Most Americans (I hope) concur with the view of the Declaration that rights are endowed on mankind by our maker and the proper purpose of government is to secure and defend those rights. The difference in outlook between thinking God endowed us with our rights and thinking government did may be philisophical but I think its important. It means government is not to be our master and our rights properly aren't just whatever it decides to give us.
Well, if American's rights are what is laid out in the Bill of Rights and the various interpretations of law (right to a lawyer, right to remain silent, etc.) it's a big leap to say they come from God, rather that from the people that created the laws.
Brits don't have the right to bear arms. You think God gave them that right, but their legislature just hasn't caught on yet? Come on.
Or maybe you're referring to some set of universal human rights as outlined in some section of the bible with which I'm not familiar. I'm talking about the legal rights we have as US citizens.
And if you think the right for women to vote comes from the creator, how did it wind up not a right until early in the 1900s, when it suddenly became a right?
Individuals all over the world have different rights, largely due to different systems of governance.
As for education, it was all done in California. Undergrad at UC Berkeley.
You know, you're really confirming some stereotypes there.
Yeah, excellence, virtue, humility, good looks, we got it all.... |