Who knew that Col Alan West was a Vol alum?

[gsvol]

Here is an article on a speech he made on Labor day:

Allen West: 'What they need to understand is that I serve a mighty God' | BIZPAC Review

Both Candidate Romney and Paul Ryan repeat the idea that America was based on the idea that our rights come "from God, not government." Many former Presidents have expressed the same conviction. That is the sole reason why our "People's Constitution" considered life, liberty and rights to be unalienable by mere human beings. Such an attitude directs acknowledgement, gratitude and allegiance, according to Madison and other Founders, to a "Sovereign ruler of the world," not to a coercive government made up of imperfect human beings.


“The same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe, the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” (John F. Kennedy - 1961 Inaugural)

 

[golfballs]

Me

Go Vols!

Jim DeMint is a grad too

 

[utvolpj]

thankfully the admissions standards are much higher now. Guy is a nutcase

 

[YorkVol]

Me too. He was a year ahead of me in ROTC and we went to Command and General Staff College together.

 

[lawgator1]

Why would you be proud of this? The man has some serious mental illness, or eight, going on right now.

 

[golfballs]

Why would you be proud of this? The man has some serious mental illness, or eight, going on right now.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgbBP9Em00A[/youtube]

 

[YorkVol]

Why would you be proud of this? The man has some serious mental illness, or eight, going on right now.

You've been listening to the radio again.

 

[NEO]

Why would you be proud of this? The man has some serious mental illness, or eight, going on right now.

Veiled racism.

 

[PKT_VOL]

I didn't realize that my rights came from a God that I do not believe in. I learn something new everyday.

It is amazing this same God gives American citizens these rights upon birth yet denies these same rights to his other beloved creations all over the world.

Ironic isn't it?

 

[golfballs]

Just because you don't believe in him doesn't mean he doesn't exist.

 

[YorkVol]

I didn't realize that my rights came from a God that I do not believe in. I learn something new everyday.

It is amazing this same God gives American citizens these rights upon birth yet denies these same rights to his other beloved creations all over the world.

Ironic isn't it?

But you believe certain rights are unalienable, right? Where does it matter where they come from if you both believe they can't be taken away?

 

[gsvol]

Why would you be proud of this? The man has some serious mental illness, or eight, going on right now.

You would be an expert on mental illness.

Me too. He was a year ahead of me in ROTC and we went to Command and General Staff College together.

Congratulations. :salute:

He graduated in 1983 and was comition 2nd Lt. then.

Perhaps you would like to volunteer a personal anecdote about your time with him.

Any personal opinion of him?

thankfully the admissions standards are much higher now. Guy is a nutcase

Why do you say he is a nutcase?

Me

Go Vols!

Jim DeMint is a grad too

I had forgotten about DeMint.

 

[lawgator1]

Delusions of grandeur come to mind. Martyr complex, as well.

 

[PKT_VOL]

But you believe certain rights are unalienable, right? Where does it matter where they come from if you both believe they can't be taken away?

No, I do not. Inalienable rights are a figment of our imagination.

We hold them most dear to us in the western world and are very appreciative of Locke, Hobbs, and Paine for developing that doctrine which has served as the foundation of western political thought for the past couple centuries.

However, the do not truly exist. We are not born into this world with any "inalienable" rights. Any rights that are bestowed upon us at birth are artificial in nature.

 

[82_VOL_83]

Knew this years ago.


And Jim DeMint I didn't know about.

 

[82_VOL_83]

No, I do not. Inalienable rights are a figment of our imagination.

We hold them most dear to us in the western world and are very appreciative of Locke, Hobbs, and Paine for developing that doctrine which has served as the foundation of western political thought for the past couple centuries.

However, the do not truly exist. We are not born into this world with any "inalienable" rights. Any rights that are bestowed upon us at birth are artificial in nature.

So, since you really don't stand for anything, you stand for nothing.

Don't even bother to reply to this post, the only thing that I will reply with the mods will boot me for.

 

[NEO]

Delusions of grandeur come to mind. Martyr complex, as well.

You are talking about obama right?

 

[lawgator1]

I believe in inalienable rights of all mankind.

I find it more than a little ironic that people think Alan West is qualified in any way to discuss them.

 

[golfballs]

I believe in inalienable rights of all mankind.

I find it more than a little ironic that people think Alan West is qualified in any way to discuss them.

Racist

 

[VolFan32]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgbBP9Em00A[/youtube]

Boom!

 

[Danl]

So, since you really don't stand for anything, you stand for nothing.

How in the hell did you get this from what he said?

Don't even bother to reply to this post, the only thing that I will reply with the mods will boot me for.

He didn't. I did.

 

[PKT_VOL]

Just because you don't believe in him doesn't mean he doesn't exist.

Correct. But the claim is that a metaphysical entity (Judo-Christian God) gave me tangible, inalienable rights. Shouldn't I have some interaction with this entity if he gives me such a thing post birth?

The broader point of my post was that regardless of whether you believe in inalienable rights, the thought of such inalienable rights coming from a metaphysical entity (Judo-Christian God) is just silly.

 

[gsvol]

I didn't realize that my rights came from a God that I do not believe in. I learn something new everyday.

It is amazing this same God gives American citizens these rights upon birth yet denies these same rights to his other beloved creations all over the world.

Ironic isn't it?

You aren't much of a history student are you?

The proposition that our rights come from God is fundamental to the American republic, a foundation block if not the very cornerstone that has produced the most successful republic and society in all world history.

 

[PKT_VOL]

So, since you really don't stand for anything, you stand for nothing.

Don't even bother to reply to this post, the only thing that I will reply with the mods will boot me for.

Reading comprehension is not your forte.

This is strictly political philosophy. Nothing personal. Since you seem to be struggling with political philosophy, let me articulate this conundrum for you in a way you can understand.

John Locke, Thomas Hobbs, and Thomas Paine posited that humans had fundamental inalienable rights which could not be infringed upon under any circumstance. The argument went something like this.

1) We are life. We have an innate interest to stay alive. Thus, life should not be extinguished.

2) Humans want to be free. They ought to be free as long as that freedom does not infringe upon the most basic inalienable being #1.

3) Land ought to be under control of a man who puts his labor into it so long as it does not violate the more fundamental inalienable rights of #1 and #2.

As you can see, the whole argument is built upon the original premise and #1 fundamental inalienable right being the right to one's own life. The other two "inalienable rights" are built off the first. Add in Hobbs, who inspired Locke, was big proponent of innate human behavior. The founding premise, in which all three original inalienable rights diverge, is based on a innate human reaction; the will to survive. Thus, the inalienable rights is based on the human essence. Take it one step further, they believed in a metaphysical creator of life. Thus, inalienable rights can be traced back to "God."

Now to my divergence from Locke, Hobbs, and Paine. First, I do not believe in the metaphysical entity (Judo-Christian God). Thus, any "inalienable rights" cannot possibly be derived from God. Secondly, when you are born, that is all that happens. You do not suddenly have rights bestowed upon you in a naturally innate manner. You are just a human being alive on a watery blue planet in a vast universe. However, this does not mean that I don't believe people within our socitey ought to have certain inalienable rights. But "ought" is the key word. It is a monumental difference. I guess people outside of philosophy don't readily pick up on that difference. The "ought" in my support of Locke, Hobbs, and Paine make inalienable rights artificial in nature. They are derived from from human intuition, not naturally innate. For instance, my "inalienable rights" upon my birth were bestowed or grandfathered upon be by parents' generation via their social contact. Now that I am of legal age, I have entered into the current social contract.

 

[PKT_VOL]

You aren't much of a history student are you?

The proposition that our rights come from God is fundamental to the American republic, a foundation block if not the very cornerstone that has produced the most successful republic and society in all world history.

The question is not whether it is historically accurate that our founding fathers believed in a metaphysical entity (Judo-Christian God) who bestowed "inalienable rights" upon us via our founding documents, but whether such a notion is a correct and logically valid.

I don't dispute that our forefathers believed in God-given "inalienable rights". I dispute our "inalienable rights" being God-given and naturally innate.