How is number one an absolute? Just curious.
How am I being uncivil? I think that you are VERY civil but I am asking about your absolutes, if you have any or if "if it doesn't hurt anyone else, its' ok" is your version of an absolute.
Since you are a poster/reader on this wonderful site, I am POSITIVE that you are a smart, educated (formally or informally) man who is a clear thinker. I just wonder ... if you have any absolutes, besides not arguing with your mother-in-law.
Side note: my brother-in-law's way of dealing with in-laws: they are always right. :o) I love him dearly.
What I said was the mere fact that something is legal or illegal isn’t the only factor in deciding whether it is right or wrong for a person. You accused me of moral relativism—which is a mildly personal comment at me, rather than the issues. Hence my comment on civility.
With respect to examples of FR: First, it is true that some people are rather absolute about some issues, but not everyone is. I doubt you’d find many Freepers who would have abstained during Prohibition if it wasn’t their prior practice, the law withstanding. They’d say that the law violated their independence. Pot arguments are supported on both sides. Gun laws bring out the most rebellious instincts of many here.
So, with regards to marijuana, which is how this started: Is it an absolute or a relative principle to object to laws concerning control of your personal behavior? I get that you don’t like marijuana, which is your privilege; I think its less harmful than many of the evils that have occurred in what is called the War on Drugs—for example, civil asset forfeiture, the rise of criminal drug gangs to supply it, and the corruption of the police involved with them. Like I said, I have my opinion, and you have yours. Just as you may think I’m unprincipled (”moral relativist”) because my opinion doesn’t change with the legal winds, I think your attitude is rather narrow-minded. You may be using the issue of legality to buttress your argument. Would you feel any differently if you lived in Colorado? I’d hope not. If you don’t approve, the fact that the law has changed recently shouldn’t be the deciding factor for you.
And that’s about all I have to say on the subject for now.