I really hate it when people bundle together social/moral and political notions. For example: "Smoking in public is terrible. They ought to outlaw it." Who are "they"? The government, of course. But what gives "them" the right to impose coercion on all business owners everywhere, as well as their customers? Speaking for myself, I can't stand the smell of smoke when I eat, or in any other context for that matter. But if smoking existed in all restaurants all the time, I'd simply stay home. Of course, because so many feel like me, I can expect--even without any government intervention at all--that many (if not most) public eateries will, at a minimum, have a non-smoking section.

Much more importantly: It's not "their" place to decide all these things. People should think about what they're saying when they bundle together issues of preference with issues of coercion. Because that's what government is--coercion. When you say "they ought to do such-and-such" you are actually saying that such-and-such should be coerced. Government officials don't do anything; they MAKE people do things. If you're going to make this claim, that certain people should be forced to do certain things, then you had better be prepared to defend why your preference should be upheld by the force of law in this case--while another's should not.

If "they" get to decide one thing politically that should be left up to private individuals, then they are presumably able to decide all things that way. Citizens of a previously free country are now on the defensive. Government has the right to regulate everything unless the people can prove otherwise. It's supposed to be the other way around.

What YOU drink, eat, with whom you associate, even with whom you have sex--are you prepared to let government regulate all of these things for all people, including yourself? I get a kick out of liberals who are morally outraged that some politicians want to dictate sex, and then they turn around and display the exact same moral outrage that other politicians don't want to dictate medical care, thermostats, gasoline use and smoking. Exactly what gives government free reign to dictate over some behaviors and not others; and over some people, while not others? You talk about discrimination!

I don't know if I will live to see the day that the mainstream of society comes to see how unenlightened, hypocritical and utterly inconsistent with freedom all this is. I do know that I see it exactly for what it is. I may be one of the only ones who says it, but I know I'm not the only one who knows it.