bmetzler's Journal: Someone Gets The "Civil-Rights" Issue

In Minnesota, one of the biggest health issues currently is banning smoking from public places. In the Star Tribune article on the smoking ban they end with these words.

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, questioned whether civil liberties were being damaged by such legislation.

"Where does it end? Next is it going to be cell phones? Next is it going to be computers? Peanut oils? Salt? Cheeseburgers?" he asked.

Rep. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, one of the authors of the bill, said civil liberties were at issue; but more for those people who don't want to feel the impact of secondhand smoke.

"If we smoke in a room when other people are in that room, everyone in that room is smoking with us," Latz said.

There is the axiom. Civil Rights often compete. In MN, the question is, which persons civil rights is more worthy to protect? The smokers, or non-smokers? I'm hoping that we'll find the civil rights of the non-smoker supercede the smoker's civil rights. Why should someone have to isolate themselves from society just because they may have asthma, or other reactions to smoke. A smoker can find someplace right to smoke though.

I Just Marked My Calendar

[the_mad_poster]

We just agreed on something (the "my right to be healthy supercedes your privilege to liesure when we're both in public").

The fat thing? Well, hey, if it turns out that being near someone eating junk food can make you sick....

And, alas, I fear the cell phone ban would not work either. People talking on their cell phones probably isn't hurting me directly, it's just annoying me. A better approach to this particular aggravation would be for the bystanders to shun and actively inconvenience anyone having a l

Re:I Just Marked My Calendar

[robi2106]

Everyone could learn from the Amish. I mean... they have been doing the "shunning" thing for a few hundred years straight. If you want to learn how to get a nice big shunning started, just ask them.

jason

Re:I Just Marked My Calendar

[Marxist Hacker 42]

I don't agree with the cell phone ban for aggrivation from having to listen to one side of conversations, I DO agree with non-hands-free-cell-phone bans while driving (especially when the technology is prevalent, AND cheap, to make this as safe or safer than listening to the radio- you can't verbally tell the radio "hold on a second, I'm in a dangerous intersection/curve/etc, I'll get right back to you").

No they can't

[Iamthefallen]

There is the axiom. Civil Rights often compete. In MN, the question is, which persons civil rights is more worthy to protect? The smokers, or non-smokers? I'm hoping that we'll find the civil rights of the non-smoker supercede the smoker's civil rights. Why should someone have to isolate themselves from society just because they may have asthma, or other reactions to smoke. A smoker can find someplace right to smoke though.

While non-smoker is always free to go to a non-smoking establishement; If you ban s

Re:No they can't

[the_mad_poster]

If you ban smoking in public places, where will smokers go?

Home.