Abysmal Ignorace is no excuse Part Two

In the Declaration of Independence refers to "certain unalienable rights." Unfortunately, almost everyone remembers the "rights" part of the quote but forgets the rest. The whole quote is, "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. — 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."

Read it. Think about it. How politically correct does it sound today? All men are created equal. I would guess that part is not so popular with the evolutionists today. They are endowed by their Creator. An endowment is a gift, it is not earned and it is not necessarily deserved. This gift comes from their Creator. Looks like the evolutionists are not going to be fans of the Declaration of Independence are they? The rights given men by their Creator are unalienable. Any idea what that means? Apparently no one thinks a lot about the fact that the rights given by the Creator are unalienable, which simply put, means they are not transferable and cannot be sold or given away. In those days, alienation had to do with the sale of land.

The men who drafted the Declaration of Independence meant to say that certain rights came to us as intelligent human beings, not as citizens of any government. They were specific to enumerate certain of those rights, including a right to life (looks like abortion is out), a right to liberty (more about liberty later) and the right to the pursuit of happiness. These rights came from Nature's God and were inseparably part of the Laws of Nature. What is most surprising is what can happen if these rights are denied the people. Here is what it says:

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. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Guess what? Governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. Looks like the folks in California gave their consent with Proposition 8, by a majority, to a Constitutional Amendment. What else? Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes, like those advocating same-sex marriage for example. Are we in danger of being reduced to the absolute Despotism of the Courts and losing our unalienable rights? Likely, if the judges or anyone else insist that their private interpretation of the law is superior to the consent of the governed.

However, the rights enumerated (and those not enumerated) by the Declaration of Independence were not directly incorporated into the Constitution or any other law. Legal rights, also known as civil rights, are not unalienable. Civil rights are by their nature changeable and subject to the whims and chances of administrations and lobbyists. The number of "rights" recognized by U.S. law, at all levels is staggering. For example, I have a right to remain silent if arrested. At the same time, I have a right to complain to the police about my neighbor's dog barking. All of these legal "rights" some trivial, some fundamental and important, are subject to change at any time. However, none of the civil or legal rights were given me by my Creator. They came from judges, magistrates, mayors, legislators, bureaucrats, homeowners associations, clubs, franchises, unions, and anyone else willing to extend a right to me.

Not very many people think about their rights unless they feel that they have lost some right or another. The very nature of our society is leading us into a swamp and morass of so many rights that we may be righted to death, literally. If we go so far, and we may already have done so, so as to support immorality, evil designs, and all manner of wickedness in the name of rights, that same Creator that gave us our rights, will not allow us to continue. Whether we believe in our Creator or not, we have to recognize that our civilization, like many of those that have gone before, will crumble and fail, if we disregard a decent respect to the opinions of mankind and to further assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

I would suggest that abysmal ignorance is no excuse. I would suggest that you read the list of grievances in the Declaration of Independence and see how many of them are applicable to our own government, including our judges, today.