From Where do Individual Rights Originate?

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"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." ~The US Declaration of Independence Too many people think that our rights are granted us by our Government. Others think that it is the US Constitution that grants us our individual rights. Still others say that right derive from We the People... But we need go no further than the Declaration of Independence to learn where our rights originate. They aren't granted by anyone, nor are they the product of ink and parchment. They aren't the result of popular opinion or mandates from the masses. They are ours because we our human beings, they are the birthright we enjoy from our creator. The US Constitution does not grant rights to We the People, in fact, the US Constitution is not addressed to We the People at all. It is a letter (of sorts) from We the People, to the Federal Government. It is an acknowledgement that there are certain authorities and responsibilities that we much relinquish to government officials in order to carry out the duties of their assignments. The Declaration of Independence defines The United States of America. It tells the world what it means to be an American, and what the United States of America hopes to accomplish as a nation. On the other hand, it does not define what it means to be an American, nor does it tell us what we can and can't do. We can't hope to achieve the goals of the United States of America if we try under the delusion that We the People are the arbitors of rights. That is what brought us attrocities like legal slavery, denial of suffrage to women and some minorities, crimes against the tribes and even the Mormon Extermination Act of Missouri (just to name a few). If any of these acts were held to real Constitutional and Declaration of Independence scrutiny, none of them would have been allowed to happen. But more importantly, if the scoundrels who carried out the attrocities would have refused to deny someone else their inalienable rights, then the government officials would never have had the opportunity to legitimize or codify them at all. When we act, vote, or make demands on our government or each other... when we take someone to court, or call the police... when we petition for laws banning the activities of others we need to think about what we are doing. We need to remember who and from where our rights originate. If we think that they are merely the result of the whims of long dead White Guys, then we deserve to lose them. If we elect people who promise to take our rights away, then we not only deserve to lose all our rights, we have demanded it. Just something to remember November 4th.