Abraham Lincoln once argued that if you had the right to go up and down a river then you had a right to go across the river.  I found this example to be like many of the issues we face today.  Special interests seem to expect to define basic rights all too often. This has been a year to give some thoughts to what our basic rights should be.

When I read the book "Nothing to Envy, Ordinary Lives in North Korea" I was struck with how few rights some people still have.

When I read the book American Wolf I was struck with how people can see things so differently.  Both of these books have made it into my conversations with friends over the last few days. The books you read, can shape what you thinking currently, because they can help you remember and focus on what is most important to you.