The flavor of freedom

Dear Editor,

Are people so lacking in mental acuity that they've forgotten what happened when alcohol was outlawed, or are they certain that it won't happen this time with cigarettes?

Americans are an unruly lot in some cases, so when booze went by the wayside, it became a status thing to know who was drinking and where they got it.

People who had never had a previous desire to drink decided to try it just because it was illegal and someone said it was bad. My grandmother made and sold bootleg beer to feed her kids by her own account and my dad ran moonshine out of Missouri into Chicago.

I hope that cigarettes are outlawed. Then all of the people who don't like tobacco will see how much of their 401K money was tied up in that particular stock. Your money will be gone and I'll be smoking a bootleg cigarette and laughing.

If you know that people smoke in a particular place, stay out. I don't care for people's sick or unruly kids so I try to go to the stores when I know I won't have to listen to or dodge said sources of aggravation. I see no reason I should be subjected to sickness just because someone thinks they have to drag a sick child to the store.

No, not all things are harmful to all people. Vioxx was a drug for people with arthritis. It helped an enormous number of people, but it did contribute to the death of some. There is concern that Celebrex might do the same thing. I guess that means that no matter what we do, we are not going to live forever in spite of the best efforts of some to do so.

I can't think of a single thing that people do that meets with the approval of all people, so before you go creating new laws to stop what you don't like, look at what you do and see if maybe someone else might like to see it outlawed.

For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.

Signed,

Robert A. Yost

McCook