Rights and Freedoms

I was thinking about this the other day and I came up with a phrase I like :

"The only rights you have are those you give to everyone else."

If you are allowed to do something that someone else is prohibited from doing - its not a right, it is a privilege.

This is what irks me about the Tea Party and the GOP and the Religious Reich... er... Right.  They go on and on about Freedom and Liberty and Rights, but they don't mean it.  They want the privilege to own any kind of gun they want without any regulation (despite the 2nd amendment saying "well regulated" before "right to bear arms") or the privilege to have government benefits without paying anything for them or the privilege to be the only religion taught in public schools.  They also only want the "rights" that they approve of - if they object to the behavior or belief, they want that outlawed!  "Big Government should leave us alone... but put those people in prison!" (Think about all the strict sex laws states have - Republicans want to control your bedroom!)

One example is how people are accusing Obama of infringing on the religious freedom of catholic churches by telling them they can't deny birth control to employees of their secular businesses, like hospitals.  Obama's quote is right on the money :

"No, you can't deny women their basic rights and pretend it's about your 'religious freedom'. If you don't like birth control, don't use it. Religious freedom doesn't mean you can force others to live by your own beliefs.” - Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States (though under some dispute)

There is no freedom to oppress others.  Your rights stop when they encounter someone else's rights.  This is what most "Conservatives" and "Libertarians" fail to realize.  Heck, many outright deny it!

"As Americans we are guaranteed the right to freedom of religion, but that freedom is limited so that it doesn’t infringe upon the rights of others to do the same. The reality is that the individuals who claim “conscience clause” rights are discriminately denying the patient or individuals to whom they are denying care or services to, the right to practice their own freedom of religion—or non-religion. By denying public access to legally allowed services, they are forcing their beliefs on specific members of the public who don’t share their religious views."

"Religious freedom does not mean that you can ignore portions of your job, administer only the portions of the law that you like, deny services to the public based on your personal beliefs or infringe on the rights of another." - Lauren Anderson Youngblood

If your job requires you to do something you object to, you have the freedom to quit and find another job - an argument they use frequently when discussing abuses by upper management and/or horrible pay.  They also use it to say that if your job refuses to cover contraceptives, you are free to find another job.  Apparently, they think that finding a job is so super easy, anyone can do it at will, no matter where they live.  I suppose if there are no jobs where you live, you are free to move.  (as if moving is free...)

Anyway - a Bonus Bobism :

"Nobody wins if anybody loses."

Longest Ride yet!

I've only been riding since July, completely addicted though.  I ride to work almost every day - rode in when it was 31 degrees last week. I've done a 88 mile round trip, some cruises up the Natchez Trace and Sunday I made my longest in-saddle trip to see my grandmother.  It was about 60 miles before my butt got uncomfortable (intersection of Hwy 25 and Mars Hill Road/427). 188 miles round trip, 79 miles one-way in-the-saddle.  Coming back was 89 miles, but I stopped for a drink about 59 miles.

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Here is the cool thing I brought back from the ride - stopping or even slowing down after a long, unbroken ride feels like coming out of a deep meditation.

The not-so-cool thing is that I really need some highway pegs!  Also, Louisville kinda sucks.  I rode on from my grandmother's house to town so I could get some gas...
... first stop, the gas station is blasting Jesus music at everyone.  So, I politely decline to do business there. Yeah, their right to play whatever music they want, my right to not buy from them because of it.  So, second gas station doesn't have pay-at-pump capable pumps.  I mean OLD pumps probably been there since the seventies.  Third gas station has pay-at-pump, but only regular 87 octane gas - both ethanol and ethanol free versions - the motorcycle takes 91+ octane to run properly.  The fourth gas station was good.  No religious music blaring, pay-at-the-pump and three grades of fuel.  I gassed up and duck-walked to a parking spot to go in and get a drink.  Picked out a drink and - $5.00 minimum to use my bank card.  No twenty-five cent charge if under five dollars... just no sale.  So, I walked out thirsty.  I couldn't wait to get out of town!  59 miles down the road, I stopped for a drink at Coal Bluff Trading Post and paid the convenience fee to get a drink.  I suppose I will put some cash in the motorcycle jacket for such podunk locations in the future.