Re: Are Islam and Democracy Incompatible?

Herman Rubin wrote:
> neptune3 wrote:
> > We should outlaw heroin and prostitution. A nation progresses by
> > doing that.
>
> This is definitely NOT clear for either.  Learn the facts,
> and do not impose your Christian opinion, or your objection
> to drugs based on unreasonable fear of addiction.  We have
> no evidence whatever that heroin addicts, if they can get
> their heroin legally, are a danger to anyone.  And in the
> most progressive part of American history, prostitution was
> largely legal.

I do agree with him as far as heroin is concerned: The probability of 
addiction is by far too high with this substance so I don't think 
there's good reason to be concerned about heroin.

I think it should not be allowed to commerically produce heroin or to 
deal with it. I wouldn't mind supporting addicts with their drug to 
destroy the market.

Other drugs might be handled in a different way.

> > ...
> > Libertarians are for legalizing heroin and prostitution. Maybe you
> > don't call that leftist. Whatever it is I am against it.
>
> Then you do not believe in freedom.  You, and I, think that
> these are not good.  But the heroin addict functions well if
> he gets his heroin (Britain does this), and attempting to
> "cure" the addiction can do harm and is not too successful.
> The "Father of American Surgery" was a morphine addict during
> his reasonably long and useful life after kicking cocaine.

The problem is the high potential of heroin to give somebody power over 
addicts.

> As for prostitution, keep it in the open, rather than making
> it illegal.  Not every "bad" thing should be illegal, or the
> good things which the government considers bad will also get
> banned.

Agreed: As long as the free will of a person is not threatened in an 
unreasonable way I don't see a problem.

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