OPINION:
During the few minutes that my TV was on Sept. 9, I heard comedian Adam Carolla at the Republican midterm convention framing the “freedom” to smoke in public places as a casualty of Democratic overreach.
Mr. Carolla should have stepped into my bar between 1980 and 1983 to see what that “freedom” actually looked like.
He would have seen the $800 air filter hanging over the bar and watched the water turn pitch black every single week when we washed it out in our stainless steel sink. For those three years, despite having quit alcohol on Dec. 31, 1978, I woke up every morning with a painful “smoker’s hangover” while my clothes reeked of stale tobacco.
Now, 43 years later, hearing Mr. Carolla criticize public smoking bans as partisan overreach is beyond comprehension.
Cleaning up the air in public spaces wasn’t a loss of freedom; it was a lifesaver. Without a doubt, I would not be celebrating my 74th birthday today if I had stayed in that smoke-filled little gold mine.
MIKE SAWYER
Mayor, Midland City, Alabama (1984-1988)
Denver, Colorado
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