Missing! An understanding of what the Constitution of the United States means for America, for  Americans, and to the world.

Our Constitution is the foundation of Freedom and law for this Republic. The foundation from which all other laws in this country are derived from. Yet how many Americans out there truly understand what the words in this remarkable document mean for all of us? How many Americans out there understand that, without the freedoms provided in that document they cannot speak freely, worship freely, carry or not carry a gun, that probable cause must be in place before a search and seizure of ones belongings takes place, we are provided due process of law in criminal proceedings, cannot have property taken without just compensation, that there are THREE branches of government for a reason, and that those three branches govern only with OUR consent?

Wanted! Americans and Patriots to shout NO loudly and with such firmness that lawmakers (and even the President) will know that their governance is only with the people’s consent.

Yet there are far too many in this Republic who are and would rather remain Constitutionally illiterate and don’t care if others are as well.  A prime example comes directly from the University of South Carolina President, Harris Pastides.  When it is proposed that a state law requiring that universities teach a class covering the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and the Federalist Papers, Pastides regards it as a “…waste of resources.”,  and it is “archaic”.  So wonderful for Pastides that he can make such statements.  Should we remind him that it is the Constitution and particularly the 1st Amendment that provide him the very right to make such statements?

The college editorial board of the Daily Gamecock agrees with Pastides and sneers that its insulting to take a class we already got for free in high school!  They go on to say… “While knowledge of our country’s founding documents is undoubtedly a good thing to have, there’s the simple fact that most students don’t need it. Students who are pursuing a field outside political science or journalism won’t necessarily need to know about these documents to the extent that the class would be aiming to teach them.”

I could go on a 50 page diatribe about the wrongheadedness of above paragraph alone, but I’ll spare you…this time. 😉 However, there is a young man at that same university who DOES understand! He believes unequivocally that the Founding Documents are STILL relevant today and takes offense to the notion that anyone would consider them irrelevant or a “waste of students time and resources”.

He states: “The fact of the matter is that ignorance of our founding documents is creating a naïve generation in this country. According to a recent poll by The First Amendment Center, only about 70 percent of people in this country know their right to freedom of speech, and after that, the number drops to below 30 percent that can name any of the other rights included in the first amendment.

This in and of itself is cause for concern. When citizens are unaware of their rights government takes advantage. No matter what the name of that government is. Whether it is a republic, democracy, monarchy or communism, government always wants more. That is the nature of the beast that is government.”

He is correct. Ignorance of what our Founders wrote, voted on, and ratified is NOT bliss.

We have a President who plays fundraisers while the country is in crisis; we have a President who yucks it up during a meeting with the Governor of Texas and would much rather drink beer and play pool instead of taking a trip to the border, we have a President who thinks Executive Orders are the best thing since sliced bread, FLOTUS would like to dictate to us what to eat and how to eat, Congress has yet to fulfill its obligations by passing an actual budget bill, and our foreign policy is in shambles because golf is SO much more fun don’tcha know!  But don’t forget, we are in the very “best” of hands because this President knows the Constitution like the back 9 of his golf game.

We need MORE citizens to become Constitutionally literate.

But wait a minute! According to the editors at the Daily Gamecock, they know just how to achieve that!  “The truth is, if a Schoolhouse Rock song can cover a subject, it isn’t necessary in a college curriculum.”   Schoolhouse Rock instead of the Constitution.  I feel all literate now don’t you?

Editor’s note: We’d like to welcome Nina to Victory Girls!