Changes

* U.S. Supreme Court ''Kelo'' decision - Distortion of the power of eminent domain, allowing the government to take land which belongs to one private person or group, and give it to another.

* U.S. Supreme Court ''Kelo'' decision - Distortion of the power of eminent domain, allowing the government to take land which belongs to one private person or group, and give it to another.

== “Human Rights” vs. Unalienable Rights ==

== Human Rights==

In the current vernacular, the term “human rights” is often used interchangeably with the term “unalienable rights.” The difference between these two concepts, however, is immense and cannot be reconciled. Unalienable rights are those authored by God. They are thus both irrevocable and nearly unlimited in scope. Man’s role is simply to discover and protect them. On the other hand, human rights are often used synonomously with synthetic rights which are socially fabricated by human governments and societies. They are thus narrowly drawn and perpetually open to modification, suspension, or rescission at any time. No emergency is required to alter or nullify them. Governments generally promote and exploit “human rights” to advance the power of government.

"Human rights" is often used interchangeably with the term "unalienable rights." The difference between these two concepts, however, is that unalienable rights are those authored by God. They are thus both irrevocable and nearly unlimited in scope. Man’s role is simply to discover and protect them.  

The most well-known example of human rights is the United Nations 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document contains thirty articles listing about fifty rights authored and approved by the UN. At the time the UN Declaration was ratified by its members, it was hailed by the media as a major advancement in the cause of liberty. It is important to remember, however, that the UN recognizes only those rights contained in the Declaration and no others. If a right is not listed in the Declaration, such as the right to keep and bear arms, then as far as the UN is concerned that right does not exist. Moreover and more significantly, any right that does appear in the Declaration is subject to modification or cancellation at the discretion of UN policymakers:

In the 20th century, secular concepts of human rights proliferated: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the American Convention on Human Rights; the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights; the European Convention of Human Rights; various UN conferences' declarations on the environment, economic development, AIDS, and other topics; and the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols.  

    (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.  

:Article 29 (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.  (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.  

    (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.  

The first International Conference on Human Rights was held in Tehran, Iran, in 1968. A powerful bloc of Asian, African, and Arab states successfully asserted their control over the UN Human Rights Program. Their aggressive conference diplomacy was the culmination of a major transition in UN politics, with supposedly Western notions of individual freedom rejected in favor of an agenda that privileged economic modernization and the collective rights of peoples in Third World nations over those of individuals in those nations. Twenty years after the iconic image of [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] holding the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], the residual elements of the program she presided over were repudiated in a storm of insistent demands from the new anti-colonial order.<ref> Burke (2008)</ref>

Not surprisingly, the majority of governments that promote “human rights” are socialist- or communist-based, and are usually ruled by a dictator, an oligarchy, or a military junta. In these regimes, the concept of “human rights” gives the government wide latitude to control the population by granting certain freedoms and withholding others. Unlike the government instituted by America’s forefathers, governments which promote “human rights” typically are not established to protect the freedoms of the People, but to control and exploit the population, under the guise of providing them with “security.”

 

Deeply influenced by the UN's 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Indian constitution provides for a host of rights, including the right of equality, cultural and religious freedoms, and the right to education. Discrimination based on race, caste, gender, birthplace, and religion was subsequently outlawed. Yet, political and social realities have intruded. Because of India's multiplicity of religious and ethnic groups, each with their own traditions and beliefs, and the complex interplay between these groups, the principles contained in the constitution have not always been followed in practice.  

*  Burke, Roland. "From Individual Rights to National Development: the First Un International Conference on Human Rights, Tehran, 1968," ''Journal of World History'' 2008 19(3): 275-296, in [[EBSCO]]

* Devine, Carol et al. ''Human Rights: The Essential Reference'' (1999) [http://www.questia.com/library/book/human-rights-the-essential-reference-by-carol-devine-carol-rae-hansen.jsp online edition]

* Langley, Winston E. ''Encyclopedia of Human Rights Issues since 1945'' (1999) [http://www.questia.com/read/111443595?title=Encyclopedia%20of%20Human%20Rights%20Issues%20since%201945 online edition]

[[Category:Republicanism]]

[[Category:Republicanism]]

[[Category: Law]]

[[Category: Law]]

[[Category: Political Terms]]

[[Category: Political Terms]]