Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

This is probably the most important sentence in the American declaration of independence and one of the most important lines written in the history of mankind. While it doesn't list all human rights, it does list the three most important from which all others are derived. And it lists these three in order of importance.

All men are created equal. This is all humans have equal right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Nobody's rights come before anybody else's. Where a conflict of interests occurs the rights of the protagonists should be balanced according to their order of importance in resolving the dispute. This means that where the pursuit of happiness would result in another's loss of freedom or where one persons freedom would result in the loss of life of another then the judgement should go in favour of preserving the greater right.

1. Life. This is the paramount gift to be cherished and protected above all things. One person's life is above the liberty and happiness of the many. No person should have to fear for their safety or health and well-being. No war or other act of violence can ever be justified if it is not conducted for the protection and preservation of life. All threats to liberty or happiness must be repelled by other means. No person should ever be punished by forfeiting their life. The basic requirements of life are food, clothing, shelter and healthcare. A sufficient level of these should be provided to all and not be subject to price gouging or extortion.
2. Liberty. All individuals should be afforded freedom of movement, thought, belief, sexuality, and to be who they truly believe they are in as far as this freedom doesn't impinge upon the right to life or the freedom of others. No person should ever be considered the property of another. No person should be contracted or indentured or otherwise retained without a fair and reasonable option to exit the contract. Minors in the care of adults and those suffering an impairment which prevents them taking full responsibility for themselves should not be subjected to any loss of liberty beyond that which is necessary for their safety.
3. The pursuit of happiness. When a person has life and freedom they will want to make that life better. To do this they need education, an opportunity to contribute to society and to acquire better possessions and life experiences than they already have. Those who employ others to help them achieve greater success through business or other endeavour should do so without denying those person's their liberty or opportunity to pursue a happier future.
4. The rights of the group do not supersede the rights of the individual. This is where the surrender of one's conscience to the 'will of the group' leads to acts of evil and where absolute power corrupts absolutely. In the history of humanity murders, torture, genocide and other acts of brutality have been sanctioned and carried out by individuals pursuing a 'greater' cause. Be it an organisation, institution. religion or country, following orders is never justification for denying others their fundamental rights.
5. A crime committed against an individual is more serious than the same crime committed against a group. This is because the consequences to the individual are more severe. The members of a group share those consequences. When judging a crime the consideration should be to how much each individual victim has been affected. A person who steals $100 from a pensioner commits a greater crime than a person stealing $100 from a bank. If the bank robber commits the crime by brandishing a gun then this act of violence against the bank teller is an entirely more serious matter and should be judged according to the affect on the teller as a human being than upon the bank.
6. Organisations and institutions exist for the collective good of their members. Organisations should therefore be transparent and accountable to their members. While organisations are made up of people with needs and desires, organisations are not people and should never be treated on an equal footing with any individual human being. In disputes between an individual and an organisation the counsel for the organisation must prove that individuals within that organisation would suffer a greater injustice than the individual with whom they have a dispute.