I told myself I would no longer rehash any of this again but since so much has been said (And much of it incorrect) over the past several days, I feel it necessary to say my piece once again.

For those that did not know this, I am right in the middle of this whole Smoking debacle. I was the very first person asked to put out my cigar last year and was directly involved in the first discussions on the issue.

Let me start by first saying that I do NOT believe that Jim or Sandi lied to me. I honestly believe that they were just repeating what they were told.

Unfortunately for both Jim and Sandi they were accused of many things as a result of what occurred.

I have always smoked at the convention in the hallways outside the showroom floor. Anyone who knows me, knows that I constantly have a cigar in my mouth and when I am in an area that I am allowed to smoke in, I take advantage of that.

The day before the convention started, I was sitting outside the convention floor smoking my cigar and talking with Jim P. as I have done for the past several years. I enjoy my conversations with Jim and we talk about a variety of topics, both club and non club related. 5 Minutes into my smoke, I was told by the security guard at the door that smoking was not allowed upstairs. My initial reaction (After of course extinguishing my cigar) was to question how that could be as we smoked last year and in fact has smoked at the same place just 2 days before after the BOD meeting.

I was told that this must have been a convention organizer decision as they were told to ask people not to smoke.

Jim and I talked with this nice gentleman for some time along with another guard who was watching the door across the hall. I asked what we could do to change the policy and they both told me that all we needed to do was to have sales turn on the bank of slot machines and then it would become a “Gaming” area and smoking would be allowed. They both also happened to be smokers and told us that nearly ½ of the conventions that they have been assigned to have allowed smoking in the hallway upstairs. They were very convincing that someone in our group asked for this to be a “Non-Smoking” convention.

I do know others got basically the same story from the receptionist at sales who also confirmed that some conventions allow smoking.

Armed with that information, I can understand how someone may become skeptical when they are giving different information from other people, even people they trust.

It is unfortunate what happened to Jim and Sandi. I too have experienced being called a liar and having things said behind my back. While I don’t agree that Sandi’s letter should have been posted in the magazine, I do understand her disgust in what happened and can sympathize with her experience and frustration.

I do however contend that it was the people at the South Point that caused this entire situation to erupt into what it became.

If in fact this was a state law and there was no smoking why was everyone at the SP not singing the same tune? Had everyone been on the same page, no one would have ever questioned the rule and that would have been it, end of story.

But unfortunately that’s not what happened. Because of the varying information given out by the SP to several different club members, it fostered feelings that someone was hiding something and people were being misled.

I do not condone the actions of some, but I do at least understand the underlying cause of why they felt the way that they did.

Misinformation is a dangerous thing and can cause doubt in people we would ordinarily trust.

Just as an example, say my wife told me that while I was out of town she stayed at home every night and never went out. I trust my wife completely and have no reason to doubt her. Now what if that night I a waitress at the corner bar comes up to me and tells me to say hello to my wife as she saw her at the bar several days that past week.

Now this waitress is not an "Official Representative" of the bar and for all I know could have been mistaken about who she saw or what days it was. However because of the information she gave out (And she has nothing to gain by not telling the truth), it raises doubt in someone that we would normally trust without question.

The above is just an example (No it did NOT actually happen), but surely one can logically see how information given by people at the South Point (Even if it were incorrect) can cause doubt in some peoples minds.

I am not going to talk about what I had heard others say, hear or see unless I saw it first hand.

I can however confirm that during the BOD meeting a few days before the convention, 4 of the 6 BOD members were smoking in that very same hall and no one seemed to say anything. There was no sign that said “No Smoking” as there was on the days of the convention and the ashtrays were still there.

I can also confirm that when I went back with David a few days after the convention, the sign was gone and the ashtrays were back.

So, here is the bottom line:

If the South Point is in fact taking a stance that there will be No Smoking in that hallway, then that is the end of the story.
However if in fact what the security guards told me was true, and we can actually talk with PS sales about having that bank of machines on and allowing smoking in designated areas upstairs, I think it will go a long way in resolving this situation.

This entire smoking issue has caused a lot of hard feelings and pain for many folks and while I don’t consider myself responsible for what has happened, I am very sorry that it did.

Thanks for listening,
Doug