Greenville Citizens Defy Ban, Businesses Go To Court Today

Greenville, SC (TLS). In the aftermath of the much-publicized smoking ban in Greenville, South Carolina--which went into effect at 12 noon on New Year's Day--it would seem that many citizens have chosen to openly defy the new law.

I heartily congratulate them!

This is the kind of resistance that is going to be necessary to prevent the march of Big Brother through the middle of this Republic, wreaking havoc in its wake and ripping to shreds the Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Today and throughout the evening residents who patronized downtown businesses were seen smoking, in open defiance of the new law.

And that's not all. A group of downtown businesses have scheduled a hearing before a local Judge Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 2, at 2:30 PM, seeking an overturn of the new law. The business owners are up in arms about the real prospect of losing customers and revenue to places outside the city limits of Greenville.

If the Judge finds in favor of the businesses, then this could well be the most shortlived law ever passed in the history of the city...barely making 27 hours in duration.

Thus, the saga continues. We will know by late afternoon Tuesday as to whether or not business owners still have the freedom in this city to decide what happens within the walls of their establishments.

In America we are supposed to have that freedom. If I own a business and my patrons smoke, I am going to either allow smoking or move to a city where I have that freedom. Non-smokers can go to those businesses that enforce smoking bans, and they are many, even within Greenville. Thus, this has nothing at all to do with the rights of non-smokers. They already have the right to eat in establishments where there is no smoke.

The point is really the right of business owners to decide what will and will not happen within THEIR PROPERTY. Thus, the smoking ban issue is in actuality a property rights issue.

Check back with The Liberty Sphere later in the day for updates.