Natural Rights and Duties of Men

The founding fathers believed that the only way to have a just and stable society is for men to adapt the principles of Natural Law as set forth by Nature's God.  So, what are natural rights.

Natural Rights:  This is a basic code of laws that provides each person, at birth, certain rights that cannot be taken away but by other people by the governments they create.  Natural rights are referred to as unalienable rights by the founding fathers, in that these are rights that cannot be taken away by the U.S. Constitution.  This is one of the main reasons the U.S. Constitution has lasted longer than any other current Constitution.

The following are all examples of natural rights:

1.  Unalienable rights:  The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  The other unmentioned (and thus assumed) natural rights are as follows:

• The right of self government
• The right to bear arms for self defense
• The right to own, develop, and dispose of property
• The right to make personal choices
• The right of free conscience
• The right to chose a profession
• The right to choose a mate
• The right to beget one's kind
• The right to assemble
• The right to petition
• The right to free speech
• The right to a free press
• The right to enjoy the fruits of one's labor
• The right to improve one's position through barter and sale
• The right to contrive and invent
• The right to explore natural resources of the earth
• The right of privacy
• The right to provide personal security
• The right to provide nature's necessities -- air, food, water, clothing, and shelter
• The right to a fair trial
• The right of free association
• The right to contract

2.  Unalienable duties:

• The duty to honor God
• The duty not to kill another person
• The duty not to steal
• The duty not to destroy the property of another person
• The duty to be honest
• The duty to honor thy parents
• The duty to honor thy children
• The duty to take care of the elderly
• The duty to take care of children (feed, cloth, etc.)
• The duty to respect the law in order to keep the peace
• The duty to help the helpless (sick, poor, injured, elderly, etc.)
• The duty to take care of yourself and not be dependent on others for self security
• The duty to take responsibility for your own actions (you have a right to succeed and to fail)
• The duty to keep your family together
• The duty to treat all people with equal respect
• The duty to vote and represent your government when called upon in an honest fashion
• The duty to stay informed
• The duty not to participate in criminal activities (to be honest)
• The duty to be decent and clean
• The duty to abide by the laws of nature

3.  Habeas corpus:  Latin for "You have the body."  It means you cannot be held unlawfully by the government.  A writ of habeas corpus is permission to obtain someone who is believed to be guilty.
4.  Limited government:  The right not to have too many rules that take away our natural rights
5.  Separation of powers: The political authority of the state is divided into legislative, executive and judicial powers. To most effectively promote liberty, these three powers must be separate and acting independently. It refers to the division of government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another. The intent is to prevent the concentration of power and provide for checks and balances.
6.  Checks and balances:With checks and balances, each of the three branches of government can limit the powers of the others. This way, no one branch becomes too powerful (i.e. no president can become king-like and do whatever he wants without regard to the natural rights of the people).
7.  Right to self preservation: A second amendment right to defend yourself and your family under the auspices of the law. This being necessary for the security of a free state. If the government isn't doing its job of protecting you, you have a right to protect yourself.
8.  Laws protecting the institution of marriage: The right to protect the sanctitiy of marriage as between a man and a woman.
9.  No taxation without representation: The right to be represented by the dollars that are put forth through taxation.  No money taken from you will go to programs that do not benefit you in some way, i.e. to create roads and security.