Rights from Wrongs:

The basic premise of this book by Alan Dershowitz, published by Basic Books, Copyright 2004, is to answer the following questions: Where do rights originate; Divine sources, natural law, or secular experiences? How does experience teach us that rights can survive emergencies? Dershowitz explores each of the origins of rights, coming to the conclusion that rights have to come from secular origin. "We cannot endure without morality, law and rights, yet they do not exist unless we bring them into existence. We must not abdicate our own decision-making to other human beings who alone claim to hear the silent voice of God or to understand the moral implication of nature.... It is our job (as judges/citizens) to give meaning to the (constitution/government.) We have the methodology for interpreting it."

Ergo, we must remember, as Justice Robert Jackson observed, "The President is not the commander-in-chief of the country, only of the military, and that other branches of government must play an important role in striking the proper balance between security and liberty." If not, we will be living the wrongs when we were guaranteed the rights.

--Cindy King