Sunday, August 5, 2018

Americans know literally nothing about the Constitution

The Constitution, Part 2 of many

From our friends at CNN, which I would not call a conservative-leaning news organization

(CNN) If you are way into politics, you are not the average American. Not even close.
new poll from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center reveals how shockingly little people know about even the most basic elements of our government and the Constitution that formed it.
Take your pick from this bouillabaisse of ignorance:
* More than one in three people (37%) could not name a single right protected by the First Amendment. THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
One in three (33%) can't name any branch of government. None. Not even one.
* A majority (53%) believe the Constitution affords undocumented (illegal) immigrants no rights. However, everyone in the US is entitled to due process of law and the right to make their case before the courts, at the least. (My italics.)
However, this is not generally true for all illegal aliens, nor do illegal aliens have all the rights under the Constitution. It's complicated, but they do generally have the right to do process.  I'm not a lawyer, but here is one legal opinion: 
Undocumented (sometimes called "illegal") immigrants living and perhaps working in the United States have some rights under the U.S. Constitution, despite their unlawful immigration status. Aspects of the Constitution that address certain basic human rights apply to everyone, even people without proper documentation. However, an exception known as "expedited removal" allows arriving aliens to be sent back without seeing a judge, except in narrow circumstances such as if they assert a credible fear of return and wish to apply for asylum.
See Legal Rights of Undocumented Immigrants
(My side note. Here's the Fifth Amendment: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.)
The rest of the story from CNN.

Here's another sad example of how ignorant Americans are of their Constitution.

BTW, for all of you who are protesting ICE and want ICE disbanded because they are "tearing" families apart, that's the Border Patrol. Nothing to do with ICE. 

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