In response to the editorial "Burn one down" (SN 11/30), I think there is a huge misconception presented here. The idea of the editorial is that smoking is a decision that only affects the person with the cigarette. This is completely and utterly false, and watching the television ads mentioned in the article should have taught you that. Second-hand smoke is the biggest issue when it comes to whether or not smoking should be allowed inside restaurants and bars. It is the innocent people who have to eat while disgusting smoke that they didn't order is blown in their faces. It is the people who reek like smoke when they get home from the bar who are the biggest victims - not the few that shove their butts in their mouths.

There are a few cities in the U.S. that have such bans, and to go out in them is a million times better when you don't have to worry about walking home with smoke stench on your clothes. I'm not talking about Columbus, Ohio, either. I'm talking about New York City. The arguments when the ban was enacted were that it infringed on smokers' rights, and that the bars would lose business because smokers wouldn't come. Last I checked, the bars in NYC are still going strong. So, please stop this whining that smokers should have the right to choose what they put in their mouths - nonsmokers have a greater right to breath clean air.

Tim Brumbaugh
2002 graduate