People speak often of rights. They speak of constitutional rights, women's rights, civil rights, animal rights, and human rights. Within this discourse a basic and underlying foundation is assumed that these rights exist, that they are more than privileges and that they are immutable.

When I hear a politician, or activist talk about any type of rights, they speak with an extremely firm resolve that makes it seem that the content of their message is indelibly solid and factual. An early example of this is Thomas Jefferson's assertion in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence that everyone is granted the rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Jefferson's words have been quoted throughout history by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., who used those words written at the forming of this nation numerous times in effort for blacks to find an equal place in society during the civil rights movement. Women who speak of abortion rights, homosexuals who speak of gay rights, and activists who speak of animal rights all speak with command and authority on the matter. They have such indignation resulting from violations of these rights that one would assume that these rights all have come from the ultimate of authorities, whatever that may be.

Following the history of rights back to find their inception, we get lost in the ambiguity and obscurity of this concept as we try to ascertain where they come from. Human rights as we know them today have not always existed. Looking back through written history, we see that the Ancient Greeks had slaves without rights, in feudal times there were gross inequalities between lords and serfs, and later on there was slavery and racial inequality in this nation. In all of these cases, there were terrible violations of what we recognize today as human rights. These situations were accepted as legal at the time and therefore one can argue that rights did not exist for these people who were taken advantage of. If these people had immutable, inalienable, and definite rights at those times that were defined as existing for all of humanity, it is most likely that these situations would not have been allowed to occur for so long.

Philosophers throughout recorded history have pondered the validity of rights; especially with regards to where they come from and from where do they get their authority. There is a good chance that rights do not exist in the common way that most people think that they understand them. By this I mean that rights may not come from an absolute truth or a divine mandate, but rather rights come from a generally accepted agreement between the majority of people in a given culture to respect, honor, and treat other people in a certain way that is based on what has generally been accepted as a moral high ground. As Webster's Dictionary defines it, rights are "the power or privilege to which one is justly entitled." This is not a solid definition because what one is "justly entitled" is rather ambiguous.

Thomas Paine writes in his book Rights of Man that "rights cannot be granted by any charter because this would legally imply they can also be revoked and under such circumstances they would be reduced to privileges." He is basically saying that if the government has the power to grant us our rights, then the government also has the power to take them away. Therefore, Paine says that rights do not come from the government. So then where do rights come from?

Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence wrote that the rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are "endowed by their Creator" to the people of this country. Jefferson's foundation in his case for these rights came from his belief in God. As our society, culture, and government have become more secular and moved away from a connection between church and state, we do not clearly have a foundation of where our rights come. A clear foundation for the validity of rights is necessary for our ability to recognize and enforce their protection.

The fact that there was a debate of over civil rights in the last century and that there is a debate about gay marriage and gay rights today shows that there is no absolute truth that we can go to and consult that is the foundation for our implementation of our rights. Because there is no clear source of truth on the authority of our understanding of rights, there is no clear solution on how to govern in these situations. If there were, these matters would have been settled long ago and without a great amount of uncertainty and debate surrounding them.

One might disagree with Paine and suggest that the government does give the people their rights and that it is their responsibility to clearly define these rights. American History has great examples of the government granting and defining rights. One example of this includes the legislative branch's creation of the Bill of Rights as part of our Constitution. Another example is the Supreme Court deciding on Roe v. Wade with regards to privacy rights. These are examples of the government defining what the law says our rights are.

Not everything the government grants or mandates lasts however. In a system by the people and for the people, policies that fail to uphold to that system are removed. This means that true authority lies with the majority consensus of a society. The problem with thinking that the authority to define rights comes solely from the government are situations like Prohibition, where the statement that government has all the authority has been proven to be false on occasion. Prohibition is an excellent example of the government trying to impose something and being overruled by the majority of citizens. Something may be a law after having been voted on, signed by the executive branch and proclaimed to the people, but if the people choose not to follow it, or if the authorities choose not to enforce it, then that law is only worth the ink and paper that it is made of. The will of the people is carried out through the government, and if the government goes against the will of the people, then the people will correct the government through civil disobedience or by voting differently in the next election. This is why the majority opinion of the nation is the dominant force is our forming of laws and of what we know as rights.

Thomas Jefferson describes rights as being "self-evident," but with no clear source, do they exist at all? Or maybe what we call rights are just privileges. The nature and validity of rights are elusive, ambiguous and unclear. Most people (present dictators excluded) would agree that rights do exist, and taking that one step further, almost everyone relies on their existence for their safety and well-being. Rights are something that people take for granted and rarely stop to ponder about if at all.

The notion that human rights have existed for ever and will continue to exist is false because they have not always existed throughout time, and they have adapted throughout time to meet the needs of a given society. Rights come from the majority of the people in a society enforcing a commonly accepted system of principles. It is up to the people to actively participate in keeping those in charge accountable so that what we recognize as human rights will not be taken away from us.

MoveRed.org Action Event-

We can all can agree on this one thing: Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democrat nominee, must be defeated in 2008. Our nation's security and economic livelihood depend on it.

We have a chance to deliver this message to her personally on October 22nd at Benaroya Hall while she is there for a big WA State Democrats function called the Maggie Awards.

We will be meeting at the corner of 2nd and University at 3pm. There will be pizza provided and we will be organizing carpooling from central locations. Bring your creative signs and raw enthusiasm and we'll see you there.

Contact peter@movered.org for more information, directions, and carpool planning.

Protest Hillary Clinton at Benaroya Hall on Oct 22nd

Date: Monday, October 22, 2007
Time: 3:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: Benaroya Hall (2nd & University)
City/Town: Seattle, WA
Contact Info Phone: 425.990.0404
Email: peter@movered.org

Visit our Facebook group to RSVP

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2338652972

IMPACT

impacting individuals , our culture, history

Agenda: Lecture, Discussion of Ideas & Issues, Fellowship and Food

Topic: "The Leadership Lessons of Ronald Reagan"

Lecturer: Floyd Brown ( www.floydbrown.com) (see bio below)

When: Saturday, September22, 2007, 7:00 – 900pm

Where: the Buccola residence, 17804 - 194th Ave NE Woodinville, 425-788-2811

IMPACT is an interactive lecture series designed to inform and inspire young adults to position their future lives to significantly influence individuals, our culture, and history. Additionally, it is designed to provide the pure enjoyment of intellectual discussion. Professionals who are impacting our world in their respective disciplines, will be our guests in private homes in order to offer more personal connections in the group. Young adults are expected to participate in thoughtful, lively discussion. Parents are encouraged to attend and participate, as well. IMPACT received its inspiration from similar influential discussion groups such as one led by Benjamin Franklin and C. S. Lewis' "Inklings". Also, Father Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) developed a weekly intellectual discussion group as a university chaplain in Krakow.

Disciplines span the breadth of western culture: politics, economics, science, history, theology/spirituality, homemaking/child training, business, missions, medicine, literature/arts.

LECTURER BIO

Floyd Brown is an author, speaker and media commentator.

Time magazine wrote: "Brown has stature among devoted conservatives that almost matches his physical heft (6 ft. 6 in. and 240 lbs.)"

He is president of Excellentia Inc., a consulting company specializing in business strategy, development and philanthropy.

From 2001 until 2006 he served as the executive director of Young America's Foundation, which saved Rancho del Cielo also known as Ronald Reagan's Ranch or Western White House. As executive director Brown oversaw the preservation of the historic ranch and the building of the 20 million dollar Reagan Ranch Center in downtown Santa Barbara, California.

Brown is the author of three books and wrote the first bestselling Clinton expose Slick Willie: Why America Cannot Trust Bill Clinton in 1992. He was credited with launching the impeachment movement against President Clinton.

Brown has written extensively for many publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Washington Times, National Review and Human Events.
As a commentator he has appeared on numerous network and cable TV shows including: CNN's Crossfire, the CBS Evening News, ABC's Primetime, NBC's Today Show, FOX News, MSNBC and more. From 1995 until 2000 he hosted his own talk radio show on Seattle's KVI 570 AM.

As a speaker he has traveled coast to coast speaking at many universities including Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, Notre Dame, University of Miami and the Californ. He served in President Reagan's campaigns and as a political appointee in the Reagan administration. He credits President Reagan's 1976 campaign, in which he served as a student volunteer, for sparking his interest in public service.

He served in President Reagan's campaigns and as a political appointee in the Reagan administration. He credits President Reagan's 1976 campaign, in which he served as a student volunteer, for sparking his interest in public service.



Impact Lecture Series Sponsors: Jerry and Kay Buccola, 425-788-2811, jerry@buccola.org

Brad and Angela Frye, 425-673-9979, brad-angfrye@msn.com

So it's taken a little bit of time to digest all that took place outside the Bush/Reichert event, but the day was very positive. So what if there were tons of protestors, there were also conservative supporters. The left wing had different groups out there with brightly colored shirts and flashy posters, but beyond that there was not much substance. They had bullhorns and screamers, but we had campaign signs and American flags. They had piercing, bandanas and detainee colored tee shirts, and we just dressed like normal people. The difference between us and them was staggering. People came up screaming at us, name calling, spitting and cursing, while we took the high road. I told a man with a bullhorn that just because he is loud doesn't make him right. I asked another man with an "out of Iraq" poster what would happen to the region if we pulled out immediately and he had no answers. We asked the "Impeach Bush" sign people if they really wanted to impeach Bush and therefore make Cheney the president. There was a Planned Parenthood group that was chanting "Reichert is bad for women!", so we asked them why. They said because he is with the president against abortion. Maybe we just misunderstand them, because I know they do not understand us. They think we want to be in Iraq. NO ONE wants to be in Iraq, but that's not the point. We went in there and have a responsibility to do everything in our power to train the Iraqi army and to motivate the government to come up with strategies that will unite the county. Every conservative wants to see the troops come home, but when the time is right. And not every Republican is a clone of George W. Bush, there is a vast spectrum of moderates and strong conservatives in the Party. I don't see any moderate Democrats. Except the moderate democrats running for President. Oh wait...there arn't any. At least the Republicans have candidates like Giuliani who can appeal to a very broad percentage of the American people.

Encountering these people, talking with them, and watching them just show how serious a fight this next presidential and congressional election is. There is so much hanging in the balance. The left cannot be allowed to lead this country, what a disaster it would be. These protestors had the loudest complaints, but they were not out there screaming solutions. That's why I talked with them one on one. I wanted to hear something reasonable for the future. It's their refusal to be pragmatic and accept reality that makes them argue such things like that it's better to have complete privacy than to give law enforcement the tools to find terrorist cells in the US. And why does no one give credit to the Administration that there has not been a terrorist attack in the US since 9/11? And they think that we don't care about people and that it doesn't bother us that there are so many Americans without health care. Creating more government won't solve the health care problem; it would just create another system that would cause waste and inefficiency. Do we want the same government that responded to Katrina in charge of our health care? And isn't it the business aspect of health care that makes it better? When patients are customers doctors have to provide the best customer service and compassion that they can, otherwise people will go to a different doctor. If the government pays for health care, and you are assigned a doctor, then he has a monopoly on your health care and doesn't need to provide you with excellent service because you don't have anywhere else to go. You'd have the same doctor patient relationship as you would with the clerk at the DMV. Who wants to take a number and sit around waiting for medicine. Certainly not me. Money can't solve this nation's problems. The left think that taxing the rich and redistributing the wealth will solve them. Handouts won't help. Look at how messed up celebrities are, and look how much money they have. It's reasonable to want a higher minimum wage, but if people want more money, then they need to pursue the skills and education for a better job. What defines a person's quality of life is their individual responsibility to make things happen for themselves. People can go to college, get a job and get health care that way. The left says, what about the 21 year old with 2 kids and doesn't have time to go to college because he or he has to work full time to take care of the kids. The left says then the government has to take care of them for health care and other needs. The conservatives realize that that family should have planned ahead before they decided to have kids. The government did not force them to have kids, so it's not the government's responsibility to provide for that family. The government could do tax breaks for struggling families so that they would have more money for health insurance but creating a government program for health care certainly isn't the answer. Life gives choices; choices bring consequences, both positive and negative. And none of it's fair. The left would like the government to balance everything out, and make things fair for all citizens. That perfect world would be nice, but we don't live in Fantasy Land, this is America, and that was the difference between us and the protestors. They want unrealistic ideas to materialize, and we realize that it's harder than it looks to govern this country.

It's good to discuss these issues with people, especially if they disagree with you because it will sharpen your positions to defend them to people who do not see things the way you do. It will make you really evaluate what you think and why. If you made it out to Bellevue that's great, share your stories.

MoveRed is the youth coalition of the King County Republican party; a group of young adults who exist to promote conservative ideas and values; and support elected officials who do the same.

You may not be into politics, but politics will definitely affect your life, with or without your participation. Like it or not, the different layers of government play significant roles in education, taxes, transportation, public safety, business environment, and many other integral parts of our daily lives.

It is important to care and to be a part of the process, because on any given issue, decisions that affect your life will be made with or without you. Personally, I'm choosing to be a part of that decision making process, and I hope that you will too.

MoveRed.org is uniting, organizing and mobilizing the conservative youth of our county and our state to get quality Republicans elected. Our kick-off event went very well; we had over 175 young adults out to listen to former State Senator Dino Rossi, Former CEO of Safeco Mike McGavick, author Hans Zeiger and Talk Radio Host Dan Sytman from 770 KTTH AM. They spoke of how important it is for young people to get involved, and how skeptics will always try to undermine your convictions and goals. The speakers emphasized that if you commit and follow through, you'll be surprised at what you can get accomplished.

Our goals are simple. First we want to spread the word on high school and college campuses, as well as the workplace. Young adults in King County need to know that you do not have to be a liberal Democrat to be successful or respected. We have lived through the pressure from liberal teachers and professors to succumb to lazy ideology, and we are here to fight that.

Let's face it, it's hard to be a lone conservative in those liberal environments, trying to stand up to professors and other students with no backup or help. If we are successful in reaching people out there who are by themselves in the schools and workplaces and give them an organization to be a part of, as well as like-minded friends who will stand by them, it will strengthen the convictions they already have and help strengthen the Republican Party.

Our second goal is to make sure that the young conservatives in our county are registered to vote, and that they get their like-minded friends and acquaintances registered to vote. Then we want to get these people plugged into campaigns of quality candidates for office, and give them an opportunity to volunteer or work for these efforts. We are the outlet for those young people who want to get involved in the political process, but don't know how to get started.

Here it is. MoveRed.org. Get involved and let's get others involved.

OUR NEXT EVENT!!! MoveRed.org BBQ

Joining us will be King County Councilman Reagan Dunn and King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg

Come out to the beach July 18th at Golden Gardens in Ballard to hang out with Reagan Dunn and Dan Satterberg. Its going to be a good time with a BBQ and some good company. Invite your friends! Our first event was a great success and we'd love to have you out to this next event as well! The details are below:

When: Wednesday, July 18th – 6-9pm at
Where: Golden Gardens Park in Ballard
Cost: $5

email peter@movered.org for more details!!

1) Development Director, 2) LPC's External Coalitions person, and 3) the Economic Policy Director.

For the LPC person, it would be useful to have political campaign experience, or at least some coalition-building and strategic planning background. Some out-of-state travel is required. Salary is fine to good, depending on experience.
Communications Director
Position Description

EMPLOYER

Evergreen Freedom Foundation
Contact: Randall Sortino
PO Box 552
Olympia, WA 98507
(360) 956-3482
rsortino@effwa.org
www.effwa.org

DESCRIPTION

Free-market policy research organization in Washington state seeks Communications Director to effectively manage and implement communications plan, department and staff. Salary determined by qualifications.

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation is dedicated to restoring and advancing individual liberty, free enterprise and limited government.

The Foundation's major projects include developing a model for responsible state budgeting based on core governing principles; exposing and eliminating waste in state government; battling the National Education Association to end forced political speech; developing a model for consumer-driven health benefit plans; developing a civics curriculum for high school students; and research in the areas of education reform, transportation, unemployment insurance, and citizenship and governance issues.

QUALIFICATIONS


• Relevant experience in communication/marketing field.
• Excellent management and organizational skills.
• Excellent judgment. Ability to quickly assess and respond to wide variety of communication issues.
• Excellent writing skills. Proficiency in both structure and style.
• Excellent speaking skills. Organized and engaging.
• Excellent personal and professional presentation.
• Ability to work calmly under deadlines.
• Knowledge of basic computer programs (WordPerfect, Outlook, Internet, PowerPoint).



TASKS/RESPONSIBILITIES

Management/Strategic Planning


• Develop and implement annual strategic communications plan for all project areas. Supervise communications staff to ensure strategic plan is successfully implemented.
• Manage annual budget for communications department.
• Oversee all necessary databases to ensure they are comprehensive and accurate (print and broadcast media, members, supporters, volunteers, etc.)
• Assist with planning and implementing short-term strategic communications campaigns in local areas.
• Assist with building effective, widespread grassroots network.
• Work with other like-minded organizations to coordinate issues and campaigns.
Media Relations
• Coordinate state and national media relations by identifying key print and broadcast journalists and maintaining regular contact.
• Schedule media appointments (editorial boards, interviews, etc.) for policy analysts, executive director and president. Identify key journalists for each policy analyst to build relationships with.
• Schedule frequent radio and television interviews for president, ED and policy analysts.
• Accept radio and television interviews as necessary.
• Manage media follow-up on all publications and events.
• Screen and delegate all general media requests.
Publications/Marketing
• Schedule, market and distribute regular statewide and targeted opinion-editorials.
• Write and distribute press releases as needed.
• Edit Foundation publications prior to distribution.
• Monitor and ensure timely response to daily news that concerns Foundation issues.
• Manage and edit monthly member newsletter.
• Oversee management and development of EFF websites, blog and podcasts.
• Coordinate new publication design (brochures, promotions, tracts, etc.) as necessary.
• Develop and coordinate cutting edge multi-media communications.
Events/Speaking
• Represent Foundation at various state and national conferences and events.
• Help organize Foundation conferences as needed.
• Accept and delegate frequent public speaking engagements.
• Develop and manage "speakers bureau" to promote Foundation speakers.
Member Relations
• Maintain regular contact with Foundation members and supporters.
• Respond to member comments/questions as needed.
Administration/Evaluation
• Track Foundation accomplishments and publish, weekly, quarterly and annual reports.
• Track Foundation media coverage and publish quarterly reports.

Hi!! We want your feedback from this last event, so that we can know how to plan future events. We also want to know what you want to see from MoveRed and how you think we can make an impact. If you have questions, concerns, or comments, please leave a comment and let us know!

Congress failed to act when presented with the first great opportunity to change this country's immigration policy in the last 20 years. The vote in the Senate to pass the bill was 45 in favor and 50 opposed. The Senate had been debating the different aspects of the bill for the last few weeks, provoking very intense responses from both sides of the aisle. In the end, Senate Majority Leader Reid ended the debate by scheduling a vote today, while knowing that a consensus would not be reached and a vote would in effect kill the bill for the time being. The NY Times reports that Senator Reid has put out a document entitled "Republicans Brought Down the Immigration Bill," trying to blame the Republicans for the failure of Congress to come up with a passable and enforceable immigration policy. However, the President supported this bill and urged the Senate to pass it, because it is critical that a compromise be reached here, and that the status quo be changed. We need an enforceable border, we need a clear path to a legal status for productive immigrants, and there has to be penalties for those who came here illegally. We cannot in effect reward illegal immigrants by turning a blind eye, or by not having an effective policy that we can enforce; having them continue to work jobs for wages under the table and using taxpayer paid public services. We do not have the manpower to deport the millions of illegal aliens in the country, but we at bare minimum need to deport the illegal aliens who commit crimes. The bottom line is at some point, we need to realize that the idealistic fantasy world of a perfect immigration policy will never happen and that we need a pragmatic solution that will be an improvement from the current mess we have now and move us towards a place in time where there will be a secure border and reasonable means for a controlled amount of immigrants to come here legally.

NY Times Article on this from today: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/09/washington/09immig.html?hp