Unalienable Rights

In the name of fairness, I will not refute my opponent's points until the next round. I will disprove the resolution that "all humans are born with certain unalienable rights" by showing that "Life" is not a right, and that the United States Constitutional rights of Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are alienable rights. "Life" is denoted simply as "the existence of an individual human being or animal." A "right" is defined as "a moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain something" (definitions courtesy of Merriam-Webster). The fully defined term of the right of life now reads as "a moral or legal entitlement to have or obtain existence." This creates the ridiculous notion that life is "given" to us, either by morality or by law. I say that neither grant us life. Life existed on this planet before law was instituted or morality was evolved. First, we refute morality. A moral is "a standard of behavior or belief concerning what is and is not acceptable to do." Existing is not a standard of behavior, nor is it a belief, and therefore cannot claim any entitlement to morality. Law is a rule or system of rules that regulates actions and enforces penalties. Life is not an action, it is a state of being. Just because a law decrees "a man named Marcus must begin existing at exactly this time, and cease to exist at this time," it has no claim on the truth of that, nor can a fair penalty be imposed for the lack of life. Therefore, Life is not a right. "Alienable" is defined by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as "able to be transferred to new ownership." Liberty (the power to act as one pleases) is, perhaps, the most alienable right we know of. In Victor Hugo's book Les Misrables, Jean Valjean was tried as a criminal for stealing bread, and sentenced to prison. After a series of failed escapes, his sentence grew to be nineteen years in prison. After his release, he was granted a "yellow passport", forcing him to live under severe restrictions. These restrictions brand him as an outcast wherever he goes. After a series of events, he steals silver from a church authority, Bishop Myriel. When the guards catch him and present him to the bishop, the Bishop tells the guards that he pardoned this treasure with Valjean. After they leave, he tells Valjean that with the silver, he is buying the convict's soul in the name of God. Valjean becomes repentant, and becomes a man of mercy and goodwill. This is but one example of how one's Liberty can be transferred and owned by another. The idea of having your liberty owned by somebody else is a profound paradox, but is in actuality, justified. With the ideal of justice, you are free to perform your actions as you please with minor restrictions. Should you perform an action at your own leisure which defies the law, then your liberty is transferred to judgement. This occurs in any established government, whether it is an oligarchy, a democracy, or a dictatorship. You are born with the right to liberty-- you may perform any action your heart desires-- but the consequences of misusing liberty result in its alienation. The "Pursuit of Happiness" is a fundamental right mentioned in the Declaration of Independence to freely pursue joy and live life in a way that makes you happy. This is also alienable, as described in the previous paragraph. You are entitled to the pursuit of happiness, so long as you abide within the consensus of law and morality. By breaking the law or defying moral obligations, you give up your right to those who are charged with your punishment. However, one can also lose ownership of their pursuit of happiness by being given happiness. It may seem unorthodox to lose a right by having it given to you. Think of it this way: if you were given everything you needed to be happy, and there was nothing else you needed to achieve happiness, then you would not be able to pursue happiness any further. The right to pursue happiness could no longer exist, because there is no longer anything else to pursue to make you happy. While I cannot refute that you are, in fact, born with the right to pursue happiness, I have shown that it is an alienable right. Definitions: http://www.merriam-webster.com... Les Miserables: Hugo, Victor, Lee Fahnestock, Norman MacAfee, and Charles E. Wilbour. Les Mis"rables. New York: New American Library, 1987. Print.