"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL MEN are created EQUAL,.....?

Question

that they are endowed BY THEIR CREATOR with certain UNALIENABLE Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." as quoted from the Declaration of Independence.

Do you believe this is still true today? Are we practicing it?

So our Constitution supercedes everyones "unalienable rights granted by THEIR CREATOR?" So mans laws are now higher than Gods? God have mercy on us all.

I re-read it. It doesn't say all "legal Americans" are created equal. It says ALL MEN.

Answer 1

I think you are confusing the meaning of this line if you think it applicable to immigration either pro/con. Keep in mind what "all men" meant when written. It referred to all WHITE MEN, not women, and certainly not people of color. My proof? Slavery and female sufferage (or the lack thereof).

The purpose of this line was to establish that there existed certain rights that we as humans posses that cannot be taken away, namely life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. (Bear in mind african americans were not granted these rights. A slave certainly does not have liberty).

The Founders certainly didn't literally mean all people are equal in the sense of intelligence, height, weight, etc. They simply meant all (white) men possessed these rights.

I firmly believe that ALL people are indeed endowed with these rights. Does that mean that my right to pursue happiness means I can steal from you or rob a bank if it makes me happy? Of course not. The founders certainly didn't think so either. Simply because we both have the right to live, to be free, and to pursue what makes us happy does not mean we can violate the (property) rights of others. I'm not free to move into your house simply because I have the right to pursue happiness if I like your house better than mine.

To answer your question, yes I believe these rights are still true today, yes we practice them, but I think you are missing the point the founders were trying to make if you carry this over to immigration or any number of other issues. Keep in mind, the declaration isn't law, nor was it ever. It was written to provide a moral justification of the reasons why we were breaking away from England to start our own country.

Answer 2

Are you really so unaware of the rest of the world that you don't know how good you have it in this country? Would you rather have Fascism, hard core Communism, or Nazis running our country. Think about the LIFE that your able to control and decide for yourself what's best for you and your family. Not hard core Communism taking everything that you earn and splitting it up between the rest of the people giving most of it to the government. Think about the LIBERTY that you enjoy, being able to come and go as you please and owning your own property if you wish. Not being forced to work the Fascist leaders property for his sole gain and having that be your whole life. Think about the HAPPINESS that you are blessed to be able to pursue, and that you probably are able to eat something DIFFERENT everyday and be full when you go to bed. You don't have to fear someone coming into your house, raping your women then separating your whole family and taking them to concentration camps to be put to work naked in the dead of winter. We surely better hope that our government still hold these truths to be self-evident. It's true that the rich are never satisfied! Vehement_, Think about what you're saying!!!!

Answer 3

The Constitution supercedes anything that came before it. But if you're trying to argue that the United States cannot have national sovereignty and it's own immigration policy because of the Declaration of Independence, then no sort of logic or reason can lift you out of darkness.

So you accept what a MAN wrote about "The Creator" giving us inalienable rights, can't find it in scripture, eh? So in your fantasy world, who is higher, Jefferson (an avowed Atheist, by the way), or your great big fairy in the sky? You think his words justify 20 million leeches in our country?

Answer 4

I like the first post about the "White Devil". Like there are no black, Asian, Indian, etc. people that oppose this amnesty bill. I think the people that should really be p*ssed are the people that spent thousands of dollars and years upon years of studying and waiting to come into America legally. An now to see that the government is fighting so hard to get people that came here illegally their citizenship.

Answer 5

All men are NOT created equal. If they were, then you wouldn't have some that are far superior intellectually and/or physically while others are much more inferior! All legal citizens should be equal in the eyes of the law, though! And ever citizen deserves the right to pursue life, liberty, happiness and the right to own property!

Answer 6

The words are true, they are "inalienable" rights. Are we practicing it? No, nor have we ever. At the time of the Declaration, etc., only landholders were allowed to vote. Blacks acquired to right to vote after the Civil War. Women acquired the right to vote only in the 20th century.
The Supreme Court, liberals that they are, have declared murder is alright (abortion) and Jack Kevorkian says it is alright to murder people incapable of caring for themselves or who have terminal diseases or are in pain!
It was only an ideal; the problem today is that people won't even read those documents for themselves, but rely on our "leaders" and the media to explain things to them.

Answer 7

Yes dildo - ALL MEN that are American Citizens in the eyes of our laws. The problem now is that Congress and the President are forcing All MEN and Women who are American to pay for illegal criminal trespassers who sneak into our Country.

Answer 8

This issue has already, repeatedly, been decided by the Supreme Court. The Government does have the right to regulate immigration and to stop, or remove illegal immigrants.

This argument has been made and has failed. Men do not have the natural right to citizenship or residency in the United States.

Answer 9

Its sad in a way that some people can do something like digest the constitution but they can't see "the writing on the wall."

Answer 10

That was way back when we didn't have all these people hopping the border and ruining our country. This is when good Christian people were coming over from England to start better lives for themselves, not add to the overwhelming welfare system.