Quote:
Originally Posted by MysticCat
See, I don't know that I'd go that far. The idea of rights in the Constitution goes back to Magna Carta -- the idea that there are certain rights the Crown/the government must respect. The Constitution lays down the idea that interference with those rights by the government is wrong, because we cannot escape the government (without moving) and because the government has the power to imprison or punish. Generally speaking, I have no choice about what the government role in my life, but the Constitution says the government cannot punish me for expressing views it doesn't like, as one example.
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Right - especially the bolded, which is pretty obvious when you look at (say) the Bill of Rights past the first two amendments ... 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 really only have application at a government level. Any "universal" (for lack of a better term) application kind of fails, because they're so specific to citizen/government interactions. The intent is thus laid bare.