We don't have rights we only have privileges.

What makes us think we have rights? I hear people say things like, "Stand up for your rights!" or "It's my right!" or "He has no right to do that!" and of course, "God given rights.". We all walk around thinking this way, but isn't it a really just a false sense of security? In reality, what we actually have are privileges. Not given by God, but rather a man made illusion. That man is the federal government and they can, and do, take them from us whenever they find it useful to their cause.

Following the Pearl Harbor incident, thousands of Japanese Americans began to lose their privileges. In Feb.,1942, Franklin D. Roosevelt began doing this by signed Executive Order 9066. This was the first of what would be a series of orders, devised by one mans authority, created to deny citizens of their privileges.

Japanese American internment refers to the forcible relocation and internment in 1942 of approximately 110,000 Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans to housing facilities called "War Relocation Camps", in the wake of Imperial Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.[1][2] The internment of Japanese Americans was applied unequally throughout the United States. Japanese Americans residing on the West Coast of the United States were all interned, whereas in Hawaii, where more than 150,000 Japanese Americans composed nearly a third of that territory's population, only 1,200[3] to 1,800 Japanese Americans were interned.[4] Of those interned, 62 percent were United States citizens.[5][6]

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt authorized the internment with Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, which allowed local military commanders to designate "military areas" as "exclusion zones", from which "any or all persons may be excluded." This power was used to declare that all people of Japanese ancestry were excluded from the entire Pacific coast, including all of California and most of Oregon and Washington, except for those in internment camps.[7] In 1944, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the exclusion orders,[8] while noting that the provisions that singled out people of Japanese ancestry were a separate issue outside the scope of the proceedings.

Eventually between 100,000-120,000 American citizens, most of whom were born in the US, had lost everything, including their assets. They were locked away in internment camps and you can imagine how they were treated. Though the Constitution states only Congress can change it's protections, Roosevelt did it quite easily?

The truth is—as this deplorable experience proves—that constitutions and laws are not sufficient of themselves...Despite the unequivocal language of the Constitution of the United States that the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, and despite the Fifth Amendment's command that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, both of these constitutional safeguards were denied by military action under Executive Order 9066. - Former Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark

Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution states "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it." but the clause's location implies this authority is vested in Congress, rather than the President.

President Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt followed in his footsteps by signing Executive Order 9066, permitting exclusion of persons from wartime military zones.

Three times now in our history a president has been able to suspend, or disregard, our supposed constitutional rights? Lincoln in the Civil War, Roosevelt in WWII, and Bush in the War on Terror. Worse yet is the fact that many of these laws are still in place today?

Several significant legal decisions arose out of Japanese American internment, relating to the powers of the government to detain citizens in wartime. Among the cases which reached the Supreme Court were Yasui v. United States (1943), Hirabayashi v. United States (1943), ex parte Endo (1944), and Korematsu v. United States (1944). In Yasui and Hirabayashi the court upheld the constitutionality of curfews based on Japanese ancestry; in Korematsu the court upheld the constitutionality of the exclusion order. In Endo, the court accepted a petition for a writ of habeas corpus and ruled that the WRA had no authority to subject a citizen whose loyalty was acknowledged to its procedures.

It is important to note that the rulings of the US Supreme Court in the 1944 Korematsu and Hirabayashi cases, specifically, its expansive interpretation of government powers in wartime, were not overturned. They are still the law of the land because a lower court cannot overturn a ruling by the US Supreme Court. However, the coram nobis cases totally undermined the factual underpinnings of the 1944 cases, leaving the original decisions without the proverbial legal leg to stand on.[58] But in light of the fact that these 1944 decisions are still on the books, a number of legal scholars have expressed the opinion that the original Korematsu and Hirabayashi decisions have taken on an added relevance in the context of the War on terror.

en.wikipedia.org...


These people were American citizens, most of whom were born in the US. They were probably told the same as all the others about their "God given rights". Nonetheless, they had no rights or privileges and the same goes for all Americans. When you look around a bit we are losing rights everywhere! Workers, education, maybe voters rights? Incidences like Waco and Ruby Ridge? Property rights are long gone due to property taxes!

There is no doubt that our rights are just an illusion. All we have are temporary privileges that can be taken away at any time. The Constitution is very effective when followed to the letter. The safeguards are there and protect us from all this. The problem is we are not following these rules at all. Laws are only to be created by congress, not the executive branch? The president has no legal authority to suspend habeas corpus or attack any country he chooses?

We only have ourselves to blame for letting this happen. Most American's probably know little to nothing about the Constitution, or how vitally important it is? Once it is gone it's gone forever.

Peace.

Disclaimer: I'm a theist but not of the Abrahamic faiths. I have minor biblical scholar and scriptural skills. Also I am not a scientific/legal or medical expert in any field. Beware of my Contagious Memes! & watch out that you don't get cut on my Occams razor.All of this is my personal conjecture and should not be considered the absolute or most definitive state of things as they really are. Use this information at your own risk! I accept no liability if your ideology comes crashing down around you with accompanying consequences!

Explanation: Starred and Flagged! Best ATS thread in days! Well Done OP! In fact I APPLAUD you even though I don't have the actual authority to make it so. CAN any mod who feels likewise as I do please Fix that ASAP!


EVERYBODY MUST TAKE STOCK OF THIS.....Zerbst is completely correct in that we don't really have rights as a right properly defined [I would posit IMO] as being "That you don't have a RIGHT to anything at all...UNLESS you 1st extend that right to ALL* others FIRST!!!" *= Regardless of demographic. Rights must be by default applied CARTE BLANCHE!
Privileges on the other hand are completely CONSTRAINED to and by the individual demographics that they support.

Personal Disclosure: Example is Voting....A majority of us think of it as a right but its actually a privilege as when was the last time we gave a premature baby a vote that wasn't by proxy in ANY way shape or form in any context at all??? Human rights??? More like Human privileges I say as when are we going to start treating the rest of our genetic cousins in the great ape collective the same??? Even then I'm sorta breaking the CARTE BLANCHE deliminator! :shk: See there's that horrible disease of anthropomorphizing everything.

Think of it like this, I have to breathe. If I stop breathing I will die. Now, if somebody comes along and stops me from breathing and I die did they retract a privilege they had granted me or have they assaulted a right?

The government only has whatever power we let it have, right now we've let it gather up too much power and they have the ability to assault our rights.

The government isn't god, you must treat the government like a small greedy child and then you'll understand everything much better. =)

reply to post by Mr Headshot
Disclaimer: Redacted by Author....It is still 100% applicable. See it Here!

Explanation: You ask and I quote you directly "Now, if somebody comes along and stops me from breathing and I die did they retract a privilege they had granted me or have they assaulted a right?" and these very valid questions need an immediate and disambiguous response and I hope to answer them as such for you!

1stly They didn't retract a privilege THEY granted you! THEY retracted a privilege granted to you by the WHOLE of EXISTENCE and also granted to you by YOUR own very EXISTENCE! [Note: this occurs nesciently! ]

2ndly THERE ARE NO RIGHTS AT ALL! Rights by default must act like the laws of the universe RE: Lorentz symmetry which basically states that all the laws of the universe apply EQUALLY EVERYWHERE and EVERYWHEN REGARDLESS OF POV! i.e CARTE BLANCHE. We can't achieve this with morality because morality is ONLY LOCAL TO HUMANITY!

Personal Disclosure: Morality is therefore CONFINED to a Demographic therefor it MUST be a privilege and NOT a right at all! Hope that clears everything up! [Star4U Re: Your Q's]

Of course we have rights.

If the American people would stop being a bunch of apathetic chicken #s, and stand up to their government we'd have the moral high ground because of our rights.

reply to post by OmegaLogos


Thanks for drawing my attention to this thread. Well, first of all, we didn't let this happen. We are never given a choice. Laws are passed by being buried deep in other unrelated bills, that only the most diligent and obsessed can unearth.
Here is an interesting thread.




www.abovetopsecret.com...

"Bill of Rights"

second line..

also, (please watch all parts before responding)..




[edit on 6/21/2009 by blind.face]

Administrations come and go, but the true permanent government never changes and "they" are the true policy makers. Democrat, Republican, it doesn't matter. They're all under the same thumb.

Trilateral Commission, Bilderbergers, League of Nations, Rothschilds, Rosicrusions, Freemasons, Skull and Bones,...I'm sure the "real" name will never be known to such as us.

reply to post by MissSmartypants


I agree, but let's focus on the topic

reply to post by Xtinguish
Disclaimer: Redacted by Author...Its still 100% applicable! See it HERE!

Explanation: You state and I quote you directly "Of course we have rights." [Edited by OmegaLogos to show and highlight the privileged demographic Re: "we" :shk: ].....EPIC FAIL!

Personal Disclosure: Then you type this load of excrement and again I quote you directly "If the American people would stop being a bunch of apathetic chicken #s, and stand up to their government we'd have the moral high ground because of our rights."....And like Tonto said "Who is we?". I'm personally AUSTRALIAN and therefor don't qualify for your oh so privileged demographics of "we'd" and "our" er rr ehhhh ummm "rights!"?

Does camps where concentraion cmaps on American soil, Japanease americans died there, maybe not as much in the german cmaps but still, a history what is lied about,

Originally posted by OmegaLogos
reply to post by Xtinguish

 

Disclaimer: Redacted by Author...Its still 100% applicable! See it HERE!

Explanation: You state and I quote you directly "Of course we have rights." [Edited by OmegaLogos to show and highlight the privileged demographic Re: "we"

:shk:

].....EPIC FAIL!

Personal Disclosure: Then you type this load of excrement and again I quote you directly "If the American people would stop being a bunch of apathetic chicken #s, and stand up to their government we'd have the moral high ground because of our rights."....And like Tonto said "Who is we?". I'm personally AUSTRALIAN and therefor don't qualify for your oh so privileged demographics of "we'd" and "our" er rr ehhhh ummm "rights!"?

So when you used WE in your thread title did you only mean Australians?

Why is that an epic fail if I am American? If you want to believe that Australians only have privileges then fine, I am telling you that Americans have rights.

Also, are not the examples the OP used in his original post all American?


[edit on 21-6-2009 by Xtinguish]

reply to post by Xtinguish


well put.

I also really look forward to hearing what the OP has to say about the set of videos I posted (of course.. after he watches all of them.. that would only be fair right? I read everything that he wrote.)

reply to post by MissSmartypants
Disclaimer: Redacted by Author...See it HERE!

Explanation: Thanks for the kudos' and Welcome back to ATS [I flagged your new intro thread without replying! soz. I was busy here. ]

Personal Disclosure: Thanks for the weblink!

You are confusing rights and "privileges" with liberty.

Natural rights are what you are born with.... anything that you are physically capable of doing is your natural right.

Liberty is the freedom/opportunity to exercise your rights, it is often something assumed, fought for, won, taken.

Privileges are something that is given to you. Privileges cannot be given unless the liberty to do the same has been denied, and often comes with a price or fee (tax). Privilege is not freedom.


One needs to understand that the U.S. constitution and Bill of Rights is not meant to tell us what our rights are, it is meant to tell the government what our rights are and what it's limits are. However, our rights are not limited to what is declared in the Bill of Rights by any means. Those are specific rights which the founders of our nation strongly felt were absolutely necessary to the security of a free nation.

Governments or other entities can never take away your rights, only your liberty.

Unfortunately, even liberty is seldom taken, it is usually forfeited a little at a time in the name of security or profit or peace or whatever.

The Constitution clearly states that any power not granted to the Federal government by the Constitution belongs to the States.

It is clear that this is no longer true. Federal "subsidies" have all but destroyed state sovereignty, and individual liberty along with it.

[edit on 21-6-2009 by slimpickens93]

reply to post by Xtinguish
Disclaimer: As above!

Explanation: 1stly you mistake me for the OP! :shk:

RE: The OP is Zerbst !

2ndly its NOT an EPIC FAIL that you are an American! Its an EPIC FAIL because of the apparent inability of you to be able to tell the difference between things!

RE: A] You thought I was American. B] You thought I was the OP and this was MY thread when its clearly NOT! C] You thought that the examples posited were of my doing and my research and again you are 100% WRONG.

CARE TO REFUTE?

Personal Disclosure: OI! blind.face ! WTF??? I'm not the OP but yes I am watching the vids as and when they d/l and will comment on them ALL.

P.S. Was that Paul Wolfowitz disambiguating rights and privileges? If it is I'm gonna have to digest those vids with possibly lethal levels of salt! He's an A CLASS there to distract you with some kind of circus show. Wake UP and smell that turd he's serving up as cake!

reply to post by OmegaLogos


So? What is there to refute? I made a mistake of identity which you are now attempting to use to discredit me. Congrats on a pointless post to point something out so trivial. My logic still stands, Americans have rights, rights which require defending. Australians have privileges as you so wish to believe.

[edit on 21-6-2009 by Xtinguish]

reply to post by Xtinguish
Disclaimer: As above.

Explanation: It took me a few moments to digest this smelly morsel you served up Re: "If you want to believe that Australians only have privileges then fine, I am telling you that Americans have rights."......Well its really a case of me KNOWING FULL WELL rather than a case of BELIEF!

WHY SO? .....Well BECAUSE I know MY Constitution 1] I live under its Authority and 2] I read it and refer to it in all of my political arguments when debating such topics within my own demographic constituency!

AND SO TO DENY & DEFY ANY IGNORANCE.....

Chapter 1, Part 5 – Powers of the Parliament

Sections 51-60

Section 51 – Legislative powers of the Parliament

The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to:-

(xix.) Naturalization and aliens:

(xxvi.) The people of any race, for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws:

Note that these were just 2 off the top of my head and quickly sourced via google.

Personal Disclosure: I as a W.A.S.P. Australian am far more privileged than my fellow Australians of indigenous decent. Care to REFUTE?

P.S. I personally ABHORE this highly UNAUSTRALIAN [Re: A Fair Go Mate!] state of affairs! It makes me want to

Originally posted by OmegaLogos
reply to post by Xtinguish

 

Personal Disclosure: OI! blind.face ! WTF???

I'm not the OP but yes I am watching the vids as and when they d/l and will comment on them ALL.

I find it humorous that you felt the need to bash someone for mistaking you for the OP when you made the same mistake in the same post..

I don't see where your reply to me came from. I never posted any response to you, so yes.. indeed