If it weren't for terrorists bombing a Madrid Train in 2004, I would still hear the chirpy chirpy chipry ring tones at every restaurant, performance, theatre or event. Cell phone jammers were made as a counter terrorism measure by the Israeli Secret Service, but its legal and illegal application is growing. In the US and Europe, cell phone jamming is illegal yet there are hundreds of private sales of jammers to these countries. In Japan and France, cell phone jammers are commonly used (with permit) in theaters and concert halls. India uses them to keep their disobedient politicians in Parliament from making/receiving calls while the parliament is in session. Canada is currently reviewing it cell phone jamming laws to include permit use of jammers...hurray for the new found silence!!

The big problem I have with this idea is that while a ringing cell phone during a movie, etc. is an annoyance for most people, it's a necessity for some.  What about the guy whose expecting girlfriend suddenly goes into labour, or the person with a family member who has been on their deathbed for a couple of weeks, but they need to get out with their friends for a break?  

I'm willing to accept the annoyance because of cases like these, but I would hope that people would have the courtesy to set their phones to vibrate, and leave the theater (or whatever) before talking if a call does come in.  I think that people who don't observe these courtesies should be removed from the venue, the people with legitimate emergencies would be leaving anyway, so it wouldn't matter to them, and it could be enough of a deterrent for those who are just discourteous.

I think you've hit on the real problem, people these days are terribly discourteous.  From how they drive ("I must get ahead of you!"), how they dine (they'd rather talk on the cell phone than with the person their with), to even how they treat the world (where do you see people throwing their cigarette butts?).  Nobody seems willing to suffer any inconvenience for the sake of others.  To hell with walking twenty feet to a trash bin, I'm throwing my garbage down here.  Let someone else clean it up.

This weekend while camping, EVERYONE kept walking through other peoples' camp sites... RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM.  They didn't give a damn.  There was a sign that said "Please don't dump your propane tanks here".  Guess what was right beneath it.  Discarded propane tank.  Courtesy is a lost art.

To bring it back to Chiquita's point, if people were courteous, there would be no need for cell phone jammers.

Jeej can confirm this since he was in Australia, the land o' criminals.  In Australia if you litter your cigarette butt it's a $25,000 fine!  There is this pristine silica sand beach there and if you litter it is a $500,000 fine!

There are no real reprocussions here for littering.  I hate to say it, but if people don't respond to polite requests they will with hefty fines.

I wish Canada would adopt these fines for littering....people just have no respect for others it seems