“Every State is known by the rights it maintains.”

I'd like to see the states get some of their rights back again!

Great quote. I think Mike and Archer feel that the worse maintainer of rights is the USA., their attitudes are sad very sad.

Sadly too many Americans are unaware that the majority of their rights have been moved to the category of priveleges and can be denied at any time by any number of agencies for any number of reasons. So much for Constitutional Government....

Real peace is the absence of aggression, whether on an international scale or localized within a small area. Real peace requires not merely the absence of large-scale military conflicts, but also the absence of aggression in domestic affairs concerning individual citizens. ~ Ben ONeill. Mises Institute....like surveillance, wire tapping, highway checkpoints, financial surveillance, tax tyranny...and on and on...

Have been traveling in Texas, and New Mexico J, crossed the border about 6 times. Checkpoints everywhere down here. Texas posts signs on the highway which could be interpreted as state dictatorship. It says "MAINTAIN YOUR VEHICLE". You would certainly not like it down here. Others however consider the checkpoints as protection from the aggression of individuals to cause havoc on the highway or otherwise unlawfully invade our land. You always come down on the side of one individual at the expense of all of the rest of us. Why is that!

Truth is self evident it needs no religion or politics.

Because the "rights maintained" are not necessarily the rights the state is supposed to maintain... As far as the US maintaining my rights, it is because of the likes of Waffler that we must speak out and fight against every encroachment. Somehow Waffler believes he has a right to someone else's labor and property by 'law' and the 'force' that backs it up. I don't have a problem with signs telling us to be safe or keep it clean, I have problems with laws that force us to work for the state. I don't need to be threatened to clean up the environment -- I do it on my own and don't grumble about why 'they' don't do something about this...

Existing innate to the being, rights are an individuals liberty warrant at nature to pursue lifes personally authoritative, inalienable and omnipresent performances without third party affiliation or support. Rights are the beings unalienable entitlement to act at liberty. The State is an inorganic phantasm with no rights. In the de jure representative republic, servants are hired to a body politic to maintain individual sovereigns rights. By the degree that State maintains those said individual sovereign inalienable rights, it is known. When a State embraces compelled compliance, government licenses, victimless crimes, larceny with impunity (2nd plank of the Communist Manifesto, Social Security, police State confiscations, funny money, etc.) and an alienation of nature endowed rights - it is known by the despotism, tyranny, slavery and totalitarian maleficence that it maintains.

Perhaps much more should be said on behalf of Harold Laski and the thin thread of truth, before siding with him. Chairman of the British Labor party 1945-46. Professor at the London School of Economics. 1925-50. In 1930 he shifted to Marxist emphasis on class conflict ( violent ) The far left view on democracy. He was the most influential intellectual FOR SOCIALISM in the interwars. His trust and hope lay in Stalin's Soviet Union. Churchill chewed him up and spit him out ! Union bosses and their cries for higher wages. A very Old story. Rights of individuals at Liberty under natural law are nowhere near the content or the implied content of the statement. Along these same lines of thought 2000 thousand years ago a cry came from the wilderness, " Prepare ye the way of the Lord."" And the people ask him, saying, what shall we do then? He answered and said unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart unto him that hath none, and him that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans ( tax collectors and sinners ) to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact ( taxes ) no more than that which is appointed you. ( Don't raise the taxes ). And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages." And the people mussed in the hearts, is this the Christ ? John said no. Upon the lords arrival in Luke 4, he makes this statement, vs 18, The Spirit of the lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, anf recovering of sight to the blind, TO SET AT LIBERTY them that are bruised." Which brings us to our apostle of Liberty, Paul, also with Silas were thrown into prison for preaching liberty. With a great earthquake of intervention, the prison doors were opened and the stocks removed from their feet. The keeper of the prison being very scared, ask, " Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."

My responsibilities and obligations will not allow me to enjoy my popularly supported maintained right to be an idiot. Not really consuming most other's resources or apparent interest, responsibilities keeps me busy implementing the life process.