RIGHTS: Belong to every individual

There is an absolute factor regarding freedom called “individual rights” that cannot be compromised without taking away freedom from society. We are all extremely fortunate to live in a free society where “gay people” have no rights as “gay people,” and “straight people” have no rights as “straight people;” a great republic where “white people” have no rights as “white people,” “people of color” have no rights as “people of color” and “religious people” have no rights as “religious people.”

A milestone in the understanding of human equality and rights was reached when our founders realized the absolute truth that rights apply only to the individual. They took a difficult path when developing the universal Bill of Rights as the philosophy of individual rights defines freedom and the guarantee of individual rights stands in the path of all oppression. The universal Bill of Rights has given our great republic meaning and purpose, while giving hope for freedom to our global brothers and sisters.

The universal Bill of Rights guarantees all individuals their inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, without any coercion from the majority. Without the guarantee of individual rights a democracy is no more than mob rule. It is clearly unconstitutional, thus a civil rights violation, for a majority to deny an individual any freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness which the majority enjoys. It is also clearly unconstitutional, thus a civil rights violation, for a majority to place an individual under any influence and or pressure to conform to the religion of the majority on any public property or at any public event.

People endured severe hardship and terrible tragedies to travel to this continent, in part, to escape persecution from people of a majority and or official religion and to worship freely. It is patriotic people, wielding a hammer of freedom called the Bill of Rights, that put an end to the terrors of the KKK. The KKK was a group of people who proclaimed God was on their side. They commanded a majority rule in many areas of our great republic and used their majority power to violate the civil rights of countless people. It is time to realize how lucky we are to live in a great republic, called the United States of America, where rights only apply to the individual.

MICHAEL JOYCE

Coeur d’Alene