Harmon Seaver wrote on April 19th, 2003 at 13:54:57 -0500:
On Sat, Apr 19, 2003 at 12:30:22PM -0400, stuart wrote:
Smoking in public, that's an easy one to pick on. But the argument holds no water, unfortunately. Find me RELIABLE, UNBIASED evidence that second-hand smoke is actually dangerous, and I'll agree to ban smoking.
I could care less what any report says, I get an immediate sick feeling from breathing tobacco smoke. And a great many other people do as well.
Then don't go where there's tobacco smoke.
(snip)
Car exhaust is far worse than cigarette smoke. Ban cars first. Oh wait, that'd be a bit inconvenient, wouldn't it.
No, actually, banning cars in cities is a great idea. And, as a matter of fact, since I ride a bicycle a lot, I often *do* get a sick feeling from breathing car exhaust, at least from some that are apparantly burning "reformutlated gasoline".
Well, most of us normal people _don't_ get sick from minor whiffs of car exhaust. Since you apparently do, I suggest you avoid it.
I'm sorry you don't like cigarette smoke. Don't stand downwind. Don't try to ban it, though.
"don't stand downwind" -- that's a pretty simplistic answer. Impossible to do when you're moving down the street. The bottom line is this: No one has the right to do something in their space that adversely affects my space, whether it's smoking in public or the farmer next door who sprays pesticides which drift over to my land, or puts chemicals on his land which get into my well.
Fine. Of course, this means that if I ever smell your farts, or your various odors, or start smelling rotten fish from your wife or daughter, I'll fine you $500 per offense. -- Tom Veil