Then the bleeding-heart liberals attacked in 1988,
  complaining about their “filthy air” and their “lung cancer”.

  This was, of course, the thin end of the wedge. 
  In 2000, the FAA banned smoking on commercial 
  planes altogether. Talk about a bunch of buzz-kills. 

Really? Does anyone actually think this was a bad idea? Forget the "filthy air" or "lung cancer", exposure to smoke can seriously aggravate asthmatics and other folks with respiratory conditions, not to mention cause respiratory conditions in children. Surely smokers can abstain for a few hours instead of exposing everyone in a confined space to their cigarette smoke. I'm at a loss as to why anyone would complain about this.