First Amendment Monday

 

 

"Thank goodness for organizations like Overpasses for America. They are doing what our schools fail to do - teach people about civics..."

Today the group Overpasses for America - Minnesota is putting on a special event called First Amendment Monday. They want to focus some attention today on this most important Amendment. Well, who cares? Why do we need to do that? We all know about this Amendment, right? Wrong! And this is the scary part of the event. Ignorance on this Amendment is wide and far reaching.

How bad is it? It is bad. According to the Newseum, only 19% of those questioned know the First Amendment guarantees the Freedom of Religion. And what makes this one so onerous is so many people don't understand the words. The Left has completely misinterpreted the meaning of this most basic right. And it is very short and to the point. It states:

 "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

That is it. Nothing sexy. No nuances nor hidden meanings. Note it DOES NOT state anything about separation of church and state. It says nothing about having the Ten Commandments displayed on public land should be offensive or illegal. That is it. This right just wanted to ensure the government did not MANDATE a religion for all to follow. You are free to worship as you choose.

The Newseum then goes on to say only 10% of those surveyed know the First Amendment guarantees Freedom of the Press. Only one out of ten. Any ideas why that is? Let me tell you. Unlike when people my age went to school, very few high schools teach government or civics these days. That is ancient history. Who cares about that crap anyhow? We just want to know how everyone feels these days, not what they know.

Finally, the Newseum reports only one out of three know anything at all about the First Amendment. Do you know what happens when two out of three people don't know that we have freedom of speech, religion, the press, assembly or petition? Correct - this is when tyranny can take over. Freedoms ignored are freedoms denied.

So thank you Overpasses for America, for helping in this most teachable moment. As for the rest of us, this is what we can do. First, make sure we understand our founding documents. Next, spread the word. If people are ignorant on them, educate them. Our future as a free people is at stake.