FREEDOM OF CHOICE, INC.:
FIGHTING ANTI-TOBACCO CRIMINALS
WITH COURAGE AND DETERMINATION
The persecution of smokers continues on all fronts, but many finally have decided to fight back. As we stated many times, this is a war for liberty: the killers of choice have declared war on smoking long ago, and besides distorted science, they use intimidation. Inside is a press release that summarizes the fight of Freedom of Choice, Inc., distinguished member of the Smokers' Rights movement, against the health cartel. FORCES has followed for quite some time -- and modestly contributed -- to their admirable fight. Instead of being intimidated by false charges brought forward by the Department of Health of Tooele County, Utah, Freedom of Choice, Inc. has decided to set an example of great valour for all smokers and freedom defenders: they have hired lawyers, and they are going after their enemies.
PRESS RELEASE FROM FREEDOM OF CHOICE, INC.
Friday, June 19, 1998
Monday, June 1, 1998: The Tooele County Department of Health issued a complaint charging Julie Versteeg, owner of Penney's, the Freedom of Choice, Inc. (FOC) facility in Stockton, UT (about five miles from the nearest building) with being in violation of the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act.
Their grounds for this action was that Tooele County does not believe Freedom of Choice, Inc. (and it's more than 25,000 members) constitutes a real social organization, and as such, to be exempt from the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act. (Just three weeks before the health dept. commended Julie for failing to sell cigarettes to a minor in a sting operation they sprung on her three separate times!)
Monday, June 8, 1998: Dan Cracraft, the president of Freedom of Choice, Inc., hand delivered a notarized "answer to the complaint" to the Tooele County Dept. of Health Environmental Services. This letter clearly demonstrated the legal existence of Freedom of Choice, Inc. as a non-profit (but tax paying) social organization, incorporated in the State of Utah, and the fact that the Penney's facility operates exclusively for the members, guests and familys of the organization.
Tuesday, June 9, 1998: The truck stop at Delle (NOT associated with FOC) also in Tooele County, gives up in a similar health dept. action and removes the ash trays from their tables.
Friday, June 12, 1998: Jon Dow, the Tooele County Attorney, files charges against Julie Versteeg, the owner of Penney's. The hearing is scheduled for 9:00 AM, Monday, July 6, 1998 at the Tooele Valley Justice Court, 47 South Main, Room 141, Tooele, UT.
Friday, June 12, 1998: Jeff Coombs, the Tooele County Department of Health Environmental Services Director, states on a KUTV television news clip that there was no record of memberships issued at the Penney's facility, and so it is obvious that there is no social organization in operation there. This is an absolutely false statement. Ms. Versteeg has stated that no one asked to see the membership roster, which lists several hundred witnesses who can testify to having purchased a Freedom of Choice membership at Penney's prior to the date Jeff Coombs said no such record existed.
Saturday, June 13, 1998: The Salt Lake Tribune prints a story, later released to the Associated Press and picked up by the Deseret News, saying Smokers Unanimous was put out of business two years ago by a similar action in Cache County. No such event occurred, and Smokers Unanimous is still operating. The statement has yet to be retracted.
Freedom of Choice, Inc. has been in existence since March of 1996, currently operates 17 facilities throughout the state of Utah, mostly restaurants in Salt Lake County, and we have never had a moments trouble with the health dept. here. We are absolutely convinced (by the recent World Health Organization report and stacks of other evidence) that environmental tobacco smoke is not a significant health risk.
We also believe no one has the right to force others to participate in one's smoking habit, nor should anyone have the right to prevent smoking in a location where everyone present accepts that smoking will occur there.
We have tried to remain tolerant of extreme anti-smoking measures by government and special interest groups, but this action in Tooele County has forced us to become politically active. We have scheduled a garage sale fund raising event at Our Place Cafe, one block south and west of State Street and 4800 South in Murray, for 9:00 AM till 4:00 PM on Saturday, the Fourth of July. Collection boxes are also being placed in each Freedom of Choice facility, and other fund raising events are being scheduled for later this summer, including a motorcycle run and a golf tournament.
Mr. Coombs tried hard to trap Ms. Versteeg into selling cigarettes to a minor, then he ignored the existence of the membership roster so as to pretend Freedom of Choice doesn't exist. One man's arrogance is forcing thousands of others to throw money at lawyers who don't need it as much as the people parting with it, including the tax payers who are financing this case against us. A simple check of the membership roster, now, and these charges could be dropped and save us all the headache.
Dan Cracraft
President, Freedom of Choice, Inc.
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