Re: [Mpls] Over the River to the Theatre

[Elizabeth Greenbaum]

Funny how another can perceive things so differently. So would you also 
agree that it is considered fascist that illicit drugs such as 
marijuana, cocaine, heroin etc. are made illegal? This ban does not 
force anyone to stop, however, it does allow someone who does NOT smoke 
be able for the first time not be exposed to 2nd hand smoke in public 
places. Smoking is as addictive as any illicate drug, but smokers are 
not being forced to quit. This would actually be more like what you 
define as fascism, but this is about lowering the health risk that 
smokers place on the larger population of nonsmokers. Personally, I - as 
an individual - can't wait until March when I can go to a good  jazz bar 
and don't have to have be individually exposed to someone else's 
"substance abuse". My health for your slight inconvenience.

Liz Greenbaum
Longfellow
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Smoking bans are only one small example of how our city council and other
levels of government are incrementally moving us closer and closer to a
fascist state. It is an issue on which it can be demonstrated how willing
the citizens of this city are to be complicit with fascism. So many of our
fellow citizens are perfectly willing to sacrifice freedom for comfort,
handing more and more of their individual responsibilities over to the 
nanny
state. The meaning of fascism has been forgotten, as only the most overt 
and
terrible consequences of the political movement are typically put forth to
define it. Because the underlying philosophy is largely forgotten, many are
unable to see fascism for what it is when it's right in front of them in 
the
guise of  "for the public good."

In it's early stages as a political movement, fascism tends not to put 
forth
specific philosophic goals, and attempts to appeal to as many diverse 
groups
as possible. Central to fascism is the importance of the state, and
subordination of the individual to it, for the good of the individual, and
of the state. The state is all powerful, and unlimited in it's control and
direction of it's citizens. Order out-strips liberty, or rights. Order is
imposed by an elitist class which knows what is best for the state, without
respect for the individual. The individual is unimportant in fascist
philosophy. The individual is incapable of making decisions.

To me, the connection between smoking bans and fascism is quite clear.
Perhaps totalitarianism would suit my point just as well. The two
philosophies are quite similar, and the results identical.
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