I get your point but would argue that there are no constitutional rights, only constitutionally protected rights, rights being inherent, inalienable, and equal in all people. A minor distinction but an important one.

Oh, I agree fully. I've just found over the years that a huge number of people I speak to don't acknowledge the existence of natural rights, so when trying to make a point on the internet, I've gotten used to using the phrase "natural and Constitutional rights" to sort of cover all the bases, as it were.

I'd ask which laws you believe to be higher, those of your faith and morality or those of other men and women that you don't know.

I consider God's laws the highest. The next highest authority is what people sometimes call the Law of Nature, which I also believe comes from God. Finally, among human laws, I believe the Constitution to be the law of our land and obligatory upon everyone. I think any federal laws that aren't pursuant to its delegated powers are void, and have no authority whatsoever to compel obedience. I think the states have a lot more leeway than the federal government, but I also believe that they're bound by the Laws of Nature. At the end of the day I think that the only just laws are those which refrain us from harming the rights of another.

Unfortunately, most people only know what they learn from government run training institutions (schools), government licensed media (news and television), and their parents (who typically learned the exact same way)... and never consider the idea that they own themselves.

All unfortunately true. An ignorant populace is more easily controlled.

If enough people learn about jury nullification (the right of all people to judge not only whether someone did or did not do a thing but also whether the "law" they are accused of breaking is just and the possible punishments are just as well) then things will become much easier to change.

That's a pretty big "if." I don't see it happening, and not just because people get arrested fairly regularly for trying to educate others. There's also the fact that fewer and fewer cases go before juries and the shameful truth that most Americans just don't care enough. They would rather get out of jury duty than use it as an opportunity to promote justice or serve as a check against the powers of the government.

The idea that people own themselves and no one has a right to violate the rights of another is, of course, a very subversive idea that governments of all shapes and sizes work hard to stamp out and replace with respect for arbitrary authority.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Anyway, thanks for getting back to me. I honestly don't think we're that far apart on most of those issues.