constitutional rights

[The Xl]

The only rights you have are the ones the state feels like giving you in that moment in time

[Cletus]

The only rights you have are the ones the state feels like giving you in that moment in time

That is simply not true.

[stjames1_53]

That is simply not true.

One should never take their Rights for granted. If you don't constantly defend/exercise them, you will lose them.

[donttread]

The Second Amendment was only written to allow certain segments of society the right to own muskets and defend against attacks by King George III. Surely you don't think the Constitution has any relevance in this more enlightened age do you. How so 18th Century of you.













Disclaimer: For those who are unable to recognize satire when they see it, the above post is meant to highlight the thinking of the current crop of bumbling idiots on the left. They know who they are.

[Cletus]

One should never take their Rights for granted. If you don't constantly defend/exercise them, you will lose them.

Rights don't go away. The State may refuse to recognize them and may try to punish those who exercise them, but the rights still exist. The very foundation of our system of government is the premise that governments cannot grant rights. They can only protect them or infringe on them.

[Captdon]

Can you imagine the look on the prosecutor’s face during the discovery phase, when they see the posts in this thread...

Can anyone say “premeditated”

None of these posts say you can do whatever it is you are(n't) thinking of.

[stjames1_53]

None of these posts say you can do whatever it is you are(n't) thinking of.

you expected more from a liberal progressive socialist?

[jet57]

I have a question , I know we have several Constitution experts out there, My understanding is that I have the right to defend myself, my property, and my country. We elect a government to protect our country from foreign invasion. So what I am asking is, If the government isn't doing that job to protect us, why wouldn't i have the right under the constitution to do it myself? For instance if a land owner on the Southern boarder ask me to come down and help protect his land from invaders and I either escort them back across the boarder of if I feel they are a danger to my safety or my country take a more aggressive approach to the intruder. Just asking. I thought the second amendment was there to protect are self when the government failed to for fill their duty to the people.

So let's see if I have your question right... Your "friend" in Texas, calls you up says "bring your gun, there are too many illegals invading the country and we have to stop them!". So you bring your gun with the understanding that if Gummit can't protect us from the onslaught, then we have the right to...

Question: are the "illegal invaders", killing and robing and raping the local neighborhood, including your "friends" family or himself? Or are they just trespassing through his yard? If it's choice one, then law enforcement would speedily see to the matter as said acts include capital crimes. If they are just trespassing, then you and your "friend" are trying to use our constitution to enable you to commit murder because of a paranoid delusion.

So, no, the Constitution of the United States will not, by any stretch of the imagination allow you to commit murder to "save the country". Any cheap lawyer can give you that advice.

[Max Rockatansky]

I have a question , I know we have several Constitution experts out there, My understanding is that I have the right to defend myself, my property, and my country. We elect a government to protect our country from foreign invasion. So what I am asking is, If the government isn't doing that job to protect us, why wouldn't i have the right under the constitution to do it myself? For instance if a land owner on the Southern boarder ask me to come down and help protect his land from invaders and I either escort them back across the boarder of if I feel they are a danger to my safety or my country take a more aggressive approach to the intruder. Just asking. I thought the second amendment was there to protect are self when the government failed to for fill their duty to the people.

Sure you can, but you still have to abide by state law. Even in Texas you can't shoot a woman and child in the back of the head for trespassing.

[CaveDog]

I'm not an attorney so I can't offer legal advice and granted I'm sort of playing devil's advocate but I'll make some observations.

I'm pretty certain that the framers would have regarded property rights, including the right to protect one's property from trespass, as natural in origin. Delegated to the individual by higher powers (i.e. "nature and nature's God") and beyond the scope of government authority to negate. If the social contract requires the landowner to delegate such a right then an obligation is incurred on government to provide an equivalent right (i.e. to summon law enforcement), lest the original right be destroyed. If government fails to provide law enforcement adequate resources to fulfil that obligation, hence failing in its duty, the social contract is breached. Any social contract theory I'm familiar with would dictate that the original right reverts back to the landowner and they can again delegate that right as they see fit in order to secure their property.

I'm framing it this way because it's very similar to the philosophical justification for the American revolution in the first place. That rabbit hole could go pretty deep. Just saying.