I am writing in response to Roland Bennett’s letter about freedom that appeared Dec. 14. It is obvious that, like many people addicted to a substance, in this case nicotine, Bennett does not understand what freedom means in a society where everyone is free. Nor does he understand the purpose of the Constitution, so much so that in an attempt to quote it, he actually quoted an entirely different document – the Declaration of Independence.

The Constitution is a legal document that was created to form a government that would protect the freedoms of all people, not just a minority or a majority within that group.

In the past, smoking in public had been viewed by nonsmokers as offensive. Offensive behavior, to a certain extent, is a protected freedom and so nonsmokers were forced to tolerate it. More recent studies, conducted or paid for by people who were not trying to sell cigarettes, demonstrated the dangers of secondhand smoke.

Smoking in public is a practice that threatens the health, and therefore the freedom, of people exposed to it. Threats are not protected by the Constitution. Further, expecting nonsmokers to avoid places allowing smoking is a limit on the freedom of others.

I applaud Chicago’s efforts to protect the people who visit its public places. I hope that all people can accept that they do not have the freedom to threaten or limit the freedom of other people in public places.

David Leclerc, Gilead