We know that, but the government has control OVER the constitution.

Our government can establish laws that must abide by the constitution.

I'm pretty sure the Founding Fathers didn't expect the US Constitution to last more than one generation.

Forbid religious majority rule ala Iran/Pakistan?

How odd that it had to be written in, then, if they're inherent rights.

This is why it gets changed.

The idea of inalienable rights depends upon the idea of divinity

Otherwise they're just rights that we all agree are for the best and should be respected

The idea of natural rights is nonsense on stilts.

If they didn't consider it to last more than a century, they wouldn't have stated that the "The tree of liberty from time to time must be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

The point is that the constitution by its design can be altered; so all this legalistic argumentation is useless. We shouldn’t argue what is *in* the constitution that should or should not be followed; we should argue about the principles of the constitution and principles in general to see if the law needs to be amended thusly

What's your point?

They being just Jefferson.

Tree of liberty refers to the constitution and bill of rights that ensures our freedom and liberty.

the constitution was influenced by Locke who states that we have rights not granted just because of the government

No, those are what help to protect liberty.

Pretty sure that quote was from Jefferson who wasnt even in the country at the point saying that. He was refencing Shay's rebellion I think it was

It would be a much better tool of ensuring them if it couldn't be edited.

It doesn't need to be edited in order to be eroded. See: 2nd amendment.

Yeah, we can literally just ignore it.

We have for, like, over a century.

“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

“A Republic, *if you can keep it*.”

You do realize... that you arguing this allows for the government to stripe us of our rights and effectively put us under tyrannical rule.

Honestly I wonder if the problem of this whole debate started with my miscommunication. @Dusty Morgan maybe your right that the constitution would grant the freedom of prostitution, but in my humanistic perspective I find prostitution abhorrent and people shouldn’t do it, whether or not it should be legal

Not only do we have a government that must respect those principles of freedoms, we as citizens also are expected to fight back when the government oversteps their limitations

"Somehow the notion of unalienable liberty got lost. It's really become a question of what liberties will the state assign to individuals or rather, what liberties we will have the strength to cling to."

I do agree with @Bookworm that religious conviction shouldn’t be bared as motivation for law

Because you are arguing that the constitution and bill of rights isn't a inherit right, but a privilege granted to us citizens by the government that can stripe us off at anytime.

Us arguing gives the government power. Incredible.

We aren't arguing for it. We're stating the facts. I don't think any of us like them.

Yes. Because they are.

under Locke the government's only duty is to protect the citizen's property (life, liberty, and possessions)

Rights do get trampled whether or not they're supposed to be.

Theoretically, *everything* in the constitution can be changed

should just be Anarcho-Primitive. Wouldnt need to argue all about this. Just steal each others food and women, then die from TB

We need to decide as a matter of values if any of it *should*

Constitutions get overthrown by regime change all the time.

I wonder if we’ve found a snag in our system: by the principle of natural rights, prostitution would be a natural right of someone’s choice; but the principle of democracy and representation would have the people be able to vote as they desire, even if that would be against the constitution. So where do we stand?

I don't think many people would argue that prostitution is a natural right

There is a term for that Emperor... Majority Rule. Reason we are not suppose to be a Democracy.