"...Diving also is not a right, the priviledge is granted to those who demonstrait the skills and knowledge required for that level of certification."
This statement is not correct. No one (in the US) is required, by law, to take SCUBA training or to possess a C-card to go diving. Anyone who wants to can buy a few books, a portable compressor and SCUBA equipment, teach himself to dive and go do it. Other than privately owned SCUBA parks, quarries and dive boats, he is free to dive anywhere in the US that he wants to. He can circumvent the dive boats by getting his own boat and dive the same places that the commercial dive boats do. Many of us older divers did exactly that.
I dived without a C-card for 11 years before I finally decided to get certified.
It might be argued that recreational pursuits come under the heading of "The pursuit of happiness" and therefore are to be considered rights.
If one tries to claim that SCUBA is not a right, then one must also declare that no recreational activity is a right. Skiing, wilderness hiking/camping, skydiving, flying ultralight aircraft, shooting sports, swimming, etc. would then be considered privileges. None of these activities require formal training or licensing under the law and the government has shown little or no interest in changing this. The opposite is actually closer to the truth. For example, over the last three decades, the FAA has gradually lessened the requirements for pilots of certain small aircraft. Single seat ultralight aircraft pilots need no license to fly their planes and the planes themselves are not required to be registered.
The concept of individual rights has been a cornerstone of this nation's foundation since the beginning. Without the right to take personal risks, this country would not have expanded and flourished to near the level that it has. The idea that one must always consider the good of the many over the needs or desires of the individual is a socialist concept and foreign to the very fabric upon which this nation was built. In fact, defending the rights of the individual provides collateral benefits to the society as a whole.
Who would want to live in a society that controls every aspect of daily life under the pretense of performing the "greater good?" There is no such thing as living a safe, secure life. From the moment we are born, we are doomed, inevitably, to die. From that very first breath to the very last, we fight a losing battle against the Grim Reaper. In between, we can chose to live life to the fullest or spend it cowering in fear. Risk is a part of living and we all take risks every day of our lives, whether we realize it or not. Most of the risks we take are so much a part of daily existence that we have developed a system of denial to cover them.
Every day, we climb into machines made of thousands of pounds of steel and hurtle ourselves down the highways at breakneck speeds. We convince ourselves that we are safe because we have our seat belts buckled and modern cars have air bags. But this "safety" is an illusion. Once above a certain velocity, there is no safety equipment that will save you. I would be willing to bet that many of those who decry the idea of individual rights, on the basis that our personal actions must be restricted for the greater good, habitually cruise the Interstate highways at speeds well above the posted limits. Have you ever seen what is left after two vehicles, each traveling in excess of 70 MPH, collide head on? It ain't pretty. Yet the vast majority take just such a risk virtually every day.
Yes, I do believe that each individual has a right to take personal risks, as long as those risks do not directly threaten others. However, I advocate that those taking such risks should weigh them against personal abilities, knowledge, strengths and weaknesses. I do not have any inclination to do such things as bounce dives or deep dives on air and I learned first hand the dangers of cave diving without proper training and equipment, but I also feel it is none of my business if you want to do them. Just don't expect me to come looking for you. You have the right to risk your life doing a bounce (or solo or cave or wreck) dive and I have the right to not risk mine just to recover your corpse. I'll toss a wreath on the waves in your honor. That said, I admire those individuals who have the intestinal fortitude needed to explore the wild places. I only hope that they do so knowing the risks and only after adequate preparation.
Myself, I sometimes like to dive solo. I know the risks and try to reduce them by diving within my personal limits and abilities. It is still a risk but that risk is my right to take.
Human advancement is fueled by risk. Remove the individual's right to take risks and Mankind stagnates. As a species, we thrive on risk and adversity. If we have it too easy, too safe and secure, we get soft and decadent. Without danger, without conflict, we wither and decay emotionally. The need to fight against the odds is so ingrained in the human spirit that we will create artificial risks if none exists otherwise.
I fear that the United States is becoming a nation of wimps who are willing to relinquish rights and freedom in exchange for a false sense of security. Ben Franklin said that anyone who willingly trades liberty for security deserve neither. I agree.
As for the TSA, I feel less safe flying under their "protection." I would rather put my trust in my Army issue Colt 1911 A1 strapped to my hip than a bunch of perverted thieves whose primary contribution to air travel is to rifle through baggage to see what they can steal.
(Pant, pant) Okay. Rant over
