> The only thing that's natural are the laws of nature, otherwise known as physics, and there is no law of physics that prevents me from torturing someone.

Good thing I didn't imagine the idea of rights would physically prevent you from torturing someone. Basically, rights are an idea meant to help us in drawing boundaries between what's acceptable behaviour and what's not. But it's got nothing to do with the government, and everything to do with reason, logic, consistency and common sense. A government or a piece of paper can't grant any rights or take any away, and in fact, governments only violate our rights.

We live in such comfortable times indeed, when a person can actually believe that, absent government, he would have any rights at all.

We all grow up getting brainwashed to fear freedom, and that right there, is the fear talking.

You have no idea what you're talking about.

Oh I do. You have no idea that your stance on this matter is rooted in brainwashing.