christcorp
Member
Just one Man's Opinion
I know most people like to use the word RIGHTS. E.g. "I have the RIGHT to ......."; "That's MY RIGHT"; etc... Especially when it comes to the constitution and the Bill of Rights. Unfortunately, something can only be a RIGHT if you actually OWN it; that no MAN can GIVE it to you; and no MAN can take it away. A privilege on the other hand is something that the OWNER of something GRANTS to another person. I.e. "Allowing you to cross my land, is a privilege that I GRANT TO YOU". I can take away that privilege any time I want to. You don't have any RIGHT to cross my land.
So, why do I bring this up. Because as much as people want to believe that our "Bill of Rights" are RIGHTS that the government does NOT GIVE us; and therefor can NOT TAKE AWAY from us; that actually isn't quite correct. And that is a very scary thing. There's a lot of complacency with our people. Many have no idea how fragile our constitution really is. Yet, because of how it was designed, it is very strong a durable. However; if we stay complacent; don't learn the REAL MEANING of the constitution; read and interpret what we want to believe instead of what's there; then we can potentially lose what we INTERPRET as Rights! I say interpret, because even the word "RIGHTS" have many Theoretical Distinctions. This is not an opinion, this is truth. And because of these distinctions; also known as "SEMANTICS"; what you may consider to be a "RIGHT" may not actually be one. Here are some things to think about. They can be food for thought; used to debate and comment; or used for toilet paper. But I truly believe that even thinking about them is very important.
"Rights" is a terms that many people believe is something that THEY HAVE POSSESSION of; not given by man; nor able to be taken away by man. I agree. Unfortunately, many of what people have written, said, and believe to be rights; actually aren't. And that's what scares me.
1. A "RIGHT" is something that CAN'T be taken away. Therefor; if a government can take away a person's RIGHT to vote, free speech, gun, etc... (EVEN TO JUST 1 PERSON); then it technically CAN NOT BE A RIGHT!!! A Right CAN'T be taken away. If a felon CAN'T possess a gun; then "Keep and Bear Arms" was NEVER a right for this individual, but rather a PRIVILEGE. A privilege that has been revoked. A person screaming obscenities or yelling fire in a theater, who is escorted out, therefor NEVER had the RIGHT to the government not "abridging the freedom of speech". It was simply a privilege that they revoked; albeit temporarily.
2. The constitution is simply a document that describes what power that "WE THE PEOPLE" have given; to the government. And as such; "We The People" have the ability to take back. Most people read the constitution and the "Bill of Rights" as though it is a list of all the things that "WE" have a right to. On the contrary. Read it closely and you'll see that the "Bill of Rights" specifically is a list of what the GOVERNMENT CAN NOT DO!!! I.e. The Government WON'T abridge your freedom to speak; WON'T infringe on you to keep and bear arms; WON'T search your house, person, property, etc... without REASON and approval; etc...
3. Remember; it was the "DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE" that actually gave us RIGHTS. These are "INALIENABLE" rights. "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". Inalienable means they are natural. They aren't bound by any law. And the PURPOSE of the "Bill of Rights" was so that the government would not INFRINGE on our "ACTUAL RIGHTS" of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". Every supposed RIGHT that many read in the "Bill of Rights" is not actually a "RIGHT". It is a clarification on the LIMITS of the Government, so that they wouldn't INFRINGE on the Rights of the People.
4. My final thought is that it was the "STATES" at the time who ratified and put the "Constitution" into force for the federal government. So that they could clearly define what power the different branches of Federal government would have. And they clearly state in the 10th amendment, that any power not specifically granted/delegated to the federal government, would reside with the State Government and People. This has been lost. We have allowed the Federal government to Blackmail, Extort, bully, etc... the states into doing the Federal Government's will instead of the Federal Government doing the state's will. E.g. There is no federal law that says the drinking age is to be 21 years old. However; the federal government has made it clear that if a state DOESN'T enact an age limit on alcohol consumption of 21 years old; the state would no longer receive federal highway funds. Which too, it was intended that the STATES would provide the federal government with funds. Not the federal government capable of generating their own funds.
This is what worries me the most. That there are those who think because they read the word “RIGHTS” that it is something that the government can't take away. Well, that's not true. The government takes away such Rights all the time. And they do it by PROXY; because “We The People” have given/allowed them the power to do such a thing. Because it was “We The People” who WROTE the Constitution of the United States saying what POWER we would allow the government to have. And even though we called them RIGHTS; we knew that because “We The People” consisted of MORE than one person; that such RIGHTS would have to have “Responsibilities” associated with them BY “We The People”. And if “We The People” were irresponsible, then such “Rights” could be tempered. And that's why it's important to realize that the only True Rights we have are those in the Declaration of Independence which mention “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. That the “Bill of Rights” is simply a means of putting RESTRICTIONS on the government so they wouldn't infringe on our Rights of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. But even though the Declaration actually mentions our RIGHTS; RIGHTS have to be considerate of OTHER PEOPLE'S RIGHTS. And that's why, even though no MAN gave us those rights; MAN can temporarily restrict those RIGHTS. E.g. Prison sentence. I.e. If you Kill another person, your LIBERTY will be taken away from you; which will stop any “Pursuit of Happiness” that you may have wanted. And in some states, even your LIFE can be taken away from you. So, as "We The People", we need to stay alert and realize that when the government does something we don't agree with, that it is "We The People" who have elected them to do it. And only "We The People" can remove them from office.
I know most people like to use the word RIGHTS. E.g. "I have the RIGHT to ......."; "That's MY RIGHT"; etc... Especially when it comes to the constitution and the Bill of Rights. Unfortunately, something can only be a RIGHT if you actually OWN it; that no MAN can GIVE it to you; and no MAN can take it away. A privilege on the other hand is something that the OWNER of something GRANTS to another person. I.e. "Allowing you to cross my land, is a privilege that I GRANT TO YOU". I can take away that privilege any time I want to. You don't have any RIGHT to cross my land.
So, why do I bring this up. Because as much as people want to believe that our "Bill of Rights" are RIGHTS that the government does NOT GIVE us; and therefor can NOT TAKE AWAY from us; that actually isn't quite correct. And that is a very scary thing. There's a lot of complacency with our people. Many have no idea how fragile our constitution really is. Yet, because of how it was designed, it is very strong a durable. However; if we stay complacent; don't learn the REAL MEANING of the constitution; read and interpret what we want to believe instead of what's there; then we can potentially lose what we INTERPRET as Rights! I say interpret, because even the word "RIGHTS" have many Theoretical Distinctions. This is not an opinion, this is truth. And because of these distinctions; also known as "SEMANTICS"; what you may consider to be a "RIGHT" may not actually be one. Here are some things to think about. They can be food for thought; used to debate and comment; or used for toilet paper. But I truly believe that even thinking about them is very important.
"Rights" is a terms that many people believe is something that THEY HAVE POSSESSION of; not given by man; nor able to be taken away by man. I agree. Unfortunately, many of what people have written, said, and believe to be rights; actually aren't. And that's what scares me.
1. A "RIGHT" is something that CAN'T be taken away. Therefor; if a government can take away a person's RIGHT to vote, free speech, gun, etc... (EVEN TO JUST 1 PERSON); then it technically CAN NOT BE A RIGHT!!! A Right CAN'T be taken away. If a felon CAN'T possess a gun; then "Keep and Bear Arms" was NEVER a right for this individual, but rather a PRIVILEGE. A privilege that has been revoked. A person screaming obscenities or yelling fire in a theater, who is escorted out, therefor NEVER had the RIGHT to the government not "abridging the freedom of speech". It was simply a privilege that they revoked; albeit temporarily.
2. The constitution is simply a document that describes what power that "WE THE PEOPLE" have given; to the government. And as such; "We The People" have the ability to take back. Most people read the constitution and the "Bill of Rights" as though it is a list of all the things that "WE" have a right to. On the contrary. Read it closely and you'll see that the "Bill of Rights" specifically is a list of what the GOVERNMENT CAN NOT DO!!! I.e. The Government WON'T abridge your freedom to speak; WON'T infringe on you to keep and bear arms; WON'T search your house, person, property, etc... without REASON and approval; etc...
3. Remember; it was the "DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE" that actually gave us RIGHTS. These are "INALIENABLE" rights. "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". Inalienable means they are natural. They aren't bound by any law. And the PURPOSE of the "Bill of Rights" was so that the government would not INFRINGE on our "ACTUAL RIGHTS" of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". Every supposed RIGHT that many read in the "Bill of Rights" is not actually a "RIGHT". It is a clarification on the LIMITS of the Government, so that they wouldn't INFRINGE on the Rights of the People.
4. My final thought is that it was the "STATES" at the time who ratified and put the "Constitution" into force for the federal government. So that they could clearly define what power the different branches of Federal government would have. And they clearly state in the 10th amendment, that any power not specifically granted/delegated to the federal government, would reside with the State Government and People. This has been lost. We have allowed the Federal government to Blackmail, Extort, bully, etc... the states into doing the Federal Government's will instead of the Federal Government doing the state's will. E.g. There is no federal law that says the drinking age is to be 21 years old. However; the federal government has made it clear that if a state DOESN'T enact an age limit on alcohol consumption of 21 years old; the state would no longer receive federal highway funds. Which too, it was intended that the STATES would provide the federal government with funds. Not the federal government capable of generating their own funds.
This is what worries me the most. That there are those who think because they read the word “RIGHTS” that it is something that the government can't take away. Well, that's not true. The government takes away such Rights all the time. And they do it by PROXY; because “We The People” have given/allowed them the power to do such a thing. Because it was “We The People” who WROTE the Constitution of the United States saying what POWER we would allow the government to have. And even though we called them RIGHTS; we knew that because “We The People” consisted of MORE than one person; that such RIGHTS would have to have “Responsibilities” associated with them BY “We The People”. And if “We The People” were irresponsible, then such “Rights” could be tempered. And that's why it's important to realize that the only True Rights we have are those in the Declaration of Independence which mention “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. That the “Bill of Rights” is simply a means of putting RESTRICTIONS on the government so they wouldn't infringe on our Rights of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. But even though the Declaration actually mentions our RIGHTS; RIGHTS have to be considerate of OTHER PEOPLE'S RIGHTS. And that's why, even though no MAN gave us those rights; MAN can temporarily restrict those RIGHTS. E.g. Prison sentence. I.e. If you Kill another person, your LIBERTY will be taken away from you; which will stop any “Pursuit of Happiness” that you may have wanted. And in some states, even your LIFE can be taken away from you. So, as "We The People", we need to stay alert and realize that when the government does something we don't agree with, that it is "We The People" who have elected them to do it. And only "We The People" can remove them from office.