WHENCE RIGHTS?

During the confirmation proceedings for Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, he was asked where rights come from.

I have to admit, I was somewhat disappointed with his answer, which I thought was a bit vague and maybe a little evasive.

So, where do rights come from?

The writer of The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, thought he knew.

He wrote: "When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

Look at what he said.

"...the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them..."

Did you notice his reference to nature's God?

He went on to say:

"...all men are created equal..."

According to Thomas Jefferson, men are created.

Nothing can be created without a creator.

If I build a model airplane, I have not created anything, I have only rearranged what already existed; ie: balsa wood, wire, covering, etc.

Then Jefferson said, "...that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights..."

He did not believe that rights come from government, but from the creator.

Jefferson made clear, "...governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."

For several generations, now, our government has gotten it wrong.

Our government cannot confer rights upon us, we give our consent to the government as to what it can and cannot do.

Barack Obama was asked whether he thought health care was a right or a privilege.

BO stated that in America, health care is a right.

NOT SO!

Neither he, nor anybody else, can establish a right simply by declaration.

Rights come from God.

They do not come from Congress, from the Senate, from the Executive branch or the Judicial branch of our government, they come from our creator.

The first right mentioned by Thomas Jefferson is the right to life.

Science has a working definition of life:

Living organisms are made up of one or more cells, can grow and develop, reproduce, respond to stimuli, and have a metabolism. This list of characteristics was made by scientists after carefully considering what would be included, and excluded, by these characteristics. Using this list, viruses are not defined as living organisms.

When a child is conceived, he/she begins to grow, develop, cells reproduce, he/she responds to stimuli, takes on nourishment and gives off waste (has a metabolism).

At conception, the developing baby has all of the scientific characteristics of life.

He/she is also distinctly human.

When you check his/her DNA, you find that it is unique.

It is neither the same as his/her mother's DNA nor his/her father's, rather it is his/her own, identifiable in the DNA laboratory as belonging to this child and none other.

The developing baby floats in his/her mother's womb like an astronaut in space, connected to the mother by an umbilical chord which allows nutrients to get to the baby, but prevents the baby's blood from mixing with his/her mother's blood.

He/she is a marvelous creation given the right to life, that same right to life that is mentioned in Jefferson's Declaration.

In our abortion oriented society, about 15% of abortions fail, resulting in the baby being alive at the procedure's end.

In Illinois an abortionist faced with this situation could (and usually did) simply leave the child on a cold, steel table or in a closet bin and allow it to die.

Twice, as an Illinois State Senator, Barack Obama voted NOT to disallow this practice, once because it did not have the same language as a proposed similar federal law, and once because he did not want to "subject the mother to unnecessary stress!"

Once, as a United States Senator, Barack Obama voted "present" when a bill to stop this practice came up, which is the same as voting against it, that is, in favor of allowing doctors to continue allowing babies to die on the table after a failed abortion.

Do you really want a person with this level of disregard for life to sit in the nation's highest office?

The second of Jefferson's list of rights is liberty.

Liberty comes from the creator.

All mankind craves liberty.

Liberty is the freedom to reach one's potential without undue interference from the government.

The Constitution of the United States of America is written and designed to limit the scope and power of the federal government.

It is not written to limit your rights.

It can't do that. Your rights do not come from the Constitution, they come from God.

The federal government may not abridge your right to speech, religion, assembly or the press.

Liberty has always come with a price.

Sometimes that price is death, sometimes it is sacrifice, and sometimes it is diligence and perseverance, but there is always a price to liberty.

Barack Obama believes that the federal government may, at its whim and without the consent of the governed, usurp your right to liberty if the situation warrants it.

For instance, the Constitution protects your right to own a firearm. Barack Obama would restrict that right.

Do you want a person to serve as president if he believes he can, by virtue of his office, recommend the removal of certain of your rights?

The final right listed by Jefferson is the pursuit of happiness.

Not happiness, but its pursuit.

Our is a land of opportunity.

Many believe ours is a land of entitlement, but it is not.

However, any person can become anything he/she wants to become if he/she is willing to do what it takes to become what he/she wants to become.

That includes both those "born with a silver spoon in his mouth," and those who are born in poverty.

American history is replete with examples of people from every strata of life working hard enough to achieve a part of The American Dream.

Nobody is entitled to The American Dream, but everybody is entitled to go after it with every fiber of his/her being.

Barack Obama believes that the government should take a portion of what successful people have worked to achieve and give it to those who have not spent the same effort of productivity.

Is that really what you want of your president?

If so, may God have mercy on you...you will need it.