Another assault on freedom looms large

It is very sad to contemplate that the ancient Sumerians (the guys who probably invented beer) and the Mayans (the guys who first smoked tobacco) may have had more civil rights than our “enlightened” society is destined to have.

Why such a depressing thought? Well, a new British study designed to rank drugs in terms of their harm to society found:

New “landmark” research finds that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than some illegal drugs like marijuana or Ecstasy and should be classified as such in legal systems, according to a new British study.

J. K. Rowling, Multiple Sclerosis, and the Problems Inherent in Socialized Medicine

J. K. Rowling is unhappy with the Scottish Medicines Consortium prioritization of health care expenditures:

JK ROWLING yesterday condemned a decision to deny multiple sclerosis patients in Scotland access to a drug on the grounds of cost.

The Harry Potter author, whose mother suffered MS, broke her silence on the Scottish Medicines Consortium’s refusal to recommend Tysabri ahead of a debate on the drug by MSPs tomorrow.

Rowling said cost should not dictate the use of a drug which could help tackle a serious illness such as MS.

In December, the SMC said the economic case for Tysabri – which costs £15,000 a year per patient – had not been demonstrated.

A little more on self-defense in the UK

From the Telegraph we have an example of a policewoman following proper procedure when confronted with an armed criminal:

A policewoman described yesterday how she was left screaming in agony after being shot at point blank range trying to arrest a suspected burglar.

Rachael Bown, 23, said that despite yelling at him not to shoot her, she heard a bang as the gunman ran past and felt excruciating pain down her right side.

Actually I’m not sure that she might not get in trouble after all. I don’t believe you’re supposed to shout at criminals, since that might lead to undue stress.

Her partner managed to get a shot off:

“Then Martin sprayed CS gas at him. The man kept coming. I saw a black object in his hand and assumed it was the firearm. “As he ran between us Martin CS’d him again.

Armed with shouts and gas. Brilliant.

Seriously, though, what kind of system leaves their law enforcement officers this helpless in the presence of an armed criminal? Not to mention its citizens?

The right to self-defense

Ace just put up a post trying to help Jackie Danicki find the two thugs who assaulted her on the London Tube. Amid the sympathy generated for Ms. Danicki, the incident stimulated a secondary discussion concerning the lack of a right of self-defense in the UK. Since I was going on about rights the other day, I figured this would be a good time to revisit the subject of the right to self-defense.

Most of my quotes will come from an article by the Cato Insitute entitled “Self Defense: An Endangered Right.” I encourage you to read the whole article.

Is health care a “right?”

[Horribly long, what with all the historical stuff - I apologize]

Liberals and conservatives often have a difficult time communicating because they have different definitions for words. A “good economy,” for example, means one thing to conservatives (a healthy economy) and another to liberals (a just economy). This is a leading contributor to the lamentable rarity of rational debate on the issues.

The definition of a human “right” is another area where a huge gulf underlays liberal/conservative discussions, but is rarely addressed directly. So what is a “right?”

The tightening noose

[This is a skeleton of what will someday be a much more better type of essay]

The couple who were banned from smoking in their own home reminded me of my long-standing fear for the preservation of civil liberties. The threats to civil liberties come from 3 sources: liberals, conservatives, and the government. All three claim to celebrate civil liberties, but all 3 have only whittled them away.

Nearly at the bottom of the slippery slope

You knew the ban of cigarette smoking in workplaces, then in restaurants and bars, and then in public places, would continue to creep and encroach on the liberties of smokers. You weren’t wrong:

Condo owners lose right to smoke in own home