Decius wrote:
...that there is one word for "civil liberties" and another word for "civil rights".

Aren't they really the same thing? In a way, the present usage makes the former sound somehow less important...

My non-lawyer opinion is that "liberties" are actions you can excercise (like free speech) whereas "rights" includes things that you don't necessarily do (right to a fair trail).

RE: It always irks me...