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To: Moonman62
I'm not unsympathetic to this article, but this whole "you can't legislate morality" thing has never made sense to me. It's a total non-starter for anyone who even bothers to think about it for a minute - all laws are based on moral judgments and moral values. What are laws against murder but a reflection of the belief that murder is morally wrong?
18 posted on 04/29/2002 8:24:15 PM PDT by general_re
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To: general_re
bump to that
20 posted on 04/29/2002 8:27:26 PM PDT by Tauzero
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To: general_re
What are laws against murder but a reflection of the belief that murder is morally wrong?

Laws against murder serve to protect other people from would-be murderers. The act of murder, essentially without exception, impairs another person's right to live.

Laws against drug possession protect exactly whom from exactly what? It would seem that the essential desired protections could be provided by less restrictive laws. For example, if the goal is to protect people from the hazards that stoned drivers would pose, pass a law against driving while stoned. If the goal is to protect people from having people pushing drugs on the schoolyard, pass a law against open-air sales and sales to minors.

Nearly all of the problems "caused" by drugs are the result of overt acts. As such, laws against such acts may be enforced without the privacy violations necessary to enforce statutes restricting covert acts.

21 posted on 04/29/2002 8:52:44 PM PDT by supercat
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