Ronald R. Cherry
Rightful human liberty
By Ronald R. Cherry
Rightful human liberty is a function of man's equal natural human rights.
"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others." Thomas Jefferson
Wrongful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will with no limits, or within limits drawn around us by the inferior liberty of others. Tyrants possess wrongful liberty "to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor." Tyranny, from the point of view of a serf, is obstructed action according to someone else's will (the tyrant's will) within limits drawn around him or her by the superior liberty of others (superior liberty of the tyrant and his cronies). Envision 1,000 people moving three dimensionally in the Superdome – each a unique individual – each naturally surrounded by an equally protective sphere – all equally protected in their life and property. Under equal liberty each individual possesses maximum freedom of activity – maximum human liberty – maximum "unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others." As soon as any individual or group unjustly possess superior liberty they become surrounded by larger protective spheres which, out of geometric necessity, unjustly reduces the freedom of activity – the liberty – of everyone else. Imagine a King or Prince, a Bishop or Imam, or the Socialist Pigs of Animal Farm – "superior people" surrounded by spheres tens or hundreds or thousands of times larger than that of the "little people" whose liberty is thereby cornered and constrained within limits drawn around them by the superior liberty of others. Superior liberty for any group of people is the definition of tyranny, because superior human liberty for some requires inferior human liberty for others, i.e., a superiority of human rights requires violation of human rights.
"Law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual." Thomas Jefferson
Socialist government-given human liberty is reversible and unequally parceled out to classes of people – who are then unnaturally pitted against each other in "class struggle." On the other hand, God-given human liberty is inherently equal and unalienable for all people. The socialist argument is that a small group of special people – the socialist ruling class – possesses superior liberty protected by superiority before the law. The people comprising socialist government thereby, in effect, are the ones made in the image of God – not each and every individual equally. The socialist ruling class attains this commanding position via excessive collectivization of the people's property – which enables them "to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor."
"With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor [Free Enterprise]; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor [Socialism]. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name – liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names – liberty and tyranny." Abraham Lincoln
How is equal human liberty protected? Thomas Jefferson answers: Equal law!
"Bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights [along with the majority], which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression." Thomas Jefferson
As Thomas Jefferson noted, our liberty, to be rightful, must be restrained within limits drawn around us by the equal natural rights of others. Human liberty is naturally and universally restrained by the equal natural right of others to their liberty, thus we are not free to enslave. Human liberty is naturally and universally restrained by the equal natural right of others to their property, thus we are not free to steal. Our liberty is also naturally and universally restrained by the equal right of others to their life and limb, thus we are not free to yell "fire" in a crowded theater lest some are trampled to death or severely injured.
As stated in our Declaration of Independence, in order for government power to be just it must derive through the consent of the governed, i.e., via consent of the majority. Minorities are not allowed – not at liberty – to make law against the will of the majority – that is a violation of the natural law underpinning the very concept of democracy. Majorities are allowed – at liberty – to make law against the will of the minority as an expression of democracy, but only if the law does not violate the minority's natural right to liberty otherwise, or violate their life or property. In our Constitutional Republic minorities must not be allowed to legally overwhelm the majority by infringing on their rightful liberty. For example, the heterosexual majority possesses a natural right to free association in marriage while the homosexual minority possesses the same natural right to free association in homosexual union, but the homosexual minority does not have a natural right – the liberty – to usurp the majority's natural right – their liberty – to define the meaning of words, including the word "marriage." Minorities and majorities both naturally possess equal rights to life and property, but minority liberty is unobstructed action according to their will, within limits drawn around them by the democratic liberty of the majority, otherwise we would have majority liberty reduced to unobstructed action according to their will, within limits drawn around them by the undemocratic liberty of the minority.
"Every man, and every body of men on earth, possesses the right of self-government. They receive it with their being from the hand of nature. Individuals exercise it by their single will; collections of men by that of their majority; for the law of the majority is the natural law of every society of men." Thomas Jefferson
Thus, the only rational and rightful exception to equal human liberty is that required for functioning of the democratic principle of making law within a Constitutional Republic.
Ronald R. Cherry, MD
Author of Restoring the American Mind
© Ronald R. Cherry
February 2, 2019
Rightful human liberty is a function of man's equal natural human rights.
"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others." Thomas Jefferson
Wrongful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will with no limits, or within limits drawn around us by the inferior liberty of others. Tyrants possess wrongful liberty "to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor." Tyranny, from the point of view of a serf, is obstructed action according to someone else's will (the tyrant's will) within limits drawn around him or her by the superior liberty of others (superior liberty of the tyrant and his cronies). Envision 1,000 people moving three dimensionally in the Superdome – each a unique individual – each naturally surrounded by an equally protective sphere – all equally protected in their life and property. Under equal liberty each individual possesses maximum freedom of activity – maximum human liberty – maximum "unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others." As soon as any individual or group unjustly possess superior liberty they become surrounded by larger protective spheres which, out of geometric necessity, unjustly reduces the freedom of activity – the liberty – of everyone else. Imagine a King or Prince, a Bishop or Imam, or the Socialist Pigs of Animal Farm – "superior people" surrounded by spheres tens or hundreds or thousands of times larger than that of the "little people" whose liberty is thereby cornered and constrained within limits drawn around them by the superior liberty of others. Superior liberty for any group of people is the definition of tyranny, because superior human liberty for some requires inferior human liberty for others, i.e., a superiority of human rights requires violation of human rights.
"Law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual." Thomas Jefferson
Socialist government-given human liberty is reversible and unequally parceled out to classes of people – who are then unnaturally pitted against each other in "class struggle." On the other hand, God-given human liberty is inherently equal and unalienable for all people. The socialist argument is that a small group of special people – the socialist ruling class – possesses superior liberty protected by superiority before the law. The people comprising socialist government thereby, in effect, are the ones made in the image of God – not each and every individual equally. The socialist ruling class attains this commanding position via excessive collectivization of the people's property – which enables them "to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor."
"With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor [Free Enterprise]; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor [Socialism]. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name – liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names – liberty and tyranny." Abraham Lincoln
How is equal human liberty protected? Thomas Jefferson answers: Equal law!
"Bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights [along with the majority], which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression." Thomas Jefferson
As Thomas Jefferson noted, our liberty, to be rightful, must be restrained within limits drawn around us by the equal natural rights of others. Human liberty is naturally and universally restrained by the equal natural right of others to their liberty, thus we are not free to enslave. Human liberty is naturally and universally restrained by the equal natural right of others to their property, thus we are not free to steal. Our liberty is also naturally and universally restrained by the equal right of others to their life and limb, thus we are not free to yell "fire" in a crowded theater lest some are trampled to death or severely injured.
As stated in our Declaration of Independence, in order for government power to be just it must derive through the consent of the governed, i.e., via consent of the majority. Minorities are not allowed – not at liberty – to make law against the will of the majority – that is a violation of the natural law underpinning the very concept of democracy. Majorities are allowed – at liberty – to make law against the will of the minority as an expression of democracy, but only if the law does not violate the minority's natural right to liberty otherwise, or violate their life or property. In our Constitutional Republic minorities must not be allowed to legally overwhelm the majority by infringing on their rightful liberty. For example, the heterosexual majority possesses a natural right to free association in marriage while the homosexual minority possesses the same natural right to free association in homosexual union, but the homosexual minority does not have a natural right – the liberty – to usurp the majority's natural right – their liberty – to define the meaning of words, including the word "marriage." Minorities and majorities both naturally possess equal rights to life and property, but minority liberty is unobstructed action according to their will, within limits drawn around them by the democratic liberty of the majority, otherwise we would have majority liberty reduced to unobstructed action according to their will, within limits drawn around them by the undemocratic liberty of the minority.
"Every man, and every body of men on earth, possesses the right of self-government. They receive it with their being from the hand of nature. Individuals exercise it by their single will; collections of men by that of their majority; for the law of the majority is the natural law of every society of men." Thomas Jefferson
Thus, the only rational and rightful exception to equal human liberty is that required for functioning of the democratic principle of making law within a Constitutional Republic.
Ronald R. Cherry, MD
Author of Restoring the American Mind
© Ronald R. Cherry
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