Dear Mr. Darling,
I would like to thank you for standing up for freedom. While you're fighting against the smoking ban, I hope you will also strive to end such intrusive government practices as the prohibition of spitting or strewing garbage in stores.
I am sure that as a lover of individual freedom you have already stood up for my Second Amendment right to own an AK47, but please don't stop there. The federal government is trampling on our constitutional rights to own chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. After all, if weapons of mass destruction are outlawed, only outlaws will have weapons of mass destruction.
Principles of individual liberty are far too important to let mere issues of health and safety get in the way. Keep up the good fight, Mr. Darling.
Chip Peterson Mac-Groveland St. Paul
On Mar 8, 2005, at 7:15 PM, Darling Michael wrote:
Dear Mr. Ortega,
Before I begin, I do not smoke or inhale anything other than air and whatever is in the air. I would not vote for you for Mayor of St. Paul if I lived there simply because of your belief system. You believe it is OK for you to infringe on the private property rights and civil liberties of business owners and individuals just because you feel like it. I also would not vote for the current mayor for the same reasons. The US Constitution and Minnesota Constitution do not give you the power as an elected official to do that or at least that is how I read it. Please enlighten me if I am reading these previous mentioned Constitution's incorrect. Maybe the Mayor of St. Paul does not take the oath to defend and protect the US Constitution and Minnesota Constitution as other elected officials and members of our armed forces do. Yes, there are many elected officials who do not uphold their oath at that place we call the Minnesota State Capitol, but that problem is being worked on. My former State Representative is being prosecuted before the Federal Courts because he violated his oath of office that he swore to uphold. The crimes he committed do not matter. The residents of St. Paul must hold the Mayor of St. Paul accountable to the oath the mayor takes upon their swearing in.
If a business owner wants to allow smokers in their establishment, then fine. It is their money at risk in the establishment. If you and others do not like the smoke from smokers, start your own establishments which do not allow smoking. If memory serves me well, there are establishments in the St. Paul area which do not allow smoking on their property. It is not my intention to sound nasty to you Mr. Ortega if that is how this is read, but I am getting tired of you politicians not upholding the Constitution and trampling on other people's civil liberties and doing whatever you want to do just because someone votes you in office.
This is for all of you running for Mayor and anyone else who desires to run for public office. I ran for Congress once so I have the credibility to make this next statement. Please read at minimum the US Constitution and the Minnesota Constitution before making the decision to run. If you cannot agree with the basic doctrines this nation and state were founded on, please do not run until you are able and willing to hold your governance within those basic confines.
Thank you for your attention and may you all have a wonderful week.
Michael Darling Rush City, MN
P.S. If after reading this, those of you running for office decide to change your positions, that is fine. If you do change your positions on some issues, just remember to tell the public someone reminded you about the Constitution. Sometimes we all get a much needed wake up call. I had mine in February of 1993.
--- Ortega For Mayor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Yes. If elected mayor I would sign a smoking ban that included all bars and restaurants in St. Paul.
I sent a letter to Mayor Kelly clearly outlining that position and encouraged him to sign the ordinance passed by the St. Paul City Council in September, 2004. This was a position I advocated in the papers and to my colleagues on the county board before we passed our version. I supported a total ban at the county level but the votes weren't there to pass it.
Rafael Ortega Ramsey County Commissioner District 5 www.ortegaformayor.com
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