What Human Rights?

[Mudhammam]

I think that you're confusing the existence of people and organizations willing to infringe upon those rights with non-existence of the rights themselves. As a very mundane example...tiny in comparison to human rights....under arrest I have the right to remain silent. If I choose not to exercize that right - does it mean that I didn't or don't have it? If "coercion" is applied does it mean that I did not have that right or don't?

I'm not sure I understand why, without god....a system manufactured by -or- implemented by humans couldn't exist....that seems more than a little bit absurd...maybe it could be put a different way? Also, is there some specific reason that rights -shouldn't- change over time that you would like to share?

Basically, it sounds like your saying that you have as much right as your will grants. You will to remain silent. You have that right. It is yours and only your own will can negate that. Beyond your judgement, things outside your will, you have either a) no right, or b) unlimited rights, like Hobbes' state of nature, wherein everyone has a right to anything but only through contractual agreement do we forfeit some of our rights. Or, if you think we have right to things outside of the will, from whence do such powers come? Is it, as Chuck said, and what many of the Romans believed to be "the noblest and most just law of God": "Let the better always be victorious over the worse," and might decides right?