(06-18-2004) Achtung Baby! U2's Bono Breaches Irish Smoking Ban - Reuters*

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Achtung Baby! U2's Bono Breaches Irish Smoking Ban


DUBLIN (Reuters) - Rock 'n' roll ain't what it used to be. U2 frontman Bono has apologized -- for having a cigarette.
The breach of Ireland's new smoking ban was committed last week during a night out with Californian rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The singer, real name Paul Hewson, was spotted lighting up during a late-night bash in the plush Tea Room restaurant of the Clarence Hotel, which he and fellow U2 mates own.

"It was the wee small hours. I was in the company of people from out of town who didn't know about the ban and for a moment nor did I," newspapers quoted Bono as saying Friday.

"I was quickly reminded by the staff and a few friends. I apologized then and I apologize now."

Ireland became the first country in the world to outlaw smoking in the workplace when it introduced the ban earlier this year. The government has hailed it as a resounding success with most people -- the odd rock star aside -- complying.

? Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.
 
Bono will never make a good politician if all he does is break laws that are designed to protect good health, good morals, and public interest. That's why he is a singer and should stay a singer.

Cheers,

J
 
Right.

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:rolleyes:
 
I thought Bono's doctor told him to quit smoking entirely! What's this boy doing? I thought his doctor told him that his voice is going to get worse if he continues. I mean I love the man to death, and he has a right to smoke if he wants to, but if something happens to him where he can't sing, then there will be no more U2. Also I don't want him to get lung or throat cancer.

So please Bono for you, your wife, your children, the band, and us...

QUIT SMOKING!!!
 
U2Kitten said:
Bono and Edge should open a smoking speakeasy in Dublin :lol:

Actually, they are reportedly buying up the properties surrounding and next to the Clarence. One reason is that the Clarence is too small to make a profit, so they need to have more rooms. The other reason is that they want to be able to build a courtyard within the Clarence edifice that would allow for smoking--a sort of outdoor/indoor area that would be beyond the law.
 
It's an awful law. I can't really say I blame Bono...the Health Minister here is under severe critisism as the health service is basically crumbling because of the irish Governments inability to deal with it. They've squandered a small fortune and the electorate of the country cast their votes on june 11 in both the local and european elections and the Government took a hammering, registering their lowest vote since 1920. Yes the majority of smokers are complying with 'This new piece of legislation' and I used that term loosely. As you can probably sense I'm not that much in support of it as are almost a milion smokers in Ireland...It's sad really when you consider how much Bono and every law abiding tax payer contributes to the exchequer that he should be reprimanded for lighting up in his own Hotel...it's become a nanny state. Bono, mate, I'd do the exact same.
 
:up: Hanover

and think about how much the time and money spent hunting down, busting and prosecuting the smokers could be used for better good. To me stopping smoking in a bar is a silly oxymoron. Drinking is just as bad for you as smoking, and most people who drink also smoke anyway, so why mess with the pub lifestyle that Irishmen have enjoyed for centuries?

BTW, I don't drink or smoke, but I still feel the law is lame!
 
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Bono smoking

You don't realize how addictive cigarets are until you try to quit. You don't realize how harmful cigaret smoke is until it affects your lungs and overall health. Bono needs to think about Bono for awhile and take care of his addictions -- and then maybe go back to saving the world. He can't sing very well if he has to carry an oxygen tank on his back with the thingies going up his nose................:mad:
 
Smoking and drinking will eventually ruin anybody, even Bono.... the smoking ban is the smartest thing to ever happen in Ireland...Bono isn't looking too healthy lately anyhow.... anybody who believes that smoking and drinking aren't harmful should visit the cancer wards in the hospitals.............
 
Allegra said:
I thought Bono's doctor told him to quit smoking entirely! What's this boy doing? I thought his doctor told him that his voice is going to get worse if he continues. I mean I love the man to death, and he has a right to smoke if he wants to, but if something happens to him where he can't sing, then there will be no more U2. Also I don't want him to get lung or throat cancer.

So please Bono for you, your wife, your children, the band, and us...

QUIT SMOKING!!!

:yes: Well said! Bono, please quit smoking already. :( We love you and want to keep you around for a long time.
 
as a non smoker (except for the occasional cigar, and the even more occasional random drunken cig) i must say that smoking in bars never bothered me at all... 1 person in a room who smoked an hour ago but still has the smell of it would annoy the crap out of me, but a few hundred people smokin' in a bar didn't bother me at all, 'cause you expected it there. :shrug:

that being said... i love the smoking ban here in new york. i thought it was stupid at first, but now i think it's great. no more reeking of smoke when you come home in the mornin'... you can stay out till the wee hours of the mornin', sleep in your clothes, and go to work the next day without reeking of smoke, and more-over, you can actually breath. plus i think it actually adds to the atmosphere... if ya step outside for a bit of fresh air, there's so many people outside it's almost as if it's an extension of the bar... and speaking of extensions of the bar, any bar that can is doing just that... adding an outdoor patio area, where smoking is allowed. :shrug: people thought it would kill the bar industry here in new york, but the industry has actually improved over the time the ban has been in effect.
 
I dont' know. I'm a nonsmoker, even though I do light one up every now and then when I've been drinking. But I dont like the smoking ban on bars. I think it's a great to ban it in restaurants and public places, those are great laws that protect us non-smokers health. But in bars, nah.....
 
RademR said:
But in bars, nah.....

That's the whole stupidity of it to me. It's a BAR! People are drinking booze which is also not good for you! People are possibly picking up someone who will give them an STD! Many will be driving home wasted, potentially hurting themselves or others. Why pick on the cigarettes? :der: Why is smoking so evil it must be banned for everyone's good with all the other stuff going on, I don't see the logic.
 
U2Kitten said:
That's the whole stupidity of it to me. It's a BAR! People are drinking booze which is also not good for you! People are possibly picking up someone who will give them an STD! Many will be driving home wasted, potentially hurting themselves or others. Why pick on the cigarettes? :der: Why is smoking so evil it must be banned for everyone's good with all the other stuff going on, I don't see the logic.

You can't get cancer from someone else's beer fumes, but you can from secondhand smoke. The employees of the establishment shouldn't have to deal with toxic air, and neither should nonsmoking customers.

I do see your point, especially about the potential drunk drivers. So many people have been killed by drunk drivers (and it's always the victim, never the perp who gets killed). I think bars should have some sort of taxi service for those who are too wasted to drive
 
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Im with you, u2Kitten. It might sound strange, but it's part of a bar's whole atmosphere, when people light up. Smoking is bad for your health, but it shouldnt be banned at bars or nightclubs. thats a little too PC for me.
 
I do wish Bono would stop this nasty habit! I'd love to see him live to a very old age. 9 out of 10 lung cancer victims have been long term smokers. My father died at 65 from lung cancer, he started smoking at age 12!! Maybe we should ALL write Bono and tell him we want him to stop because we love him!
 
People who drink and drive burn me up!!! I work at a country club and people leave here lit up all the time! Smoking and drunk driving are both dangerous. Our drunk driving laws need to be tougher. No more smacks on the hand! Book em' & lock em' up I say!
 
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