Sorry, I missed post 96.
Here is my response:
In general, most rights in the Constitution are expressed as limits on government power. Those limits are not conditioned on who they apply to. They simply limit the governmen'ts power to do certain things, to anyone, i.e. to deny rights. They are the law of the land, and apply to the land, not just to certain people within it. (Obviously, there are certain exception, such as only citizens being allowed to vote).
The 14th Amendment put this principle into the Constitution (along with saying that it applies to states too):
"Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. "
It very clearly says that due process and equal protection apply to all people, not just citizens. Only the "privileges or immunities of citizens" (privileges, as oppose to rights) can be withheld from non-citizens. Rights cannot be.
Now, I'm still curious about your "tree of liberty" interpretation. Most people completely misunderstand it.