Washington State just passed a law
regarding smokers' rights which I feel violates my rights as an
individual.
I served my country for 8 years in
the military to protect the rights of the individual, and I
initially felt a great deal of hurt, anger, and hostility with the
passing of this law. I have always tried to be a law-abiding man and
respect the rights of others, and I will continue to do so.
Each of us has our own flaws, habits,
or personal sins which we strive to overcome. I can accept and
tolerate this in others, but smoking is not listed in the seven
deadly sins, and I cannot accept the propaganda distributed
regarding second-hand smoke. In college I took a class on statistics
(which is what the anti-smokers use to support their position on
second hand smoke). To these experts on second hand smoke, I ask
this question, how many of the cases studied were exposed to car
exhaust? The answer in 100%. If you are really interested in having
clean air, stop driving your carbon monoxide emitting vehicle to
work each day, and start walking or riding a bicycle. Once we pass a
law doing away with carbon monoxide vehicles, then let's reevaluate
the problem of air pollution.
There is nothing I can do as an
individual to change the new smokers' law in Washington State. My
method of coping has been to quit associating with the public. I
have quit the country club, quit going out for supper or stopping
for a drink at the local pub. If my smoking offends them, I
certainly am not going to support them financially. Once my wife
retires, we will be moving to Idaho or Oregon where they still
respect individual rights.
As an individual, the only recourse I
have to this law will be addressed as a juror. If called for jury
duty, I will inform the judge that I am a smoker, and my vote will
always be that of a minority. Between 20 and 30% of our population
are smokers. If we all exercise our rights as a juror and accept our
position as a minority, we can have an affect on our legal system.
