Futility

This post was composed while smoking 7 Seas Royal in my Peterson 05 Killarney.


Wow!  I didn't realize that 5 months had passed since my last post.  Oh well, Real Life Gets In The Way (trademark pending).  Anyway, I wanted to update you all on my growing love obsession with this fine hobby of ours.  My pipe stable has grown by four since I last posted.  Now in the rotation are a fine Meerschaum (pirate figure), a DeRohan bent billiard with a Maltese Cross carved on it's side, a Peterson Prince in the Aran range, and this fine Peterson 05 Killarney that I'm currently smoking.  The 05 was a birthday gift from my family and, IMHO, perhaps the most iconic of the Peterson styles.

My pallet is also expanding as I have begun sampling and enjoying various VaPers (Virginia/Perique blends) and English blends (with varying degrees of Latakia).  By far the most tasty are the English blends.  The only problem is they are not as pleasing to the nose of most of my family.  Therefore any English blend is relegated to the "Man Cave".  But hey, anything that gives me an opportunity to smoke in a peaceful situation can't be all bad.  LOL!

However, with all this good news comes bad as well.  I am finding myself increasingly frustrated by the attempts of our government to make this pleasant pass-time of mine into a pseudo-illegal activity.  The FDA will soon regulate pipe tobacco in the same way as they do cigarettes and chew (ignoring the fact that there are VAST differences between the two).  For more information on this I refer you to these articles at PipesMagazine.com (Here and Here).  When this is combined with some of the other liberties that are under attack by well meaning, nannies, i.e. Bloomburg, Obamacare vs. Catholic Bishops, etc., I'm feeling that the little that I can do by voting or writing letters to my Congress is increasingly futile.

I am not one who generally gives up on a fight until the last man falls but I'm looking for suggestions.  Is this just tilting at windmills or is there something that can be done to reverse the tide?  Or is this just a matter where the "little guy" has to offer his blood to grease the cogs of the Government Machine?

If you have solutions let me know.  Otherwise I'll just try to stock my cellar with as much enjoyment as I can afford and prepare for one more liberty to be eliminated from my life.