Congressional Democrats are currently working on legislation to reintroduce the SCHIP legislation. This proposed legislation will be nearly identical to the previously failed proposal, HR976. In an attempt to appease moderate Republicans, only minor revisions have been made to the eligibility requirements. The tobacco tax proposals, including the excessive taxation on handmade cigars and pipe tobacco, will remain in the legislation.

While IPCPR's federal lobbyists feel that with no substantial changes to this second SCHIP proposal, the president will again veto the legislation (if and when it passes both the House of Representatives and the Senate), and the veto will withstand a second attempt at an override by the House - not enough moderate Republicans will not be swayed to vote in favor of an override due to such minimal changes.

Progress has been made in demonstrating on Capitol Hill that the current proposal will prove detrimental to our industry and we continue working for a compromise.

So we urge you to please keep the pressure un your representatives to not vote for programs that unfairly target those of us who enjoy partaking in a legal activity.

Dogwatch Cigar Radio, in their Podcast #133 dated October 5, 2007, has a great interview with Dr. Terry Simpson that talks specifically about the science (and lack thereof) about the data used to support all of this backlash against recreational smoking.

Every cigar and pipe smoker should listen to this segment to be fully armed against the anti-smoke nazis...

Tried my first bowl of PS Luxury Bullseye Flake this morning...

It is described by TobaccoReviews.com as:

A blend of ripe Virginia tobacco spiced with pure Louisiana Perique. The distinctive aroma of Perique combined with the natural sweetness of Virginia tobaccos provides a wonderful characteristic taste. The centre of mellow, fermented Black Cavendish serves to smoothen the general impression and rounding the taste. It is all a handcrafted process from selecting the best tobacco, blending, rolling, cutting, and packing. The result is an unparalleled smoking experience.

A quick perusal of the reviews confirms my impressions of this great little tobacco. The presentation of the tobacco truly represents the name; each cut is a nice swirl of color and texture with the black cavendish center truly looking like a bullseye. It appears to light easily stayed lit with minimal attention.

While I normally smoke light aromatics (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...) this is a VaPer that I could get behind!

News from the IPCPR:

Legislation Proposed Excessive Tax on Cigars
October 18, 2007- Finally, this critical vote failed to pass the House of Representatives in a floor vote today. The final vote was 273-156, short of the necessary two-thirds majority (of present voting members) needed.
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your perseverance, tenacity, vigilance, and persistence in contacting your U.S. congressmen and congresswomen, and your senators through
phone calls, emails, faxes, and personal visits to their district and Capital Hill offices. Without your support and direct action we simply would not have made the noise we did in Congress, gaining the attention of influential members that now understand our niche community-industry cannot absorb a massive tax increase and continue to exist.

This is only the first round in what will most likely be a continuing battle for the next several months. As SCHIP expansion and extension of the current program will be sought by congressional democrats. We have already begun communicating and working with congressional leaders and their states, taking the position that if a tax increase in cigars must exist, that a realistic, manageable increase must be a part of the overall proposal. 

A special thank you goes out to the manufacturers within our industry for their efforts throughout the United States and Latin America in mobilizing support against this tax increase. Through their coordinated efforts between the Latin American governments, and their counterparts in the United States, they illustrated and successfully conveyed the ramifications of this tax increase on the Latin American citizens and artisans who rely on the handmade cigar industry for a viable, living income. Key legislators now understand it is more than just a pleasure for consumers, but a way of life for those artisans who produced handmade cigars. Because of the handmade cigar industry, many of these citizens would not have reasonable access to medical and dental care, education, and other social services provided by manufacturers based in these small countries.

Thank you again for your efforts and direct action, for if we are to succeed, we must all hang together, or we will hang separately.

International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR)
Chris McCalla
Legislative Director  

Looking for bullet points or help to craft a message to your local senator/congressman to UPHOLD the SCHIPs veto.

Going to http://capwiz.com/rtda/issues/alert/?alertid=10386901 and inputting your zip code will not only give you a list of representatives near you, but it will also give you bullet points appropriate to how the legislator had previously voted.

The time to act is now so don't wait. We think you'll find this tool from the IPCPR will assist you in knocking this down. SCHIP supporters are gearing up with a multi-million dollar TV campaign to get the uninformed electorate to pressure legislators who voted against the bill to change their minds and override the veto because "it's for the children".

We know that YOU know you need to contact your representatives about upholding the veto on the expansion of SCHIPs program by putting the tax burden on our backs.

Perhaps you have friends who are having a hard time getting past the "it's for the children"... Send them links to our video playlists to hear the truth about this tax and what it is really about!

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A52E341856944523

Share the link and this message far and wide!

ACTION ALERT!

Call and Urge Your U.S. Representative
To Sustain President Bush’s Veto
Of the SCHIP Bill!

On October 3^rd, President Bush Vetoed the SCHIP Bill
With Excessive Cigarette and Tobacco Tax Increases

The Democrat Leadership in the U.S. House has Scheduled
A Vote to Try and Override the Veto on October 18^th

You Need To Call Their U.S. Representative Now and Urge Them to
Sustain the President’s Veto of the SCHIP Bill!

__________________________________

Call Either of the Following Toll-Free Numbers to Be Directly Connected with Your U.S. Representative’s Office:

1-877-857-8074 or 1-866-527-4494

CALLS ARE NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT
THESE UNFAIR TAX INCREASES ARE
NOT ENACTED INTO LAW

President Bush Vetoes SCHIP Legislation

This morning, President Bush vetoed H.R. 976, the bill passed by Congress to reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). In a press conference this morning, the President’s Press Secretary stated that the administration will work with Congress to ensure the neediest children are receiving health insurance coverage. In particular, the administration is focusing on children in families that have annual income of less than $41,300 which is 200% of the 2007 poverty level for a family of four. The President has always taken the position that he will expand the SCHIP program by $5 billion without raising taxes which constitutes a 20% increase in current spending on the program.

The leadership of the U.S. House has scheduled a vote to attempt to override the President’s veto for Wednesday, October 17^th. Please recall that the U.S. House voted 265 to 159 in favor of the final SCHIP bill which is 25 votes short of the 290 needed to override a presidential veto.

Call Your Representatives and Urge Them to Sustain the Veto

Don't rest on our laurels. You are strongly urged to call your U.S. Representatives and urge them to vote to sustain the President’s veto. One of the easiest ways to make this call is to dial one of the following two toll-free telephone numbers and you will be directly connected with your U.S. Representative’s office in order to leave your message with a staff person:

1-877-857-8074 or 1-866-527-4494

Representatives that voted against the SCHIP bill will be under a great deal of pressure to vote to override the President’s veto and they need support from you and your customers to sustain the President’s veto!

Having a Tobacconist with a website certainly gets you some interesting "offers" via email. Aside from the constant barrage of emails offering us cut rates on Hookahs and shisha on the basis of our website expressing "interest in" them (we don't carry either on the Tobacco Barn website and make no reference to them), we get offers for grinders, glass pipes and all manner of stuff that has become associated with "smoke shops" today.

However, every now and again, we get something that truly makes one sit up and take notice; if nothing else because of how tenuous the connection between the object being offered and our business. In this case, the subject in question is a self-published book. 'The Unusual Sherlock Holmes' by Jerry B-P Riggs is the first book in his ongoing tales of the eponymous fictional detective originally created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

His stories were based on an attempt to bring back key problem solving skills to Michigan area Boy Scouts. Colonel Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the World Scout Movement, originally included training in the principles of S.H.E.R.L.O.C.K (see, hear, examine, read, learn, observe, conclude and know) for early British scouts.

One can only assume that the connection is Holmes' affection for pipe smoking. On stage and in the movies he was usually portrayed as smoking a calabash pipe but in the original novels he smoked numerous types of pipes. Not having read this newest story, I don't know what type of pipe he smokes in these but based on illustrations provided, I'd guess it is a calabash.

If you are interested, the book is available in signed edition direct from the author or you can purchase it from the just-in-time publisher Infinity Publishing through this website.

The Solopipe is being billed as "specializes in assisting the ease of tobacco smoking for the handicapped and others inconvenienced by the need for 2 hands to enjoy their tobacco."

To a certain extent, I suppose you could use this for tobacco like all the demos show, but then they talk about it coming with multiple screens, which is usually a dead-giveaway to it's intended purpose. Not too sure about sucking off that metal stem for a prolonged period of time.

To each their own I suppose...

You'll find huge savings at the Tobacco Barn during our October Sale!

• Cigars* - 20% off our normally low online pricing
• Pipe Tobacco - 20% off as well
• Estate Pipes - 20% off so don't wait
• Lighters - 10% off all lighters on our website

Check out the site for more details on this great sale!