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To: breakem
You have not explained your earlier comment saying the constitution allows a retriction on human rights when rights conflict with the 10th amendment.

The Framers intended the Constitution to be a limiting document, and the 9th and 10th Amendments describe the parameters of those limitations. The rights specified in the Constitution are NOT the only rights that citizens have (9th), and ALL the powers not specifically delegated to the federal government are reserved to the States or the people (10th).

From that body of rights and powers not given to the federal, the people and the states may at any future time delegate any of the powers, including the power to determine the extent any right may be exercised, to the federal. "Until they do that", those rights and powers remain in the hands of the people and the states for their own management. If the people wish to delegate that management to the states, they may. If to the federal, they may (through the amendment process and their state legislatures). If they wish to keep it to themselves and not to be controlled by either state or federal (such as between a woman and her doctor in the case of abortion), they may.

That is the way the assignment of power to the federal government is supposed to work. The 9th and 10th Amendments do not fix the division between specific rights and powers forever; they merely establish the dividing line at any given time, and that dividing line may be readjusted throughout the life of the republic.

161 posted on 06/02/2003 7:22:45 PM PDT by Clint N. Suhks
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To: Clint N. Suhks
It seems we will always disagree on the state's powers and the powers of the majority of the people to restrict the rights of the minority or individuals.

You attempt to confine the exercise of human rights within the constitution and the 10th amendment. Governments do not have that power, no matter who votes how.

This thread seems like a rerun, so have the last word, my tolerance for this issue is very limited. I just wanted to point out that your first comment which brought me here was a contradiction of the meaning of rights.

Take the last word, I'm off to something more interesting.

162 posted on 06/02/2003 8:36:47 PM PDT by breakem
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