Rights, privileges, liberties, many get confused by the politicians and those for expanding government.

What many forget is no one has a right where it violates other's rights and liberties.

What most people consider rights are actually privileges. God handed down rights to people like right to own property, right to live, etc. A privilege is a special entitlement handed out by government such as a drivers license.

Meric, your logic makes little sense. Belief in God doesnt give you property rights, God himself does.

But in any case, you get rights by merely being alive. Although the definition of life is currently up for debate.

As for rights themselves. Its hard to explain because the word itself is somewhat self explanatory. But what goes under the category of rights is life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Its the things that exist because you exist.

You have life (obviously). And because you are alive, you have liberty. Which is different from freedom. Freedom can be taken away, liberty cant. It's inalienable, even in China you have liberty. And because you have liberty, you have the right to pursue happiness. Even in a jail cell, you have that right to pursue happiness in any way you can.

It use to be life liberty and property. But the founders changed it to pursuit of happiness so that the slave owners couldnt use that line against them to forever hold their slaves (Or so Ive been told). But in the case of rights, property comes from liberty (more accurately, freedom). You obtain property through your actions.

I never liked property being a right. Cause its not inalienable. It can be taken away from you. Where as life and liberty cant. Not even in death. But thats my own beliefs perhaps. I think God is essential to the line "inalienable". But obviously, theres debate about that also.

In a meaningful legal sense a right is the corollary of a duty established by a covenant (such as a contract). I don't think it has any literal meaning outside of that, 'natural rights' and 'rightsism' in general is in my opinion totally misguided. Anthony de Jasay's 'liberties' and 'torts' is far more accurate a picture of what libertarianism is about. For that matter I think Anthony de Jasay and Lon L. Fuller are about ten times the legal philosophers that Rand and Rothbard combined would be.

Freedom, Rights and "Rights" by Anthony de Jasay.
http://www.dejasay.org/bib_journals_detail.asp?id=55