Pubdate: Wed, 07 Jul 2004 Source: Daily Herald, The (Provo, UT) Copyright: 2004 The Daily Herald Contact: http://www.harktheherald.com/index.php?module=FormExpress&func=display_form&form Website: http://www.harktheherald.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1480 Author: Andrew Gibson Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n948/a06.html FREEDOM NOT SYNONYMOUS WITH IRRESPONSIBILITY Kirk Muse's attitude of "I can do anything I want" is not freedom. Being able to do what is right without persecution is freedom. Let's put together a society as Kirk would have. You can take any substance you want inside your home without any legal ramifications. Man gets drunk, kills his wife in his own home. Legal? Yes. He didn't get drunk outside. Or a man gets addicted to a prescription pain killer. He starts breaking into homes, robbing pharmacies, hurting people, only caring about his next fix. If he ever gets caught he will spend time in jail. But he never took a pill outside his home. It's legal. We have mental hospitals with those who took LSD and fried their brains. Homeless on the street desperate for the next fix. Hospitals with incoming patients with overdoses. Who pays for these? Certainly not the "responsible adult" Government has a responsibility to the majority to protect it from the minority. One person with a selfish attitude and actions can make an entire neighborhood unsafe. What will happen if society behaves this way? Does the government have the right to put a stop to this? It has the responsibility to. Andrew Gibson Provo - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake