Ever heard of field stripping.That's where you take the cigarette by the butt and squeeze all the tobacco out. Then you just step on the lit tobacco making sure it's out. All you will have left is the butt, which, then you can safely put into a trash receptacle. Also if I couldn't find one, I would put mine in a plastic bag or my pocket until I did find one.
Children walk on our lawns and streets barefoot. Some are too young to think to walk around a lit one. Do you really want to be responsible for them getting burned? Think about what you are saying before you just decide it's all right for you to toss your butts anywhere you want.
I, and thousands other smokers, attended a get together every year. This is where I learned to field strip our cigarettes. The grounds were beautiful and everyone was happy, including us smokers. Newspapers reported on this and complimented us because most places, with such a high number of people, usually were littered with cigarette butts. That made us feel pretty darn good.
As an on-site resident manager, I was responsible for cleaning up cigarette butts every day. I even had to clean up whole ashtray droppings from cars in our parking lots, even though there was a huge garbage bin just a few feet away. I grew very tired of this behavior. I even had put pails of sand out only to find butts right beside them. Then someone stole them! So I didn't put anymore out there after that.
I don't care if I'm treated like a second rate citizen because I smoke. I'm not going to act like one because I have too much pride in myself. I'm still going to field strip my cigarettes and I'm going to treat people, non smokers included, as I like to be treated-with respect and consideration.
As far as non-smokers coming to my home? I sell items on-line and a lot of people, who come here to pick them up, don't smoke. I most certainly don't want to lose my customers, so I don't light up when they are here. We also have a friend, who does not like smoking at all. We go into our kitchen and turn on our fan in the window or we wait until he leaves. This man has been a great, financial help to us in our times of need more than once. We certainly don't want to lose his friendship. He is also a hard worker and helps anyone who needs it. He deserves our respect. I have a lady friend, whom I've know for years. I don't smoke around her because she is my best friend and I care how she feels. She has never said anything to me about it, but I care about our friendship so I don't smoke in her car or home. Yet, when we were out for the day, she made it a point to stop somewhere where I could sit outside and smoke while we continued our visit. She, too, has given me money and gifts throughout the time we've known each other. Do you really want to cut non-smokers completely out of your lives?
I also do not believe children should be subjected to our smoke in a closed car or our homes. What about their rights?
And you wonder why non-smokers have such a problem with us. Maybe it's time to do a check up from the neck up and figure it out.
It's not just a matter of our rights. It is a matter of what we do with them when we have them. Is it just possible things would be different for us if we had thought this through before and treated everyone with the respect they deserve?  |