Americans as a group don’t really know their history or their heritage. Ask them who one of the Founding Fathers were and they might tell you, Mark Zuckerberg. He may as well be because Facebook now serves as the nation’s media channel.
Nowhere is our American lack of awareness about who we are more obvious than when we start talking about the Constitution. I doubt few would know more than one or two of the constitutional amendments, and what they relate to. Most would probably get the First Amendment—freedom of speech. Maybe the Second, and guns—actually, it’s “…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms…”
Get beyond the second one and it’s the Wild, Wild West, however.
Take the 14th Amendment. That’s the one that addresses many aspects of citizenship and the rights of citizens. Section 1 of the amendment reads, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the state wherein they reside.”
So, if someone comes across our southern border illegally—possibly Texas or Arizona—while also being pregnant, and has the baby in one of our hospitals (at taxpayers’ expense), then that baby is a U.S. citizen. A common term for that process in today’s immigration parlance is, “anchor baby.” Granted, some don’t like the term and consider it offensive—like Tony Llama, a “reporter” for Good Morning America.
He yelled at Donald Trump, when The Donald used it, saying, “That’s an offensive term! People find that hurtful.”
On the cover of Time Magazine (Photograph by Martin Schoeller).
The burgeoning American list of “offensive” words is now one word longer. I’m sure many know that list better than their U.S. Constitution.
Trump doesn’t care, though. He’ll continue to use it, and sees Llamas as attempting to impose political correctness on him.
For people baffled (read, liberals and reporters) about the polling numbers for Trump that might be one reason. The “silent majority” likes it when a candidate for president doesn’t cower in the face of those trying to shut down free speech. And here we are again, back to the First Amendment.