A right is the power or liberty to which a person or a group is justly entitled or a thing to which they have a moral or legal claim. The specific enumeration of rights accorded to citizens has historically differed greatly from one century to the next, and from one regime to another, but nowadays is normally addressed by the constitutions of the respective nations. Rights serve as rules of interaction between people and groups, and, as such, they place constraints or positive obligations on individuals, groups, institutions, and governments.

These rights are variously interpreted. For example, in a given country, a right to free speech may merely mean that the government may not actively engage in censorship, and may apply only to speech that the courts of that country deem political, not, for example, sexually related speech, even in realms that such as a discussion of birth control that other countries might deem political. But, in any case, a right to free speech is generally not interpreted to mean that anyone else has a right to facilitate one's speech. In A.J. Liebling's words, "Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one." On the other hand, an individual right to healthcare implies an obligation on others to provide that healthcare. Thus, an individual having a right places responsibilities, either negative or positive, on others. (See negative and positive rights and three generations of human rights) Though rights usually refers to individual rights, in certain societies there may be group rights, where all members of a group have certain rights by virtue of being in that group. Contrast with license.

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NPR Topics: Legal Affairs

We Know What You've Been Watching on YouTube
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:13:00 -0400
A court has ordered Google to turn over a database that links users to every video they've watched on the popular Web site YouTube. Jennifer Urban, director of the University of Southern California Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic, says the ruling has big implications for online privacy.
Shop Discusses McCain, Inmate's Suspicious Death
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0400
The guys in this week's shop — Jimi Izrael, Ruben Navarrette and Nick Charles — are joined by conservative radio talk show host Armstrong Williams. They discuss Gen. Wesley Clark's jab at GOP presidential candidate John McCain's military service record, and the latest contention surrounding the death of an inmate accused of killing a Maryland police officer.
San Francisco Admits To Shielding Immigrant Felons
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:30:00 -0400
San Francisco prides itself on being a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. City officials do not cooperate with federal immigration officials. But the policy is under fire after revelations that city officials have shielded illegal immigrant juvenile felons from federal immigration authorities.

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