Sunday, August 23, 2009
I have a real bone to pick with all you smokers out there.
It really gets on my nerves, and I’m sure the vast majority of the non-smoking community here at the University of Kansas, in Lawrence and all over when you put your cigarette butts out on the ground when there is an ashtray within 100 feet of you.
Allow me to give you a couple of examples of what I’m talking about.
I was sitting at the Bailey Hall bus stop, just east of Strong Hall, in mid February when I looked over and saw a woman sitting on one of the benches taking the last few drags of her cigarette as the park and ride bus pulled up. Now for those who don’t know about the Bailey Hall bus stop, there is an ashtray right next to both benches. She was sitting right next to one of them and instead of taking the butt in her hand and putting out very nicely in the ashtray, she decided to put it out on the ground right at her feet. This infuriated me, but I swallowed my anger and got on the bus.
Another incident happened just a few weeks ago. I was downtown on Massachusetts Street to get a fresh trim when an incident almost identical to the one prior to this experience occurred. A man who looked to be in his late 40s or early 50s was finishing his cigarette outside the antique mall. He was standing within 15 feet of an ashtray when he not only put it out on the ground, but then decided to drag it on the along the cement, thus spreading tobacco stains on one of downtown’s mostly clean sidewalks.
It was at this moment that I could not hold in or contain my anger. After he started to walk away, I went and picked up his butt, threw it and gave him a glare that he won’t soon forget.
For those of you that know me, you know that I never take action like this, so you can imagine just how much this pissed me off.
My point of this rant is this. Please smokers, put your cigarette butts in ashtrays or trash cans. It’s really not that hard, and you have no idea how much better our city would be. I’m not one of those “protect our mother earth” flower children; it just gets increasingly annoying to see cigarette butts lying on the ground.
Just think of the people around you for one second. They may not say anything to you about what you are doing, but I guarantee it annoys them, too. So for those around you, put your butts out where they’re supposed to be.
— Phillippee is a Fort Worth sophomore in creative writing
Miyakawa: Don’t cut smokers slack for casting ...
Cigarette butts may be small, but they pile up — and they ...
Moffitt: Pressure on smokers to quit, harder ...
It is hard to give up smoking, but in a world where ...
Editorial: Smoking Laws Need to be Enforced
Smokers outside of building entrances frustrate students. School policies need to be ...
McNaughton: Smokers refuse to acknowledge health problems
I still don’t understand because smokers smell and taste terrible.
Seeing Through the Smoke
For years, we've seen the Surgeon General's warning on cigarette packs. But ...
Phillippe: No room for bikes on busy ...
Bicyclists should stay out of the way of drivers.
Regan: Smoking taboo doesn't fly abroad
Smoking in Ireland more acceptable than in U.S.
Gentry: Blowing smoke
Student smokers continue to ignore restrictions across campus, putting others at risk. ...
Lighting up en masse
The lethal addiction behind social smoking
Letter to editor: ‘No Smoking’ signs
Marcoux: Smokers need to pay attention to signs.
E-cigs provide no-smoke option
Electronic cigarettes use a liquid nicotine and offer a variety of flavors.
Graphic labels for tobacco products blocked by ...
An anti-smoking initiative by the Food and Drug Administration was blocked by ...
Williams: My day in a wheelchair
The physical strain of rolling myself around campus is made worse by ...
Group tries to raise tobacco awareness
Health educators have chalked out smoke-free boundaries on campus for the Great ...
Free For All: September 6, 2007
The comment before this one sucked.
Editorial: Students should support smoking ban
Smokers and nonsmokers alike should support a statewide smoking ban in public ...
College smoking creates concern for future
Students have resources on campus to quit smoking despite societal and emotional ...
Kieler: Smoking ban offers only positives
Considering the majority of Americans do not smoke, the ban offers the ...
To hell and back
A fight outside Naismith Hall began Thor Nystrom's year-long journey into the ...
Syring: Smoking ban should be upheld
The owner of two local bars filed a lawsuit against Lawrence in ...
Letter to the Editor: Anti-smoking scare tactics ...
After reading the commentary piece by Cassie Gentry, I got a little ...
Letter: Why I’m against the statewide smoking ...
Tactics employed by anti-smoking advocates turn
Better Options for Bad Situations: E-cigarettes
If you’re going to do it, be smart.
Local artist converts trash to treasures
Local artist known as Honey Boy creates off-beat art by recycling anything ...
Changes to smoking ban could affect local ...
State law will ban smoking within 10 feet of doorways and windows.
Gettin' your PDA on
Sometimes it's nice to show a little affection in public, but too ...
SafeBus program sees increase in riders
Recent changes to the SafeBus routes cause more ridership.
Stewart: Finance health care with larger sin ...
Malicious Intimacy
Four students' experiences with domestic violence.
Hartz: Pedestrians and drivers alike to blame ...
Man vs Machine results in everyone losing
Free For All: August 31, 2007
Give it to me, Free for All. Give it to me like ...
Free for All: March 1, 2007
I would like to know where these people were fixing potholes, because ...
What it's like: To have a seizure
As told by Molly Martin.
Muselmann: Evangelism as an eye-opener
Interaction with fervent religious speakers can be interesting
Bus crashes into campus building
A Park and Ride vehicle damaged Higuchi Hall Tuesday afternoon.
Free For All: September 4, 2007
It’d be cool if cops drove minivans.
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Phillippe: Cigarette butts litter streets
And get 20 feet away while you're at it!
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID