Crossbowman:"It would seem that government exists basically because, once the community grows past a couple of hundred souls, we can't trust each other to be either ethical or competent. And of course government itself is not always competent. "

Just curious, CBM, what exactly brought you back to this topic?

Maybe the least government-intrusive solution would be merely to require politicians and musicians appearing in crowded halls to have a minimum I.Q. requirement for themselves and for attenders, and to have everybody there show that they passed a written fire-safety literacy test (compare for gun rights-permits) within the past 3 years about this Rhode Island terror.

I myself worry about all of the plastic and foreign-manufactured burnable products that I allow into my house, but then, I haven't installed a sprinkler system yet, and besides, I don't smoke. Also, I never have a fire in the fireplace-insert close to bedtime.