Bill of NON-Rights

By Lewis Napper

EDITOR’s NOTE: This is probably the best e-mail I’ve seen in a long, long time. The following originated with Lewis Napper, a self-described amateur philosopher from Mississippi who ran for a U. S. Senate seat in 2000 as a Libertarian. This guy should run for President one day…

This e-mail speaks to the pervasive idea of “entitlement” in our Constitutional Republic. America was founded on the principle of “equality of opportunity” not entitlement. The notion that the Federal Government is responsible to take care of any citizen was foreign to the Founding Fathers. We the People only gave power to the Federal Government to deal with external issues with other nations and interstate issues between the several States. Care of the 50 States citizens was left to We the People and the States themselves by the Tenth Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

Now Mr. Napper’s Bill of Non-Rights:

We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters.

We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights.”

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone – not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we’re just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don’t be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don’t be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won’t have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don’t care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (Lastly….)

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country’s history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

Sensible people of the United States speak out because if you do not, who will?

EDITOR’S POSTSCRIPT: While researching the originator of the Bill of NON-Rights, I came upon two thoughtful comment that I would like to address.

This is an English speaking country. We don’t care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from!

I submit that this country, from the very beginning, was multi-lingual and multi-national. I know for a fact that my ancestors didn’t speak English when they arrived, rather they spoke German and French. America is not, nor has it ever been an English-only speaking country. In fact, about 28 million Americans over the age of 5 speak Spanish at home. There’s nothing wrong with being bilingual. In fact, that’s pretty cool if you ask me.

I agree being bilingual is a good thing. In fact, I am marginally bilingual. I have had the privilege of living in many countries in both Europe and Asia. There were many bilingual persons in these nations, yet everyone was required to conduct “government business” in Portugal in Portugese, in Iceland in Icelandic, in Japan in Japanese, etc. I find it therefore appropriate to have to conduct “government business” in the United States in English. And if you cannot, I believe it fair and just that you have to acquire an interpreter as I did when I was living abroad. This is NOT an infringement of “free speech” as was suggested. Every person has the right to speak English or his native tongue within the walls of his own home or with persons he or she associates, but business and government have no responsibility to be able to conduct their “business” in every language of the world.

You do not have the right to change our country’s history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

Where to start? How about with the fact that “In God We Trust” wasn’t added to coins in America until the Civil War. Also, there’s that pesky fact that “One nation … under God” wasn’t added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954.

Heritage is a pesky thing. As a family or nation progresses through the years, heritage, or the expression of that heritage, also progresses. The fact that “In God We Trust” was not added to our money until the Civil War or that “under God” was not added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954, does NOT mean that it isn’t a reflection of our heritage. Any thoughtful person will agree that both these sentiments are a reflection of our now 233 years of history and heritage. The difficulty today is that several micro-minorities believe that they have the “right” under the Bill of Rights to express their opinions and beliefs about religion, but the majority of “Christian” Americans do NOT have that same right.

The Bill of Rights prohibits the Federal Government from establishment of a “national” religion, including Atheism and Secular Humanism. It is a historical fact that nine of the thirteen original colonies has “State” religions when the Bill of Rights was ratified. The First Amendment was not a prohibition against the several States having their “State Religion,” it was a prohibition of the new Federal Government establishing one religion, a National Religion, for ALL the thirteen, now 50, States because this was reserved to the States under the Tenth Amendment.