I recently read a lovely blog post by Matt Walsh about some of the recent... nefariousness of the homosexual community. I really don't know a better way to put it. And to go along with all of the stories that I've read, and that Mr. Walsh listed of homosexual couples suing and forcing people and businesses to cater to their weddings (which why you would want to force someone to participate in something that personal I have no idea), I have also noticed a few stories of Muslims doing the same sort of thing to at least one business.
This has all had the effect of telling me that most people don't really understand what Rights actually are.
As Mr. Walsh says in his blog:
You're feelings are not constitutionally protected.
You do not have a right not to be offended.
You do not have a right to force your opinions on others.
You do, however, have the right not to be harmed by others. That's the right to life. The Declaration of Independence states that all Men (in the all inclusive human race sense) possess the Rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. Not a guarantee of happiness, but the right to pursue it.
One thing that I picked up from my philosophy classes was that your rights end where the next person's begin. I don't want anyone to think I'm saying anything that I'm not here. All actions have consequences. You can't just go and shoot someone in the head if you feel like it because that violates their Right to life. You can't take a random person off the streets and lock them in your basement because that violates their Right to liberty.
But really, the Right to liberty is much deeper than simply being free to locomote where ever you want to. It is the Right to live your life as you see fit without undue interference.
Mr. Walsh writes very eloquently about the problems of forcing people to change because they somehow offend a few people with something that really isn't that big of a deal.
I'm writing today about Rights themselves. Where they come from and why they're enshrined within the Bill of Rights.
The Founding Fathers really were amazing men. They had a depth of understanding of philosophy and politics that is exceptionally rare, especially today. Modern day education is very much assembly line indoctrination... but that's beside the point.
The philosophy of the 18th century was based upon Natural Rights. These rights weren't provided by any organization or government. Natural Rights are based upon universal laws.
Natural Rights are not opinions, or desires. You can want a thing but that doesn't give you a right to it. Natural Rights are those things that are required for sentient beings to exist and live with dignity.
That is the idea that the Bill of Rights was written upon. The Founding Fathers wrote that Bill so that the Rights of the citizens of the new nation would not be abridged by its new government.
You know what? Watch this video. This Bill Whittle fellow says what I'm trying to say much better than I am.
So we're clear now, right? Rights are provided by some force larger than human organization. Governments that do not rule according to Natural Law do not rule lawfully. If you're forcing someone to do something like say... host your wedding, then you are violating their Rights.
If you want to learn more about Natural Law and good government from the same source as our Founding Father's here's a .pdf of John Locke's Two Treatises On Government.
Here's another video that you might find interesting as well. A little bit more of that old Templar vs Assassin duology.
Thanks for reading!
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