Smokers' Rights Are Everyone's Rights

I found this news article today:

Ayn Rand Institute Press Release
Property Rights Go Up in Smoke in San Francisco July 17, 2008
Irvine, CA--San Francisco is poised to pass one of the nation's most radical smoking bans. Mitch Katz, director of the city's Department of Public Health, endorsed the anti-smoking proposals saying, "Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S.--period. It's government's responsibility to protect people from obvious risks."

But according to Don Watkins, a writer for the Ayn Rand Institute, "It's not the government's responsibility to protect us from risks, obvious or otherwise--its function is to protect our rights from being violated by physical force or fraud. The American system is not one of nanny-state paternalism, with the government controlling our lives and choices. It is a system in which the government exists solely to protect our freedom so we can direct our own lives and choices.

I don't smoke; I'm allergic to tobacco. However, I still support the right of people to smoke on private property, in designated sections of public places such as restaurants, outdoors, and anywhere else it doesn't trap unwilling participants. If they want to have special smokers' bars or lounges, that's ideal because it lets them enjoy themselves without bothering anyone else. It makes sense to ban smoking in places where it's dangerous (grain silos, hospitals, etc.) or public places where people are sometimes obliged to go (courthouses, utility companies). Beyond that, the bans do more harm than good -- not to people's bodies, but to their liberty.

The easiest way to cut down an inconvenient right is to start by attacking some unpopular group. It's simple to get people to support the attack against someone they find annoying. But that opens the door for applying the same principle elsewhere, which is what makes it dangerous. There's a very famous poem about this technique. Right now, smokers are unpopular. So attacks on smokers' rights are sailing through because other people like the idea of not being around tobacco smoke. Those precedents can then be used to ban other activities on private property -- for no better reason than somebody else thinks they have a right to fob off their personal morality on you.

This also promotes the pernicious idea that the government has a right to enforce what you do with your very own body. Remember the recent attempt to reclassify birth control as abortion? These two things are connected, not by impetus (cutting down property rights vs. cutting down women's independence) but by principle: "you control your own body" vs. "the government controls your body."

Rights only work when they protect everyone, even the people you find irritating. I don't like smoke. But I like my freedom a lot more than I dislike smoke. If somebody lights up, I can move upwind or elsewhere. If the government demolishes property rights and bodily integrity ... that's a lot harder to evade. Our ancestors fought a revolution over freedom, and we've mostly thrown away those gains. That's very disturbing.

If you don't like this trend:
Objectivist news can be found at the Ayn Rand Institute page.
Protect your rights by supporting the American Civil Liberties Union. They sue so you don't have to.

Smokers' Rights Are Everyone's Rights

I found this news article today:

Ayn Rand Institute Press Release
Property Rights Go Up in Smoke in San Francisco July 17, 2008
Irvine, CA--San Francisco is poised to pass one of the nation's most radical smoking bans. Mitch Katz, director of the city's Department of Public Health, endorsed the anti-smoking proposals saying, "Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S.--period. It's government's responsibility to protect people from obvious risks."

But according to Don Watkins, a writer for the Ayn Rand Institute, "It's not the government's responsibility to protect us from risks, obvious or otherwise--its function is to protect our rights from being violated by physical force or fraud. The American system is not one of nanny-state paternalism, with the government controlling our lives and choices. It is a system in which the government exists solely to protect our freedom so we can direct our own lives and choices.

I don't smoke; I'm allergic to tobacco. However, I still support the right of people to smoke on private property, in designated sections of public places such as restaurants, outdoors, and anywhere else it doesn't trap unwilling participants. If they want to have special smokers' bars or lounges, that's ideal because it lets them enjoy themselves without bothering anyone else. It makes sense to ban smoking in places where it's dangerous (grain silos, hospitals, etc.) or public places where people are sometimes obliged to go (courthouses, utility companies). Beyond that, the bans do more harm than good -- not to people's bodies, but to their liberty.

The easiest way to cut down an inconvenient right is to start by attacking some unpopular group. It's simple to get people to support the attack against someone they find annoying. But that opens the door for applying the same principle elsewhere, which is what makes it dangerous. There's a very famous poem about this technique. Right now, smokers are unpopular. So attacks on smokers' rights are sailing through because other people like the idea of not being around tobacco smoke. Those precedents can then be used to ban other activities on private property -- for no better reason than somebody else thinks they have a right to fob off their personal morality on you.

This also promotes the pernicious idea that the government has a right to enforce what you do with your very own body. Remember the recent attempt to reclassify birth control as abortion? These two things are connected, not by impetus (cutting down property rights vs. cutting down women's independence) but by principle: "you control your own body" vs. "the government controls your body."

Rights only work when they protect everyone, even the people you find irritating. I don't like smoke. But I like my freedom a lot more than I dislike smoke. If somebody lights up, I can move upwind or elsewhere. If the government demolishes property rights and bodily integrity ... that's a lot harder to evade. Our ancestors fought a revolution over freedom, and we've mostly thrown away those gains. That's very disturbing.

If you don't like this trend:
Objectivist news can be found at the Ayn Rand Institute page.
Protect your rights by supporting the American Civil Liberties Union. They sue so you don't have to.

Smokers' Rights Are Everyone's Rights

I found this news article today:

Ayn Rand Institute Press Release
Property Rights Go Up in Smoke in San Francisco July 17, 2008
Irvine, CA--San Francisco is poised to pass one of the nation's most radical smoking bans. Mitch Katz, director of the city's Department of Public Health, endorsed the anti-smoking proposals saying, "Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S.--period. It's government's responsibility to protect people from obvious risks."

But according to Don Watkins, a writer for the Ayn Rand Institute, "It's not the government's responsibility to protect us from risks, obvious or otherwise--its function is to protect our rights from being violated by physical force or fraud. The American system is not one of nanny-state paternalism, with the government controlling our lives and choices. It is a system in which the government exists solely to protect our freedom so we can direct our own lives and choices.

I don't smoke; I'm allergic to tobacco. However, I still support the right of people to smoke on private property, in designated sections of public places such as restaurants, outdoors, and anywhere else it doesn't trap unwilling participants. If they want to have special smokers' bars or lounges, that's ideal because it lets them enjoy themselves without bothering anyone else. It makes sense to ban smoking in places where it's dangerous (grain silos, hospitals, etc.) or public places where people are sometimes obliged to go (courthouses, utility companies). Beyond that, the bans do more harm than good -- not to people's bodies, but to their liberty.

The easiest way to cut down an inconvenient right is to start by attacking some unpopular group. It's simple to get people to support the attack against someone they find annoying. But that opens the door for applying the same principle elsewhere, which is what makes it dangerous. There's a very famous poem about this technique. Right now, smokers are unpopular. So attacks on smokers' rights are sailing through because other people like the idea of not being around tobacco smoke. Those precedents can then be used to ban other activities on private property -- for no better reason than somebody else thinks they have a right to fob off their personal morality on you.

This also promotes the pernicious idea that the government has a right to enforce what you do with your very own body. Remember the recent attempt to reclassify birth control as abortion? These two things are connected, not by impetus (cutting down property rights vs. cutting down women's independence) but by principle: "you control your own body" vs. "the government controls your body."

Rights only work when they protect everyone, even the people you find irritating. I don't like smoke. But I like my freedom a lot more than I dislike smoke. If somebody lights up, I can move upwind or elsewhere. If the government demolishes property rights and bodily integrity ... that's a lot harder to evade. Our ancestors fought a revolution over freedom, and we've mostly thrown away those gains. That's very disturbing.

If you don't like this trend:
Objectivist news can be found at the Ayn Rand Institute page.
Protect your rights by supporting the American Civil Liberties Union. They sue so you don't have to.

Smokers' Rights Are Everyone's Rights

I found this news article today:

Ayn Rand Institute Press Release
Property Rights Go Up in Smoke in San Francisco July 17, 2008
Irvine, CA--San Francisco is poised to pass one of the nation's most radical smoking bans. Mitch Katz, director of the city's Department of Public Health, endorsed the anti-smoking proposals saying, "Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S.--period. It's government's responsibility to protect people from obvious risks."

But according to Don Watkins, a writer for the Ayn Rand Institute, "It's not the government's responsibility to protect us from risks, obvious or otherwise--its function is to protect our rights from being violated by physical force or fraud. The American system is not one of nanny-state paternalism, with the government controlling our lives and choices. It is a system in which the government exists solely to protect our freedom so we can direct our own lives and choices.

I don't smoke; I'm allergic to tobacco. However, I still support the right of people to smoke on private property, in designated sections of public places such as restaurants, outdoors, and anywhere else it doesn't trap unwilling participants. If they want to have special smokers' bars or lounges, that's ideal because it lets them enjoy themselves without bothering anyone else. It makes sense to ban smoking in places where it's dangerous (grain silos, hospitals, etc.) or public places where people are sometimes obliged to go (courthouses, utility companies). Beyond that, the bans do more harm than good -- not to people's bodies, but to their liberty.

The easiest way to cut down an inconvenient right is to start by attacking some unpopular group. It's simple to get people to support the attack against someone they find annoying. But that opens the door for applying the same principle elsewhere, which is what makes it dangerous. There's a very famous poem about this technique. Right now, smokers are unpopular. So attacks on smokers' rights are sailing through because other people like the idea of not being around tobacco smoke. Those precedents can then be used to ban other activities on private property -- for no better reason than somebody else thinks they have a right to fob off their personal morality on you.

This also promotes the pernicious idea that the government has a right to enforce what you do with your very own body. Remember the recent attempt to reclassify birth control as abortion? These two things are connected, not by impetus (cutting down property rights vs. cutting down women's independence) but by principle: "you control your own body" vs. "the government controls your body."

Rights only work when they protect everyone, even the people you find irritating. I don't like smoke. But I like my freedom a lot more than I dislike smoke. If somebody lights up, I can move upwind or elsewhere. If the government demolishes property rights and bodily integrity ... that's a lot harder to evade. Our ancestors fought a revolution over freedom, and we've mostly thrown away those gains. That's very disturbing.

If you don't like this trend:
Objectivist news can be found at the Ayn Rand Institute page.
Protect your rights by supporting the American Civil Liberties Union. They sue so you don't have to.

Al Gore's Challenge: Clean Energy in 10 Years

Remember me griping that America isn't #1 anymore and hasn't accomplished anything of Greatness in recent years? Sounds like Al Gore is sick of that too -- and he's made us a challenge:

"America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from cheap, clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind within 10 years."

*wave flag* Go, go, go!

Now I'm wondering if there's a way to twiddle the classic Rosie the Riveter "We can do it!" image into a green-themed icon.

Here's my challenge: Each of you do one thing to move towards this goal. Look at what you do best, and find a way of connecting it with sustainable energy.

Me, I'm a wordsmith, and I support the principle of civic poetry. So here's my contribution. Feel free to pass it around if you find it useful, as long as you keep the credits intact.

10 to 1
by Elizabeth Barrette 7-18-08

They say “America is #1.”
#1 at what?
It used to be that America led the world
in liberty, quality of life, invention.
Now the world streams past
while America sits on its laurels.

How long has it been
since America tasted greatness?

Laurel makes a fine crown but a poor throne.

Now the world finds itself
falling out of the frying pan into the fire.
Humanity has tinkered and tweaked and tampered,
built and burned and burgeoned
beyond the Earth’s capacity to sustain.
It’s getting awful hot in here.

But humanity is also the part of Earth that thinks.
One voice rises above the rest:

"America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from
cheap, clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind within 10 years." 1

America can be #1 again.
Any takers?



* * *
1) “Power America with Cheap, Clean Energy in 10 Years? Yes We Can!” speech by Al Gore, 7/17/08.

Al Gore's Challenge: Clean Energy in 10 Years

Remember me griping that America isn't #1 anymore and hasn't accomplished anything of Greatness in recent years? Sounds like Al Gore is sick of that too -- and he's made us a challenge:

"America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from cheap, clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind within 10 years."

*wave flag* Go, go, go!

Now I'm wondering if there's a way to twiddle the classic Rosie the Riveter "We can do it!" image into a green-themed icon.

Here's my challenge: Each of you do one thing to move towards this goal. Look at what you do best, and find a way of connecting it with sustainable energy.

Me, I'm a wordsmith, and I support the principle of civic poetry. So here's my contribution. Feel free to pass it around if you find it useful, as long as you keep the credits intact.

10 to 1
by Elizabeth Barrette 7-18-08

They say “America is #1.”
#1 at what?
It used to be that America led the world
in liberty, quality of life, invention.
Now the world streams past
while America sits on its laurels.

How long has it been
since America tasted greatness?

Laurel makes a fine crown but a poor throne.

Now the world finds itself
falling out of the frying pan into the fire.
Humanity has tinkered and tweaked and tampered,
built and burned and burgeoned
beyond the Earth’s capacity to sustain.
It’s getting awful hot in here.

But humanity is also the part of Earth that thinks.
One voice rises above the rest:

"America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from
cheap, clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind within 10 years." 1

America can be #1 again.
Any takers?



* * *
1) “Power America with Cheap, Clean Energy in 10 Years? Yes We Can!” speech by Al Gore, 7/17/08.

Al Gore's Challenge: Clean Energy in 10 Years

Remember me griping that America isn't #1 anymore and hasn't accomplished anything of Greatness in recent years? Sounds like Al Gore is sick of that too -- and he's made us a challenge:

"America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from cheap, clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind within 10 years."

*wave flag* Go, go, go!

Now I'm wondering if there's a way to twiddle the classic Rosie the Riveter "We can do it!" image into a green-themed icon.

Here's my challenge: Each of you do one thing to move towards this goal. Look at what you do best, and find a way of connecting it with sustainable energy.

Me, I'm a wordsmith, and I support the principle of civic poetry. So here's my contribution. Feel free to pass it around if you find it useful, as long as you keep the credits intact.

10 to 1
by Elizabeth Barrette 7-18-08

They say “America is #1.”
#1 at what?
It used to be that America led the world
in liberty, quality of life, invention.
Now the world streams past
while America sits on its laurels.

How long has it been
since America tasted greatness?

Laurel makes a fine crown but a poor throne.

Now the world finds itself
falling out of the frying pan into the fire.
Humanity has tinkered and tweaked and tampered,
built and burned and burgeoned
beyond the Earth’s capacity to sustain.
It’s getting awful hot in here.

But humanity is also the part of Earth that thinks.
One voice rises above the rest:

"America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from
cheap, clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind within 10 years." 1

America can be #1 again.
Any takers?



* * *
1) “Power America with Cheap, Clean Energy in 10 Years? Yes We Can!” speech by Al Gore, 7/17/08.

Al Gore's Challenge: Clean Energy in 10 Years

Remember me griping that America isn't #1 anymore and hasn't accomplished anything of Greatness in recent years? Sounds like Al Gore is sick of that too -- and he's made us a challenge:

"America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from cheap, clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind within 10 years."

*wave flag* Go, go, go!

Now I'm wondering if there's a way to twiddle the classic Rosie the Riveter "We can do it!" image into a green-themed icon.

Here's my challenge: Each of you do one thing to move towards this goal. Look at what you do best, and find a way of connecting it with sustainable energy.

Me, I'm a wordsmith, and I support the principle of civic poetry. So here's my contribution. Feel free to pass it around if you find it useful, as long as you keep the credits intact.

10 to 1
by Elizabeth Barrette 7-18-08

They say “America is #1.”
#1 at what?
It used to be that America led the world
in liberty, quality of life, invention.
Now the world streams past
while America sits on its laurels.

How long has it been
since America tasted greatness?

Laurel makes a fine crown but a poor throne.

Now the world finds itself
falling out of the frying pan into the fire.
Humanity has tinkered and tweaked and tampered,
built and burned and burgeoned
beyond the Earth’s capacity to sustain.
It’s getting awful hot in here.

But humanity is also the part of Earth that thinks.
One voice rises above the rest:

"America must commit to producing 100% of our electricity from
cheap, clean renewable energy sources like solar and wind within 10 years." 1

America can be #1 again.
Any takers?



* * *
1) “Power America with Cheap, Clean Energy in 10 Years? Yes We Can!” speech by Al Gore, 7/17/08.

Sawdust into Biofuel

Among the most promising biofuels are those made from waste products. A new chemical breakthrough reveals how to turn sawdust into biofuel.

Sawdust into Biofuel

Among the most promising biofuels are those made from waste products. A new chemical breakthrough reveals how to turn sawdust into biofuel.

Sawdust into Biofuel

Among the most promising biofuels are those made from waste products. A new chemical breakthrough reveals how to turn sawdust into biofuel.

Sawdust into Biofuel

Among the most promising biofuels are those made from waste products. A new chemical breakthrough reveals how to turn sawdust into biofuel.

More flooding news

Here's an essay about how floods happen and their impact on people.

More flooding news

Here's an essay about how floods happen and their impact on people.

More flooding news

Here's an essay about how floods happen and their impact on people.

More flooding news

Here's an essay about how floods happen and their impact on people.

Free Activities

Here's a cool list of "100 Things to Do During a Money-Free Weekend." Many are entertainments, but there are some practical things on the list too. Many of these activities also build family/community bonds.

Free Activities

Here's a cool list of "100 Things to Do During a Money-Free Weekend." Many are entertainments, but there are some practical things on the list too. Many of these activities also build family/community bonds.

Free Activities

Here's a cool list of "100 Things to Do During a Money-Free Weekend." Many are entertainments, but there are some practical things on the list too. Many of these activities also build family/community bonds.

Free Activities

Here's a cool list of "100 Things to Do During a Money-Free Weekend." Many are entertainments, but there are some practical things on the list too. Many of these activities also build family/community bonds.

Pick Your Own

Here is a guide to U-Pick farms all over America. It includes fruit, pumpkins, Christmas trees, and more! There are canning recipes and supply sources too.

Picking your own food can be a fun family activity, and it gives you a sense of accomplishment. It usually saves money over storebought produce.

Pick Your Own

Here is a guide to U-Pick farms all over America. It includes fruit, pumpkins, Christmas trees, and more! There are canning recipes and supply sources too.

Picking your own food can be a fun family activity, and it gives you a sense of accomplishment. It usually saves money over storebought produce.

Pick Your Own

Here is a guide to U-Pick farms all over America. It includes fruit, pumpkins, Christmas trees, and more! There are canning recipes and supply sources too.

Picking your own food can be a fun family activity, and it gives you a sense of accomplishment. It usually saves money over storebought produce.

Pick Your Own

Here is a guide to U-Pick farms all over America. It includes fruit, pumpkins, Christmas trees, and more! There are canning recipes and supply sources too.

Picking your own food can be a fun family activity, and it gives you a sense of accomplishment. It usually saves money over storebought produce.

Stealing Our Free Time

This article explains how "do it yourself" services force consumers to do things that employees are customarily paid for doing. This devours everyone's free time -- if you think you have less of it, you're right, because you're now stuck wasting your time on things that other people used to do for you. And some of those things were done better and faster and safter by trained employees. Sometimes the do it yourself model is better, but often it isn't.

Stealing Our Free Time

This article explains how "do it yourself" services force consumers to do things that employees are customarily paid for doing. This devours everyone's free time -- if you think you have less of it, you're right, because you're now stuck wasting your time on things that other people used to do for you. And some of those things were done better and faster and safter by trained employees. Sometimes the do it yourself model is better, but often it isn't.

Stealing Our Free Time

This article explains how "do it yourself" services force consumers to do things that employees are customarily paid for doing. This devours everyone's free time -- if you think you have less of it, you're right, because you're now stuck wasting your time on things that other people used to do for you. And some of those things were done better and faster and safter by trained employees. Sometimes the do it yourself model is better, but often it isn't.

Stealing Our Free Time

This article explains how "do it yourself" services force consumers to do things that employees are customarily paid for doing. This devours everyone's free time -- if you think you have less of it, you're right, because you're now stuck wasting your time on things that other people used to do for you. And some of those things were done better and faster and safter by trained employees. Sometimes the do it yourself model is better, but often it isn't.

Featured Community: Conlangs

Most folks on LiveJournal belong to a bunch of communities. Some of the good ones are kind of obscure. The "Featured Community" meme encourages people to share their favorite communities.

1. Cite a community that you enjoy.


2. Summarize its purpose and parameters.


3. Invite your audience to join the community and/or reply with their favorite communities.

Today's featured community is: conlangs
This community specializes in the study and creation of artificial languages, aka "conlangs." These include fantasy, science fiction, and auxiliary languages. Most posts are about a language of the author's own design, but there are also discussions about Klingon, LAadan, Sindarin, Esperanto, and other famous conlangs. If you enjoy languages, you'll probably get a kick out of this even if you don't invent your own ... yet.

Featured Community: Conlangs

Most folks on LiveJournal belong to a bunch of communities. Some of the good ones are kind of obscure. The "Featured Community" meme encourages people to share their favorite communities.

1. Cite a community that you enjoy.


2. Summarize its purpose and parameters.


3. Invite your audience to join the community and/or reply with their favorite communities.

Today's featured community is: conlangs
This community specializes in the study and creation of artificial languages, aka "conlangs." These include fantasy, science fiction, and auxiliary languages. Most posts are about a language of the author's own design, but there are also discussions about Klingon, LAadan, Sindarin, Esperanto, and other famous conlangs. If you enjoy languages, you'll probably get a kick out of this even if you don't invent your own ... yet.

Featured Community: Conlangs

Most folks on LiveJournal belong to a bunch of communities. Some of the good ones are kind of obscure. The "Featured Community" meme encourages people to share their favorite communities.

1. Cite a community that you enjoy.


2. Summarize its purpose and parameters.


3. Invite your audience to join the community and/or reply with their favorite communities.

Today's featured community is: conlangs
This community specializes in the study and creation of artificial languages, aka "conlangs." These include fantasy, science fiction, and auxiliary languages. Most posts are about a language of the author's own design, but there are also discussions about Klingon, LAadan, Sindarin, Esperanto, and other famous conlangs. If you enjoy languages, you'll probably get a kick out of this even if you don't invent your own ... yet.

Featured Community: Conlangs

Most folks on LiveJournal belong to a bunch of communities. Some of the good ones are kind of obscure. The "Featured Community" meme encourages people to share their favorite communities.

1. Cite a community that you enjoy.


2. Summarize its purpose and parameters.


3. Invite your audience to join the community and/or reply with their favorite communities.

Today's featured community is: conlangs
This community specializes in the study and creation of artificial languages, aka "conlangs." These include fantasy, science fiction, and auxiliary languages. Most posts are about a language of the author's own design, but there are also discussions about Klingon, LAadan, Sindarin, Esperanto, and other famous conlangs. If you enjoy languages, you'll probably get a kick out of this even if you don't invent your own ... yet.