Blue Girl, Red StateI'm siding with BG, RS on this. The ignorance of the American populous scares me as much as any overt attempt by BushCo™ to overthrow the constitution. If you do not understand the makeup and duties of the Judicial Branch, then of course you are not going to notice the erosion of your civil rights. All things said and done, it's the Judicial Branch that is responsible for upholding the law of the land. And that law originates with the Constitution.
- Only 15% of Americans can identify the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (John Roberts). To contrast: 66% know at least one of the judges on American Idol.
- Only 30% realize that the Supreme Court is the last stop on the litigation train. 32% believe that Supreme Court decisions can be appealed, and 38% either "didn't know" or "weren't sure."
- 55% do not know that when the Supreme Court rules 5-4 on a case, that decision is the law of the land and must be followed.
- 14% believe that 5-4 decisions are sent back to congress for further consideration, 7% believe it goes back to the lower courts, and 34% simply "don't know."
Know the Constitution, understand the rights it gives us citizens, then you can recognize when Congress passes laws that infringe upon those rights. That allows you to be able to better enter a court room, where your rights are ultimately upheld, or taken away.
But many public schools boards across the country have been overrun with religious zealots intent on gutting the Constitution and establishing a theocracy. They don't give a damn about civil rights. The look for a return to the days of intolerance and religious persecution. So, as a result, they have weaken the teaching of important subjects, such as the Constitution and "unalienable" rights, and instead are mired in controversies involving separation of Church and State, or worse, wasting time teaching students how to pass a NCLB test.
