For something a little different this week, I ask the question “Do US Citizens have Rights?” Follow along for a bit, it’s an interesting wander based off a lecture I heard from Michael Badnarik a few years back.
Originally posted (MartialTalk 12-03-2008)
Found elsewhere, chew on it a bit…..
A Natural Right is a liberty that is granted to us by our creator (God). It is inalienable part of our being (it cannot be taken or given away).
Our” rights” are evidenced by the actions we take in exercising these liberties.
To be considered a “right,” an action must be something we can do entirely by ourselves. If we need the help of others in any way, either actively or passively, that action cannot be considered a right.
An action cannot be considered a “right” if it harms another innocent person, damages their property or prohibits another person from freely exercising their liberties.
An inherent part of Natural Rights is the duty to respect the rights of others and not to infringe on the free exercise of those rights by other free people.
We can all use logic and reason to determine what these rights are, and to figure out how far our liberties extend.
Blacks Law Dictionary. Words are defined quite differently sometimes in the legal sense. Take the word “person” for instance…the legal definition of “person” is:
person: In general usage, a human being (ie natural person), though by statue (the) term may include labor organizations, partnerships, associations, corporations, legal representatives, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, or receivers (see 29 USC 152) (The) scope and delineation of (the) term is necessary for determining those to whom (the) Fourteenth Amendment of (the) Constitution affords protection since this Amendment expressly applies to “person”. A corporation is a “person” within (the) meaning of (the) Fourteenth Amendment equal protection and due process provisions of the United States Constitution. (Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. Ward, Ala, 470 US 869
We can also look at corporation:
Corporation: An artificial PERSON or legal entity created by or under the authority of the laws of a state. An association of PERSON created by statute as a legal entity.
Now. Keep this definition in mind as you read the 14th Amendment:
14th Amendment, Section I:
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. (CONGRESS redefined us as CITIZENS rather than WE THE PEOPLE..congress CREATED US CITIZENS)
Jefferson said in the Declaration of Independence :
Unalienable. Many believe it is inalienable..but it is unalienable. The Founding Fathers were all about property rights and contracts. The entire Constitution is concerned with property rights, to include your body, your person, which is your private property.So we conclude, that this amendment refers to all “persons” , which “may include labor organizations, partnerships, associations”- and “corporations”. These persons are “citizens of the United States and (citizens) of the State wherein they reside.” This clause establishes dual citizenship, with “citizens of the United States” apparently taking precedence. Remember that the CREATOR is always held to be more powerful than the created. Becuse Congress has CREATED juristic citizens, they are “subject to the jurisdiction” of Congress.
Follow this timeline:
Key
- AR: Date an Amendment was ratified
- AP: Date of the passage of a Constitutional Amendment
- NA: Notable American event
- NW: Notable World event
- PR: Presidential term begins
- SH: Statehood (for original 13 colonies, date Constitution was ratified)
- WR: An event in a U.S. war
1765/03/22 NA – Declaration of Rights is passed
1770/03/05 NA – Boston Massacre
1773/12/16 NA – Boston Tea Party
1774/03/31 NA – Boston Port Act is passed by Parliament
1774/05/20 NA – Administration of Justice and Massachusetts Government Acts are passed by Parliament
1774/06/02 NA – Quartering Act is passed by Parliament
1774/09/05 NA – First Continental Congress convenes
1774/10/07 NA – Quebec Act is passed by Parliament
1774/10/14 NA – Declaration of Rights and Grievances is passed
1774/10/20 NA – Articles of Association are signed
1775/04/18 WR – American Revolution begins
1775/05/10 NA – Second Continental Congress convenes
1775/07/21 NA – Ben Franklin presents a plan for confederation
1776/06/07 NA – Richard Henry Lee introduces independence resolution
1776/07/04 NA – Declaration of Independence adopted
1776/12/20 NA – Third Continental Congress convenes
1777/11/15 NA – Articles of Confederation proposed
1781/03/01 NA – Articles of Confederation ratified
1783/02/04 WR – English declare hostilities at an end
1783/04/11 WR – America declares hostilities at an end
1784/01/14 WR – Revolutionary War Ends (Treaty of Paris)
1787/05/25 NA – Constitutional Convention opens
1787/09/17 NA – Final draft of the Constitution sent to Congress
1787/12/07 SH – Delaware
1787/12/12 SH – Pennsylvania
1787/12/18 SH – New Jersey
1788/01/02 SH – Georgia
1788/01/09 SH – Connecticut
1788/02/06 SH – Massachusetts
1788/04/28 SH – Maryland
1788/05/23 SH – South Carolina
1788/06/21 SH – New Hampshire
1788/06/21 NA – Constitution Ratified
1788/06/25 SH – Virginia
1788/07/26 SH – New York
1789/03/04 NA – The Constitution goes into effect
1789/04/30 PR – George Washington
1789/07/14 NW – French Revolution
1789/09/25 AP – Amendments 1-10, 27, one unratified amendment
1789/11/21 SH – North Carolina
1790/05/29 SH – Rhode Island
1791/03/04 SH – Vermont
1791/12/15 AR – Amendments 1-10
…..
1866/06/13 AP – Amendment 14
…..
1868/07/09 AR – Amendment 14
“We The People” declared independence from England, fought a war and entered into a confederation consisting of the 13 former colonies. A convention was called to fix the AoC, and instead they scrapped it and created the Constitution. “We” then created Congress, who passed the 14th Amendment.
WE THE PEOPLE created Congress.
CONGRESS created US Citizens.
WE THE PEOPLE have a right to keep and bear arms.
US CITIZENS must obtain a concealed carry permit.
WE THE PEOPLE have a right to travel.
US CITIZENS must obtain a drivers license.
WE THE PEOPLE have a right to live with whomever we wish.
US CITIZENS are expected to get a marriage license.
WE THE PEOPLE have RIGHTS.
US CITIZENS are granted PRIVILEGES.
In other words. US CITIZENS have no rights.
When you’re done chewing, let me know how it tasted. LOL!
I leave you with this quote:
Michael Badnarik Quote
I have the right to do whatever I wish with my property. If I own a pile of wood, I can set fire to it even if it is currently nailed together in the shape of a barn. Cigarettes may not be healthy for me in the long run, but I have the freedom to smoke them anyway. Drinking alcohol may or may not have negative side effects, but even if it does, the government has no authority to prohibit you from consuming it, even if it is “in your own best interest.” Since when do we let the government decide what is or isn’t good for us? What the hell does Congress know about nutrition, anyway? (For that matter, what does Congress know about the Constitution?) If the government can use force whenever something is “in our best interest” then government should force everyone to wake up at 6am every morning for calisthenics in the front yard. Fast food establishments should be torn down and replaced with bars that serve carrot juice and alfalfa sprouts, since – “it’s in your best interest.” This paternalistic attitude that “the government knows best” and that you are merely a helpless child is insulting and reprehensible. Hitler used the same attitude to persuade the Germans to subjugate themselves to the “Fatherland.”
- Source: Good to be King (2004)
I think this was perfect (and unintentional) timing to be published right after my forced health care coverage for contraception article.
The thing is that the understanding of rights that are common to modern Liberalism is a very contrary view that should perhaps be respected, or at least not be dismissed out of hand. But it is also the reason why Conservatives think Liberals hate America — not simply because they disagree with their view of what America SHOULD be, but because in its extreme form (that we see today) it is contrary to the particular human values on which America was unambiguously founded, and in spite of imperfections, gave a people unprecedented liberty … for a time.