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Politics : About that Cuban boy, Elian -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim S who wrote (3548)	4/29/2000 4:09:00 PM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9127

>>I want this to stay secular, not religious, but the Dec. of Independence says that "all men are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights..." which I take to mean that it is a basic tennant of our culture that people have those rights even if they are denied the ability to exercise them.<< Don't worry. You don't have to twist my arm to get me to stay secular. Regarding your quote, I think it is natural for religious people to express philosophy in religious terms, plus, attributing a brave new idea to the creator adds credence. But a secular humanist could have expressed the same idea a different way, perhaps "entitled by the inherent nature of their humanity." Same difference, IMO. >>...which I take to mean that it is a basic tennant of our culture...<< Yeah, I think they were trying to make a statement of principle about who we are as a people--that we value individual freedom. (And also to take a poke at the Brits.) >>that people have those rights even if they are denied the ability to exercise them<< That is an interesting nuance! I never met a nuance I didn't like. <g> This one is a bit like that proverbial tree falling in the forest. Clearly the authors of the D of I understood that a right is worthless without the wherewithall to enforce it or they wouldn't have bothered to follow up with the Constitution, which details a system to enable the rights. As to whether or not a right without the system would still be called a right, I think not. I would call it a philosophy. But like the tree in the forest, who knows. Karen