Cigarettes.

[Paul Marshall]

^I'm sorry to hear that. I didn't mean to offend anyone ... perhaps I do get overly aggressive with my opinion in order to make everyone agree with me. And yeah, I started smoking because of stress also ... in other words I had a GIRLFRIEND at that time, . [STRESSFUL!!!!!!!!! ]

[Starbuck]

Its really hard for me, because those few cigarettes I've bummed off my friend, had gotten me addicted to the nicotine, and I'm under 18 so I can't buy them, so anyone who has smoked and had to quit cold turkey, I feel your pain.

[Puck]

I dont know why anyone would keep smoking after the first time they inhale, it makes you choke, and burns the back of your throat, I mean, usually when your body chokes on something your breathing or something, I think its trying to tell you that it dont like what you are doin. Also, there are better ways of dealing with stress than smoking, besides, smoking will just cause more stress for you and loved ones later in life when you are diagnosed with lung cancer.

If you can legally smoke, well thats your free choice, if you are illegally smoking, well try to obey the law. Either way, its not the schools job to provide a place for you to smoke.

[Starbuck]

/\ well said. And I know, I shouldn't have continued on that first cigarette, but I made a choice to, and now I'm stuck with the consequences.

[Theresa]

[Puck]

If you want to quite...this is the way to do it, this is how I quit bad habbits:

When you wake up oneday, just say you are quitting, thats how its gonna be, and just quit. I know its not that easy or anything, but hey.....

[Republican_Man]

One word: NO!

[PrankishSmart]

[Vortex]

it's just another subject people freak out over......Meanwhile I'd rather smoke then be a 300 pound fat ass that is addicted to MC Donalds. Noone ever bothers about those health consequences. Let's face it, a smoker lives longer then an overweight person does. And I haven't seen a ban yet on MC Donald commercials.

How about the fat aunt? That stuffs her nephews with food till they drop, simply because she likes them to look healthy (overweight). That kid is doomed fat for the rest of his life.

If you want to smoke, go for it, however it's your responsibillity to ask...."Does anyone mind?"

Just because there are a few heavily addicted smokers around, that must smoke everywhere, the gouvernment walks in and says: Hey let's be usefull and make a law!

F*ck, let the people work it out themselves.

Meanwhile, with the new laws, the door is opened for the gouvernments to make more money, by an increase of the taxes on cigarettes.

I can tell you this, I want to have the freedom to decide wether I want to smoke or not. Taking that away, is taking my freedom away. All these laws remove a little of your freedom.

So how do these laws form then? It's the problem of the specific. People get focussed by the media on specific items. This time let's stick with cigarettes. The media starts b*tching about smokers. The sheep (citizens) think to themselves, yeah, I have been bothered by secondary smoke once, and wow, doctors say that its bad for me, so let me support the ban of smoking. The next one is noise. We all have been bothered by aircraft or trains. So let's put a ban on those too. Ha you think, that's not going to happen, I promise you I am telling this out of experience. When there's enough sheep on the "yes" side of the river, the green parties will get there way and support.

Meanwhile, these are all reductions of freedom. 9/11 was bad, but exploited badly by gouvernments. turning this into WW3. If I shout these days I like Bin Laden, I most likely will be interrogated by the police. Another reduction in my freedom.

All in all, our freedom is reduced, and the sheep are supporting it. How long, before the gouverment decides for us?
- No you can't drink beer
- No you can't smoke a cigarette
- No you can't drive your car to work
- No you can't go out tonight
- No you can't speed your car
- No you can't dislike races
All in all, every subject on its own, might hold a certain attraction. But combining all these reductions, my freedom of movement and even thought are reduced.

YAY! Bring out another law!

[Melodramatic]

[Theresa]

Let's also not forget that laws serve a purpose, and many protect us. Don't speed. Yes, because you can be endangering others, and they shouldn't have to die for your pleasure.
As for the rest of the examples, I've had no experience with them, so I cannot comment.
And the "fat asses" are the same as the smokers, except they endanger only themselves. If you balloon to 300+lbs, who is it going to hurt? You. If you smoke in enclosed areas, with others, especially those who do not smoke, who are you going to hurt? Them, as well as yourself. What gives you the right to put my life in danger? Until the time I give someone else the responsibility of looking after me, my life is just that, mine. If you want to smoke, go outside. Schools, restaurants, etc..., all have circulated air. The cigarette smoke may dissipate, but it won't leave.

[Vortex]

hmm, an interesting view, that I thought I covered. I am sure I mentioned something about the smoker's responsibillities.

But hey,

However, Men moved to the top of the foodchain because they had one amazing capabillity:
Think for themselves.
I wonder how long it will be untill we move down the foodchain.

I am not protecting the act of smoking here, simply the infringement of a gouvernment and their approach to solve personal issues with their amazing abillity to pass new laws.

I'd like to decide for myself to smoke, or not.
I'd like to decide for myself to let another smoke in my company.
How long before we start sueing the sun?
Or maybe you driving a car, that caused me to be astmatic.
Maybe the farmer nextdoor, that planted grass which increased my heyfever?
Maybe simply you for throwing away food, that children in 3rd world countries can use.
How about you for destroying irreplacable carbons when you are wasting fuel driving your boat around?

There's a lot that we can do. Without the gouvernment deciding for us. The problem of the specific remains, yet too few can see the general.

[1/1]

I'd say yes because its their life and its up to them what they want to do with it

[Puck]

What about the other peoples lifes they will affect, like there family, or future husband and wife. What about them when there Dad, or husband, or son gets lung cancer and dies, and then only mom is left to pay all the bills and raise children.

[Jeff Miller]

I think they should give the smokers a place because if they don't than the kids will leave the school grounds to smoke I seen that happen when I was in school.

[Pan13]

we have a place @school where the students who are 16 and older (in germany u can start smoking, when u are 16) can smoke. and i think it was a good idea, because before they had this place all the students were smoking in this rooms, where the toiletts are, and that was really annoying.

[Paul Marshall]

Even though I DO smoke, it IS kind of annoying walking in to a bathroom full of smoke with teens scurrying around because they think that you are a teacher entering or something. If someone is going to smoke they SHOULD have a room where non-smokers don't go. Even when I am not smoking a Cigarette, the second-hand smoke from another person's Cigarette STILL makes my stomach churn.

[Pan13]

[Paul Marshall]

I'll have to admit, I used to be 'one of those teens.' What I mean is, I did smoke in the bathroom once or twice with my friends (when I first started smoking), probably because I thought it was 'cool' then. Now, it seems like most of the childish things that I have done over the years gets on my nerves when I think about it now. Who knows, maybe in a few years I'll feel that way about Cigarettes (i'm smoking less and less everyday ).

[Monkey]

My older sister's collage has one of those... It's like a 20 by 20 foot square and it's always overflowing