News, Statewide Ban Takes Effect July 1. (attorney, home, to buy)

[JD59]

Starting July 1st, you will no longer be able to buy a novelty lighter here in Tennessee. This comes after a NewsChannel 5 investigation exposed the dangers earlier this year of these lighters that often look just like toys.

NewsChannel 5.com - Nashville, Tennessee - Statewide Ban Takes Effect July 1

[Watertown Gal]

Another stupid ban from our moronic legislators. Why don't they just ban everything that people like to do and be done with it?

[bbkaren]

Good grief, don't liberals have anything better to do? Even in beautiful TN? Very discouraging, the more you hear about this sort of thing.

What's next, banning sharp knives?

Swimming pools?

Nonsense.

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

Good grief, don't liberals have anything better to do? Even in beautiful TN? Very discouraging, the more you hear about this sort of thing.

Liberals?

A Republican sponsored the Senate bill, and plenty of Republicans voted for it. The State Fire Marshall's Office supported it, as well.

[jabogitlu]

Yeah, I don't much think it's a liberal thing. Granted, we have a Democratic governor, but this is a blood red state. (80% for amendment 1, anyone?)

[bbkaren]

Well, bans like this are liberal behavior in my opinion. I am aware that TN is traditionally red but more and more is being infiltrated, seems to me at least...in NJ bans like this are considered all the time--

every time someone gets hurt they decide to forgo personal responsibility for the incident, and blame the item, often attempting to ban it.

(For instance, it recently happened when a child entangled himself in those fake spider webs and nearly suffocated; they tried to ban those.)

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

Well, bans like this are liberal behavior in my opinion. I am aware that TN is traditionally red but more and more is being infiltrated, seems to me at least...in NJ bans like this are considered all the time--

every time someone gets hurt they decide to forgo personal responsibility for the incident, and blame the item, often attempting to ban it.

(For instance, it recently happened when a child entangled himself in those fake spider webs and nearly suffocated; they tried to ban those.)

"Infiltrated"?!

I never thought of my civil rights attorney partner and my college professor self as "infiltrating" this state. Not to mention my Tennessee native friends who call themselves liberals. I think of them as American citizens who have one of many legitimate political stances.

I'm bowing out of this thread because it's going in a direction that I'd rather not get involved in.

[bbkaren]

Sorry if it came off wrong (although I suspect maybe it didn't; it just hit a little too close to home for you--sorry if your feelings were hurt).

I'm just a fan of personal accountability rather than blaming a product when something bad happens.

You can call me a nasty old conservative redneck if you'd like...I can take it.

[20yrsinBranson]

poorly supervised children were starting fires with "non-novelty" lighters and with matches for decades before lighters were even invented.

There is no subsitute for parental supervision, control and discipline.

The government makes a poor substitute for parents, IMHO

20yrsinBranson

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by bbkaren

Sorry if it came off wrong (although I suspect maybe it didn't; it just hit a little too close to home for you--sorry if your feelings were hurt).

I'm just a fan of personal accountability rather than blaming a product when something bad happens.

You can call me a nasty old conservative redneck if you'd like...I can take it.

I don't call people names based on their political beliefs. I may disagree with them, but we're all in this together.

And please don't assume what I'm feeling -- it didn't "hit a little too close to home." If you don't want to apologize, then don't.

Given the political climate in Tennessee, I have to have much thicker skin than a "conservative redneck." On top of my liberalism, I'm not a Christian, and I went to Vermont to enter into a civil union with my partner. I deal with criticism all the time.

So don't minimize this into an issue of "hurt feelings." We're all grown-ups here, but there are all kinds of people participating in these forums. It's important to be aware of that.