Pubdate: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 Source: Corsicana Daily Sun (TX) Copyright: 2004 Corsicana Daily Sun. Contact: http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2968 Forum: http://corsicanadailysun.com/guestbook/ Author: Kat Dillon SEEKING FREEDOM To the Editor: Imagine you could raise your child in an environment where he could never choose wrong. If you shielded him from every temptation to hurt, to steal or to harm himself, would that be good for him? What kind of person would he grow up to be? What would become of him when at last despite all your efforts, he meets the unexpected temptation? This person would grow up to be a moral weakling. I see the nanny government trying to make the difficult choices for people, trying to shield them from the consequences of making bad decisions. If a person chooses to be a drunk, unable to work, the nanny state cares for him, protecting him from the serious consequences of his choices. The government is trying to remove the option to make bad choices in the first place. An example is the "dry counties" in Texas. A moral choice cannot be made when there is no choice at all. People may have a good reason for drinking. A glass of wine has been shown to improve heart health. The person to determine what is best for his life is the individual himself. Another example is marijuana. My father lives in constant pain and is wasting from lack of appetite. Marijuana would help with these conditions and others such as glaucoma. I know my father to be the type of person who wouldn't abuse drugs, yet he is forbidden to use this drug. He is the person who should make this choice, not politicians who've never met him and know nothing about his life. I'm not writing this just to complain, I'll do my utmost to change these types of laws, to encourage people to wean themselves from the nanny state. . I want freedom in this lifetime. Kat Dillon - --- MAP posted-by: Josh