Laws that make Men Free

These assholes in the Anti-Smoking movement like to compare the health impact of smoking to the holocaust in Nazi Germany. I guess it's one of those ironies of history. Hitler, like his modern anti-smoking soul brothers, hated smoking just as passionately.

He also hated jews.

Then he went and got the whole world pissed off at him for using Zyklon B to exterminate them. If these assholes in the anti-smoking "movement" are correct, Hitler would have been a lot smarter if he would have just forced the Jews to smoke cigarettes.

A local politician, one of the architects of Hamilton's smoking edicts said, "law is those restrictions that make men more free."

All Hitler would have required was a few laws, "those restrictions that make men more free." He could have scored a real public relations coup here. Hitler could have achieved his genocidal objectives, not by shoving the Jews into concentration camps, but my passing laws to make them "more free".

If laws truly are "those restrictions that make men more free," with the right PR spin Hitler could have had himself remembered as a great liberator.

Radio ads in Hamilton have been touting the latest phase in the war against choice - prohibition of smoke enjoyment in all so-called "public places" - I.E. private property to which the public has access. A exception is made for those who have installed strictly regulated Designated Smoking Rooms (DSR's). The ad ends by cheerfully stating that "everybody wins."

Visit the streets of Hamilton and you will see examples of the numerous "winners" cited in the ad: People standing outside bars smoking. These "winners" no doubt, will feel less fortunate once the stormy weather returns in the fall. Other "winners" include those bar owners who will lose a percentage of their regular customers as a result of the bylaw and staff who lose hours or jobs as a result of the expected decline in business thus "winning" a lot of extra free time.

Goebbels could have put his people to work producing similar cheerful ads. "Our great fuehrer has determined that what the Jewish people of this great nation need is more freedom in the form of laws, those restrictions that make men more free. Accordingly, on June 1st,

"all Jewish pool halls, bingo parlors, restaurants, bars and any other private property owned by Jews and serving Jews will be required to mandate smoking. It would include the requirement that matches and ashtrays be available at all times for patrons."

To show their generosity and tolerance, they would permit a phase-in period. At first, all Jewish establishments would be required to restrict non-smoking to twenty-five percent of the available floor space. After a period of a few years all Jewish establishments to which the public had access would be required to either prohibit non-smoking altogether or provide designated non-smoking rooms (DNR's).

The ad would close with a cheerful rendition of, "On June 1st, everybody wins!"

The establishments subject to these increased freedom initiatives would be put into various classes from "A" to "F".

Class "A", for example, would be defined as:

"A public place used for the sale and service of food or drink or both food and drink to the public for consumption on the premises, but does not include a food court, an indoor patio, or a Class “E” or Class “F” public place. A Class “A” public place includes a restaurant and take-out service incidental to such restaurant, an area for children’s play equipment or dedicated to recreational activities which are ancillary to the sale and service of food or drink, and a common area or room within a private club that has been rented for any purpose."

Laws, being "those restrictions that make men more free," Class "A" illustrates just how much care must be taken in crafting laws to make men more free.

Once the designated DNR's in Jewish establishments were finally phased out further laws making men more free could be passed. For example, *Non-Jewish* bars might be allowed to retain DSR's provided, (using Hamilton's current bylaw as an example):

"the room is equipped with a separate ventilation system that maintains a minimum ventilation rate of 30 litres per second per person, based on the maximum number of persons permitted in the room by the proprietor, that is ventilated to the outside air and exhausted at a rate of at least 110 per cent of supply, and which ventilation system includes one or more exhausts located not less than three metres horizontally from any air intake or opening;"

with only some very minor changes in the wording:

"the room is equipped with a separate ventilation system that maintains a minimum ventilation rate of 30 litres per second per person, based on the maximum number of persons permitted in the room by the proprietor, that is ventilated to the Jewish establishment next door and exhausted at a rate of at least 110 per cent of supply, etc, etc, ;"

Laws are those, "restrictions that make men more free."

Or, the Nazi’s could have been even wilier. Jews, Gypsy’s and Communists could be given "Status" exempting them from paying any taxes on tobacco products. The rest of the population could be made more free by being forced to subsidize the tobacco of the Status people, perhaps even to the point where people of Status would obtain all of their cigarettes free of charge.

The passage of laws restricting freedom of choice, we are told makes us more free. Thus, the more laws that are passed, the freer we become. The greater the threat imposed by governments on recalcitrant individuals who naively resist all of this freedom, the freer we become. The more enforcement officers hired by government to ensure compliance with those "restrictions that make men more free", the more we all win!

Where will all of this freedom take us? A good indication would be similar to the society depicted in that hilarious movie, "Demolition Man," with Stallone and Snipes.