Sante Fe Mining Company still in defiance of law

Sunday night, my wife and I decided to return to the Sante Fe Mining Company located on N. Rainbow near Rancho. We wanted to see if the owner had decided to obey the law and remove the ashtrays and put up the no-smoking signs. The answer is a resounding "NO."

A review of the website for the Southern Nevada Health District shows absolutely NO current enforcement activities. It is obvious that whomever is in charge at the district has completely given up on doing their job. It makes me wonder if some money has changed hands. I would never make such an accusation without evidence, but I just can't believe that mere incompetence can result in such an utter failure of the execution of their duties. Makes a person wonder!

While people might empathize with the smokers, the bigger issue here is the rule of law. Americans expect that the rule of law will be upheld. We can't pick and choose which laws we want to obey and just ignore the rest. That's exactly what is happening here. They are choosing to ignore the law that they must at the minimum remove the ashtrays and put up no-smoking signs. Makes me wonder what laws I might decide to ignore.

While this is a very small crack in the dam, it is an area that could grow and grow until we lose the rule of law in Nevada. When that happens, you better be the bigger guy or have a bigger gun because that is all that will insure your security. When people or companies can pick and choose the laws they want to obey, the police are no longer of any value, the government will break down and indeed civilization is in danger. You may think that I am overreacting, but most big things start as small things.

The Southern Nevada Health District is charged with enforcing this law. Why aren't their inspectors out writing citations. They sure wouldn't have to go far to find violators. I've heard that they could be threatened. Well, thanks to Judge Herndon, the police can't write tickets for smoking, but they sure can for threatening people. Send a cop in with an inspecctor to stand there while the inspector writes the ticket. Using this as an excuse just isn't valid.

Deputize me and I'll start writing citations today! I guarantee you start writing tickets to people for $100 a pop and the word will get out and people will stop smoking where they aren't supposed to. The only message being given today is that ignoring the law bears no consequences. Is that the message you really want to go out?

I did my duty and filed yet another complaint with the district on the Sante Fe Mining Company. Do I believe that anything will come of it? No, I doubt it. I just hope that we can all start banding together to put pressure on the Southern Nevada Health District to begin their enforcement program in earnest and hold these owners to the consequences of breaking the law.

I guess time will tell.