Atheists becoming less unpopular?

[Jehanne]

http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2092.htm

I don't think you are reading that correctly. Aquinas is most definitely not saying that human rights come from earthly rulers. Notice how he referes to "true good" and "divine justice" and how someone can be good with respect to the ruler but still in opposition to Divine justice. Human rights are grounded not in the ruler's whim but in the Divine good to the extent that it comes through the ruler.

I don't see "Liberty & Justice for All" in Aquinas' teachings.  In fact, Saint Thomas was quite content with the institution of slavery:

Considered absolutely, the fact that this particular man should be a slave rather than another man, is based, not on natural reason, but on some resultant utility, in that it is useful to this man to be ruled by a wiser man, and to the latter to be helped by the former, as the Philosopher states (Polit. i, 2). Wherefore slavery which belongs to the right of nations is natural in the second way, but not in the first. (Summa Theologica II II, 57, 3, ad 2)

http://www.newadvent.org/summa/3057.htm

And, so, morality, and hence, the "natural law" evolves over time, something that one would expect under naturalism but not under super-naturalism.