Smoking and the MLPA

[AquaticHunter]

What does smoking have to do with the MLPA? Nothing and everything.

Once upon a time you could light up a cigarette anywhere you wanted if you were so inclined. Aside from a rare owner of private property (like my parents) asking politely for someone go outside, there were no laws hindering someone from enjoying a legal activity on private or public property.

Then one day someone with very unscientific data on second hand smoke (let’s call them smoking Nazis for name sake) came up with a “reasonable plan.” They decided to force private property owners to enforce a small “non smoking section” in their restaurants. Who could disagree? It was just a small area that this legal activity could not be enjoyed.

The restaurant owners meekly objected based on their mistaken belief that business would suffer and not on stronger constitutional grounds. Ends up it didn’t hurt business.

Soon the smoking Nazis were emboldened to ask for more legislation reversing it into the small “smoking section” at the back of the restaurant.

Some smokers actually went along with the scheme claiming to be “enlightened” and were glad to have some freedoms taken away from themselves because they (or to keep it accurate.. their spouse) would be forced to quit smoking because of the new laws and wouldn’t stink so much.

About this time they created a smoking section and relegated it to the back of commercial airline flights.

Seeing how few people objected to the previous smoking bans, they were emboldened to go for what they really wanted all along.

They next banned all smoking on flights under 2 hours. Next they banned smoking on all commercial flights. Next they banned smoking in all restaurants. Next they banned smoking in all bars so the smokers were forced to go outside. Next they banned smoking OUTSIDE of restaurants and bars. Next they banned smoking in campgrounds, beaches, parking lots, cars, condominiums and who knows what’s next.

It’s easy for the smoking Nazis to pass any smoking ban at this point and it hardly gets an objection. Freedom loving smokers are done fighting. It’s still a legal activity but where can someone go outside their residence to enjoy that legal activity?

So what does smoking have to do with the MLPA? Learn from the smoking analogy. Once we lose the smoking section in the back of the restaurant… it’s all over.

Incrementally they take the entire thing.

Be there on October 20, 2010