Do we really have a right to smoke?

[Cigary]

Originally Posted by brianwalden

Ok, I'll bite. Let's say you have an inalienable right to smoke cigars. Then why don't you have an inalienable right to use alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc? Or do you believe we have an inalienable right to those things and laws passed against them are objectively evil?

Does someone else have an inalienable right to not breathe cigar smoke?

You post a question of Re: Do we really have a right to smoke?

People have answered their opinion and you still have a bug under your blanket and wish to debate this far past the first answer. People have a right to do whatever they want to,,,inalienable or not. Your question never did ask if it was inalienable,,,that was put in after. If I engage in anything that is against the law,,,then it is against the law. If I choose not to obey the law then I must deal with the consequences of breaking that law. If I believe that my Creator gave me the choice of engaging in those things that might be bad for me then take it up with him after you leave this world. If you don't believe in a Creator this all becomes a moot point as there is nobody to answer to according to what is an inalienable right. We have the right to be as good as we want to be or as bad as want to be,,,just be prepared for the consequences.

Light up a cigar and accept others rights to have an opinion without going into a debate. We can debate the merits of whether you have the right to debate opinions according to what you believe,,,I believe you have that right,,,even if you are wrong.

[strider72]

Let's close this reasonably... We have the right to hurt or not hurt ourselves and the government really should not be able to pry/bully/spy/violate in our lives as long as we are not hurting someone else. Of course there was a time when a community took care of itself without a "big brother" sticking his or her nose in it.

[Frinkiac7]

We have a right to make informed decisions about what nonlethal, not imminently dangerous things we do to our own bodies, in good conscience, that do not adversely affect others.

Anyone who tells us otherwise is a raging fascist.

[Mr.Lordi]

I do belive a great man once said:

Originally Posted by Bill Hicks

Here is my final point. About drugs, about alcohol, about *****graphy and smoking and everything else. What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I ****, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?

I also like this one, more to the point.

Originally Posted by Bill Hicks

I smoke. If this bothers anyone, I suggest you look around at the world in which we live and shut your ****in' mouth.

I censored the expletives;This pretty much sums my feelings up on the subject, since most of what I would add to the conversation has been said.

[Cigary]

Originally Posted by strider72

Let's close this reasonably... We have the right to hurt or not hurt ourselves and the government really should not be able to pry/bully/spy/violate in our lives as long as we are not hurting someone else. Of course there was a time when a community took care of itself without a "big brother" sticking his or her nose in it.

Gotta agree with this wholeheartedly. Not to get our panties into a bunch and not that a good debate is not healthy at times but this is losing ground here. No hard feelings towards anyone as that isn't how I roll,,,speak your mind and then move on,,,or at least try to.

Originally Posted by Frinkiac7

We have a right to make informed decisions about what nonlethal, not imminently dangerous things we do to our own bodies, in good conscience, that do not adversely affect others.

Anyone who tells us otherwise is a raging fascist.

Amen brother,,,,love the last line!

[Stinkdyr]

Originally Posted by T_Money

The problem is that you use a collectivist term that is inherently false. You should say the government has the "majority's" or "enough of the right people's" mandate.

Yep you are correct. You see, as Maggie Thatcher so rightly pointed out, "the problem with socialism is, eventually you run out of other people's money to spend." that about sums it up. and that is why I vote Libertarian.

[defcon3]

A few examples: Because of our free-will we have a right to the legitimate exercise of our conscience.

So did Stalin and Mao Tse - didn't make them right, though they thought they were legitimate in their conscience...

And while in a perfect world we might share everything equally,

Perhaps yours! Sounds like Communisim to me, and anyone who has studied history can see it is oppresive...

There's nothing intrinsic in our human nature that leads to a right to smoke.

Gimme a break... If your argument is one of moral absolutes and/or moral relativisim, intrinsic values, and human nature, Good luck with that can of worms!!! No two people will agree on that...

I worry about lumping these government given "rights" with true rights that derive directly from our human nature.

Another argument in itself, whatever your view of rights that derive from human nature would be, I assure you, every individual in this world would have their own opinion on that different from yours or mine for that mater.

Isn't a much better argument that it's imprudent to outlaw personal activities like smoking.

It's currently legal and will continue. So long as there are taxes to be made, there will be smoking...

That doing so makes it easier for authorities to exercise control over more and more areas of our lives.

Why would I want that?!? They are doing such a bang up job as it stands now, I don't think more control would be better...

I realize such an argument doesn't make a great sound bite, but to me it seems more correct.

You have that "right", as PETA has theirs, and I also have mine...

[phalynx]

If we have a "right to healthcare" we sure as heck have a right to smoke!

[AcridSaint]

Originally Posted by strider72

Let's close this reasonably... We have the right to hurt or not hurt ourselves and the government really should not be able to pry/bully/spy/violate in our lives as long as we are not hurting someone else. Of course there was a time when a community took care of itself without a "big brother" sticking his or her nose in it.

I was going to type something in here, but this is all I wanted to say ^

[danmcmartin]

There are many kinds of rights. Some are explicit (right to free speech, right to bear arms) as they are written in a document (Bill of Rights). Others, if you subscribe to the ideals America was founded on, are natural or God given rights (right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness). Others are implied by those natural rights (right to health care or to smoke). But all rights come with responsibility.

For instance, you may have the right to emergency health care, but you should be prepared to pay for it. You can obtain the service, but that doesn't mean you should expect it to be free of charge. If you can't pay that is one issue, but then you really shouldn't expect to receive much beyond emergency care. Anything beyond that without the consent of the payer is an infringement of their right to private property, in this case money (another natural right).

Smoking is similar. Smoke all you want, but get cancer and you should be willing to suffer that consequence without expecting society to pick up the bill. You shouldn't expect to smoke wherever you want either. Reasonable restrictions that protect others rights should be expected like no smoking in a court room or the DMV. Public places people are compelled to visit.

If you subscribe to the idea of negative liberty, as the Founding Fathers did, no one confers rights onto you, they just exist or are granted by the creator or God. You exercise them at your discretion without imposing on others rights. So yes, smoking is a right. At least, to my way of thinking and according to the founding ideals of the Untied States.

[Yellowfever]

I may see things too basic. But I think we have the right to do whatever we want and others have the right to stop us. We don't do certain things in life because we have a set or beliefs that it is wrong to do certain things and a set of laws that tell us it is wrong. Someone may say I don't have the "right to smoke" but who gives them the right to control me? As humans we give governments the right to tell us what we can and can't do. We try to respect each other in order to live peacefully. But what is a right and what isn't I think is only justified by a set of laws that a group of people create. To me it is the same as the question "is there a universal right and wrong"? We current Americans believe we have the right to pursue happiness. But that didn't exist during slavery. I guess a right is just a current belief of a group of people that has enough numbers that they can exert control over another group.

[phatmax]

Simple answer: Yes.

Simple reason: If you have ANY belief in a higher power, most likely you believe that God/Buddah, etc. gave man Natural Rights. Amongst those is self-governance over one's body.

God made all men equal... Thus, you have power over your body, but no one else's.

Simply... If I do something to my body that you don't like....stuff it.

Problems come into being when the nanny statists, who may give lip service to religion,...truely believe they are smarter and better then the masses and SHOULD be given free rein over the lives of the lesser people.

Pride goeth before the fall.

[Cigary]

Originally Posted by phatmax

Simple answer: Yes.

Simple reason: If you have ANY belief in a higher power, most likely you believe that God/Buddah, etc. gave man Natural Rights. Amongst those is self-governance over one's body.

God made all men equal... Thus, you have power over your body, but no one else's.

Simply... If I do something to my body that you don't like....stuff it.

Problems come into being when the nanny statists, who may give lip service to religion,...truely believe they are smarter and better then the masses and SHOULD be given free rein over the lives of the lesser people.

Pride goeth before the fall.

I agree but would also add,,,as long as what I do does not infringe upon your rights or harm you,,,do not legislate to me what is right or wrong for me.

[bigtattoo79]

Yes I feel I have the right to smoke.



I think its time we talk about the governments rights.
I already know what my rights are.
The government is the one that got it scr$w$d up.

The government is payed by and works for us!!

Thanks Lance

[danmcmartin]

Originally Posted by bigtattoo79

The government is payed by and works for us!!

Right! The Government doesn't have any rights, it has powers. Those powers are derived from the constitution and exercised by the will of the people. Honestly, we are the ones that have messed up. We the people have sat by while our government has wielded powers not granted to it by the constitution. We need to exercise our rights to free speech, peaceable assembly, etc. and demand the government back off.

To paraphrase Ben Franklin, those who give up a little liberty to achieve security, deserve neither liberty or security.