Chinese Communist Party, Meet Leo Johnson

Bonus points if you remember Leo Johnson was the abusive husband from Twin Peaks.  Leo comes home one night and gets suspicious of the wife.  Seems there are cigarette butts in the ashtray, which aren't the kind Shelly usually buys . . .

"And another thing.  From now on you smoke ONE brand of cigarettes from now on.  Because if I ever see another brand of cigarettes around here, I'm gonna snap your neck like a twig."

Leo is a fictional character. 

Or is he?

Local government officials in China have been ordered to smoke nearly a quarter of a million packs of [Chinese-made] cigarettes in a move to boost the local economy during the global financial crisis.

[…]

Even local schools have been issued with a smoking quota for teachers, while one village was ordered to purchase 400 cartons of cigarettes a year for its officials, according to the local government’s website.

[…]

Three “non-compliant” cigarette butts were discovered by the “cigarette marketing consolidate team” which informed the teacher he had violated the related civil servants “cigarette usage rule” After some negotiation the school was spared a fine, but subjected to “public criticism” for “undisciplined practices”.

Pretty lucky no one's neck got snapped like a twig, huh?

Leo Johnson from Twin Peaks. Leo stands in a street wearing coveralls, while the autumn leaves on the trees are  mostly yellow.

(Image of Leo Johnson from MySpace.com)

Hat tip to Counting Cats in Zanzibar for this one.


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