Neo-Puritans

Do you realize that in this country, there are people who are concerned that someone, somewhere, is having fun? These people can be on the Left and on the Right. Politics has no bounds when it comes to stamping out the activies that they object to.

This new Puritan movement can often turn on itself. A few years ago, these new Puritans were concerned that people weren't wearing seat belts and were dying in crashes. So they had seat belt laws passed and they got airbags in all cars. Then when children were being killed by the airbags, they lobbied to get a Federal law that allows people to turn off the airbags!

Some New Puritans are convinced that homosexuals are going to get their own checkout lane in the supermarket (or something) and they're trying to stamp that out.

Most states have very strict no smoking laws. In New York a couple of years ago, the New York Post reported that the city's health department searched Players Club and found, in the manager's office, three stacked, clean ashtrays. That's it. No cigar or cigarette butts. No matches. No lighters. And no ashes, either. The club removed all the ashtrays when New York passed its smoking ban in public places. The health department had received a tip that "smoking was occurring in that office." The club now faces a fine from $200 to $2000 as a result of these clean ashtrays simply being on the property. In New York City, ashtrays are like WMDs.

You want to know where these New Puritans are going next? Here's a link to a page from Trust For a Smoke Free Texas. Notice the waitress holding a bottle of beer and a glass? That's what they are going to aim for next.

Giving up a right, any right, puts us on a slippery slope that endangers all of our rights.