Despite out country's claim to support freedom, we have had a history of legislated morality since Puritan times. Many of our current taboos are leftovers from this period.

On the one hand, this isn't too bad of a thing. Laws against murder are essentially legislated morality. The trouble is that the logic behind these laws is flawed and it tends to lead to laws like no porn, no helmet, no pot, etc.

Too bad the Quakers didn't have more influence. Those guys rocked. They were very much the libertarians of their day. Their pov on the issue mirrors yours (ours) in that morality is a choice and that reason and logic should rule the day. If there had been more quaker influence in our cuture we would have more laws like "don't tread on me" and less like "such and such is morally wrong."

(I am out of dope, and this really isn't helping get my mind off it.)