There is a great myth in America, and it has to do with rights.

Throughout the history of this country many things have been claimed as rights when in reality they were privileges.

Now is no exception, whether it be the debate about abortion or the dialogue over homosexuality.

One line of argument used by those for homosexuality is that the “rights” of homosexuals have been violated. Which rights, you ask?

Funny, but I asked the same thing when I read a letter to the editor the other day. The letter specifically lists several “rights” denied to homosexuals.

Before I respond to these “rights,” I wish to define what a right means. Rights are the guarantees spelled out in the U.S. Constitution and its amendments.

All other pseudo-rights (like the right to privacy) are not true rights, since they are not protected by the amendment process like the amendments to the Constitution are.

Concerning the “rights” discussed within the letter: the first “right” addressed is the privilege married, heterosexual couples have to survivorship and to file taxes jointly. This is _not_ a right, it is a privilege, as the the original text of the letter says.

Why the distinction? A privilege carries with it certain requirements and responsibilities, while a right is given to any and all who are American citizens.

To obtain and keep a privilege, one must follow the responsibilities and requirements that come with that privilege.

To get the privilege of filing taxes and survivorship, a couple must be heterosexual. Right or wrong, it is the law, and nowhere in the Constitution does it say that couples have the right to file jointly.

I will lump the next list of “rights” together because they all contain the same fallacy.

The “rights” listed are: 1) not to get beaten up, 2) not to get fired from your job, 3) to get married. I checked the Constitution for these “rights”, and, unsurprisingly, I could not find them.

This means that they are not rights but privileges. A side note: even heterosexuals do not have the right to marry.

It is a privilege that comes with it an enormous responsibility. Also, not getting fired from your job is only a right under Communist governments. Under capitalism, one can fired from his job at any time.

Returning to my response to the listing of the three privileges as rights, since these so-called rights are not listed in the Constitution, they must be, at the most, privileges.

I have already noted that privileges carry certain requirements with them. For instance, to get a driver’s license, you must be (in my home state of Kansas) 16. And to keep the license, you have to obey all traffic laws, or else you lose your privilege to drive.

Now, each one of these privileges carry certain responsibilities with them. Granted, no one should ever be beaten, nor should someone lose his job unless he does poor work; but these are not rights.

There is one more privilege that some supporters of homosexuality claim as a right. That is the “right” to be homosexual. There is no such right, nor is there a right to be heterosexual, nor even a right to be sexual.

It is not listed in the Constitution anywhere. This means that being sexual (whether hetero or homo) is a privilege. What the responsibilities and requirements for sexuality are is a matter for calm, rational discussion. That means no name-calling, hate mail, or intimidation.

I would be more than willing to discuss this with anyone, and so I leave my e-mail address below so that anyone who wishes to talk with me further may do so.

All I ask is that you not take your disagreement with my views out on my person.

James Seidel

Junior

Meteorology