Individual rights are one of the cornerstones this country is based
             upon. In fact, individual rights are the foundation of any democracy, and
             certainly separate us from the misery of dictatorship, communism, and
             autocracy. However, while many citizens take individual rights for granted
             in our society, there are others who are intent on reducing individual
             rights in the name of "equality" and safety. Our individual rights are in
             jeopardy from a variety of sources, and protecting them, while still
             protecting society as a whole, should be foremost in the minds of all
             Individual rights are not a new notion. They were foremost in the
             minds of our forefathers who forged a new nation. Three Constitutional
             experts note, "As early as 1646 there arose in Massachusetts the demand for
             the 'enjoyment of our lives, libertys and estates, according to our due and
             natural rights, as freeborne subjects of the English nation'" (Barlow,
             Levy, and Masugi 169). This unquenchable need for freedom came from eras
             of oppression and tyranny in Great Britain, where only the uppermost
             echelons of society and business enjoyed the most prestige and privilege.
             Newly settled Americans hoped to forge a land where there were no class
             distinctions, and everyone could enjoy the same privileges and liberties.
             In fact, we constitutionalized these rights, which in effect meant the
             legislature could not simply legislate individual rights, they were
             guaranteed by the Constitution, and would need state approval to alter
             individual rights. These laws are also referred to as fundamental law,
             higher law, or paramount law (Barlow, Levy, and Masugi 170). Thus, law
             guarantees our individual rights, and as such, we sometimes take them
             Individual rights encompass many facets often overlooked in the
             struggle for individualism versus the good of the whole. Included in the
             basic rights we enjoy are the right to...