Here is a great summary from 2011 about what has changed concerning the evacuation and sheltering of pets during emergencies and disasters: http://www.animallaw.info/topics/tabbed%20topic%20page/spusdisasterplan.htm Here is a very brief summary of the information in the link... Since Hurricane Katrina, federal and state laws have been passed to include provisions for evacuation of animals, rescue and recovery, shelters and tracking in disaster plans. In 2006, the federal Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act was passed, and since then, over 30 states have adopted either a law that deals with disaster planning and pets or have promulgated administrative plans on the subject . Many state laws require that animals be sheltered and evacuated during an emergency. Such plans establish procedures to coordinate federal, state and local government agencies, volunteer organizations, animal interest groups, and veterinary medical personnel for rapid response to natural disasters affecting the health, safety and welfare of people and animals. The main elements of most state-level plans include the care of companion animals, the implementation of state animal response teams, the sheltering of animals, and identification of recovered animals. Not in the link, but I remember hearing a while back... the regulations/plans usually mandate the animal shelter be in close proximity to the human shelter because the pet's owner is the one who will be taking care of the pet. View Comment

You are correct that e-cigs do not emit second hand smoke, but they do emit vapor. From what I could find during a quick search, the contents of this vapor is unknown, and many agencies (at the international, federal, state and local levels) are concerned about them since the contents of e-cigs and the resulting vapor are unknown. View Comment

I wonder if any of the people that are complaining have been part of a town board or committee. I know people that are on other towns’ boards, and I have been told by them that it is a thankless job. Job is a strong word for it too, since many times the board/committee members make little or no money. For example, it appears the members of the Grafton Board of Health make $300 per year. I would call that volunteering their time. For all of their hard work and time, they try to make the best decisions to protect the health and safety of Grafton’s citizens. That is what they are tasked with doing. From what I have read and heard, the Grafton Board of Health received various complaints and concerns from citizens about smoking and cigarette butts in Grafton’s public parks, etc. The Board then researched the issue and proceeded to update the smoking regulations (last update was in 2007). Judging on the Board’s meeting minutes (which are available to the public) numerous hours went into this research and decision-making process. I could not find one instance in these minutes where any citizens or businesses appeared at the Board’s meetings to voice their concerns over the draft revised regulations. The meeting agendas for the various boards and committees in Grafton are posted ahead of time and the meetings are open to the public. If you do not like the decisions of the various boards or committees in Grafton, why not volunteer your time on a town board or committee. According to the Town’s website, there are currently vacancies on 5 boards and committees. In addition, as others have mentioned, I am appalled that someone would even consider comparing some smoking regulations to the Holocaust! View Comment