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Human rights cannot be granted by governments

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posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 05:38 AM
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I think George Carlin was right about the following:


Personally, when it comes to rights, I think one of two things is true: I think either we have unlimited rights, or we have no rights at all. Personally, I lean toward unlimited rights - I feel, for instance, I have the right to do anything I please. But, if I do something you don't like, I think you have the right to kill me. So where you gonna find a fairer #ing deal than that? So the next time some asshole says to you, "I have a right to my opinion," you say, "Oh yeah? Well, I have a right to my opinion, and my opinion is that you have no right to your opinion." Then shoot the # and walk away!
www.imdb.com...


Logically speaking, our human rights are inherent within us.


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.
en.wikipedia.org...


The reason I make the claim, "Human rights cannot be granted by governments" is because...

Rights are only granted by one's existence.

Once a human authority grants "rights" they are automatically limiting rights. Why? Because no human authority would ever allow unlimited rights. (If they did, they would no longer be an authority.)

All you can get from a human authority are privileges, never rights. Why? Because once the human authority ceases to exist, its order granting "rights" also ceases to exist.

In other words, the "rights" granted from a human authority are always temporary and subject to change. I believe that history amply proves that point.

A human authority can only grant privileges and it can never grant rights.

edit on 24-9-2015 by Profusion because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 05:42 AM
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originally posted by: Profusion
Logically speaking, our human rights are inherent within us.


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.
en.wikipedia.org...


Unless you were black, then you were just slaves, or just women, with no right to vote, or gay, with no right to get married......
edit on 24-9-2015 by hellobruce because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 05:46 AM
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a reply to: Profusion

A right is something that applies to everyone, irrespective of class, gender or ethnic or national identity. A privilege is something that is granted to a limited number of people. Different societies have different opinions as to what "rights" human beings have. Some societies consider non-humans to have rights as well: Cows have rights in India, corporations have rights in the United States.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 05:59 AM
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human rights aren't granted to us by the government, they are acknowledged and protected. till they are it's up to you yourself to stand up and do whatever you can to protect those rights yourself. throughout history, we have traded those rights for convenience and luxury which is why we find ourselves not as free as we want to be.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 06:13 AM
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a reply to: Profusion

We are born with human rights, granted by our rights of being humans, but you are right, governments can only grant privileges and actually they are not so much privilege they just make sure that our human rights are control and even in some countries squashed in order for those in power to be able to control the masses.

To make it short, governments take our natural rights away.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 06:36 AM
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a reply to: Profusion

The government doesn't grant rights; the Constitution protects you from the government taking them away.
edit on 24-9-2015 by Krazysh0t because: (no reason given)



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 06:41 AM
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a reply to: Krazysh0t

At least in the US, we are very lucky to have our human rights guarantee by a document.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 06:51 AM
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so the question is......how to get MORE of our natural rights?



this kinda reminds me of the natural person vs. legal person problem. The state forces you to become a legal construct and most people go along with that. But some of us realize we are more than just our name, which we didnt get to choose, or even our gender or appearance, which is part of the strange logic behind self identifying.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 07:22 AM
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originally posted by: dawnstar
human rights aren't granted to us by the government, they are acknowledged and protected. till they are it's up to you yourself to stand up and do whatever you can to protect those rights yourself. throughout history, we have traded those rights for convenience and luxury which is why we find ourselves not as free as we want to be.


In my opinion , this is the best answer.




posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 07:22 AM
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a reply to: marg6043


We are born with human rights, granted by our rights of being humans,


We are born with flesh and bone. Human rights exist only in the mind. The concept did not even exist until some noblemen got upset at a king's excessive taxation, even then the "rights" were not considered universal. The eighteenth century saw the development of a theory of society based on a social contract, in which members of a society are allowed certain freedoms provided they undertake certain obligations. This is what the founders of the United States had in mind when they framed the Constitution. We have the freedom to speak our mind, but in the era the Bill of Rights was written, if we offended someone, they could challenge us to a duel!


To make it short, governments take our natural rights away.


We have no natural rights. Nature is, as Hobbes observed, red in tooth and claw. Rights exist only in a social context. Liberal governments grant everyone many rights, totalitarian ones merely grant a few people privileges.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 07:22 AM
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a reply to: marg6043

This is true. I also felt like it should be said. Many so called "patriots" don't know how our government actually works. Not that I'm inferring the OP is one of the people I'm talking about.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 07:48 AM
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a reply to: DJW001

if you were alone on an island, you would have the freedom to do whatever you wished, you would have the right to eat any edible food that you found on that island, use any natural resources as you saw fit. but, you would be lonely, and would probably use your freedom and natural resources to build a boat and sail away from you garden of eden to find others like you. you might run across someone of the opposite sex, that you wish to mate with, so you would be willing to give up a little of that freedom you had enjoyed for the sake of her happiness, and in time, you might have children and give up even more, or you might wish to continue your search for others, like yourselves and find a small clan that would be willing to take you in, and agree-- for the companionship, and for the protection and security. But, you would have to be willing to give up more of your freedom to do so, agree to abide by their rules and customs. you are born with freedom and rights, but you chose to give many of them up for various reasons, some good reasons, and some not so good reasons.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 08:32 AM
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I think the governmenns proclaiming about human rights the most are the ones violating them the most.

Me thinks they protest too loudly.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 08:34 AM
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a reply to: Profusion

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.

Once you eliminate the existence of the Creator, the only "rights" you have are the "rights" the government lets you have.

Get used to it.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 08:42 AM
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a reply to: TonyS

or maybe that same internal desire to reach out for a god also is gives us the instinct to know that some things just are. like the right to protect ourselves, the right to mate, ect.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 08:43 AM
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a reply to: intrptr


I think the governmenns proclaiming about human rights the most are the ones violating them the most.

Me thinks they protest too loudly.





posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 08:57 AM
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a reply to: Profusion

I agree. The Declaration of Independence is founded on natural rights (human rights) and natural law.

This is why the Supreme Court and U.S. Constitution with all its amendments can never define the term 'natural born Citizen.' The term is founded on natural rights and natural law. The drafters deferred to the broadest rights and laws with regard to the eligibility of the U.S. president.

To define the term would limit its meaning and make it 'positive law.'

Every person is born under unique circumstances so the term cannot be limited. Take Obama, for example. He was born in Hawaii which was illegally annexed by the U.S. in violation of an international treaty. Today there is still a large portion of Hawaii's populace that does not recognize U.S. jurisdiction there.

So, in theory, one of those people could infiltrate the highest office in the U.S. government for purposes of retaliation for the violation of that treaty. Therefore, someone born there and living today can not be considered a natural born U.S. citizen. To do so would violate the natural rights of the people of Hawaii.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 09:01 AM
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originally posted by: DJW001
We have no natural rights. Nature is, as Hobbes observed, red in tooth and claw. Rights exist only in a social context. Liberal governments grant everyone many rights, totalitarian ones merely grant a few people privileges.


We limit natural rights by entering into a society.

At the individual level, there are natural rights. At least our founders believed there were:

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the Opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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 & 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."



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 09:05 AM
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a reply to: MotherMayEye


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 & the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,


In other words, the Founders knew that governments were necessary if these "natural rights" were to be exercised; otherwise Hobbes' jungle would prevail.



posted on Sep, 24 2015 @ 09:08 AM
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originally posted by: DJW001
a reply to: MotherMayEye


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 & the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,


In other words, the Founders knew that governments were necessary if these "natural rights" were to be exercised; otherwise Hobbes' jungle would prevail.



I would agree with the statement if it said this:

"In other words, the Founders knew that governments were necessary if these "natural rights" were to be protected; otherwise Hobbes' jungle would prevail."

Without any society nor government, we could exercise natural rights. Obviously someone could violate them, too, but we could still exercise them.



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