[breakem]

Don't let sarcasm chase you, I can sometimes be calm. If you're in the mood, please tell me your understanding of the difference between natural rights and human rights and the use of governmental power to outlaw their exercise? If not, I'll catch you latter.

[breakem]

boys and girls, in the immortal words of poster eastsider, my wife is due home soon and I an hopefull of engaging in some heteroerotic behavior (not sex of course), which I believe has not been outlawed as yet by the state of California or the county of Riverside. In order to maximize my opportunity I must say hasta la vista, baby. Those who care, I'll try to read your replies when I can return.

[colorado tanker]

please tell me your understanding of the difference between natural rights and human rights and the use of governmental power to outlaw their exercise?

OK, but then I really have to get some work done.

This may just be me, but I use "natural rights" narrowly to mean the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness granted by nature and nature's God, as stated in the Declaration of Independence. Americans have attempted to implement and guarantee those rights in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. If the Constitution does not accomplish this, then the remedy is amendment. If the government actually destroys these rights, then the remedy is insurrection, as stated in the Declaration.

I use human rights more broadly to mean the individual rights generally recognized by the civilized nations. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights summarizes them pretty well. Some believe human rights derive from a social contract. I believe the source of these rights is also natural. These rights are enforced by a hodgpodge of international organizations, including the U.N. If a government destroys these rights, as Iraq, the only effective remedy IMHO is insurrection or intervention.

I don't believe the government has become destructive of our natural or human rights in nearly the proportion to justify insurrection. Like many on this board I am concerned about the erosion of Constitutional rights, but I believe the remedy is electing politicians who will appoint judges who will interprete the Constitution as written and originally intended.

Freegards.