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To: mattdono
"(In other words, God gives us rights that can't be taken away.) "Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" -- which is to say, everything."

No, not everything.

We do have certain inalienable, God-given rights, and among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These rights cannot be taken away without individual due process (eg., conviction of murder).

But we have other natural or fundamental rights which may be regulated by government without individual due process. Free speech, for example. Ownership of arms. Drugs.

Many of our "rights" are regulated and/or attenuated (eg., you must be 16, or 18, or 21 years old) without individual due process, impossible with a God-given right.

19 posted on 10/21/2004 7:16:41 AM PDT by robertpaulsen
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To: robertpaulsen
We do have certain inalienable, God-given rights, and among them are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
These rights cannot be taken away without individual due process (eg., conviction of murder).

No inalienable right can be "taken away"/ prohibited from Americans by our governments.
They can only be reasonably regulated, using due process of Constitutional law. -- Part of due process is the individuals right to a fair trial, & upon conviction, the individual may lose certain rights. The right remains inalienable for all others.

But we have other natural or fundamental rights which may be regulated by government without individual due process. Free speech, for example. Ownership of arms. Drugs.

Such 'regulation', if it unreasonably infringes on the individuals basic right, is unconstitutional. These questionable infringements are to be decided by juries, not legislators.

Many of our "rights" are regulated and/or attenuated (eg., you must be 16, or 18, or 21 years old) without individual due process, impossible with a God-given right.

True enough, seeing that our rights are not god-given. Rights are the self evident constructs of our nature, our free will.

34 posted on 10/21/2004 8:34:35 AM PDT by tpaine (No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another. - T. Jefferson)
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