> Not sure this is how you meant it. If you mean to say that rights come from governments that is not quite correct, at least not in the US. I think the point

> Not sure this is how you meant it. If you mean to say that rights come from governments that is not quite correct, at least not in the US. I think the point he was making is that the default government is an ethical state of absolute tyranny: all of your natural rights are subservient to the state. In this sense, the rights are carved out of the government, even if they are natural rights.