The Olympic Torch arrived in San Francisco, California on Tuesday, and that city's government took immediate action against the imminent threat of second-hand smoke.
"I for one started coughing and wheezing before the plane carrying the torch even landed," said San Francisco City Council member Stan Laudenberk. "We have the strictest anti-smoking policies in the world, and this torch is an affront to those policies designed to protect the public."
Laudenberk called an emergency Council meeting, and the group passed a resolution ordering Olympic organizers to replace the flame with a compact fluorescent light bulb for the duration of its trip through San Francisco.
The move frustrated anti-China and pro-Tibet protesters. "It's a lot easier to douse a flame than it is to find the switch and turn off a CFL," said one.
