1592 Right On

I saw this interesting headline and I'm not sure where to go with it. I think it's worth sharing though. It said, "King Abdullah grants women the right to vote for the first time."
Well there's democracy in action. Um...
No. Democracy is rule of the people exerting their right to self-rule. Not the system where the king grants the people the right to be ruled by him granting stuff.
But really, can you grant someone a right? I have the right to freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly and other things guaranteed in the constitution of the government I currently live under. And stated most clearly in our Declaration of Independence. But they are still unalienable rights. You know, we hold these truths to be self-evident, that sort of thing—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I don't think you can grant a right. You can grant a privilege. You can even grant a grant. But not a right. A right is what you have that no one can mess with. King Abdullah or whoever.
Just saying...
No disrespect or anything, but king-schming, we the people is all just people.
I don’t want King Abdullah to send the thought police over to my neck of the woods. He's got some pretty high connections what with the whole Saudi oil stranglehold on our economy and all.
Interestingly, the article went on to say Saudi women still didn't have the right to drive. So you know, when they go to the polls, they'll still have to be driven by their husbands or dads.
I wonder if they have the right to take the bus. Probably not. I’d guess the right to mass transit is not in the best interest of big oil...
America, ya gotta love it.