanwhile, more details are emerging about corruption at the highest levels of the government, including reports of "shell companies" for the IRGC set-up to siphon off money from wire transfers.

http://wtop.com/?nid=778&sid=1723007

Eeyores news and view

This topic may have been out of the news lately but seems to have come back with a vengenace lately. Which is a good thing here is an article on illegal imagration. Heavy emphases on ILLEGAL.

Feds shift gears on illegal immigration
The Department of Homeland Security is changing the way it tackles illegal immigration, in many cases remaking or rescinding Bush administration policies.
The changes put heavier emphasis on employers, including more investigations of hiring records and fines for violations, says John Morton, assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in DHS.
"We have to come to grips with the market for illegal labor," he says. "To get there, we have to move beyond individual cases."
The arrests of hundreds of illegal workers at a time in raids at factories and meatpacking plants were a visible component of President George W. Bush's immigration enforcement strategy.
The largest workplace raid under the Obama administration was in February, when 28 illegal immigrants were arrested at an engine manufacturer in Bellingham, Wash.
Guidelines issued since then make it clear that raids targeting employees won't be a priority. The agency still will arrest illegal immigrants as it conducts investigations, Morton says, but "we are going to place our focus … first and foremost on the employer."
On July 1, ICE notified 652 businesses that it would inspect their hiring records to make sure they verified their workers' legal status, and Morton says the push will expand. ICE began 503 such audits in all of last year.
Other changes:
• DHS announced on July 8 that it would rescind a Bush proposal to crack down on businesses that don't fire workers whose Social Security numbers don't match government records. The plan, tied up by court challenges, never went into effect.
The agency said it will move ahead with another Bush plan to require businesses with federal contracts to verify the legal status of employees using an online government database. The DHS says the system will catch inconsistencies earlier.
The department estimates that the rule will cover 3.8 million employees.
• Two days later, DHS announced new standards for a program that gives authority to enforce immigration laws to state and local law enforcement agencies that sign agreements with the department and undergo training. The revised contracts direct police to focus mainly on illegal immigrants who are already in jail or have been convicted or arrested in drug or violent crimes, not those involved in minor offenses such as traffic violations.
Tamar Jacoby supports the enforcement changes because, she says, ICE is using limited resources to target the worst offenders. Jacoby is president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a group of employers who want changes in the law to allow more foreign workers to enter the country legally.
"If we as a nation can prove to the public that we're able and willing and serious about enforcing the law, the public will be potentially more open to immigration reform," she says.
Rosemary Jenks of NumbersUSA, which calls for reduced immigration, criticizes the shifts, saying they will lead to fewer arrests of illegal immigrants. "The message is, if you come here illegally, you can get a job, you can stay under the radar, don't commit a crime and you'll be fine," she says. "It's essentially a de facto amnesty."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-07-20-immigration_N.htm?csp=34

Watchdog: TARP tab could hit $24 trillion
Think last year's $700 billion Wall Street rescue package was beaucoup bucks to spend bailing out the nation's floundering financial system? That's chump change compared to what the overall price tag could be, a government watchdog says.
The inspector general in charge of overseeing the Treasury Department's bank-bailout program says the massive endeavor could end up costing taxpayers almost $24 trillion in a worst-case scenario. That's more than six times President Obama's proposed $3.55 trillion budget for 2010.
Much of the bailout's attention has focused on the Treasury's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, which Congress hurriedly passed last fall. But about 50 other federal programs that began as early as 2007 could push the government's total financial support of the private financial sector to at least $23.7 trillion, says TARP Special Inspector General Neil Barofsky.
The estimate - which the Treasury strongly disputes - was included in Mr. Barofsky's second-quarter review of TARP on Monday.
"TARP does not function in a vacuum, but is rather part of the broader government efforts to stabilize the financial system," said Mr. Barofsky in a statement ahead of his appearance Tuesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to discuss his report.
Extra costs include $2.3 trillion in programs offered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), $7.4 trillion in TARP and other aid from the Treasury, and $7.2 trillion in federal money to support Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, credit unions, Veterans Affairs and other federal guarantee programs, he said.
The committee's top Republican, Rep. Darrell Issa of California, said the size and scope of the government's involvement in rescuing the struggling financial sector has reached a mind-boggling level.
"If you spent a million dollars a day going back to the birth of Christ, that wouldn't even come close to just $1 trillion; $23.7 trillion is a staggering figure," he said.
But the Treasury called Mr. Barofsky's estimate "inflated," saying that less than $2 trillion have been doled out to so far by all the programs he identified in the report.
The estimate also doesn't take into account the the repayment of TARP loans, the Treasury says, an increasing tally that so far has reached about $70 billion.
The Treasury has committed $643.1 billion of TARP money and has spent $441 billion.
In the nine months since Congress authorized TARP, the Treasury has created 12 programs involving funds that may reach almost $3 trillion, Mr. Barofsky said.
Although the Treasury is only authorized to spend the $700 billion approved last year by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush, the FDIC and the Federal Reserve are expected to invest up to $1 trillion each in partnering with the Treasury on TARP.
Mr. Barofsky complained that while the Treasury has taken some steps toward improving transparency in TARP programs, it repeatedly has failed to adopt many recommendations that his office considers essential to providing "the highest degree of accountability and transparency possible."
The Treasury for months has refused his recommendation that TARP recipients be required to reveal exactly what they do with the money, a practice that the Treasury has called "meaningless" in light of the inherent "fungibility" of money.
Oversight committee Chairman Edolphus Towns said he was disappointed that the Treasury hasn't done more to increase transparency, adding that Mr. Barofsky's report "demonstrates more than anything why we need" a TARP watchdog.
"If the banks can't tell us how they're spending TARP money, then maybe they shouldn't have it," the New York Democrat said. "How can Treasury commit billions - and potentially trillions - of taxpayer dollars, but not ask recipients what they're doing with the money? That takes 'burying your head in the sand' to a new level."
The report also shows that the inspector general's office authorized 35 criminal and civil investigations involving TARP money through June 30. These investigations include suspected accounting fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, mortgage-service misconduct, mortgage fraud, public corruption, false statements and tax investigations.
Mr. Barofsky told The Washington Times earlier this month that "almost certainly we are going to be seeing a number of [criminal] indictments" coming from the investigations.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/21/watchdog-says-tarp-tab-could-hit-24-trillion/

Maloney apologizes for using N word
Posted: 05:20 AM ET
(CNN) – New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat, apologized Monday for using the N word in a recent interview while recounting a phone call she had received.
"I apologize for having repeated a word I find disgusting," Maloney said in a statement. "It's no excuse but I was so caught up in relaying the story exactly as it was told to me that, in doing so, I repeated a word that should never be repeated."
Maloney, who is challenging Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for the 2010 Democratic Senate nomination in New York, used the full racial slur in an interview with the Web site City Hall while taking aim at Gillibrand's record.
"I got a call from someone from Puerto Rico, said [Gillibrand] went to Puerto Rico and came out for English-only [education]. And he said, 'It was like saying n—r to a Puerto Rican,'" Maloney said. "I don't know-I don't know if that's true or not. I just called. I'm just throwing that out. All of her-well, what does she stand for?"
Earlier Monday, the Rev. Al Sharpton — a supporter of Gillibrand's bid — sharply criticized Maloney for using the word.
"The quote by Congresswoman Maloney if accurate is alarming and disturbing at best," he said in a statement. "No public official even in quoting someone else should loosely use such an offensive term and should certainly challenge someone using the term to him or her."
The controversy comes the same day Maloney is set to hold a big-ticket fundraiser that includes an appearance from former President Bill Clinton. Clinton has also attended a fundraiser for Gillibrand.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/21/maloney-apologizes-for-using-n-word-2/

Eeyores news and view

This is in my backyard (sotospeak)it is going this way all over the country. I expect this kind of stuff in Russia or other communistic or socialistic countries.
make me sick.

Housing complex owners vote to ban smoking

By Julian Emerson
Leader-Telegram staff
It's not just indoor public places in Eau Claire where lighting up is prohibited. Now residents of a south side, owner-occupied housing complex will have to snuff out smoking in their homes, the most recent sign of public anti-smoking sentiment.

Members of the Fairfax Parkside Homeowners Association on Wednesday voted to outlaw smoking inside residences that are part of the 34-unit development. The ban also prohibits smoking in shared spaces, such as porches and garages, but does allow it in yards and on patios.

Of the 19 association members who voted on the issue, 15 favored the anti-smoking regulation proposed by association President Dave Hanvelt, while four argued that residents should be allowed to smoke in their homes.

"This doesn't restrict a smoker from living here," Hanvelt said of the smoking prohibition. "It just means that there are restrictions on where they can smoke."

Fairfax Parkside is believed to be the first Eau Claire development in which homeowners aren't allowed to light up indoors.

"I'm not aware of any other instances where that is the case," said Julie Marlette, coordinator of the Tobacco Free Partnership of Eau Claire County.

The adoption of the indoor anti-smoking rule likely won't impact many Fairfax Parkside homeowners, as Hanvelt said he doesn't know of any smokers in the development. But it does restrict future homeowners there from smoking, and visitors also won't be allowed to smoke inside.

"You don't want to have to worry about your non-smoking neighbor moving out and a smoker moving in," he said.

Hanvelt proposed the regulation earlier this year because homeowners in the development own twin homes, or each side of a duplex-style home. Because of their close proximity, smoke from one unit could flow into the one next door.

"If we all lived in separate units, this wouldn't have been necessary," Hanvelt said, noting homeowners association members made sure to allow outdoor smoking so as to not be too restrictive.

The Fairfax Parkside regulation marks an extension of non-smoking rules from public places to private residences. Last year the Eau Claire City Council approved a controversial ban on smoking in indoor public places, including taverns.

The issue prompted heated response from people on both sides of the issue, and opponents were concerned that the ban could open the door to prohibitions on smoking in people's homes.

Word of the smoking restriction enacted at Fairfax Parkside has some people fuming.

"We worried that this might happen, and now it appears that it has," said Sally Jo Birtzer, a nonsmoker who is president of the Eau Claire City-County Tavern League and general manager of Wagner's Lanes. "As long as tobacco is a legal product, people should be allowed to smoke it in their own homes."

While preventing smoking in privately owned homes is unusual, prohibiting the practice in rental residences isn't unheard of in Eau Claire and elsewhere. Some landlords don't allow renters to smoke indoors in an effort to keep those living quarters cleaner and to reduce the chances of a house fire.

Stomping out smoking in multifamily rental units is a growing trend in other parts of the U.S., Marlette said.

"I think people are recognizing the exposure that is occurring to secondhand smoke in multiunit housing," she said. "It is definitely a bona fide health issue, and I think we're going to see more requests for those units to go smoke free."

Dave FitzGerald, one of the Fairfax Parkside developers who also lives there, initially questioned whether the non-smoking measure would hinder future sales in an already tough housing market. But FitzGerald, a nonsmoker, said the anti-smoking rule could attract buyers too, especially given that nearly four of every five people don't smoke.

"Could we lose a sale to somebody who is a smoker? Certainly," FitzGerald said. "But I think there is a better chance of having somebody be willing to live here because there isn't any smoking."

Hanvelt knows firsthand the frustrations of living next to a smoker in a shared-space residence. He previously spent thousands of dollars at a former residence retrofitting his unit to prevent cigarette smoke from a next-door neighbor from making its way to his home, but the effort proved unsuccessful, he said.

Now he looks forward to living in a smoke-free environment.

"We adopted this for our own safety and health," Hanvelt said. "This is a very nice place to live, and we want to keep it that way."

http://www.leadertelegram.com/story-news.asp?id=BKKD5TMRL20