Posted 5:52 PM by Floyd

California is one of the nation's worst nanny states. Witness this:

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Residents of California's agricultural heartland for years have blamed their thick layer of smog on exhaust from cars and trucks in the San Francisco Bay area. Now, air regulators are proposing a solution that hits much closer to home.

Their proposal: a ban on traditional wood-burning fireplaces that has angered many in the state's Central Valley, who say they have the right to burn.

Next I suppose there will be a ban on farting, with Stasi-minded residents encouraged to call a flatulence hotline.

The most egregious instance of fascism was this public-minded official:

Many bought gas stoves -- and realized how convenient they are, said Christopher Dann, a Colorado Air Pollution Control Division spokesman. ``Anytime they want, they can have a fire,'' he said.

What the fuck does a gas stove have to do with having a comfortable, crackling fire on a winter night? Next Dann will be bragging that residents are free to light bunsen burners.