Re: [H] Smoking (was To all my Dell hating...)

[Julian Hale]

True, no law in and of itself prevents crime.  However, there are different 
kinds of laws... murder, theft, rape, assault, etc. are outlawed because 
those actions violate the rights of others.  Even though people will still 
engage in these activities, the violation of the rights of others can not 
be tolerated.  These kinds of acts are called Mala In Se, or "evil in 
itself".  Then there are things like alcohol prohibition, which are called 
Mala Prohibita.  These laws basically say, "It's bad because we say 
so".  Mala Prohibitum laws are impossible to enforce, and generally lead to 
a loss of civil liberties.  Who's got the right to tell a woman she can't 
have sex for money, or to tell a person that they can't ingest whatever 
plant matter they choose?

Julian
At 11:19 AM 3/13/2005, you wrote:
Using that rational why outlaw anything?
-Gary