Unalienable rights

In reading the Declaration of Independence, 2nd paragraph, we see the underlining principle of Americanism. It reads, in part, "[T]hat they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights".

What exactly does the Declaration meant when it says, "unalienable rights"? Let's look it up.

Since it is from a legal document, let us look it up in Black's Law Dictionary [BLD]. It says "unalienable" is the same as "inalienable". When we look up "inalienable right", BLD describes it as "a right that cannot be transferred or surrendered; esp., a natural right such as the right to own property". The traditional American philosophy says that man (or woman--the individual) is endowed at birth with rights which no one can alter, change, eliminate...nothing; the rights are PERMANENT because he/she was given by God.

Do you know how powerful that statement implies?

Right, by itself, means, "Something that is due by just claim". It's you rights; not mine, or somebody elses. It's yours alone. You are sovereign with your rights. You are the master, there is none higher. And, thus, I am sovereign with my rights. And every person is sovereign with his/her rights. If someone is sovereign with your rights, then you are nothing but a slave.

What if you want to loan someone your rights, can you do this? No, it's unalienable. A perfect example is a surgeon performing surgery on a patient. The surgery is getting long on time, and the doctor is getting hungry. Can the doctor tell a nurse to take over while the doctor gets a bite to eat? No, because the nurse is not qualified to perform the task.

The government is not qualified to use the individual's rights. Other people are not qualified either. Only the individual itself has the capability to use his/her rights. Government's only role is to protect their individual rights. That's it. I hope that this will give you a clearer picture of what our Framers' minds were thinking when Thomas Jefferson wrote, and the rest of the people signed, the Declaration of Independence and formed our nation.