The declaration of independence
"that they (mankind) are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
archives.gov
The reference to the pursuit of Happiness is thought by many scholars to be a reference to economic freedom, which is being eroded day by day by the government.
It is odd to me that the government can:
1. control where I build my home,
2. how I use my property,
3. require me to provide it with all sorts of personal information, without any apparant limit, in a census, which the constitution permits only for purposes of counting the number of inhabitants of the US.
4. require me to wear a seatbelt where only my health is in danger.
5. Require me to wear a helmet if I ride a motorcycle, again where only my health is in danger.
6. etc, etc, etc.
Yet somehow it finds that there is a constitutional right for people of the same sex to marry. Marriage by legal definition is and has been since time imemorial defined as follows:
MARRIAGE. A contract made in due form of law, by which a free man and a free woman reciprocally engage to live with each other during their joint lives, in the union which ought io exist between husband and wife. By the terms freeman and freewoman in this definition are meant, not only that they are free and not slaves, but also that they are clear of all bars to a lawful marriage. Dig. 23, 2, 1; Ayl. Parer. 359; Stair, Inst. tit. 4, s. 1; Shelford on Mar. and Div. c. 1, s. 1.
constitution.org
See also
dictionary.law.com
It seems that the courts view is that freedom is not for all of us or maybe that some of us are more free than others.
Little joe |
