[meyer]

I'm a conservative Republican who would outlaw smoking in publicly-accessed places in a heartbeat. And if you really think that your right to the pursuit of happiness includes that of inflicting unhappiness and bad health onto unwilling others then there is really no point in our even discussing matters because we have no common ground at all. You need to realize that tobacco smoke is the number one cause of preventable illness and premature death, and that no one has the right to injure another person's health by polluting the air in places open to the public. Hiding behind the concept of "property rights" just won't cut it; by smoking in publicly accessed places, smokers make those places unusable at worst and unhealthy at best to nonsmokers in general and to those with cardipulmonary problems in particular. It's a form of denial of access. But smoking in private or in the open away from nonsmokers doesn't hurt anyone who doesn't choose to be hurt and it doesn't keep anyone away from anything; have at it.

Horsehockey. Yes, smoking has been "linked" to heart disease, cancer, emphazyma, and some other nasty stuff. Its bad for you. I agree and that's why I quit. But people choose to do smoke anyways, possibly to their own detriment. The problem here is that you want those people to significantly alter their own lifestyle to suit your narrow worldview. And to try to force those views on the owners of private businesses is tantamount to tyranny.

You have the choice as to whether to enter any privately owned establishment. You can avoid a given restaurant if you don't like the food; you can't force them to serve only to your liking. You can avoid the amusement park if you don't like the rides; you cannot force them to provide only the rides that meet your approval. But for some reason, you cannot find it within yourself to avoid establishments that allow smoking. So you try to force the smokers, private business owners, basically everyone to conform to your view.

Look, I feel bad about what happened to your family members; I really do. But it was their choice to carry out the behaviour that increased their risks. To take your regrets, as deep as they are, out on the rest of society is just plain wrong.

[Freedom4US]

You're absolutely correct. What people don't understand, is while they are "Hey, this is great -- we stopped all those ba$ta#@'s from smoking here." and feeling smug, they've opened the door still further into regulation of private businesses and "public" (ha!) activity. They will not be amused when their sacred ox gets gored. It's the same logic that led to prohibition, in fact. NOBODY wanted prohibition, but it was the Politically Correct stance to take at the time. It sort of snowballed from there, and was a complete disaster.

[JLO]

Look, I feel bad about what happened to your family members; I really do. But it was their choice to carry out the behaviour
that increased their risks. To take your reets, as deep as they are, out on the rest of society is just plain wrong.

Meyer, I so agree with your response!

I've seen several family members who also have suffered and died. But, it's wrong to pin it on ALL of society.

JLO