Hugh Damright
New member
So aside from what the BoR can be used for, you wouldn't agree that freedom of speech, religion, privacy, defense, etc. are natural rights?
I think freedom of speech is more of a political right. I believe it appears in the First Amendment because it regards the right of representatives to speak freely in Congress. That is what it says in the Articles of Confederation. That is what it says in the English BOR. The First Amendment does not say that the people have a right to speak freely, I don't see how you get that ... it says that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. I see it as regarding a principle of government i.e. a political right.
I believe that a "right" is something that is proper according to some given system. I see a BOR as regarding principles which are right according to the given system of government. When we talk about natural rights, I think of principles which are right by nature. I think it is natural for a person to defend himself and his family and so I would call those natural rights. A right to privacy seems a little arbitrary to me ... I think we might as well say that we have a right to company. Didn't the federal government make up the right to privacy, and claim jurisdiction over it, and use it to strike down the States' abortion laws and sodomy laws?