Sunday, March 04, 2007

Defying the State, A Civil Disobedience Right

The continued intrusion of the state into our individual lives, in most instances, is simply given lip service by individuals who supposedly decry the state’s intrusion.

Rather than actively defying the state through individual actions, many individuals simply acquiesce to the state’s intrusions, moaning and groaning to be sure, but none-the-less complying with the state’s decrees which continue to erode our individual liberties.

Smoking is one of those individual rights which is under continual attack by the state.  Ban, after ban, after ban are being enacted by the state, across America, in addition to tax after tax levied on tobacco products as part of the state’s attempt to control our individual lives.

Are the days long gone wherein free men defied the state by actions rather than simply words?

Not necessarily.  In Hawaii, I am pleased to see that some individual bar owners are defying the state enacted no smoking ban by allowing their customers to smoke in their bars.  I applaud them, and recognize that their actions, in defying the state’s intrusion into their private businesses, are as noteworthy as the events of the Boston Tea Party.

I can only hope that these Hawaii bar owners’ act of defiance of the state will spread the same spirit of resistance further into this country of ours, which is sinking under the burden of state control of our individual lives.

Smokers really light into Hawaii’s ban - Some bar owners defy strict new law; enforcement lax

Posted by John Venlet on 03/04 at 09:30 AM
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