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Show wm mest “DE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 3 August 1, 2006 Guest Commentary Citizens’ Rights Unalienable—Can not be governed or legislated CORE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS to expressive conduct.” (2) “WE ARE THE WORLD’S OLDEST DEMOCRACY, and this amendment—to protect the flag—puts this matter back into the hands of the people.” These two misconceptions are responsible for many—if not most—of the problems facing our nation today at home and abroad. As James Madison = said, “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with )” r E. Williams (George Mason Univ.) recently explained, “In a democracy, the majority rules either directly or through its elected representatives. The law is whatever the government determines it to be. Laws aren’t necessarily based upon reason but power. Democracy is another form of tyranny—tyranny of the majori- James Madison said that in a pure democracy, “There is nothing to check the inducement to sacrifice the weaker party or the obnoxious individual (Federalist paper 10).” Chief Justice John Marshall added that “Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.” ‘o accomplish the goals set for us in the Preamble to the Constitution, we must reject democracy and the adversity it stimulates and return to the Republic, which the Constitution created and work within its rule of law Consider our basic highway traffic laws (speed, stop, turn, lane change, passing, etc.). They are the most just and equitable group of laws we have. They view all cars and drivers as having equal rights. Although their enforcement may be suspec at times, they simply regulate the interaction a cars and drivers to allow all to travel, at any time, to any destination that any individual may choose without confrontations or crashes! Why then do so many of us fail to follow them? Are they not designed to protect the rights of all drivers equally? Not following those equitable laws frequently results in unnecessary delay, pain, and suffering. Should a committed member of our society, a citizen, not willingly obey those laws? Now consider “big brother” vehicle and o (1) “Congress can’t protect the flag through a statute because it would violate 1765).” Thomas Jefferson added, “No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the to restrain him (1816).” Jefferson had previously written, “There are rights which it is useless to surrender to the government, and which governments have yet always been found to invade. [Among] these is . . . the right of personal freedom (1789).” All powers and limitations in the Constitution are conditionally granted by “we the people” to Legislative, Executive, and Judiciary branches of government to enable them to manage, not dictate, the affairs of our nation. The misconception that we are a democracy facilitates tyranny by individuals and organizations. For the purpose of protecting our unalienable Rights, our form of government is a Republic, not a democracy! In our Republic, the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land and no individual, regardless of family, wealth, position or fame, is above the law. The founding fathers understood the dangers ofa democ- Se s< By Roger Price The Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah daily) published a guest commentary from Utah’s Republican Senator Orrin Hatch (“Hatch takes exception to editorial opinion”) on July 11 which was a response to an editorial by the Standard (“A bit too obvious”) that ran on July 7 and was related to the close Senate vote defeating the Constitutional Amendment regarding desecrating the U.S. Ensign. Within the text of that guest commentary, Senator Hatch presented two widely held misconceptions about our oe as fact. To not be accused of taking comments out of context, I am including the sentences here. The entire commentary is available at the Standard-Examiner. traffic laws (seat belt, eal gol helmet, child restraint in the back seat, Do they not force drivers who safely aeiee the roadways, observing equitable laws, to protect themselves against those who do not and thereby infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens or other safe drivers by endangering them? Are those laws not inerliipements upon the individual right of choice? Do two wrongs [two infringements] make a right? Does that situation meet the American standards of Liberty, Equality, and Justice? Lastly, it is an unalienable Right to travel whenever and wherever an individual chooses. Is operating a car, truck, or airplane a right, or is it a conditional privilege of citizenship or legal visitation of foreign citizens contingent upon an tedtvidual; s conducting themself as a good citiz I realize that this example, operating a vehicle, is a simple example in a complex world, but personal freedom is a simple matter. The principles of governing for the United States of America are simple. The Constitution and its Amendments granting or limiting federal powers are simple and easily understood. As individuals, we have unalienable Rights that allow us to choose and to act as we wish, but we can not assign our individual responsibility for those choices and actions to any other person. Greed, lust (especially the lust for power), COMMENTARY cont. on page 9 The misconception that we citizens (or mankind in general), have core ee rights, including our right to expressive conduct, suggests that anoth- er person or group of persons may give our rights to us or take them away. That is wrong! We individual humans have unalienable Rights, not Constitutional ts. The Declaration of Independence proclaims“. . . all men are created equal, that they are , endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights . (1776).” John Adams wrote, “I say rights, pf such they have, undoubtedly, antecedent to all earthly government— rights that cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws . . . . (Boston Gazette, DEN VALLEY LOON FESTIVA NATIVEJAMERICANIHERITAGESVART SIRE STINVAL [Nodal lo/ANG LR SCHEDULE August 5 & 6 FRIDAY OF EVENTS AUGUST 18th 7 AM at the Festival Field at Wolf Creek i Media Balloon Launch & Pancake Breakfas: JAMES Biol 6 PM to 10 PM at the Festival Field (Eden) Shades of Grey Concert, Evening Balloon Launch s BILAGODY OTe (Eden) NOON to 6PM at Huntsville Park Fine Art Exhibits/Booths; Antique Car Exhibit; Kids Inflatable Games; Live Musi MUSIC * WORKSHOPS« ART+ FOOD R MENT PaO (MANN uta eae NINO REYOS URDAY AUGUST 19th 7 AM at the Festival Field at Wolf Creek Resort (Eden) Balloon Launch and Pancake Breakfast se 9 AM to 6 PM at Huntsville Park Fine Art Exhibits/Booths; Antique Car Exhibit; Kids Inflatable Games; Live Music 9 AM to 6 PM at Chris’ Restaurant (Huntsville) Live Music, Arts & Craft and Food Booths 6 PM to 10 PM at the Festival Field (Eden) Balloon Glow, Launch and Kapp Brothers Concert & fy q| Ss UNDA a AUG GUST 7 AM at the Festival Field at Wolf oo Balloon Launch and Pancake Breakfas Recreation and Resort Specialist Resort (Eden) 9 AM to 1PM at Huntsville Park Fine Art Exhibits/Booths; Antique Car Exhibit; Kids Inflatable Games; Live Music 9 AM to 1 PM at Chris’ Restaurant reese Live Music, Arts & Craft and Food Boo ZIONS BANK WI Geek A yo™ RESORT& CLUB EDEN - UTAH For detailed event info visit Qwest Spirit of Service” STAKER | PARSON . www.ogdenvalleyballoonfestival.com |