Forum Overview :: No Stairway to Heaven :: Right so the problem is "who makes sure that happens."

[quote name="Zsenitan"]And the answer actually is "you." It's not so much that the Constitution lies; it's that the guys whose job it is to run the country would rather not deal with the rights that might get in the way of running the country. Right are invoked <i>specifically</i> to slow down and disempower governments. It's up to each citizen to monitor, respect, and act on his own rights. This is one of the worst things. Even though we are supposed to have certain guaranteed rights, it doesn't really work out that way at all. In this generation, as in <i>every other generation</i>, we have only those rights that we are willing to fight for. Guys who have their shit totally together on this count, like the NRA or the ACLU, are able to preserve the rights that they are interested in. Guys who don't have their shit together (like the ones who impute a right to privacy out of the 14th amendment) are not able to preserve the rights they are interested in. To be a citizen in a democracy is to have an obligation to identify and fight for your rights and beliefs. Please vote accordingly. Communicate with your representatives and made your opinions known. Join interest groups. Don't be afraid of lobbyists; be afraid of lobbyists <i>on the other side.</i>. [/quote]