Our United States I.Q.

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

How many of us know in which document the above quote first appeared? We sit around all comfortable and secure, and then somebody throws this quote out in front of us and asks if we recognize it! We recognize the quote, and we have heard it before. But from which document was this quote taken? Was it taken from the Magna Carta, Declaration of Rights, or the Articles of Confederation? No wait, maybe it's from the Constitution!

The U.S. literally has thousands of documents which are the very essence and outline of our democracy. These documents represent how we claimed our freedom as human beings and fought for an equitable social structure. What's that? You say that one was easy? Okay, how about this one. Is it just as familiar?

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God.

Wasn't that Bush who said that right before we deployed our sons and daughters in the fight for freedom? No wait! I think that quote is from the Gettysburg Address isn't it? Oh man, the quote sounds as if it might have been part of the Nixon/Kissinger plan to bomb Hanoi back in 1972! Yeah, maybe that was where I read that! What's that? You say this is simple stuff! Give me something more obscure and tougher to figure out! Alright..alright...how about this one?

All bills appropriating money shall specify in Federal currency the exact amount of each appropriation and the purposes for which it is made; and Congress shall grant no extra compensation to any public contractor, officer, agent, or servant, after such contract shall have been made or such service rendered.

Easy...that's straight from the Constitution isn't it? From what I've seen from Halliburton, this part of the document doesn't seem to be working! Hmmm...maybe this quote is from...hell I don't know! Is it important?

How much do we really know about the laws and rights afforded us in our country? Here is a quick test you can take to determine your Constitution I.Q. You know the less we know, the more it hurts us! But there are just so many documents, laws, amendments, and declarations that it is overwhelming for most of us. So we end up placing our trust in our local law associates. Who we eventually might vote into public office to guard our freedoms and rights. Representative government at it's best. But once we vote them in, whose responsibility is it to watch their progress and grade them on their actions or inactions? If we don't have a working knowledge of our most important documents, how will we know if our representatives are working in the best interest of the people?