THE US CONSTITUTION AND THE RIGHTS OF NON-CITIZENS

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I do agree that civil rights do indeed extend beyond the so-called natural rights. Your example with the right to education is not very good, in my opinion. Perhaps, you mean the right to government-paid education. I do not recognize such a right. This is an entitlement, created via legislation.

The right to live in the U.S. of A., I agree, is a civil right, reserved to citizens. I reside (lawfully) in the U.S. thanks to the benevolent hospitality of the American People. I am extremely grateful for that. If this hospitality runs out, I will leave, carrying great memories and enormous respect for you, my hosts.

However, my being a guest does not mean that I rescind all of my civil rights, because many (most) of them are my natural God-given rights. This was the initial reason I entered this discussion. Somebody said "Only citizens are supposed to enjoy civil liberties and rights." That means that non-citizens can arbitrarily be denied, for example, the right to life or the right to liberty. In other words, one would be free to enslave immigrants. You are not advocating that, are you?

Of course non-citizens have rights. We cannot violate their natural rights; I agree with you. However, non-citizens have fewer civil rights than citizens. That was my only point. We appear to be in agreement.

We seem to mean different things by the term "civil right." When I use the term, I mean a right granted by the state. In this sense, education is a right in most states, if not all states, because it is explicitly written in the constitution that all children in the state have a right education. The state government is bound, by its own laws, to grant an education to every child whose parents demand it.

When I say, natural right, I mean a right that is part of natural law, legislated once for all time by God. A civil right is only part of human law. I am a Thomist, in case you were wondering.

The D of I is not a legal document, nor does it have anything to do with the founding of our government.

I see your account has been rightfully banned. No wonder with posts such as this. The Organic Laws of this nation say that the D.O.I. it does have weight equal to that of the Constitution.

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