'K now that i can make links,
i'd like to direct some attention to the state of Oregon.
(I posted a bit about it in the n00b forum
but i don't know how many people actually read in there).
Long story short, i purchased my first PV last Friday evening
and haven't smoked a cigarette since.
I consider this a miracle on the order of replicating loaves and fishes
and the parting of any sea of your choice,
but i was going through the included cartridges at an alarming rate
and did not want to let go of the miracle under any circumstances.
So i rang up a local chain store which carries a lot of tobacco products
and asked after e-cigs and supplies and the clerk told me
that they used to sell them but had removed all such products and supplies
at the direction of the ATF.
Hmmm.
So i wrote the corporate HQ to ask by what authority
the ATF had done this thing,
and the (very nice) lady who answered said no, 'twas the Attorney General
who wrote them a letter telling them that e-cigs are "illegal".
Subsequently i found these two ress releases from the ODOJ:
Oregon Department of Justice - 2009 Media Release
Oregon Department of Justice - 2009 Media Release
...variations on the same self-congratulatory theme.
Note the following amidst the usual misinformation, disinformation, guilt by association, innuendo, distortion, and other spurious nonsense...
I was unable to obtain a copy of the letter
and i can't find any information at all on these "agreements" nor
how they came about.
But clearly the OAG has embarked upon a campaign of intimidation
and created a de facto ban;
summary "justice", law by decree, bypassing due process.
It's like "agreeing" with a representative of the Gambino family.
As the lady from the chain store said, (i'm paraphrasing),
"Hey we're a small family business, what're we gonna do?"
Obviously this isn't quite the universal ban the OAG thinks it is
since i bought my PV in Bend.
But the fact that he thinks it is, is cause enough for alarm.
And his mind is clearly made up:
until an e-cig company produces one those zillion-dollar studies
which we all know they can't.
This ain't about Smoking Everywhere Inc.
The OAG says, "e-cigarettes", and those are what are being taken off of shelves,
regardless of manufacturer or what claims they may or may not make.
This situation is more insidious than outright bans,
where at least we usually have some warning and input.
It stinks worse than the cigarettes the OAG would have me smoke,
and if all that ain't upsetting enough to the sensibilities,
there's this little self-congratulatory blurb at the end:
I have no agreement with the OAG at all
so i'm sorta inclined to go stand downtown in front of one those
"No smoking within 10 feet" signs and sell 510's for Christmas presents.
And/or to go sit in the OAG's office and make clouds of vapor
and see what they might charge me with.
But i'm getting vibes like the forum in general
doesnt approve of confrontational tactics in general.
So if someone such as Kristen would deign to help me rebut these press releases
point-by-point,
i would be very grateful.
I just have a hard time organizing my thoughts,
so even when i recognize BS i have difficulty countering it.
At minimum i think that us Oregonians should be writing our representatives
to ask if they might prevail upon the DOJ to defend our rights a bit less zealously.
Thanks for listening,
- joe
i'd like to direct some attention to the state of Oregon.
(I posted a bit about it in the n00b forum
but i don't know how many people actually read in there).
Long story short, i purchased my first PV last Friday evening
and haven't smoked a cigarette since.
I consider this a miracle on the order of replicating loaves and fishes
and the parting of any sea of your choice,
but i was going through the included cartridges at an alarming rate
and did not want to let go of the miracle under any circumstances.
So i rang up a local chain store which carries a lot of tobacco products
and asked after e-cigs and supplies and the clerk told me
that they used to sell them but had removed all such products and supplies
at the direction of the ATF.
Hmmm.
So i wrote the corporate HQ to ask by what authority
the ATF had done this thing,
and the (very nice) lady who answered said no, 'twas the Attorney General
who wrote them a letter telling them that e-cigs are "illegal".
Subsequently i found these two ress releases from the ODOJ:
Oregon Department of Justice - 2009 Media Release
Oregon Department of Justice - 2009 Media Release
...variations on the same self-congratulatory theme.
Note the following amidst the usual misinformation, disinformation, guilt by association, innuendo, distortion, and other spurious nonsense...
... emphasis mine.
I was unable to obtain a copy of the letter
and i can't find any information at all on these "agreements" nor
how they came about.
But clearly the OAG has embarked upon a campaign of intimidation
and created a de facto ban;
summary "justice", law by decree, bypassing due process.
It's like "agreeing" with a representative of the Gambino family.
As the lady from the chain store said, (i'm paraphrasing),
"Hey we're a small family business, what're we gonna do?"
Obviously this isn't quite the universal ban the OAG thinks it is
since i bought my PV in Bend.
But the fact that he thinks it is, is cause enough for alarm.
And his mind is clearly made up:
So we can't (legally) purchase e-cigs (in Oregon),
until an e-cig company produces one those zillion-dollar studies
which we all know they can't.
This ain't about Smoking Everywhere Inc.
The OAG says, "e-cigarettes", and those are what are being taken off of shelves,
regardless of manufacturer or what claims they may or may not make.
This situation is more insidious than outright bans,
where at least we usually have some warning and input.
It stinks worse than the cigarettes the OAG would have me smoke,
and if all that ain't upsetting enough to the sensibilities,
there's this little self-congratulatory blurb at the end:
Well gee thanks.
I have no agreement with the OAG at all
so i'm sorta inclined to go stand downtown in front of one those
"No smoking within 10 feet" signs and sell 510's for Christmas presents.
And/or to go sit in the OAG's office and make clouds of vapor
and see what they might charge me with.
But i'm getting vibes like the forum in general
doesnt approve of confrontational tactics in general.
So if someone such as Kristen would deign to help me rebut these press releases
point-by-point,
i would be very grateful.
I just have a hard time organizing my thoughts,
so even when i recognize BS i have difficulty countering it.
At minimum i think that us Oregonians should be writing our representatives
to ask if they might prevail upon the DOJ to defend our rights a bit less zealously.
Thanks for listening,
- joe
Yes! Let's do! Only after the Holidays.
