From a commentary by Don Richmond, a citizen of Naples Florida:
……The Declaration of Independence holds that rights are “self-evident.” However, it is the failure to grasp the true nature of rights which has brought this country to its current condition. It remained for the 20th-century philosopher Ayn Rand to explicitly identify rights as “moral principle(s) defining and sanctioning a man’s freedom of action in a social context.” Rights pertain only to “freedom from physical compulsion, coercion or interference by other men. … Rights impose no obligations on (others) except of a negative kind: to abstain from violating (your) rights.”
The source of all rights is the right to life, and its sole implementation is the right to property, the right to use the products of your efforts to sustain your life. The rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness are the rights to enjoy your life and use your property. Rights are an objectively necessary requirement of human life, principles which apply equally to all persons and at all times. In sum, rights are freedoms for rational beings to take the actions necessary to fulfill and enjoy their lives. Any alleged “right” which violates these rights is not a right, but an excuse for a crime.
The only way to violate individual rights is through the initiation of force. A person who initiates force against you is attempting to negate your means of survival by forcing you to act against your judgment as to what your life requires. The only moral use of force is in retaliation against those who initiate its use. The sole proper purpose of government is to protect its citizens’ rights by banning the initiation of force and placing its retaliatory use under objective control. The purpose of the U.S. Constitution was, and is, to establish and maintain the supremacy of individual rights over our society and our government.
More from Don Richmond, here:
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/apr/24/guest-commentary-new-rights-are-wrong/
Related article: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/mar/23/brent-batten-new-rights-do-make-wrong/
He makes an excellent point. The Constitution limits the powers of the Federal government and ensures the rights of individuals to fulfill their needs and support their way of life. When the government violates those individual rights guaranteed in the Constitution, that in itself is a crime.
Thanks for that !!