The Declaration of Independence speaks of “unalienable rights” that supersede those bestowed by government. In the parlance of the day, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are listed as these rights. In the United States Constitution and its amendments, the broad context of rights is spelled out and expanded to include government acquiescence to individual liberty. The question that has created a great divide in our country is where unalienable and government rights intersect. What are universal rights that are unalienable and cannot be taken away by legislation or political whim?
The rights of one group may be a detriment to others and threaten the concept of a higher, moral authority. Sanction by corrupt courts and government is a great danger faced today as the concept of limiting government intrusion, often championed by conservative thought, has been twisted to fit a mold that, paradoxically, includes increased government mandates and restrictions. Unalienable rights have been relegated to a narrow definition that is designed for a specific narrative.
Personal and societal rights outlined by our national constitution are in jeopardy as fundamental understandings have been challenged, undermined and reversed. The result is a chaotic descent into a lawless environment that fails to recognize boundaries. Appeals to hatred, violence and disorder are antithetical to the spirit and values of our country. More and more of those seeking office do so with a naked lust for power, wealth and revenge, irrespective of their constituents or national needs and desires.
Personal, group and political rejection is beginning to move the pendulum toward fruitful discussions and common purpose. However, time is required to repair the rift of political extremism and that may not be available. Legal processes are glacial and designed to protect individual rights no matter how disruptive and even heinous they might be. The ballot box can remove those who betray the public trust, but the political process is sporadic and open to corruption through gerrymandering and pandering to self-interest. The solution lies in an educated, well-informed and grass roots awareness that is not easily swayed by incomplete or single source false information designed to contort facts to fit a pre-determined conclusion.
Slick commercials are usually filled with slogans and tag lines but woefully short on hard facts. A politically aware electorate will demand access to a variety of sources and political viewpoints to understand and evaluate current issues. Without such scrutiny, our unalienable rights are not only at risk, but will slip away without resistance. T.S. Eliot warned of inattention to the erosion of morality and core values in the last two lines of his poem, The Hollow Men:
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
Our unalienable and governmental rights are at stake during this time of extreme partisanship and demagoguery. Don’t fall for slogans of “woke” or “radical” or any other adjective designed to obscure politics of hate and vengeance. We are better than this.