Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Right to Rights

It took humans many millenia to get where we are now with human rights.
They can be taken away in a heartbeat.
And, we still have a long way to go.

To protect and promote this,
I hereby declare the Right to Rights.
~
Rights started with the idea of natural law,
going way back to ancient Greece.
During the medieval period,
there was the Magna Carta (1215),
the first official document outlining specific rights of citizens.
These rights are nothing like what we are discuss here.
But it was a beginning.

Magna Carta
Original on view:  National Archives, Washington, DC, USA

The humanist thinkers of the Renaissance celebrated humanity.
But it was the many philosophers of the 17th and 18th century
that took rights way further
in the period termed the Enlightenment,
featuring ideas and discussions and books about freedoms.
Then the 18th c. American and French revolutions
put these ideas into effect with constitutional laws.
The French Declaration of the Rights of Man .
The American Bill of Rights.
Progressing slowly,
rights and more rights
came into effect.
Still, we have a long way to go in the 21st century.
That's why there is the Sky of Stars Salon of Rights :)

The rights of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (1948) are great,
but many have limited real implementation/enforcement/solutions.
This needs to be a future focus:
the how to have rights.

44 comments:

michelle said...

everyone needs rights for themselves, if we didnt have rights then we would never have a voice.

Anonymous said...

I think rights serve the purpose to organize society and govern so that there is some stability within a group of people. I agree with the fact that our future needs to be focused on how to have rights. Many rights implemented today do not give solutions to everyday problems. I also think that people are not aware of all their rights. -v.p

Anonymous said...

Without rights people would not be able to live their lives in the way they desire. Rights are a needed factor in order for people to survive. In addition, having the right to rights cannot be denied because it is not over the control of anybody.

Espy said...

I think we already have the right to rights. If we didn't, there wouldn't be rights added or adjusted in our Bill of Rights. In time we will have more rights added. It's not going to be something where there is going to be a right added every day. These rights come from our voice. So make your voice heard.

Anonymous said...

Every individual has the the right to rights,any
place there is freedom and the pursue of happiness
well cemented in his mind.

Ismael DelValle

cd884 said...

Rights are very controversial since there are rights concerning laws and rights we have since birth. The rights concerning laws are sometimes unfair to some but those rights only are in the USA and the rights on this posting are on our birth rights. These birth rights are definitely needed for everyday life. We all have the right to right.

Anonymous said...

Rights have come a long way since they have been created. Although there could be more rights and a little more enhanced, the rights we have today suffice our needs. Rights are used to keep order and obedience. If we do not have rights, there would be cauos and destruction. Even though some people are not aware of certain rights we have, it is important to respect the ones we are aware of. Rights allow us to live the way we do. We need to learn how to have rights. If we do not know then we cannot seek a future.
-Shivani

Anonymous said...

Every person has the right to have rights whether subjected to the whims of a dictator or in a place of freedom. Rights should be given to all from the moment of conception and never be taken away. Because each person is human everyone should be given the same rights.


-F.C.

RhWim said...

Why was the right to human rights ever a issue? All humans should have the right to rights, whatever they might be.

Anonymous said...

I believe everyone should have the right to have rights. If we as citizens didn't have the right then we wouldn't have a voice to say what ever is on our mind. I would have to agree with the previous commenter and say that everyone has the right to have the same rights as everyone else.

Francisco A.

Luz Mery said...

The Right to have Rights should be expressed by every person. We have come a long way to get these rights that we should always make our voices and opinions be heard. No one should silence their voice. We should speak our mind without disrespecting anyone and keep our rights Alive.

Anonymous said...

Rights are a necessity. When rights are violated society suffer. Denying rights is a form of slavery. Everyone should have rights and be able to be respected as human beings.
Marcia P

Anonymous said...

Rights are necessary because they protect that natural law that we are born with; they make sure that nothing and no one can take those things away. Rights also in a way set order to society, they allow us to be free at times, but limit us at others. Rights of the future should have the ability to not constrict us in any way.
-D. Diaz

Patricia Delgado said...

There are so many rights to read about, and all of this linked articles in regards of the "laws and rights we are born with. Human rights are very extensive and into details.
I read about this one in particular: "The human right to water is indispensable for leading a life in human dignity. It is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights".

Patricia Delgado

Unknown said...

As philosophers and humanist thinkers paved the way to creating the first rights, years later rights still play a role in what we can and cannot do. As rights are important to stabilize and keep order some rights should be revised or added. Having a right to have rights is what enables people to have an opinion, food, and religion. Rights were created for the people by people and without them unfair treatment or unorganized control might have taken place.
Luisa Isla

Esmeralda A said...

I agree with Patty, there are so many rights out there, where do we start? Well,the real question is, are these rights in effect? The First Amendment says we have the right to freedom of speech but, why is it suppressed by the government? Reality is that we have to fight for our rights because alot of time our rights are taken away. EA

Anonymous said...

By posting comments on this blog, I’ve been learning about different kind of rights and I’ve come to realized how some people lack the most basic human rights. All rights are important, from the right to breath pure air to the right to fashion, from the right to dream to the right to Biodiversity. As long as we take into consideration and respect everyone’s rights, our communities will be a better place to live in. GS

Anonymous said...

The right to rights is the most important thing that exists in democracy. It is sad to see that so many people take this right for granted. Several people as fought and died to ensure that our rights are protected at all times. Gary Norris

Anonymous said...

I think that rights should be cherished and used. I also think that people need to distinguish between what is a right that your born with and what is a right that is classified to be more as a privelage. Some people tend to think that becuase you have rights you can abuse them.

Mirror said...

The biggest right is the right for other people’s right, and there is only one way to succeed in implementing this right, the key is in the Bible, “Love your neighbor like you love yourself.”
Aimara Ors

Anonymous said...

Every human being should be entitled to equal human rights, to the Right to have Rights, to belong to an organized society. Otherwise if we wouldn't have rights it will be chaotic, it will be no order. Still there is some people in this world that don't enjoy the freedon to have Rights. Laura R.

Anonymous said...

Without rights, I feel there would be no purpose to live for. If you couldn't exercise this right freely, then can one really be happy? I don't believe so.

Eddie M.

Anonymous said...

Of course we have this right. Were born with it just like we are born with simple rights.

-surfershoes

Unknown said...

Rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people. In order to be given the Right to Rights we should understand the difference between natural rights and legal rights. Until we do understand them we will continue to have a long way to go in the 21st Century.

-Nicole Chaplin-

Unknown said...

Because no one is better than anyone else. And to think otherwise is foolish and dangerous.We all need to stand up for human rights because we are all part of the human condition.

Terrance Carter said...

I don't know how to respond to this information. I receive it as help. I understand the point that the writer is trying to get across, but I don't see a need for rebuttle.

Anonymous said...

All humans are entitled to rights as an individual. It started with Aristotle who wrote extensively on rights of people Thank god we have progressed. Strong reasoning usually supports a persons right and we should all act towards one another in a brotherly fashion.

Ann Marie

Anonymous said...

Knowing about all of your rights and actually understanding them is important. I believe there should be courses taught in High School and College regarding rights. I am not talking about just mentioning it and focusing on the more popular rights, I mean a real class that teaches you about all of your rights and what they mean for you and for society as a whole. Someone to guide you through all of the jargon.

I declare the right to know and understand your rights!!!

LP

Anonymous said...

We shall always have the right to rights. Everyone has some type of right, regardless of who you are. Even criminals have rights.

Pedro said...

From the time of the middle ages, and until the modern era human rights have been progressing towards an acceptable standard of living. When new human rights are made on this planet the standard of living will be even better. There are many doctrines about human rights that have been put into existence, and it is possible that the human race is on the verge of the next one. P.L

Anonymous said...

The right to rights signifies the importance of whatever is being protected by that particular right. Encouraging constructive communication to foster understanding, tolerance, and respect helps to preserve the right to rights.
Gabe

aquintana said...

Rights are very important in protecting society's freedoms and they give us as humans the freedoms necessary in order to seek our happiness

Miglaude said...

During history, human rights have been violated, but efforts have been made to defend these rights.Everyone is permitted to the same rights. We are all equal in a good judgment. Unhappily, many countries decline to bend down human rights.

Janet Almonte said...

The right to have rights has been taken away in many aspects. We have lost the right to our privacy due to all the new current wars we have with other countries and the trust in our own American citizens has been lost. We are not able to freely speak as we believe we do because if the wrong statement is made about the wrong thing or person this can lead us to danger in our own lives with the loss of the freedoms that we do still uphold. Our country states that they do this to protect us; however, they also continue to state that we are a country that stands for the liberty that it was founded on. What rights do we really have since they all have conditions of what society considers the norm?
Janet Almonte

Unknown said...

Rights are rights, and nobody can take them away from me. Prisoners have their rights taken away from them, because when they were free they didn't appreciate them.

Anonymous said...

I strongly disagree that our right can be taken away "just like that". It would take a really long time to back track a few hundred years. Other than that, our rights our essential to the way we live.-KB

Anonymous said...

I agree with this post. We need the right to have rights on order to live in peace in this world.

Claudia B.

Ingrid J. said...

Our freedom depends on our right to rights and we need them to be able to have a right to happiness.

Anonymous said...

Having rights should be equivalent to being human. Without having rights, our every move being controlled, we can't be individualistic human beings. --Rosa F.

kevin0121 said...

The right to have rights is one of the most important things in life. Its what keeps us in order.

Anonymous said...

Rights have a purpose in life, either to control society from doing harm to one another or to protect the people. E.S.

Jenny said...

We definitely have the Right to Rights! If we did not, we wouldn't be able to express ourselves or be able to have an education and etc.

JR

RV said...

We need rights to have a better life and a better society.

Anonymous said...

We should have this right as they can be taken away and insure they aren't, but I believe that from where they started to where it has gotten and as more rights get implemented we'll probably always have some form of rights. – D.T