First Amendment morons

For a nation that says we value our freedoms, we sure are idiots when it comes to actually knowing those freedoms.

Among the things that we as a nation know better than the right guaranteed by the First Amendment - The Simpsons, American Idol judges and advertising slogans.

Not only do we not know the First Amendment supports our freedom of press, religion, speech, assembly and petition for redress of grievances; we think the amendment gives us even more freedoms like the right against self-incrimination contained in the Fifth Amendment (guess they've never heard of pleading the Fifth).

Worst of all, while only one in four Americans can name more than one of the actual First Amendment freedoms, one in five believe the amendment gives us the "right to own a pet."

Yeah, I'm sure that was a realy sticking point at the Constitutional Convention. Franklin and Jefferson going toe-to-toe over whether the Constitution should guarantee a citizen's right to own a dog.

At least we can be sure that Santa's Little Helper will never be forcefully removed from the Simpson's home - the First Amendment says so.