Katy Tur's ignorance of the Declaration reveals the left's rejection of God-given rights
Source: Brianna Lyman. "Katy Tur Has No Idea What The Declaration Of Independence Says." May 19, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that when MSNBC's Katy Tur questioned whether a politician was putting God above the Declaration of Independence for saying rights come from the Creator, she revealed dangerous ignorance. The Declaration explicitly says rights come from God, not government, and the left wants to change this so they can more easily restrict freedoms.
Conclusion
The left increasingly wants a government where rights are derived from and can be revoked by the government, rather than being God-given and unalienable as the Declaration of Independence establishes
Premises
- Katy Tur demonstrated ignorance of the Declaration of Independence by questioning whether Mike Johnson was 'putting God over the Declaration' when he said rights come from the Creator
- Johnson was merely paraphrasing the Declaration's famous passage that rights are 'endowed by their Creator'
- The Founding Fathers explicitly believed rights come from God and are therefore unalienable and pre-political
- Other leftist politicians like Tim Kaine have similarly rejected the concept of God-given rights, calling such beliefs 'terrorist' ideology
- If rights come from government rather than God, then government can redefine and revoke those rights at will
- The left's policy agenda (hate speech laws, gun restrictions, religious liberty limitations) would be easier to implement if God-given rights weren't obstacles
Assumptions
- The Declaration of Independence establishes the correct foundation for American rights theory
- God-given rights are objectively superior to government-granted rights as a basis for liberty
- Katy Tur's comments represent broader leftist ideology rather than individual ignorance
- The Founding Fathers' intent should guide contemporary political philosophy
- There is a deliberate leftist strategy to undermine natural rights theory