By Mark Bauer/se news editor
Rights are often the center of almost any good political discussion. But many people aren’t readily familiar with what they actually are. We know that in the ’60s people made a big deal about them, and ever since, rights everywhere have come under scrutiny.
As far as I know, rights are unalienable. What that actually means, I don’t know. But it sounds good. Rights are what are read to people while they are being placed under arrest. Rights are endowed by their Creator and protected under the Constitution. We have civil rights, women’s rights, conservative right, the right to party, right to free speech, right turn on red …
You get my point, right?
Somewhere in our short existence as Americans, rights have become the most important and valued attributes that define us. We spend many hours and large amounts of money looking over the law in order to discover to what degree our rights begin and end.
And if some poor schmuck is unlucky enough to accidentally encroach on those rights—we sue their socks off. Even though, if we look hard enough, I’m sure we could find something in the Constitution that guarantees our right to wear socks. But not with sandals … that’s forbidden.
But what if, instead, we began to value people as much as we value the rights they hold.
Maybe abortions would become obsolete as the mother would become supported and backed by the warm and welcoming community in which she lives. Maybe we wouldn’t have to lock our doors at night worrying about protecting our stuff or our loved ones. Maybe food bank lines would be long, not because people are in need, but because people are waiting in line to give their food away.
And maybe we would realize that saying Merry Christmas to a friend, a neighbor—nay, a fellow American—is not intended to be rash, rude or an infringement on someone’s rights. Rather, it’s a greeting intended to express the utmost gratitude for a time of year that celebrates a timeless message of hope and good deeds.
You have the right not to believe as I do. You even have the right to dismiss my beliefs as mere fable. But while this time of year may be clouded with overly zealous attempts at fairness, even the most politically correct overtures cannot strip the intentions of this holiday greeting—“peace on earth and goodwill toward men.”
It is to that I say, Merry Christmas!
