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To: NMC EXP
Rights are not absolute in the sense that they cannot be revoked or forfeited. They can. Privileges are not comparable.

"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..."

Do you disagree with Tom, or are you just splitting semantic hairs?
The laws of this land are granted, enforced and are derived The Constitution, not the Declaration of Independance. Prior to 1789, the laws were based upon the Articles of Confederation, not the Declaration of Independance.

All the rights we enjoy are derived from and based on specifications set forth in The Constitution.

All the rights are derived from the living document itself, along with the Bill of Rights, i.e., the first ten amendments to The Constitution.

While Jefferson and the rest of the Founders were correct in the famous quote you refer to, the rights they mention by name ("Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness") are not tied to laws, but endowed by God.

There is a distinct difference.

In a later note, you compare the Declaration to the Ten Commandments. Once again, there is a difference. Moses set those down as dictated by God as the Law. The Commandments, along with the Levitical laws (i.e, the Book of Leviticus) were set apart as the laws of the land of Israel. The Levitical laws were derived directly from The Commandments and the teachings of Moses (i.e., "the Lawgiver").

596 posted on 06/05/2002 8:26:18 PM PDT by mhking
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To: mhking
All the rights are derived from the living document itself, along with the Bill of Rights, i.e., the first ten amendments to The Constitution.

Define "living"

Regards

J.R.

938 posted on 06/06/2002 4:30:01 AM PDT by NMC EXP
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