CompuServe Messages

>>And I can't see why my "right" not to be exposed to smoke is in any way superior to somebody else's "right" to smoke.<< Lynne: It is a matter of harm. The general rule is that you have a right to do what you wish as long as what you do doesn't trample on the right of another to do as he wishes. You have a right to free speech, I have a right to worship. Do you have a right to disrupt my worship with your speech? Generally not. You have other venues for your speech, silencing you does less harm than disrupting my worship. I have a right to pollute my body as I please by smoking. You have a right to a clean and safe environment. Who suffers more in a public place like a restaurant? I can take my smoking outside (albeit I'm inconvenienced) you can't take your plate onto the sidewalk. I would expect the state to move swiftly to stop a factory from polluting my air, and I would expect them to move just as swiftly to protect me from indoor smokestacks. -Ed