Rights

 

You Don’t Own Me

You don't own me
Don't try to change me in any way
You don't own me
Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay

I don't tell you what to say
I don't tell you what to do
So just let me be myself
That's all I ask of you

Not only don’t I own you, but you don’t own me either.

Because I don’t own you, I can’t tell you what to wear. But I can tell you that you can’t come into MY establishment without shoes and a shirt.  The public can tell you that you can’t be naked on a public beach.  Yes, you are a member of the public, but the public acting as a sovereign has the right to determine the proper attire on that beach, even if you don’t agree with the “public”.

I, or the public, can not intrude on your rights that are listed in the US Constitution.  But those rights are not absolute.  You have the right to free speech, which means that you have the right to shout fire but that right is not absolute.  You do not have the right to shout fire in a crowded theater, especially if there is no fire.

Doing the COVID pandemic this confusion over your rights and my, or the public’s, rights has reached troubling heights.  I do not have the right to tell you that you must wear a mask or be vaccinated.  However, I can tell you that you are not allowed in spaces that I own. The public can tell you that you can not enter spaces that the public owns or controls, without wearing a mask.  I can’t tell you that you have to be vaccinated, but to prevent you from spreading the virus to others, you can be quarantined.  “Your personal liberty to swing your arm ends where my nose begins.”  I can respect your rights but I and the public can also protect our rights.