Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!cca!ima!johnl From: johnl@ima.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: Smoking and the Burden of Proof - (nf) Message-ID: <345@ima.UUCP> Date: Fri, 17-Jun-83 18:36:59 EDT Article-I.D.: ima.345 Posted: Fri Jun 17 18:36:59 1983 Date-Received: Sat, 18-Jun-83 16:21:55 EDT Lines: 20 #R:watdaisy:-20700:ima:14600005:000:712 ima!johnl Jun 17 11:10:00 1983 Here's a straw man for the burden of proof crowd (to be set on fire by the flaming, I suppose.) A: I sit down in a restaurant. The person at the next table lights up a cigarette, which smells awful, gets all over my clothes and food, and quite possibly causes cancer and emphysema. B: I sit down in a restaurant. The person at the next table gets up and urinates all over the table, which smells awful, gets all over my clothes and food, but does not cause cancer or emphysema (or anything else for that matter.) I claim the burden of proof is to explain why A is less offensive than B. Just because people urinate in public places all the time doesn't mean that it isn't offensive. John Levine, ima!johnl