Environmental protection gone overboard

Donald Sensing at One Hand Clapping comes this observation and the story that prompted it: bq. A little revolution now and then would be a good thing Why the Founders said that the proper attitude toward all government is one of deep, continuous suspicion: a piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer from April 2003 and republished on the site of Gillies Coffee Co. The story in question is here: bq. The worst part of waking up is finding Big Brother in your cup. Gillies Coffee Co. of Brooklyn has roasted beans for 163 years, claiming the title of America's oldest coffee merchant. But the firm is now threatened, due to a shocking discovery by geniuses at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection: bq. The roasting process, the DEP found, emits odors that smell suspiciously like roasted coffee. bq. A neighbor's complaint about the strong smell of java resulted in the DEP fining Gillies $400 for giving off "fugitive odors." bq. Consider yourself on notice, coffee lovers. That's not the sweet smell of Jamaican Blue or Full-City Roast rising from your mugs. According to the DEP, it's air pollution. Donald then comments: bq. This just proves Den Beste's law: the job of bureaucrats is to regulate, and left to themselves they will regulate everything they can. So true...