Thou Shalt Report Thy Smoking Neighbors

When in Omaha... don't just refrain from smoking, but call the cops if someone else is lighting up.

Omaha's tough new anti-smoking ordinance banning the practice in nearly all public places comes with an even tougher enforcement policy.

The Nebraska city's elected leaders and police department are urging residents who see violations to call the 9-1-1 emergency system for an immediate response.

Omaha banned smoking in public Oct. 2. Penalties are $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second and $500 for the third and subsequent infractions.

Remember when we were busy defeating those durned Red Soviets? Now we are trying to emulate them. Police your neighbors; anyone could be a nefarious smoker. And, since the slippery slope is a logical fallacy, we need not worry about the government telling us to report when a neighbor: doesn't vote, goes to Church, eats a doughnut... fill in the blank.

Only the historically ignorant can pretend that the removal of one "insignificant" liberty would never lead to others, or that a government can instill an insidious habit within its citizens and still show some modicum of restraint in utilizing the maleable population to its advantage.

It's getting a little weird here in America.