You could be forgiven for thinking Rights are as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin wrote in the Declaration of Independence. We'd like to believe wholeheartedly that what we feel within our bodies and souls as a nation is how it stands: our Rights are "inalienable."
The first definition of the word that the American Heritage Dictionary, Fifth Edition, gives is:
That cannot be transferred to another or others
And, of course, the example just below it is "inalienable rights."
Think, however, about what that means.
The second definition is perhaps more to our liking:
Incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred to another; not alienable
The example there is "in inalienable birthright."
Even there, though, there's something missing. Cogitate upon it a second. You'll see it... or more precisely, won't see it.
The word "taken" does not appear in the definition.
Now, you can claim that's just semantics, but I want you to think hard about the implications of that word not being part of the definition. It speaks to the larger issues of the day, as we watch almost daily as hard-fought Rights are literally taken away from groups of citizens in this country by a government that has decided that the Preamble to the Constitution no longer means anything, and by a Supreme Court that has ceded its oversight power to the Executive Branch, no longer defending even basic Rights given to American citizens by the very document they are sworn to protect.
So, Jefferson and Franklin using the word "inalienable" to discuss the Rights of individuals to freedom and justice (for which they notably forgot to include anyone who was not a white man) is an anachronism, for they lived in a time where the imprimatur granted to an individual's faith or political views was much stronger and varied than it is now. There could be differences in how people saw the world, but they could at least come together, to some degree, and admit they had a common bond that lay beneath any differences (again, with some glaring omissions). That was the only way thirteen fractious Colonies could come together to form a union and create a nation.
The Constitution that would come later sought to codify a government that would put the interests of the People first. The problem, invariably, is that once in government, the members of the branches thought they were the People, and tended to discount the variety and breadth of the actual citizenry, aligning the laws with their views, which did mostly represent those of the rest of the country. Through 250 years, the divide between representatives of the People and the People themselves has become a chasm, wherein the person running for office pays lip service to the cares and concerns of the citizenry, only to brandish their own personal agenda in office.
In other words, those who represent us, do not represent us. This is true, no matter which side of the political spectrum you sit on. The reason we are here is that the American electorate simply abdicated its responsibility to elect competent, decent people to represent them. We heard what we wanted to hear, and that was enough. Even as things got worse and worse, we would send mostly the same people back to Washington, D.C. over and over again, to make even more egregious mistakes. We never spent any time or effort in paying attention to what they were doing, and those among us who did, were often ignored as we jumped up and down and exclaimed "Do you see what they are doing?"
Like a car, government must be maintained in order to function well. When lights come on on your dashboard noting that things are not going well, ignoring them usually leads to bad outcomes, and we more often than not rush our cars to the mechanic to have the underlying problem fixed. American government, over the last six decades, has been a car where virtually every light has been on, and we've blithely ignored the warnings, because we're mistakenly convinced "voting does no good," or "both parties are the same," or "nothing ever changes," or "it will all be OK." We're good at convincing ourselves that the only time we need to pay attention is when there is an election, and even then, we don't put as much thought into as we should. We think in terms of ourselves, and not the knock-on effects for others in our community, our state, or the nation as a whole.
"General Welfare." "Common Defense." Phrases like that in the Preamble to the Constitution are there to remind us that it isn't just about "us," but ALL the People. Whatever thoughts or views of the world you may have, when you decide that your thoughts and views take precedence over the freedom and liberty of all others, you are inevitably asking to have your Rights stolen. Condemning others to live poor, inadequate, and sullen lives while you continue to reap the benefits of our society is selfishness of the worst kind, and profits you little, because ceding control to fanatics invariably means they will find something wrong with you, and decide to make your life less comfortable.
So, no, no Rights are "inalienable." They can be taken from you. Maybe not immediately, maybe not all at once, but one day you may wake up to find that you no longer have them, as you found it convenient to think yours were untouchable. In every century, when autocracy rears its ugly head, people who sympathize with it invariably find themselves on the wrong end of it at some point. Once the "enemies of the State" are vanquished, the meat grinder still demands a sacrifice, and they will come for you next.
It's why, 250+ years ago, people who did not have much, and people who did, fought to establish their own government without a King to rule over them, because they always wanted a say in their governance. That it takes only that amount of time for the People who gained those Rights through the blood of true patriots, to toss them aside for the flash and rattle of artificial "patriotism" speaks to the weakness in our hearts and minds when we do not consider being part of a larger whole. Your Rights are everyone else's; they do not make you different or more important. Taking away the Rights of others means yours are forfeit when the machinery of autocracy decides it needs to be fed. Right now, its maw is wide open, and it is consuming large swathes of our freedom daily.
When are we to fight for our Rights again? When will we rise up against the oppression? Ask yourself, not what your Rights mean to you, but what do they mean to everyone. Ask yourself what this country means to everyone. Ask yourself if you can continue to stand idly by as people are dragged away to sites unseen, or murdered in the streets for nothing more than protesting the oppression, and how long do you think it will be before they come for you?
There is little time left. An election is coming, and though many think it will turn the tide, the forces of autocracy will not simply allow themselves to be overthrown. The signs are already there. The plans are already in motion. The steps are already being taken to ensure that our Rights do not interfere with their power. It frightens us to think of losing all we have if we stand up and voice our dissent, but, realistically, they are going to take it from us anyway, piece by piece. You can huddle in a corner of your home and hope that it all works out. Or, you can stand up, encourage others to stand up, gather, merge, unite in defense of what we have left. That is your choice. Choose wisely.
