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  • Posted by SaltyDog 9 years ago
    Now that's frightening...anything that is granted by man can be taken away by man. Jefferson in his genius even covered that particular base, saying that man, in the state of nature, is free. This makes the tenet apply to atheists as well as believers. Now Mr. Cuomo might be trying to contradict that idea, or perhaps he's simply an idiot. Or both.
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    • Posted by JeffG 9 years ago
      The Declaration of Independence, IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
      The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America...
      We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government....
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  • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
    This is sad, both of them are wrong. Rights are part of ethics and ethics is a matter or reason and logic. Saying rights come from man is the same thing as saying you don't have any rights. Saying they come from god makes them disembodied from this world.

    These ideas are analogous to saying physics comes from man or god.
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    • Posted by Ben_C 9 years ago
      Equally God can neither be proven or disproven making the arguement futile. The perils of rights coming from man (right to healthcare being the latest) is well stated. A person may or may not fear God depending on their beliefs but I for one have a greater fear of our government. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is an abstract whose origins are debated but it is these principles that have given me the life that I live. And I will defend it - period.
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    • Posted by $ 9 years ago
      Perhaps, but to choose between man and God for the origin or rights, I'd put my faith/trust, even if fanciful, in God every time. At least then there is a aspect of off-limits, no-authority, for despots, tyrants, and useful idiOts to struggle against. Jefferson and the Framers knew exactly what they were doing when they wrote it so.
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      • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
        You trust in something that does not exist, can not be defined, cannot be perceived and cannot be understood. Brilliant and what will you say to the Islamic terrorist who does not believe in Natural Rights? Or the Communist who thinks your only right is to serve the state? "I believe your wrong, I have faith you are wrong."
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      • Posted by Temlakos 9 years ago
        Not only that: Jefferson used several words to refer to God.

        "Nature's God entitles them to a separate and equal station."

        "All men are created equal." Created--by whom?

        "They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights."

        "We appeal to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions."

        "We rely upon the protection of Divine Providence."
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  • Posted by johnpe1 9 years ago
    the concept of "rights" is one of the most abused
    ideas floating around these days. . by its nature,
    a scorpion is designed to sting. . we are designed
    to be free, make choices, own stuff and produce.
    if a government or a society can grant "rights," it can
    make us slaves. . I believe that is their intent. -- j

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  • Posted by helidrvr 9 years ago
    When taking his comments IN THE CONTEXT GIVEN by him, he's absolutely right. The bill of rights was not written by God, it was written by a few men.
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    • Posted by sumitch 9 years ago
      If I may. Truly inspired by God.
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      • Posted by helidrvr 9 years ago
        That may well be and I have no quarrel with that belief. But it's not what he was adressing as far as I could tell. Too many people carry on about the founding documents of the USA as if they were the Third Testament of the Bible. I think he was right in making that point.
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        • -1
          Posted by sumitch 9 years ago
          "Cuomo’s mixing apples with oranges. Laws come from “collective agreement and compromise” and vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

          Rights are universal and come from God or, if you’d like, from the natural order of things.

          "If Cuomo wants to argue the point further, I suggest he take it up with Thomas Jefferson. I guarantee he’ll lose that debate".

          That's exactly what he said and what he meant. "if you’d like, from the natural order of things".

          You seem to have a problem with our Bill of Rights with your comment about it being the third testament of the Bible.

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          • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
            No they do not come from God. They are the result of reason applied to the nature of man.
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            • Posted by plusaf 9 years ago
              and the vast majority of laws and 'rights' come from the AGREEMENT between and among members of a culture, society or nation To Live Under Those Laws.

              I can't understand why so few people recognize the Consensus/Agreement aspects of all these things we keep calling 'rights'!

              Y'know, if enough morons get together and AGREE on it, "the right to a government-paid smart phone" can become a "right" just like so many other stupid things. Consensus is all it takes, with or without any Help From God...
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              • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
                That is a misuse of the word right - of course that is one of these problems. Here of course we were discussing Natural Rights.
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                • Posted by plusaf 9 years ago
                  db... help me please... what are "Natural Rights" and how do they differ from the 'rights' I was talking about?
                  Thanks!
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                  • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
                    The word Right or Rights has been perverted. This phrase started from Locke's formulation of Natural Rights. Natural Rights starts, most easily, from the concept that you own yourself. If you own yourself, then slavery, murder, theft, assault, are immoral and illegal. If you own yourself, then you own those things your create (make productive) and that is where property rights come from. If you own yourself (and your property) then you can enter into binding agreements to trade these, which is where contracts come from.
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                    • Posted by plusaf 9 years ago
                      Thank you, db.... but (of course...)...
                      So Locke 'formulated' the concept of Natural Rights.
                      ok, I'm fine with that...
                      BUT... Natural Rights can only exist if there's consensus in the tribe, group, society, culture, whatever... that Natural Rights accrue to its members. Anyway, that's my position on it.

                      The list of 'immoral and illegal' acts are also 'by agreement' BECAUSE they don't jibe with AGREED-upon definitions of "Natural Rights."

                      imnsho. And I DO like the list you put forth of those Natural Rights (of self-ownership and its implications)!

                      Oh, wait... that still leaves open the argument/discussion of WHEN those "Rights" accrue to your "Self"... viz: the whole abortion 'rights' 'discussion.'

                      Oh, well...
                      Cheers!
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                      • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
                        No you are confusing ethics and political theory with practical politics. Physics still exists whether I acknowledge it or not. Second you need a standard, Rights, by which to judge a government's actions. Otherwise all you can say is the government does whatever it does. Rights are the standard by which you can make the moral judgement of whether a government is proper or one of its actions is proper. So they exist separate from whether any group of people decide to create a government that is consistent with Natural Rights.

                        Your line of reasoning is based on anti-conceptual reasoning. Only immediate reality is real. This is not profound, it is intellectually dishonest and lazy.
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                        • Posted by plusaf 9 years ago
                          Actually, db, I'm beginning to believe that an argument that included Natural Rights without explicitly acknowledging their Basis or Where They Come From or Who Decided What They Are and Why... is its own kind of laziness... though Maybe not 'dishonest.'

                          ---Which is the issue I was raising and the point which I was attempting to make... which I do not think you addressed in your reply.
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                          • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
                            If you are on this site and you do not know the origin of Natural Rights then your ignorance is profound. But even that ignorance does not excuse the concrete bound anti-conceptual arguments you made above.
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                              • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
                                The ignorance comment was a fact, not ad hominum. I assume you know English also, if you were ignorant of English on this site it would not be ad hominum to point it out.
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                                • Posted by plusaf 9 years ago
                                  Sorry, I take part of it back... Your comment about my ignorance WAS accurate. I did some research on Locke and Natural Rights via http://www.nlnrac.org/earlymodern/locke which I got from a google search, https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=n... .

                                  http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke-... is another one I found quite interesting, too...

                                  But so far, all of them comprise a kind of mutual circle-jerk of rationalizing the irrational... that these "Laws" or "Rights" spring from some Source's forehead and manifest themselves into the world, and NOT that they're all an invention of people And Consensus, listed and collected as "nice rules to follow so that we don't all go out and kill each other."

                                  So, thank you for prompting me to become more educated. It worked. I now have a somewhat better understanding of some of the roots of Locke's principles.

                                  On the other hand, it's also shown me that the arguments put forth are not as iron-clad as Believers In Locke might like to think... there are still unanswered Socratic questions in the realm of "Ok, Where Did THAT Come From?".

                                  I'm sorry if you can't see the contradiction in the 'explanations and education' I've been offered.
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  • Posted by peterchunt 9 years ago
    The left believes that Government is the all powerful force, and so it cannot agree that our rights are sacrosanct because it means that big government in not in control of all things.
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  • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago in reply to this comment.
    As best as I can follow you are confusing what is, with what should be. Ethics is not the study of what is, but what should be or what one should do. It is the standard by which things are judged. You cannot try a man for murder unless there is a standard of conduct by which you are judging him. The same is true of government.
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    • Posted by plusaf 9 years ago
      ... and you seem to be in denial that ALL of the Truths, Laws and Rights of which you speak are the inventions of Man (collectively, including women, etc... so as to not PC-offend anyone... :) )

      I'm saying the "What Is" is that humans created ALL 'rules' including the concept of "Natural Rights" and it's not relevant or dependent on What IS or What 'Should Be.'

      But, since you seem to be married to your opinion, enjoy it. That, too, does not make it any more 'right' than what I've been saying, other than you think it does. And you still can't manage that self-contradiction...

      But hey, I'm just an old fart EE... what the hell do _I_ know about philosophy?!
      :)
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      • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
        Thank you for your exposition of the concert bound realists who denies that concepts exists. BTW why are you using words? All words are concepts.
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        • Posted by plusaf 9 years ago
          yes, and those words' 'concepts' were established by Natural Right of Existence, right? No consensus, agreement or cultural relevance, eh?

          Unlike Some Special Laws...
          Hey, thank you, too. This has been almost as fun as chocolate but nowhere near as much fun as sex.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 9 years ago
    Fortunately, CNN's audience has diminished from a torrent to a trickle. Cuomo, whether cleverly or stupidly is just mouthing the Progressive line, and what else would you expect? There are at least 20 or 30 people in the Gulch that I know of, who could demolish him in a debate and probably a thousand more that I don't know of. But it will never happen, because you have to be irrational to be a politician in this current climate. The trick is to vote for the least insane one.
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    • Posted by sumitch 9 years ago
      It's a sad state of affairs when so many have to vote for the lesser of two evils. I agree with you but it's a shame. Just take a look at the selection(s) we are going to have for the next president.
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  • Posted by $ allosaur 9 years ago
    Old dino's rights come from God.
    If your rights come from a phone and a pen, that's your problem.
    Why do I feel like loudly spitting chewing tobacco right now? I hate chewing tobacco.
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    • -1
      Posted by sumitch 9 years ago
      The position(s) are a matter of faith and belief. I've never seen a proton but I believe it's there. Same with God. I cannot come up with a final answer to where did ever thing come from so there must be a God or whatever words you choose to recognize that we just don't have the ability to explain our being without him (or her if you really want to run off base).
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      • Posted by plusaf 9 years ago
        re: " I cannot come up with a final answer to where did ever thing come from so there must be a God or whatever words you choose to recognize that we just don't have the ability to explain our being without him "

        Are you at all aware at the nonsequitur nature of that statement?! To claim that, because we don't (yet) "know where we came from" that The Obvious Answer is "God Created It All"???

        "There must be a God"?

        Wow... and I thought Reason and Rationality would be ubiquitous around here.... such a disappointment.

        From my site.. http://www.plusaf.com/pix/homepagepix/pr...

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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 9 years ago
    Neither position is correct. As I wrote in A New Declaration of Independence..."...The Individual Rights we affirm are inheritable from our Nature as Humans and are inviolate and absolute. Beings like us who are capable of creating the Arts & Sciences, Technology, the Constitution and the Laws ought not be subservient to either God or Man...."
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    • Posted by $ 9 years ago
      Flaw: "Beings like us who are,,"

      Far too many people barely think at all let alone strive to create (outside of procreation). To believe the above is to present an elite class, very much like the apparent governing elite in America today and any enlightened group in leftist/socialist/communist societies. While I would support an objectivist as POTUS and a flock of them in SCOTUS I wonder if they would, because they would believe themselves enlightened, be any better that what we already have.

      If all men be equal, than let their standard be beyond their influence to control, limit or remove from another.
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      • Posted by j_IR1776wg 9 years ago
        By "Beings like us" I meant the entire Human Race. That some choose not to think or are incapable of thought at a high level neither makes them less human nor elites of us upon whom Nature has visited the capacity to create.
        We are the only animal capable of conceptualizing Rights and they must be based on our Nature as Humans and not on any God or what any Men assert. No one can take away our Nature.
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        • Posted by $ 9 years ago
          I see where you're coming from but can't agree. Society is a construct of man, not nature. Law made by a group of people comprising a society aren't based on human nature, they are based on emotional reactions to specific situations (murder, assault, rape, arson, etc). If a creator is a social construct and supernatural who better to use to elevate principals common to a society to the extent that no human can adjust revoke them?

          I know I'm being difficult and I apologize. I just can't see this particular issue as cut-and-dry as Objectivism would have it. There is much we do not know and with free will we are not made to do anything.
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          • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
            Man is not part of nature?
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            • Posted by $ 9 years ago
              Yes, man lives in nature and no, in my view, his sentience separates him from nature.
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              • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
                sentience is just the capacity to feel or have sensations. Dogs have that, so do cats. The ability to feel does not separate us from nature.
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                • -1
                  Posted by $ blarman 9 years ago
                  Disagree. Sentience means much, much more. Dogs and cats don't seek to improve their station; no animal but man seeks continual improvement. Dogs and cats work from instinct, but don't have logical or rational faculties to rival that of man, nor do any other animals on the planet. Animals live within nature; man seeks to supercede nature. Animals are constrained by nature; man pushes the boundaries and breaks through many of those constraints. Animals act on instinct but have only a very limited ability to gain knowledge; man's knowledge grows from generation to generation. Man feels guilt, love, despair, hope, etc. Animals have instinct only.

                  There is a clear and unambiguous separation between man and the rest of creation in every possible respect. Clearly, sentience is more than being able to interact with one's environment.
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              • Posted by Temlakos 9 years ago
                What most people mean by nature, I think you mean The Wild. Man's sentience separates him from The Wild. A number of political theorists actually opt for The Wild. Charles A. Lindbergh did, if Rand understood him correctly.
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          • Posted by j_IR1776wg 9 years ago
            As an Objectivist, I have concluded that all human knowledge originates with the evidence of the senses (sight, smell, hearing, touching, and tasting). Only after I've sensed something can I apply my natural ability to Reason and Aristotle's logic to determine the characteristics of that which I have sensed. To my mind, this is the only way to knowledge
            To assert that my Rights come from God would necessitate me having sensed this God which I have never experienced. Hence I conclude that this explanation for my Rights is incorrect.
            To assert that my Rights come from Man would necessitate proof that Plato's philosopher-king could actually exist and be capable of determining the Rights of all other men. I have seen no such proof. Hence I conclude this explanation is incorrect.
            Since our Rights can only come from God, Man, or from our Nature as Humans, and the first two being incorrect, the only possibility left is the third.
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      • Posted by Zenphamy 9 years ago
        AJ; My favorite Heinlein quote:
        "Most people can’t think, most of the remainder won’t think, the small fraction who do think mostly can’t do it very well. The extremely tiny fraction who think regularly, accurately, creatively, and without self -delusion— in the long run, these are the only people who count. —Robert A. Heinlein"
        And second:
        “Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded— here and there, now and then—are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty. This is known as ‘bad luck.’” —Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

        We're born with equal rights, but equal ability, not so much. One of the biggest mistakes we've ever made is make voting rights equal to all. A few of the Founders were enlightened and gave to their compatriots and the rest of us a fantastic opportunity. We've allowed the concept of equality put forth by the church, statist and their cronies to nearly destroy us.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years ago
    From God or from any other belief system especially independent reason they flow from citizens to government and not the other way around.The whole point of 1776. As for King George and his minions? There baaaaaaacccccckkkkkk!
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  • Posted by term2 9 years ago
    Should have been "life, liberty, and property". Forget "happiness", whatever that means. I think rights come from the nature of the independent thinking beings we are. It just works better for everyone when we agree on these rights. They are spoken by men but they don't come from men. They come from observing and accepting a natural order of things. Anyway it seems kind of obvious to me
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  • Posted by $ jdg 9 years ago
    They do come from man, but every human is equally capable of creating them. So in effect Jefferson was right.
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    • Posted by $ 9 years ago
      but not all are capable of respecting or tolerating them, which is why endowed bytheir Creator was included.
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      • Posted by $ jdg 9 years ago
        Whatever rights you assert, someone will refuse to abide by them.

        "endowed by their Creator" was included simply as a fallacious argument. It amounts to saying, "The [imaginary] King of Everything has endorsed MY view, so the rest of you shut up!"

        God is the world's oldest sock-puppet. People have been forging his name to arguments since before recorded history.
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  • Posted by xthinker88 9 years ago
    Actually, in the context of the argument that he is having, Cuomo is more correct than Moore.

    The exact language of the bill of rights comes from man and from collective agreement. The underlying rights are inalienable. Thus, in the context of an argument over the definition of marriage and the application of the "equal protection" clause of the Constitution - the whole thing comes from man - not god. And can be redefined by man in any way that our society sees fit. So long as it does not violate one of the inalienable rights.
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  • Posted by wiggys 9 years ago
    it was good to hear cuomo state on national tv that rights come not from god. maybe his comments will be further publicized on all of the other networks and other forms of news media.
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  • Posted by $ blarman 9 years ago
    It is really quite simple: if the right exists independent of anyone else's presence, it does not stem from man or any societal agreement. If you do not require the presence of anyone else to think or to act in a certain capacity, those are natural rights applicable which do not require the acquiescence of any third party.

    Cuomo. Want to bet he's the son of a certain NYC mayor and just as brainwashed?
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  • Posted by amhunt 9 years ago
    Justice Moore shows that he sees to the core of the issue with his statement: "Rights are universal and come from God or, if you’d like, from the natural order of things." just as Thomas Jefferson did: " ... endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, ..." (a most remarkable insight especially considering Jefferson's era). Mr. Cuomo is espousing the position of bully's, thugs, tyrants, and dictators.
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    • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
      I think you are being generous to Judge Moore. He does not think rights are based in reason, he thinks they are based in Christian faith, which is an inherent contradiction.
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      • Posted by amhunt 9 years ago
        Interesting point -- I thought his "... or, if you'd like .." was indicative of his understanding that God or nature as a starting point is a premise and in the latter case these rights arise naturally. I select nature as it seems to me to be the simpler (I have only to consider nature, not God and nature). In the case of nature I think we use objective reasoning to deduce these same fundamental rights. It would be interesting to discuss these matters with the Justice.
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    • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years ago
      Anyone remember the difference between unalienable and inalienable? Besides the second word is favored by the left?
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      • Posted by dbhalling 9 years ago
        From the web

        Inalienable vs. unalienable
        English has changed since the founders of the United States used unalienable in the signed final draft of their 1776 Declaration of Independence (some earlier drafts and later copies have inalienable). Inalienable, which means exactly the same thing—both mean incapable of being transferred to another or others—is now the preferred form. Unalienable mainly appears in quotes of or references to the Declaration. Inalienable prevails everywhere else.
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        • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years ago
          Use to be unalienable meant couldn't be changed nor taken away and inalienable meant could be changed or taken away. As short a time ago as 15-20 years. Ah well. Incremental-ism at it's best.
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