Just re-reading to get the above quote and I noticed this from MtheGM - Comparisons are odious — & idiotic — my dears. The fact that cars kill lots of people is no kind of argument in favour of smoking, and only a booby would imagine it was.

No-one is trying to say that cars etc. are an excuse for smoking, my dear :-P. The point you seem to be missing is that until the overall pollution of the planet is addressed it is futile to imagine that a ban on outdoor smoking will be of any benefit whatsoever.

Cheers

DeG