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␈↓ ↓H␈↓α␈↓ αwWHY THE ANTI-SMOKING PETITION SHOULDN'T BE SIGNED

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_The␈α∞current␈α
anti-smoking␈α∞movement␈α
represents␈α∞a␈α
periodic␈α∞reappearance␈α
of␈α∞the␈α∞spirit␈α
that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓led␈α
to␈α
prohibition␈α
in␈α
1918␈α
and␈α
has␈α
led␈α
to␈α
religious␈α
persecutions␈α
in␈α
the␈α
past.␈α
 The␈α
spirit␈αmagnifies␈α
a
␈↓ ↓H␈↓real␈αor␈α
fancied␈αevil,␈α
and␈αsupposes␈αthat␈α
the␈αworld␈α
can␈αbe␈αimproved␈α
by␈αsuppressing␈α
some␈αpractice.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Some␈α
practices␈α
should␈α
be␈α∞suppressed,␈α
so␈α
the␈α
error␈α
is␈α∞quantitative␈α
rather␈α
than␈α
qualitative␈α∞in␈α
this
␈↓ ↓H␈↓case.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_I␈αhave␈αnever␈α
smoked,␈αand␈αI␈αam␈α
convinced␈αby␈αthe␈αevidence␈α
that␈αsmoking␈αis␈α
ccrrelated␈αwith
␈↓ ↓H␈↓lung␈αcancer␈αand␈αcirculatory␈αdiseases.␈α I␈αhave␈αmy␈αdoubts␈αabout␈αthe␈αmore␈αrecent␈αfindings␈αthat␈αclaim
␈↓ ↓H␈↓it␈α
harms␈α∞non-smokers,␈α
because␈α
the␈α∞studies␈α
are␈α
riding␈α∞a␈α
wave␈α
of␈α∞intolerance␈α
and␈α
may␈α∞be␈α
biased.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Besides,␈α
extrapolating␈α
the␈αstatistics␈α
on␈α
harm␈αto␈α
smokers␈α
down␈αto␈α
the␈α
level␈αof␈α
inhalation␈α
by␈αnon-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓smokers in smoke-filled rooms don't lead to any such conclusion.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_The␈α∂promoters␈α∞of␈α∂the␈α∂anti-smoking␈α∞petition␈α∂within␈α∞the␈α∂AI␈α∂Lab␈α∞exhibit␈α∂the␈α∂intolerance␈α∞I
␈↓ ↓H␈↓fear,␈αas␈αevidenced␈αby␈αextreme␈αstatements␈αlike␈αthe␈αassertion␈αby␈αBH␈αthat␈αsmoking␈αin␈αa␈αpublic␈αplace
␈↓ ↓H␈↓should be regarded as manslaughter.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_Arguments␈α
analogous␈α
to␈α
those␈αfavoring␈α
the␈α
petition␈α
may␈αbe␈α
made␈α
against␈α
allowing␈αpeople␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓drive␈αcars␈α(which␈αmay␈α
hit␈αsomeone)␈αor␈αeat␈α
food␈αin␈αthe␈αLab␈α(which␈α
may␈αbe␈αleft␈αaround␈α
to␈αattract
␈↓ ↓H␈↓flies␈α⊃that␈α∩carry␈α⊃disease).␈α⊃ In␈α∩the␈α⊃past␈α∩analogous␈α⊃arguments␈α⊃have␈α∩been␈α⊃made␈α∩against␈α⊃allowing
␈↓ ↓H␈↓swearing␈α⊂(which␈α⊂can␈α⊂bring␈α⊂God's␈α⊂wrath␈α⊂down␈α∂on␈α⊂all␈α⊂of␈α⊂us),␈α⊂drinking␈α⊂alcohol␈α⊂(which␈α⊂leads␈α∂to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓failure␈α∂to␈α∂support␈α∂one's␈α∂family),␈α∂obscene␈α∂language,␈α∂women's␈α∂clothes␈α∂regarded␈α∂as␈α∂provocative,␈α∞or
␈↓ ↓H␈↓speech␈α⊂that␈α⊂encourages␈α⊂subversion␈α⊂of␈α⊂the␈α⊂current␈α⊂government.␈α⊂ Of␈α⊂course,␈α⊂differences␈α∂between
␈↓ ↓H␈↓these␈αpast␈αprohibitory␈αexcesses␈αand␈αthe␈αproposed␈αcrackdown␈αon␈αsmoking␈αcan␈αbe␈αfound,␈αbut␈αthis␈αis
␈↓ ↓H␈↓a kind of intellectual gerrymandering.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_Infringements␈α∂on␈α∂other␈α∂people's␈α∂rights␈α∂to␈α∂behave␈α∂as␈α∂they␈α∂please␈α∂are␈α⊂sometimes␈α∂necessary,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓though␈αI␈αam␈αinclined␈αto␈αthe␈αopinion␈αthat␈αno␈αnew␈αsuch␈αinfringements␈αare␈αnecessary␈αat␈αpresent.␈α In
␈↓ ↓H␈↓any␈α∪case␈α∪they␈α∀should␈α∪be␈α∪done␈α∀extremely␈α∪carefully.␈α∪ The␈α∀present␈α∪initiative␈α∪is␈α∀written␈α∪rather
␈↓ ↓H␈↓carelessly.  In my opinion any one of the following defects are sufficient to doom it.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_1.␈α
It␈αdistinguishes␈α
only␈αsmokers␈α
and␈αanti-smokers.␈α
 The␈α
class␈αof␈α
people␈αwho␈α
don't␈αsmoke␈α
but
␈↓ ↓H␈↓don't␈αmind␈αit␈αis␈αpresumed␈αto␈αbe␈αthe␈αnull␈αset.␈α Thus␈αonly␈αsmokers␈αmay␈αbe␈αin␈αan␈αoffice␈αthat␈αpermits
␈↓ ↓H␈↓smoking.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_2.␈α
It␈αwould␈α
not␈αpermit␈α
smokers␈αto␈α
establish␈α
a␈αrestaurant␈α
or␈αany␈α
other␈αfacility␈α
catering␈αonly␈α
to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓smokers.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_3.␈α∞It␈α∞could␈α∞generate␈α∂infinite␈α∞fanciful␈α∞litigation.␈α∞ For␈α∞example,␈α∂suppose␈α∞I␈α∞hold␈α∞a␈α∂party␈α∞and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓invite␈αpeople␈αfrom␈αthe␈αLab␈αand␈αpermit␈αsmoking.␈α Suppose␈αsomeone␈αclaims␈αthat␈αwhile␈αthe␈αparty␈αis
␈↓ ↓H␈↓not␈α
an␈αofficial␈α
Lab␈α
function,␈αhe␈α
finds␈α
attendance␈αdesirable␈α
to␈αfurther␈α
his␈α
career␈αin␈α
the␈α
Lab.␈α (In
␈↓ ↓H␈↓some␈αcompanies␈αsuch␈αa␈αclaim␈αwould␈αbe␈αserious;␈αwith␈αthe␈αpresent␈αatmosphere␈αof␈αthe␈αLab,␈αit␈αwould
␈↓ ↓H␈↓probably␈α⊂be␈α⊂frivolous).␈α⊂ If␈α⊂I␈α⊂express␈α⊂resentment␈α⊂at␈α⊂his␈α⊂breaking␈α⊂up␈α⊂my␈α⊂party,␈α⊂and␈α⊂then␈α∂don't
␈↓ ↓H␈↓recommend␈α⊂a␈α∂raise␈α⊂that␈α∂he␈α⊂would␈α⊂like,␈α∂can␈α⊂I␈α∂not␈α⊂be␈α⊂accused␈α∂of␈α⊂taking␈α∂action␈α⊂against␈α⊂him␈α∂on
␈↓ ↓H␈↓account␈αof␈α
his␈αexercising␈α
his␈αrights␈α
under␈αthe␈α
new␈αlaw.␈α
 I␈αclaim␈α
that␈αa␈α
suit␈αon␈α
such␈αgrounds␈α
would
␈↓ ↓H␈↓not␈α∩be␈α∩automatically␈α∩thrown␈α∩out␈α⊃of␈α∩court,␈α∩so␈α∩I␈α∩would␈α⊃have␈α∩to␈α∩defend␈α∩myself␈α∩and␈α∩so␈α⊃would
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Stanford.  This is only one of the possibilities for litigation under the proposed law.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ εH␈↓ 91


␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓ α_Unfortunately,␈α∂the␈α∞proposed␈α∂anti-smoking␈α∞law␈α∂is␈α∂only␈α∞one␈α∂of␈α∞many␈α∂manifestations␈α∂of␈α∞the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓bureaucratic␈αethic␈↓␈αthat␈αis␈αdeveloping␈αthese␈αdays.␈α I␈αpredict␈αthat␈αmany␈αof␈αthe␈αsigners␈αof␈αthe␈αpetition
␈↓ ↓H␈↓will␈α∪find␈α∩some␈α∪of␈α∪the␈α∩others␈α∪most␈α∩unpleasant,␈α∪but␈α∪they␈α∩won't␈α∪see␈α∩any␈α∪analogy␈α∪between␈α∩the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓prohibitions they wish to enforce and the ones they object to.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy