Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Soap Box

I am responding to Samantha Hansen's opinion piece, "Nothing 'right' about too much freedom for smokers." This piece aggravated me because of the lack of citation and the general subject matter. When Hansen stated "one physician, commenting on this new state measure, noted that only a 'knucklehead' would smoke in a car with children present" she took that statement out of context. The statement was taken from a Bangor Daily News article run on Jan. 23, 2008. In the article the physician actually said "Anyone who smokes in a car in front of kids is a knucklehead, but I'm afraid that in a couple of years we'll be back, talking about the progress we've made and thinking about taking the next step."

The Maine state legislature is considering two new bills to enact a statewide law that would outlaw smoking in cars with children - anyone 17 or younger. An ordinance was recently enacted in Bangor that is similar to the ones that have been submitted at the state level. Although some people believe that the law in Bangor has been a major success, I am not sure I agree. After speaking with a Bangor police officer, he informed me that there have been only a few citations in over a year. It seems to me that this law is ineffective. If there have been only a few citations, it may be because the police are not pulling over every smoker who looks as if he or she may have a child in their vehicle, or that people are actually not smoking with children in the car.

I do not believe in this legislation because it is an infringement of rights. One day they take away the rights of people to smoke in cars with children, the next day they are taking away the rights of people to smoke at all. Didn't our country already go over this with prohibition in 1919? It did not work then - why would it work now?

Hansen used Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech to make her point that people should not have the right to smoke. As I recall, Dr. King was a chain smoker and periodically smoked in front of his children. Does this make him less of a leader? I think not. He was fighting for rights of his people and now some are trying to take those rights away. Would Dr. King approve of this legislation, which would ultimately takes away the rights he died to protect?

Everyone can have their own opinion on smoking - but please, do not impose these ideas upon the rest of us. I do not believe in smoking while children are present but I will not try to tell others how to raise their children. It is their right to raise their children freely.

Ellie Barker is a first-year political science and secondary education double major.

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