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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
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#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