Party at Kelly Browne's place

Bar Manager Dean Risi has announced that Kelly Browne's bar in Cambridge has its re-opening party tonight after being closed for what the wowsers called "flouting the law," ie., allowing people the freedom to choose for themselves on Dean's property. Specifically, Dean allowed people to smoke in his bar, in contravention to Nanny's anti-smoking law that says what you do on your property is Nanny's business not yours.

Libertarianz Hamilton West candidate Tim Wikiriwhi will be there tonight along with other Libz activists (including Julian Pistorius and myself) to give Dean Risi a Light of Liberty award for standing up to the wowsers, and to join in the party at Kelly Browne's.

What the wowsers such as Smokefree Coalition director Leigh Sturgiss don't understand is that the issue of smoking in bars is a simple issue of property rights and choice, and a confusion between public and private. You should be able to do on your own property what you wish; if others don't like that, they are free to choose to go elsewhere. A bar is not public property, it is private property over which the bar owners' and manager's legitimate property rights shoud be protected by law, not violated.

I salute Dean Risi here, and I look forward to doing so again tonight in person.